Updated on 21 Feb 26 by
Barry Carter
Poker Expert

PokerStrategy Heads-Up Cash Championship Round 1 announced

It's coaches vs members in the first part of our Championship - find out who you are playing here.

The Heads-Up Championship Trophy
The Heads-Up Championship Trophy

85 players entered, meaning we extended our original cap of 64 players. 

Because we didn't reach our second cap of 128 players, several players get an automatic bye into the next round. Find out who you are playing by checking out the bracket below: 

PokerStrategy Heads-up Cash Championship Round 1

The first round will be a huge test for some of our coaches, especially because three of our coaches have found themselves against high status VIP members. 

Will  KTU triumph against Tightfold? Can ZackBigPack cause an upset against  Deliveranced? Is  bencb the favourite against W1ckd? These three matches are the pick of round one for sure. 

How to compete

HU Championship

Now the matches have been drawn, here is a reminder what happens next:

  • Matches take place on PokerStars (You do not need to be tracked to PokerStrategy.com)
  • You can arrange your match in a special forum board here
  • Stakes must be NL50 or higher
  • You must play between two and four tables
  • Play concludes after 90 minutes or when one player is down six buy-ins

Some of our matches will be broadcast during the Poker Show with 2014 Heads-Up Champion Lem0n36

For more details, check out our detailed Q & A thread below:

PokerStrategy.com Heads-Up Cash Championship

Poker Expert

Barry Carter is the editor of PokerStrategy.com and the co-author of The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2, Poker Satellite Strategy, PKO Poker Strategy, Endgame Poker Strategy, GTO Poker Simplified, Mystery Bounty Poker Strategy and Beyond GTO. In 2025, he won the Global Poker Awards for Best Book and Twitter Personality of the Year.