National Heads-Up Poker Championship Returns in Fall 2025: Now Powered by PokerStars & PokerGO

Old Format, New Era

The 2025 edition sticks to the roots: 64 players, single-elimination, and heads-up No Limit Hold’em throughout. The prize pool hasn’t been revealed yet, but if it’s anything like the 2013 edition — where Matusow bagged $750,000 for first — it won’t be small.

In true NHUPC fashion, the bracket will mix top-tier pros with celebrities and creators. So far, the poker side includes Michael Mizrachi, Jason Koon, Doug Polk, Liv Boeree, Shaun Deeb, Phil Galfond, Erik Seidel, and Chris Moneymaker. From the celeb camp, we’ve got Nick Wright, Rob Riggle, Richard Seymour, Boston Rob Mariano, and T.J. Lavin.

Photo Credit: Rachel Kay Winter & Tomas Stacha

And this year, it’s not just the usual suspects: two more confirmed names emerged from Twitter (or X, if we must): Victoria Livschitz and Kasey Lyn Mills both posted that they’ll be in the lineup. It’s not often you get a heads-up tournament where legends, influencers, athletes, and rising grinders all collide on one bracket.

Why It Mattered Then — and Still Does Now

Back in the mid-2000s, the National Heads-Up Poker Championship was one of the most visible tournaments in the poker world. Produced for network TV and packed with big personalities, it gave fans unforgettable matchups — Hellmuth vs. Ferguson, Seidel vs. Moneymaker, Matusow vs. the world.

The format was made for drama: lose once and you’re out. Win six in a row and you’re crowned champion.

As PokerGO president Mori Eskandani put it:

Previous National Heads-Up Poker Championship Winners

If you’re feeling nostalgic, here’s a quick look at who’s taken it down over the years:

Of those, only Annie Duke hasn’t been active in the tournament scene recently. Everyone else? Still very much a part of poker lore — and a few of them might be making another run this fall.