Who Comes Out On Top in PokerNews Bracket Challenge? Predict Your Own!

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March’s NCAA Tournament—one of the most watched and bet-on sporting events in the world—tipped off this week. Basketball fans have been sent into madness, filling out their brackets, hoping to predict the next national champion. But here at PokerNews, we’re wanting you to fill out a different kind of bracket.

We’ve traded college hoops for high-stakes head-to-head battles, crafting a 64-player heads-up no-limit hold’em tournament based on The Hendon Mob earnings. And the best part? You get to decide who will be the last player standing.

Predict Your Bracket with Challonge

So do you think you know who would come out on top? Why not have a go at our free prediction contest? Head to Challonge to find the PokerNews Bracket to participate.

Then simply log in to your account or sign up if you haven’t already. Once logged in, navigate to the tournament’s prediction page and submit your bracket!

PokerNews All-Time Money List First-Round Match-Ups

Just like in March’s biggest sporting spectacle, we’ve seeded players 1 to 16 in four separate groups, helpfully named Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs. Bryn Kenney received the top overall seed in Group 1: Spades because his $75.7 million in live tournament cashes is the most ever. Justin Bonomo, at $65.6 million in earnings, is the second overall seed and the top seed in Group 2: Hearts.

Stephen Chidwick (Group 3: Diamonds) and Mikita Badziakouski (Group 4: Clubs) round out the top seeds. Which Round One clashes do you like the look of?

Group 1: Spades

Bryn Kenney

Group 2: Hearts

Justin Bonomo

Group 3: Diamonds

Stephen Chidwick

Group 4: Clubs

Mikita Badziakouski

Intriguing First Round Matchups

There’s no shortage of star power on show in this bracket, but we’ve picked out four eye-catching matches from the first Round. There’s one from each of the Groups to help give you an idea of some of the contests that could take place.

Spades: Phil Hellmuth vs. Brian Rast

Hellmuth vs RastNot many match-ups feature 23 bracelets between the pair. But having Phil Hellmuth, the all-time WSOP bracelet leader with 17 titles, taking on Brian Rast will do it. Rast captured his sixth bracelet back in 2023 with his second $50,000 Poker Players Championship victory and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023.

Hellmuth, however, is no slouch in heads-up play, with 17 heads-up victories at the WSOP, a 2005 NBC Heads-Up Championship title, and a 9-2 record on PokerGO’s High Stakes Duel. Can the Poker Brat keep his head and get rid of Rast?

Hearts: Patrik Antonius vs. Scott Seiver

Antonius vs SeiverA Hall of Fame showdown in Round One? This match pits 2024 inductee Patrik Antonius against presumptive 2025-inductee Scott Seiver.

Fresh off the back of his triple bracelet-winning summer, 2025 WSOP Player of the Year Seiver has amassed $27 million in earnings over his career, only slightly behind the $30 million of his Finnish opponent. All signs point to a close contest.

Diamonds: Daniel Negreanu vs. Joe McKeehen

Negreanu vs McKeehenYou think Daniel Negreanu needs a reminder about Joe McKeehen? Almost a decade on from his brutal 11th-place finish in the WSOP Main Event, the two would resume their battle.

The picture of Negreanu spread-eagled on the floor after busting with aces to eventual champ McKeehen spread around the poker world, and Kid Poker would be out for revenge against three-time bracelet winner McKeehen who in recent years has returned to the winner’s circle, including a victory at the Wynn on the World Poker Tour.

Clubs: Adrian Mateos vs. Orpen Kisacikoglu

Mateos vs KisacikogluIt’s one for the fans of the European Poker Tour as former EPT Monte Carlo Main Event champion and four-time WSOP bracelet-winner Adrian Mateos comes up against High Roller regular Orpen Kisacikoglu.

Kisacikoglu is himself a bracelet winner, grabbing his first bit of WSOP hardware in 2022 in the WSOP Europe €50,000 Diamond High Roller. That being said, Mateos has more than twice Kisacikoglu’s lifetime earnings — could the Turk spring a surprise?

FAQ

Is it safe to play on WPT Global?

Is it safe to play on WPT Global? WPT Global is licenced in Curaçao by Gaming Services Provider N.V. and its RNG (random number generator) is independently certified by Gaming Laboratories International (GLI).

How to play okey online?

How to play okey online? During the game each player receives a hand of 14 tiles. The objective of the game is to form a hand that consists entirely of sets of equal numbered tiles and runs of consecutive tiles of the same color. This can be achieved by drawing and discarding tiles. The first player to complete their hand wins the game.

Are there deposit or withdrawal fees?

Are there deposit or withdrawal fees? No, WPT Global does not charge fees for depositing or withdrawing.

Can you play WPT global with a VPN?

Can you play WPT global with a VPN? Wpt global is one of the world’s largest online poker sites, but it is also one of the most restrictive in terms of IP address restrictions. As a general rule, traditional VPNs cannot be used to access the platform because they can either warn or block your accounts.

Can you withdraw from WPT Global?

Can you withdraw from WPT Global? Before making your first withdrawal, WPT Global, as a licensed operator, requires new customers to verify their account by providing the necessary documentation. This includes: Documentation that proves your identity such as a driving licence or passport.

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