March’s NCAA Match—probably the most watched and bet-on sporting occasions on the planet—tipped off this week. Basketball followers have been despatched into insanity, filling out their brackets, hoping to foretell the subsequent nationwide champion. However right here at PokerNews, we’re wanting you to fill out a distinct form of bracket.
We have traded school hoops for high-stakes head-to-head battles, crafting a 64-player heads-up no-limit maintain’em match primarily based on The Hendon Mob earnings. And one of the best half? You get to determine who would be the final participant standing.
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PokerNews All-Time Cash Record First-Spherical Match-Ups
Identical to in March’s largest sporting spectacle, we have seeded gamers 1 to 16 in 4 separate teams, helpfully named Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Golf equipment. Bryn Kenney acquired the highest general seed in Group 1: Spades as a result of his $75.7 million in reside match cashes is essentially the most ever. Justin Bonomo, at $65.6 million in earnings, is the second general seed and the highest seed in Group 2: Hearts.
Stephen Chidwick (Group 3: Diamonds) and Mikita Badziakouski (Group 4: Golf equipment) spherical out the highest seeds. Which Spherical One clashes do you just like the look of?
Group 1: Spades
Bryn Kenney (1) vs. Probability Kornuth (16)Dan Smith (2) vs. Jean-Noel Thorel (15)Isaac Haxton (3) vs. Andrew Lichtenberger (14)David Peters (4) vs. Aaron Shu Nu Zang (13)Daniel Dvoress (5) vs. Nick Schulman (12)Christoph Vogelsang (6) vs. Elton Tsang (11)Ben Heath (7) vs. John Juanda (10)Phil Hellmuth (8) vs. Brian Rast (9)
Group 2: Hearts
Justin Bonomo (1) vs. Michael Soyza (16)Jason Koon (2) vs. Byron Kaverman (15)Fedor Holz (3) vs. Jason Mercier (14)Steve O’Dwyer (4) vs. Sergio Aido (13)Sam Greenwood (5) vs. Matthias Eibinger (12)Jake Schindler (6) vs. Punnat Punsri (11)Paul Phua (7) vs. Aleksejs Ponakovs (10)Patrik Antonius (8) vs. Scott Seiver (9)
Group 3: Diamonds
Stephen Chidwick (1) vs. Joseph Cheong (16)Daniel Negreanu (2) vs. Joseph McKeehen (15)Phil Ivey (3) vs. Dominik Nitsche (14)Alex Foxen (4) vs. Sam Trickett (13)Timothy Adams (5) vs. Rainer Kempe (12)Sean Winter (6) vs. Koray Aldemir (11)Danny Tang (7) vs. Sam Soverel (10)Daniel Colman (8) vs. Chris Brewer (9)
Group 4: Golf equipment
Mikita Badziakouski (1) vs. Thomas Marchese (16)Adrian Mateos (2) vs. Orpen Kisacikoglu (15)Erik Seidel (3) vs. Ole Schemion (14)Cary Katz (4) vs. Artur Martirosyan (13)Nick Petrangelo (5) vs. Benjamin Tollerene (12)Seth Davies (6) vs. Nacho Barbero (11)Michael Watson (7) vs. Michael Addamo (10)Antonio Esfandiari (8) vs. Jeremy Ausmus (9)
Intriguing First Spherical Matchups
There isn’t any scarcity of star energy on present on this bracket, however we have picked out 4 eye-catching matches from the primary Spherical. There’s one from every of the Teams to assist in giving you an thought of a few of the contests that would happen.
Spades: Phil Hellmuth vs. Brian Rast
Not many match-ups characteristic 23 bracelets between the pair. However having Phil Hellmuth, the all-time WSOP bracelet chief with 17 titles, taking up Brian Rast will do it. Rast captured his sixth bracelet again in 2023 along with his second $50,000 Poker Gamers Championship victory and was inducted into the Corridor of Fame in 2023.
Hellmuth, nevertheless, isn’t any slouch in heads-up play, with 17 heads-up victories on the WSOP, a 2005 NBC Heads-Up Championship title, and a 9-2 document on PokerGO’s Excessive Stakes Duel. Can the Poker Brat hold his head and do away with Rast?
Hearts: Patrik Antonius vs. Scott Seiver
A Corridor of Fame showdown in Spherical One? This match pits 2024 inductee Patrik Antonius in opposition to presumptive 2025-inductee Scott Seiver.
Contemporary off the again of his triple bracelet-winning summer time, 2025 WSOP Participant of the 12 months Seiver has amassed $27 million in earnings over his profession, solely barely behind the $30 million of his Finnish opponent. All indicators level to an in depth contest.
“I am Gonna Stick Round For a Lengthy Time” – Patrik Antonius Inducted into Poker Corridor of Fame
Diamonds: Daniel Negreanu vs. Joe McKeehen
You assume Daniel Negreanu wants a reminder about Joe McKeehen? Nearly a decade on from his brutal Eleventh-place end within the WSOP Major Occasion, the 2 would resume their battle.
The image of Negreanu spread-eagled on the ground after busting with aces to eventual champ McKeehen unfold across the poker world, and Child Poker can be out for revenge in opposition to three-time bracelet winner McKeehen who in recent times has returned to the winner’s circle, together with a victory on the Wynn on the World Poker Tour.
Golf equipment: Adrian Mateos vs. Orpen Kisacikoglu
It is one for the followers of the European Poker Tour as former EPT Monte Carlo Major Occasion champion and four-time WSOP bracelet-winner Adrian Mateos comes up in opposition to Excessive Curler common Orpen Kisacikoglu.
Kisacikoglu is himself a bracelet winner, grabbing his first little bit of WSOP {hardware} in 2022 within the WSOP Europe €50,000 Diamond Excessive Curler. That being mentioned, Mateos has greater than twice Kisacikoglu’s lifetime earnings — may the Turk spring a shock?
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