It has been a big week for Canadian pro Daniel Negreanu as his impressive performance in the 2021 PokerGO Cup series not only landed him a victory in the seventh event, but carried on to top the series’ leaderboard for the overall champion title. The monumental feat arrives at a most welcome time for the seasoned pro having been denied a win for over eight years already.
While Negreanu’s last recorded win was that of a World Series of Poker event in 2013, the iconic player has since come close to claiming a trophy several times. Even after his most recent defeats – two heads up duels, one against Doug Polk which cost him $1.2 million and the other against 15-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth to whom he lost three straight matches, it appears Negreanu not once shied away from the spotlight or yet, the poker grind.
Having finally secured two notable titles, this might just be the career and psychological boost the pro had been waiting for. Looking at a busy year ahead, we are sure to hear more of Negreanu’s adventures in the coming months especially with the WSOP festivities scheduled for this fall.
Negreanu scoops long-awaited victory
Event #7: $50,000 No Limit Hold’em of the 2021 PokerGO Cup series played through last Tuesday evening and interestingly, crowned GGPoker ambassador Daniel Negreanu its champion having outlasted the 35-entry field. For his victory, Negreanu secured the top payout of $700,000 after denying runner-up David Coleman of a title once again. Coleman, who had been in three previous final tables prior to this event, was also due for a win having finished in fourth, third and sixth place in the series’ earlier events.
Five highly skilled players filled the final table with Bosnian pro Ali Imsirovic holding the chip lead to start the final table, while also in position to win the Cup’s leaderboard race. With two titles in hand, Imsirovic seemingly had a good chance for a third. However, fate wasn’t at his side this time as the crusher was the first to go after an hour and a half of play. Having raise-called off the rest of his chips with 
, Negreanu scooped up Imsirovic’s stack with his 
and left his opponent to settle for a fifth place finish and $122,500 in winnings.
In quick fashion, Negreanu single handedly carried on to eliminate the following players Sergi Reixach and Alex Foxen within the next twenty minutes. Having made his way to heads up against Coleman, Negreanu was geared up to lock up the win and in one crucial flip, he finally did. Calling off Coleman’s 19 big blind jam with 
, Negreanu secured the title when a landed on the river, giving him just the out he needed to beat Coleman’s 
. For his long-awaited victory, Negreanu proudly took home $700,000 and a well-earned trophy for his run.
The streak is over and man does it feel good.
Hard to put into words… but I am happy. pic.twitter.com/e0mbWsWyCx
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) July 14, 2021
2021 PokerGO Cup Event #7: $50K NLHE Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
| 1 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | $700,000 |
| 2 | David Coleman | United States | $455,000 |
| 3 | Alex Foxen | United States | $280,000 |
| 4 | Sergi Reixach | Spain | $192,500 |
| 5 | Ali Imsirovic | Bosnia and Herzegovina | $122,500 |
Negreanu stands to be the 2021 PokerGO Cup Champion
The festival’s leaderboard race was a tight one with the last event on schedule crucial as to who would take down the inaugural champion title. After having secured the seventh event victory, Negreanu jumped into the series finale, Event #8: $100,000 No Limit Hold’em and successfully landed a spot in the final table once again.
With contenders Imsirovic and Coleman eliminated earlier in the tournament, winning the leaderboard as well as the eighth event were two opportunities open for Negreanu. However, that dream fell off the wagon when the six-time bracelet winner busted in fourth place, having lost his pocket aces to Sam Soverel’s pocket eights and an eight came on the turn for a set. While Negreanu lost all hope in winning the finale, his fourth place finish for a $230,000 payout just earned him enough points to top the leaderboard.
Closing in on the event, Negreanu needed anybody but Soverel to win the tournament and secure him the overall champion title. With Sean Winter eliminated in third, it was down to Soverel who held 3.3 million in chips vs Cary Katz who had 1.3 million. After a series of bluffs, Katz managed to take the lead, win the last race and eventually secure the title along with the top payout of $1,058,000.
Locking in the PokerGO Series Championship title, Negreanu received a bonus of $50,000 in addition to his close to a million dollars in earnings for the circuit. The final tally came with Negreanu accumulating a total of 537 points after four cashes in the series and close runner-up Imsirovic with 497 points.
I know I won the $50k and I’m ecstatic to get that monkey off my back.
It didn’t take a lot of the sting out of losing AA to 88 in the $100k!
Min cashed 4th place for $230k when 3rd locks me up for the @PokerGO Cup.
Go CARY!!!
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) July 14, 2021
2021 PokerGO Cup Top 10 Final Standings
| Rank | Name | Country | Earnings (USD) | Points |
| 1 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | $996,200 | 537 |
| 2 | Ali Imsirovic | Bosnia and Herzegovina | $545,500 | 497 |
| 3 | Cary Katz | United States | $1,161,800 | 475 |
| 4 | David Coleman | United States | $710,000 | 470 |
| 5 | Alex Foxen | United States | $533,200 | 421 |
| 6 | Sam Soverel | United States | $812,200 | 361 |
| 7 | Jason Koon | United States | $446,000 | 316 |
| 8 | Dylan Linde | United States | $255,000 | 255 |
| 9 | Sergi Reixach | Spain | $320,700 | 244 |
| 10 | Jake Schindler | United States | $324,000 | 194 |
