The National Heads-Up Poker Championship is back and the star power is bigger than ever for the return of the iconic poker series.
Poker players have been clamoring for a spot since last week's announcement of a partnership between PokerGO and PokerStars. The buzz has resulted in a stacked list of pros who will mix it up with celebrities and other familiar faces in a $25,000 buy-in with a single-elimination bracket.
WSOP Main Event champion Michael 'The Grinder' Mizrachi is in the mix, along with Phil Laak, Liv Boeree, Erik Seidel, and even defending champion Mike 'The Mouth' Matusow. They all found out who they're playing in the first round at a cocktail hour in the PokerGO Studio on Thursday night. We were there to get the scoop on the matchups.
Episodes of the show will air this fall on Peacock and PokerGO in the spring, but the first-round matchups are now set to go. The 64 players are divided into four regions: spades, hearts, clubs, and diamonds. They'll battle over three days for a spot at the end, where the winner will take home $500,000.
Let's take a look at the matchups:
Spades Region
Erik Seidel will clash with Andrew Robl in Round 1. Two marquee matchups stand out in the Spades Region, starting with Erik Seidel and Andrew Robl. Robl is a fixture at the PokerGO Studio and Seidel is no stranger to the National Heads-Up Championship. The winner of that matchup will face the survivor of Tyler Montoya vs. angel investor Jason Calacanis. You may remember Montoya from his million-dollar Mystery Bounty this summer at the WSOP.
"I'm going to bluff the sh*t out of them," he told Jeff Platt.
Also on this side of the bracket is Richard Seymour vs. Matt Berkey, a pairing that got an "ooo" from the crowd. Seymour is a retired NFL lineman and Berkey is the reigning High Stakes Duel champion. Other names in the region include Rob Riggle, Maria Konnikova, Boston Rob, Phil Galfond, and Esther Taylor, who drew Kasey Lyn Mills as an opponent. Konnikova and Boston Rob will face off just days after recording a podcast together.
Spades Region matchups
- Tyler Montoya vs. Jason Calcanis
- Erik Seidel vs. Andrew Robl
- Richard Seymour vs. Matt Berkey
- Jasper vs. Marius Gierse
- Phil Galfond vs. Dylan Flashner
- Kasey Lyn Mills vs. Esther Taylor
- Hanks vs. Rob Riggle
- Maria Konnikova vs. Boston Rob
Clubs Region
Phil Laak will face Table 1 Podcast host and local pro Justin Young Big names across the board mean great matchups on every part of the bracket, and the Clubs Region is packed with them. Justin Young will take on Phil Laak, Chino Rheem drew Nick Wright, and Erick Lindgren will try to beat Jason Koon — another name that drew an "ooo" from the crowd.
Not to be out done, Ren Lin has to face Brian Rast. "No future," Lin said pessimistically with only the second half of his catchphrase.
Recent WSOPC Circuit champ Matt Salsburg will face Johnny Vibes and Sean Winter drew Ryan Feldman — a matchup that also received a mix of applause and ooo-ing.
Clubs Region matchups
- Brazil God vs. Nacho Barbero
- Justin Young vs. Phil Laak
- Brian Rast vs. Ren Lin
- Matt Salsburg vs. Johnny Vibes
- Sam Soverel vs. Jonathan Jaffe
- Sean Winter vs. Ryan Feldman
- Chino Rheem vs. Nick Wright
- Erick Lindgren vs. Jason Koon
Hearts Region
The road to any heads-up tournament victory goes through John Smith. The matchup pods only get tougher and it's going to be a bear to get through the Hearts Region. Jesse Lonis drew Kristen Foxen for what may be the biggest matchup on the card, while Keith Lehr will face influencer Bryce Hall after the two of them predicted so prior to the draw. Defending champion Mike Matusow will face Stephen Chidwick, and Justin Gavri drew King of the Heads-Up Tournaments John Smith, who said he has now been playing poker for 60 years.
Scott Seiver, BMX legend TJ Lavin, and Michelin-starred Chef Phil Frankland Lee, Bryn Kenney, and Frankie Brannan round out what might be the most diverse region of occupations in the tournament.
Hearts Region matchups
- Bryn Kenney vs. Vinny Lingham
- Jesse Lonis vs. Kristen Foxen
- Keith Lehr vs. Bryce Hall
- Frank Crivello vs. TJ Lavin
- Scott Seiver vs. Chef Phil Frankland Lee
- Mike Matusow vs. Stephen Chidwick
- Justin Gavri vs. John Smith
- Frankie Brannan vs. Garrett Adelstein
Diamonds Region
Shaun Deeb is already in the hole and the tournament hasn't started. A lot of big names were still on the board for the last matchups drawn and the Diamonds Region may pack the heaviest star power. Liv Boeree was drawn first to face an absent Kevin Pollak, but Alan Keating and Shaun Deeb were waiting in the wings with a long-lingering side bet on who would be picked first. It was settled immediately when Platt picked Keating, who promptly drew Deeb (yes, randomly) for another Main Event matchup.
Chris Moneymaker will also give it a shot against Igor Kurganov and Doug Polk drew Xuan Liu for a Battle of The Lodge. Victoria Livschitz will try to get through David Williams, an opportunity she called "so, so cool." One of the last names drawn was The Grinder, who will face the man known as '3 Coin.' Cary Katz and Josh Arieh rounded out the 64 selections with the final matchup.
Diamonds Region matchups
- Kevin Pollak vs. Liv Boeree
- Alan Keating vs. Shaun Deeb
- Chris Moneymaker vs. Igor Kurganov
- Xuan Liu vs. Doug Polk
- Dan 'Jungleman' Cates vs. Charlie Hook
- Victoria Livschitz vs. David Williams
- 3 Coin vs. Michael Mizrachi
- Cary Katz vs. Josh Arieh
Potential clashes set up stellar reboot
The draw set up several great first-round matchups and the bracket offers the opportunity for more fireworks along the way. The winner of Rheem vs. Wright will face Lindgren or Koon in the second round, while Kenney will have to beat either Lonis or Foxen if he manages to get by Vinny Lingham. Boeree and Pollak will square off for the opportunity to face the winner of Keating and Deeb, but Moneymaker has one of the toughest paths to the Sweet Sixteen through Kurganov, Liu, and Polk.
It will all go down in the PokerGO Studio to set up a return of the National Heads-Up Championship on Peacock in the fall. Episodes will move over to PokerGO in the spring.
National Heads-Up Championship payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $500,000 | 9th | $25,000 |
| 2nd | $275,000 | 10th | $25,000 |
| 3rd | $150,000 | 11th | $25,000 |
| 4th | $150,000 | 12th | $25,000 |
| 5th | $75,000 | 13th | $25,000 |
| 6th | $75,000 | 14th | $25,000 |
| 7th | $75,000 | 15th | $25,000 |
| 8th | $75,000 | 16th | $25,000 |
