The National Heads-Up Poker Championship returned in 2025 after a dozen-year hiatus, and once again captivated fans with its exciting one-on-one format. PokerGO is running it back for 2026, with a bracket that once again features 64 players putting up $25,000 each. Some of the biggest stars in the game are set to compete. They are all looking to win six consecutive heads-up matches and add their name to the prestigious list of NHUPC winners.
Defending champion Sam Soverel is set for a chance to go back-to-back. On his way to victory in 2025, Soverel defeated Jonathan Jaffe, Ryan Feldman, and broadcaster Nick Wright to reach the top eight. He bested Luiz ‘Brazil God’ Rizental in the quarterfinals, and then took down Phil Galfond in the semifinals. In the championship match, Soverel came from behind to beat Keith Lehr in the best-of-three finale.
Soverel’s first-place prize earned him $500,000 and a seat into the 2026 event. He’ll be up against a field with some familiar faces from 2025, as well as some of the biggest names in the game. After not participating in the 2025 event, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, and Tom Dwan are in for 2026.
Hellmuth won the inaugural National Heads-Up Poker Championship in 2005, and finished as the runner-up to Mike Matusow in 2013. Erik Seidel, the 2011 NHUPC champion, is also in the field for 2026.
One of the highlights among the first-round match-ups is Hellmuth against Josh Arieh in the Clubs bracket. Seidel battles Alex Foxen in a first-round match in the Diamond bracket.
Tournament action is set to be filmed inside the PokerGO Studio over the course of several days, with the tournament airing at a future date on Peacock. After a period of exclusivity on that platform, episodes will eventually land on PokerGO.
Spades Bracket – Round 1
- Liv Boeree vs. Jeremy Ausmus
- Tom Dwan vs. Randy ‘3Coin’ Sadler
- Cary Katz vs. Steven Jones
- Jimmy D’Ambrosio vs. Kirk Brown
- Turbo Nguyen vs. Shaun Deeb
- Andrew Pacheco vs. Jesse Lonis
- Erick Lindgren vs. Eric Persson
- Luis ‘Brazil God’ Rizental vs. Doug Polk
Clubs Bracket – Round 1
- Victoria Livschitz vs. Chris Hunichen
- Phil Laak vs. Chino Rheem
- Josh Arieh vs. Phil Hellmuth
- Ben Lamb vs. Jared Bleznick
- Andrew Robl vs. Keith Lehr
- Randall Emmett vs. Robbi Jade Lew
- Sam Soverel vs. Kasey Lyn Mills
- Daniel Negreanu vs. Dan Sepiol
Hearts Bracket – Round 1
- Scott Seiver vs. Justin Young
- Jeff Platt vs. Sam Laskowitz
- Igor Kurganov vs. Phillip Frankland Lee
- Kristen Foxen vs. Ryan Bartlett
- Vinny Lingham vs. Matt Hanks
- Jeremy Becker vs. Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates
- Gabriel Andrade vs. Darin Feinstein
- Seth Davies vs. Sean Winter
Diamonds Bracket – Round 1
- Nick Schulman vs. Sam Kiki
- Matthew Wantman vs. Kelly Lucas
- Alan Keating vs. Jeff Gross
- David ‘ODB’ Baker vs. Jason Mercier
- Marius Gierse vs. Vanessa Selbst
- Alex Foxen vs. Erik Seidel
- Nicholas Rigby vs. Dan Shak
- Brandon Steven vs. Justin Gavri
Full Bracket (Click To Enlarge)
Photo credit: PokerGO / Miguel Cortes.
