Coming off a successful co-branded series with the World Poker Tour, partypoker US Network isn’t slowing down. The operator’s winter Online Series runs Jan. 17-24 with more than $250,000 guaranteed.
The series is available to players in New Jersey on partypoker as well as the BorgataPoker.com and BetMGM skins. As many players still have limited live tournament options, more players continue looking online for an outlet.
Partypoker is hosting nice events to keep grinders busy in January. The series’ biggest event comes on Jan. 24 and includes a $100,000 guarantee in a Progressive Knockout eight-max tournament. The buy in is $535 includes a starting bounty of $250 on each player’s head.
In a PKO, when a player is knocked out only a part of his bounty goes to his opponent. The other portion is placed on the winning player’s head.
The more a player eliminates others, the more that player’s own bounty is valued. These tournaments make for some fun and interesting dynamics.
Players will find three PKO events in the series. Other highlighted tournaments include:
$215 NLHESunday Special (Event 1, Jan. 17) – $50,000 guaranteed
Partypoker will be running daily satellites to win a seat into these events. Satellites range in buy-in from $0 to $55.
By clicking on a tournament’s lobby, players can click on the satellite tab to see which are currently running. There should be plenty of opportunities to win tournament seats.
Daily promotions, tournaments continue
During the Online Series, players can still look for daily promotions and other tournaments This includes the popular nightly $10,000 guaranteed tournament. Here’s a quick look at that event:
Start time: 7 pm ET
Buy-in: $109
Starting chips: 50,000
Late registration: re-entries allowed until end of Level 15
★★★ Ready to jump in the action at partypoker US Network? Click here for a site review and exclusive USPoker bonuses. Reviews and bonuses are also available for BorgataPoker.com and BetMGM. ★★★
The Daniel Negreanu train colled on in his matchup against Doug Polk. On Monday, he added a fifth straight win for almost $133,000
Polk’s lead how now been cut to just over $484,000 and Negreanu has made big strides to close his lead.
For the rest of the Day 25 action, check out the updates just below the links. This page follows the action of the Daniel Negreanu-Doug Polk matchup as it plays out over the next few weeks.
The High Stakes Feud kicked off on Nov. 4 with live play on PokerGo and then shifted online. Here are all the match details and updates.
Day 26: Jan. 11 – Negreanu builds momentum with 5th straight win
The wins keep coming for Negreanu. Monday’s session brought his fifth positive day in a row, notching a score of $132,649 over 750 hands.
Early action was a little back and forth with Polk adding an early $4,400 pot with a flush. A huge hand then followed with Negreanu making it $1,000 before the flop.
Polk three-bet to almost $4,000 and Negreanu four-bet to $11,000. After some thought, Polk called and there was already almost $25,000 in the pot.
The flop brought 73J and Polk bet $6,500 before Negreanu called. The river brought the K and Polk checked.
Negreanu tanked just a bit before moving all in. Polk snapped a call and tabled KQ for top pair. But Negreanu held AA and his hand held up with a 2 landing on the river.
Negreanu shipped an $85,000 pot within the first five minutes of the session. About 30 minutes later, Negreanu picked up a $99,000 pot when his pocket JJ topped Polk’s pocket 88.
Negreanu rivers a full house
The action just seems to be going Negreanu’s way of late. Just past the hour mark, Negreanu raised to $900 from the button.
Polk made it $4,000 and received a call. The flop came 1075 and Polk bet $5,300. Negreanu raised to almost $15,000 and Polk moved all in for $58,000.
After calling, Negreanu showed K10 for top pair. Polk showed 89 for flush and open-end straight draws. The 7 on the turn gave Polk the flush.
However, the river 7 made a full house for Negrenau and he took down a pot of more than $90,000. Negreanu took a lead of about $100,000 halfway through the four-hour session.
Polk took his share of pots, but the big swings seemed to go his opponent’s way. At the two-hour mark, Polk raised to $900 and Negreanu made it $4,000 before receiving a call.
On a flop of 237, Negreanu bet $5,400 and received a call. The 3 came on the turn and Negreanu bet $13,000. Polk called and the K came on the river
After some thought, Negreanu moved all in with QQ, but Polk showed 53 for trips. He raked an $88,000 pot.
Inside the 26th day of action
From the outset of the second half of the series, Negreanu has been adamant that he can get back in it. He’s a fast learner and continues to adjust his game.
Polk acknowledged his opponent has made some major improvements since the High Stakes Feud began. Negreanu seems to have opened up his game and aggression with certain hands. His bet sizing ranges have also expanded.
“I gotta say [Negreanu] is playing just night and day better than at the start of the challenge,” Polk noted. “I still think I have the edge, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s pretty low at this point. Gotta give credit where credit is due.”
