CoinPoker’s 2026 Heads-Up Money Recreation World Championship is halfway by its group stage with 20 of on-line poker’s strongest money recreation gamers combating throughout twin NLHE and PLO brackets.
The $10,000 buy-in, 100% rake-free occasion runs April 6 to Might 3 on the crypto poker platform. Every format’s champion takes dwelling $100,000 and a Rolex.
The sphere reads like a who’s who of on-line nosebleeds. Heads-up legend Jungleman, LLinusLLove, Buttonclickr, and defending CGWC champion PR0DIGY are all competing within the NLHE bracket. PLO options Venividi1993, the Dutch specialist who turned $100K into $1M in a single 12 months on CoinPoker.
That is the fourth CGWC version in 18 months. It is usually the primary to make use of a heads-up bracket format with EV BB scoring, a system designed to measure determination high quality reasonably than who caught the higher runout.
Full NLHE Participant Area
The NLHE bracket options as much as 12 gamers divided into 4 teams of three. Eleven display screen names have been confirmed thus far, with group assignments drawn by RNG and visual contained in the CoinPoker desktop app.
Loeliger is the headline identify. The Swiss professional has $9.1M in stay event earnings, over $1.4M in tracked on-line income on PokerStars earlier than monitoring ended, and completed third within the inaugural CGWC.
Cates brings the deepest heads-up pedigree within the subject with $11M+ in tracked on-line money recreation income. His unfinished Durrrr Problem towards Tom Dwan (up $1.2M after 19,335 palms) stays poker lore.
Puustinen considers himself among the many high three heads-up gamers on this planet, with Loeliger at primary. The 25-year-old Finn helped Doug Polk put together for the Polk vs. Negreanu problem and positioned third within the 2021 WSOP $25K Heads-Up Championship.
PLO Bracket Options Venividi1993 (8 Gamers)
Gerritse is the PLO bracket’s marquee identify. The Dutchman earned $2.895M in 2024 totally on CoinPoker and competed within the Galfond Problem towards Phil Galfond. PLO gamers can go for PLO5 or PLO6 by mutual settlement.
How EV BB Scoring Strips Luck from Outcomes
The CGWC makes use of an EV BB (Anticipated Worth in Massive Blinds) scoring system that tracks the mathematical profitability of every determination on the level of dedication. A participant who will get all-in as a 70% favorite scores the identical whether or not they win or lose the runout.
The system rewards constant, high-level play over 1,875 palms (NLHE) or 1,250 palms (PLO) per group stage match. Variance nonetheless exists hand at hand, however over that quantity, the higher participant’s edge exhibits up within the EV BB numbers.
Three Levels from Group to Grand Last
The occasion runs in three phases with growing depth at every stage.
CoinPoker matches 50% of every participant’s $10,000 contribution, including $5,000 per participant on to the prize pool. Gamers additionally submit a separate $10,000 participation assure forfeited in the event that they exit early.
Group Stage Outcomes Stay Behind Closed Doorways
With the group stage midway by its April 6 to 19 window, no publicly accessible leaderboard or match outcomes exist exterior the CoinPoker shopper. Stay standings are solely viewable within the app’s CGWC tab.
No English-language outlet has revealed particular scores, level totals, or group standings for the reason that occasion launched. Past a handful of launch-day bulletins, the group stage is enjoying out nearly fully at nighttime for anybody not logged into CoinPoker.
Fourth CGWC Version in Simply 18 Months
CoinPoker has run the CGWC sequence at an aggressive tempo since late 2024, rising it into the platform’s flagship aggressive occasion.
The inaugural version (December 2024 to January 2025) noticed Owen “PR0DIGY” Messere declare the title with $591,000 in EV revenue throughout 43,529 palms, incomes a $50,000 Rolex Daytona.
A mid-stakes version adopted in June 2025 at NL500. A PLO version concluded in November 2025 with over 932 gamers and 1,000,000 palms logged. The newest high-stakes version went to the ultimate day, when Pedro “Biluzin” Toledo edged Messere by simply $28,000 in EV.
The heads-up format marks a deliberate shift from open-entry leaderboard grinds to an unique, invitation-based bracket. Solely 20 seats throughout each codecs, and each hand performed at zero rake.
What Comes Subsequent
The group stage closes on April 19. Semi-finals start April 20, with the factors chief in every bracket incomes Challenger’s Selection. Grand Finals run April 27 to Might 3 in a 2,000-hand format that can crown two champions.
CoinPoker is likely one of the few platforms accessible to US gamers, operating on USDT deposits with no obligatory KYC. The CoinRewards rakeback system launched in April pays over $1.5M weekly throughout leaderboards, splash pots, and each day rakeback.
