Washington, D.C.-based pro captures his first PokerGO Tour title and moves into third place in the Purple Jacket race
Nicholas Seward has a PokerGO Tour trophy to go with his bracelet and his World Poker Tour title. The 25-year-old defeated Hall of Famer Daniel Negreanu heads-up in Event 9 of the 2026 Poker Masters, a $25,000 no-limit hold’em high roller, and collected $412,500 for first place.
The win is Seward’s second title of 2026, following his victory at the WPT Venetian Las Vegas Spring Championship in February. It also pushes him into third place in the Poker Masters standings with one event left on the schedule.
Seward’s Poker Masters Win at a Glance
- Event: 2026 Poker Masters Event 9, $25,000 no-limit hold’em
- Field: 50 entries, creating a $1,250,000 prize pool
- Winner: Nicholas Seward, $412,500
- Runner-up: Daniel Negreanu, $262,500
- Third place: Daniyal Gheba, $175,000
- Seward’s Poker Masters standing: third, with 397 PokerGO Tour points
How Seward’s Career Results Stack Up
The $412,500 is the third-largest payday of Seward’s career. It trails the $516,135 he earned for his first WSOP bracelet in the 2024 $3,000 six-max event and the $418,700 from his WPT Venetian win earlier this year. His lifetime tournament earnings now sit above $5.4 million.
The result also helps his Card Player Player of the Year campaign. He picked up 420 points for his 13th final-table finish of the season, enough to move him into the top 50 of the overall POY race.
Poker Masters Standings: Mateos, Palma and Seward Lead
The Purple Jacket race is tight heading into the finale. Adrian Mateos leads with 451 points, Nick Palma is second with 407, and Seward is third with 397. Vitalijs Zavorotnijs (365) and Daniyal Gheba (348) round out the top five.
Mateos remains the player to beat, though Event 9 was another frustrating one for him. He fell on the money bubble, which he has now done five times at this series, while still holding the points lead thanks to a win, a runner-up finish and a fourth-place result elsewhere.
Negreanu Takes the Lead Into the Final Day
The event reached the money late on Day 1, with David Coleman, the 2025 Purple Jacket winner, going out in eighth for $50,000 as the field bagged up. Negreanu started the final day as chip leader among the last seven, with Seward second.
Seward took over the lead almost immediately. Three-time bracelet winner Jesse Lonis, the reigning Player of the Year, called off his stack with K-Q and lost to Seward’s J-9 after a jack turned. Lonis took seventh ($50,000), and Seward moved to the top of the counts.
The next eliminations came quickly:
- Sixth: Brandon Wilson ($75,000). The second-ranked player in the POY race was crippled by Seward’s pocket jacks and exited when Negreanu made top set.
- Fifth: Sean Perry ($100,000). Perry check-raised a flop of 10-7-3 with a gutshot straight-flush draw, but Negreanu’s pocket jacks held.
- Fourth: Matthew Wantman ($125,000). The WPT champion ran A-Q into Negreanu’s K-10 and could not find help.
- Third: Daniyal Gheba ($175,000). Gheba’s K-6 suited lost to Seward’s A-Q on a nine-high board, adding to a strong week in which he cashed in five of the first nine events.
Heads-Up: Seward vs. Negreanu
Negreanu began the duel with a lead of 4,200,000 to 3,305,000 and stretched it early with a well-timed bluff. The match then swung several times. Seward fought back, Negreanu hit a nut flush to regain control, and Seward evened the match when he flopped quad kings and got paid on the river.
The decisive stretch started when Seward flopped aces up with A-6 and later filled up on a river six. Negreanu eventually released a flush after thinking it over and kept about 1,900,000 in chips. Soon after, Negreanu shoved K-10 for 21 big blinds against Seward’s button open. Seward called with K-J, and no help arrived for Negreanu across the board.
Negreanu’s Career Earnings Keep Climbing
Negreanu’s $262,500 runner-up payday lifts his career tournament winnings to $60.36 million, tenth on poker’s all-time money list. He remains Canada’s top tournament earner, but Daniel Dvoress is close behind at $59.96 million.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicholas Seward | $412,500 |
| 2 | Daniel Negreanu | $262,500 |
| 3 | Daniyal Gheba | $175,000 |
| 4 | Matthew Wantman | $125,000 |
| 5 | Sean Perry | $100,000 |
| 6 | Brandon Wilson | $75,000 |
| 7 | Jesse Lonis | $50,000 |
| 8 | David Coleman | $50,000 |
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What’s Next at the Poker Masters
One event remains on the 2026 schedule, and the Purple Jacket is still up for grabs. With only 54 points separating Mateos from Seward, a deep run or a win in the finale could reshuffle the top of the standings. Seward, fresh off a heads-up win over one of poker’s biggest names, will enter that final event as a live threat.