An example of his increased aggression came just past the halfway point on Monday. With a board of 106KA8 and $13,000 already in the pot, Negreanu over-bet to $19,000. Polk ultimately folded and Negreanu raked the pot.
The variance and big hands also continue to go his way. That wasn’t the case earlier in the series. On Monday, Negreanu made some nice calls as well to gather pots.
That included picking off a Polk bluff with a board of AK1025 and holding 89. Negreanu tabled A10 for two pairs and a $57,000 pot.
Many of Negreanu’s moves were well-timed and his progress continues. The momentum has certainly shifted to Kid Poker.
“I feel like if I were him, the first half of the match I would have been incredibly frustrated,” he said on the GGPoker stream. “He made a aot of flushes … but unfortunately for him, it was in spots where I didn’t have anything and the river went check-check. Or I just didn’t bluff at it where he could have looked me up.
“I was fortunate to really avoid any major traps.”
Negreanu has now cut Polk’s lead in half over the last several sessions and hopes to keep the train rolling.
Perhaps the biggest sign the tide is turning is the decrease in F-Bombs in my review videos, here’s the latest:https://t.co/BkrFRUOdG3
Day 25: Jan. 8 – Negreanu closes out a week of wins
With a fourth straight win, albeit another small one, Negreanu has shown he can stem the bleeding. Determined to make this a contest, that seems possible – at least for now.
Friday’s session produced a Negreanu win of $27,946 over 750 hands. Things began well again for him including an $11,000 early pot after making a full house with pocket 2s. He later took down a $14,000 in a four-bet pot with Polk eventually folding before seeing a flop.
The first major hand saw Polk raise preflop to $900 and Negreanu call. The flop brought 37Q with Negreanu checking and Polk betting $600.
Negreanu called and the turn brought the 5. Negreanu checked again and Polk fired $3,000. Negreanu called and then checked again after the 7 landed on the river.
Polk bet another $6,000 and Negreanu raised to $22,000 with a board showing numerous possibilities for big hands. Polk eventually folded and Negreanu took a $37,000 pot.
Shortly afterward, he picked off a Polk bluff with a flush for $14,000 and continued to grab some more here and there.
At about the hour mark, there was already $20,000 in the pot on a board of 9K67 when the K hit on the river. Polk checked with Negreanu checking as well. Polk’s AJ picked up the pot with the nut flush.
Negreanu cracks Aces
On a day with plenty of action, some of the coolers seemed to go Negreanu’s way as well. Just at the hour mark, Negreanu raised to $1,000 and Polk three-bet to $4,000.
Daniel Negreanu
Negreanu called and the flop brought J43. Polk bet $3,300 and Negreanu made the call. After the 10 on the turn, Polk bet $4,800 and Negreanu called.
The A hit the board on the river and Polk moved all in for $66,000. Negreanu snap called with Q5 and a flush. Polk hit trip Aces on the river with AA but the $82,000 pot went to Negreanu.
Polk found some of his own big pots, but the action just seemed to go his opponent’s way. After three hours, Negreanu led by more than $60,000 and that ballooned to almost $100,000 at times. That wouldn’t last however.
Inside the 25th day of action
After four hours of play Negreanu scored another win. He’s shaved off a considerable amount of Polk’s lead in the last week.
However, Polk has a knack for reducing his opponent’s wins. What might have been a six-figure score was reduced to half a buy-in. Polk was able to find a few late pots to close the gap.
Despite that comeback, Negreanu was happy to book another win. He admitted that he didn’t know exactly what to think of the day’s action.
Most of his losses seemed to come in four-bet pots, Negreanu said, but felt the session it could have gone either way.
“He played well and I thought I played well,” he said on the GGPoker stream.
With four straight wins under his belt, the complexion of the match has changed a bit. Polk will be looking to respond. Fans can sit back and enjoy the fun.
The second session of 2021 turned into another nice day for Negreanu – his third straight win in the series. On Wednesday he clocked in with a win of $98,580 over 750 hands in a session that went about four hours.
When action resumed in the series, Negreanu’s goal was to chip into Polk’s lead and zero in on getting close to even.
On Wednesday, pots went both ways early with Polk snagging the first major pot of the day. He took about $15,000 after rivering a flush in a single-raise pot. Just a short time later Negreanu scored his own $21,000 with a full house.
Negreanu continued to build an early lead on both tables however – using some big river over-bets in the process. Polk has been a regular using that technique, but his opponent seemed to bring the aggression.
One interesting hand occurred just short of an hour into the session. Polk raised from the button to $900 and Negreanu made it $4,100. Polk called and the flop brought 810Q.
Negreanu bet $2,100, received a call, and the 4 came on the turn. That brought a $12,700 bet from Negreanu and Polk called that as well.
