The fourth installment of PokerGO’s High Stakes Duel took place on Thursday night in Las Vegas, featuring a head-to-head showdown between Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk, both high-stakes players who were once fierce rivals. Despite their previous conflicts, they came together for a $100,000 buy-in winner-takes-all match, signaling a truce in their feud. However, the competition remained intense as they vied for the $200,000 prize in the High Stakes Duel.
The match lasted around three hours, with a pivotal moment occurring early on when Daniel Negreanu contemplated a critical call that could have ended the game within just 15 minutes. Facing a crucial decision with ASpade Suit JDiamond Suit and a board showing ADiamond Suit 7Club Suit 3Club Suit KSpade Suit 2Club Suit, Negreanu ultimately folded to Polk’s 5Club Suit 4Club Suit, which turned out to be a rivered flush.
Despite initially falling behind 2:1, Daniel Negreanu managed to gain the upper hand by flopping the best possible hand (the nuts) with AClub Suit JClub Suit on a board of 10Club Suit 8Club Suit 4Club Suit 2Spade Suit 7Diamond Suit. Polk, holding KClub Suit 3Diamond Suit, lost a significant portion of his stack by aggressively betting on all three streets in pursuit of his missed flush draw.
In the final hand, Polk once again employed an aggressive strategy, firing bets on all three streets with 9Spade Suit 7Spade Suit on a board displaying KClub Suit 8Diamond Suit 6Club Suit AHeart Suit QClub Suit. Negreanu saw through the bluff and made the call with ADiamond Suit 10Heart Suit, clinching the last pot of the evening.
Daniel Negreanu expressed the challenge of playing against Polk, noting his opponent’s willingness to put him in difficult situations. He acknowledged that making tough calls, like the one in the final hand, is part of the game.
Following his victory in a previous match against casino owner Eric Persson, where they each put up $50,000, Negreanu faced the choice of cashing out with a $150,000 profit or participating in a higher-stakes $200,000 buy-in match. Ultimately, Negreanu decided to opt out, declaring, “I’m done.” He secured the championship belt and stated his willingness to defend it in the future, should challengers arise.
With this win, Daniel Negreanu became the second player in the show’s history to achieve multiple victories, elevating his record to 2-3. Notable players such as Tom Dwan, Jason Koon, and Phil Hellmuth also boast respective records of 1-1, 1-0, and an impressive 9-2.
