Alan Keating ‘Got Outplayed’ in WSOP Heads-Up Event; Wants to Face Negreanu

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May 30, 2025 3 min read

Alan Keating had an opportunity to prove to the high-stakes tournament grinders — notably, Daniel Negreanu — that he can hang in their arena. But the Hustler Casino Live fan favorite bowed out in the second round of Event #7: $25,000 Heads-Up Championship on Friday at the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP).

Keating, known primarily for his high-stakes cash game appearances, has over $200,000 in career WSOP earnings but hasn’t recorded a WSOP cash since 2013. Recently, he’s been publicly challenged by several high-stakes pros—including Negreanu — to step outside the comfort of the private cash game scene and compete against the game's elites.

It seems Negreanu was on Keating’s mind when he registered for the event. When PokerNews caught up with him and asked about his motivation for playing, Keating said, “It’s a heads-up tournament, and I saw Negreanu was on the list,” adding that he thought to himself, “Alright, here’s my chance to find him in his streets.”

Alan Keating Wins Largest Pot in High Stakes Poker History

"He Offered Me a Horrible Deal"

Keating shared more thoughts on Negreanu, saying, “He offered me a horrible deal. I offered him a chance to play against guys like me—guys he says can hardly play poker—and he came back with an offer to play all the superstars.” He added, “I don’t really know what he’s thinking, but it doesn’t mean I’m afraid to come here and play them.”

Although Negreanu inevitably did not enter the field, as he was still playing the $5,000 PLO, Keating did step out of his comfort zone to join a field stacked with some of the best players in the game, which included 22 draftees from the 25K Fantasy Draft.

In Round 1, he was matched up against one of those draftees, Andrew Lichtenberger. Keating wasted little time, wounding "LuckyChewy" after calling a river bet with second pair, then finishing him off in typical Keating fashion.

Keating Falls in Second Round

In Round 2, Keating faced off against David Chen and got off to a hot start, taking a commanding lead in the early levels. Chen, however, battled back to even the stacks before pulling ahead and creating distance.

As one of the few matches still remaining in the Paris Ballroom, Keating found himself down to just under 10 big blinds and moved all in blind from the button. Chen called, and when the cards were tabled, Keating was dominated and couldn’t improve, bringing his Heads-Up run to an end in Round 2.

Keating humbly accepted defeat, noting after the match, “I just got outplayed basically on every level.” He added, “I had him in the beginning, he got down pretty far, but he got out of it, stayed focused, and I lost my focus.” He wrapped up by saying, “It makes sense he won. He played better, and he’s a great player.”

Although his Heads-Up run ended earlier than he hoped, Keating says he intends to play both the $250,000 and $100,000 High Rollers at the WSOP, an opportunity to prove he can compete with the best of the best, and potentially set up a showdown with his new rival, Negreanu.

There are 16 players left in the Heads-Up event and there is one more match to play before players reach the money. Follow along with PokerNews ahead of the next Heads-Up champion being crowned.

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• Tags Alan Keating Andrew Lichtenberger Daniel Negreanu David Chen World Series of Poker WSOP WSOP25
• Related Tournaments World Series of Poker
• Related Players Daniel NegreanuAndrew LichtenbergerDavid ChenAlan Keating