With the pot now at $38,000, the river brought the 4. Negreanu thought a bit and then moved all in for $32,000. Polk folded and Negreanu took the pot.
Negreanu gets aggressive
That hand seemed to typify some of the day’s action. Negreanu seemed to press the action and wasn’t afraid of making some big over-bets. After an hour he was up about $47,000.
While Polk found some of his own wins, Negreanu seemed to have the goods in some nice pots throughout. Just short of the two-hour mark, a few other big hands wenr Negreanu’s way.
With J8, he snagged a flush with runner-runner hearts on the turn and river for $20,000. Quickly afterward, Polk raised to $900 and Negreanu three-bet to $4,100. Polk called and the flop brought 102J.
Both players checked and the 5 fell on the turn. Negreanu checked and Polk bet $8,200 with his opponent going in the tank a bit before calling.
The 8 hit the river and both players checked. Negreanu took down the $25,000 pot with AK. Another hand right after saw three Kings hit the board and Negreanu show 88 for a full house. He picked up $26,000 in that one and added a few more pots as well.
Polk mixed in his own nice score during this exchange, which turned out to be quite a cooler. With $22,600 in the pot and a board of 6QKJK, Negreanu checked the river – setting a trap with 66.
Polk moved all in for $29,000 and Negreanu snap-called with a full house. However, the river gave Polk a bigger full house when he tabled KQ. He took down an $80,000 pot after getting bailed out on the river.
Inside the 24th day of action
Negreanu seems to be improving as the series continues and Polk has admitted as much. He continues to adapt and Polk will have to adjust.
The win for Kid Poker could have been bigger. By the third hour, he was up more than $150,000. A late run of Polk pots sliced into that a bit. Afterward, Polk was pleased the result wasn’t worse.
“Today was pretty tough,” Polk noted on the Upswing Poker stream. “I’m actually pretty excited to have lost only two and half buy-ins. Basically we had a lot of situations where we had to run the bluff or make a call-down that we weren’t super excited about.
“I think this was the most card dead I’ve been in any session of the entire challenge.”
On the flip side, Negreanu was pleased and seemed a dominating force on the day. He touched on making some big calls as Polk alluded to.
“I think I played well,” he said on the GGPoker stream. “Obviously there are some spots where you make a hero call here and there.”
Can Negreanu’s run continue? Considering variance and Polk’s heads-up skills, the deck is still stacked against him leveling the series.
But that’s what makes the challenge fun to watch. Both are determined and these poker gladiators continue swinging.
Day 23: Jan. 4 – Negreanu secures another small win, still long way to go
Rome wasn’t built in a day and any comeback for Negreanu will be a long-term affair as well. After a few days off, Negreanu and Polk were back in action on Monday, which marked two months since the challenge began. With the 12,500-hand mark reached, either player could have backed out but that hasn’t happened.
After a few days off for the New Year’s holiday, Negreanu booked his second straight small victory on Monday. After 500 hands, Negreanu finished to the good at just over half a buy-in for $27,006.
Things began Negreanu’s way early. Just after winning a $16,000 pot, another big hand immediately developed. After a standard raise to $900, Polk three-bet to $3,900 and received a call.
Both players saw a flop of J63 with almost $8,000 already in the pot. Polk bet $3,300 and Negreanu called. The turn brought the 2 and Polk fired $9,700. Negreanu made the call and the river produced the 5.
Polk checked and Negreanu bet $23,000 and received a snap call. He tabled 45 for a straight, raking almost $80,000.
Polk chipped away at that lead however, taking a few pots of his own. About a half hour into the session Negreanu found another nice pot. After raising to $1,000, Polk made it $3,900.
Negreanu called and the flop brought 47K. Polk bet $2,200 and received a call before the 4 came on the turn. Polk fired $8,200 and Negreanu called again.
The 9 fell on the river and Polk moved all in for his last $28,000 with Negreanu insta-calling. Polk tabled AK for top pair, but Negreanu held 99 to river a full house. The $86,000 pot swelled Negreanu’s winnings for the first part of the session.
Polk rebounds, picks off a big bluff
At about an hour into the match, Polk picked up a nice pot of his own to edge closer to Negreanu’s lead. Negreanu raised to $1,000 and Polk called. The flop brought A29 and Negreanu bet $500.
Polk raised to $1,600, Negreanu called, and the river brought the 3. Polk fired $1,700 and Negreanu called to see the 6 on the river. Polk bet $13,000 and Negreanu folded.
Just a few hands later, Polk flopped a flush to add another $49,000 pot. Another pot fell his way when he picked off a huge Negreanu bluff.
With a board of 35QK10 and $29,000 already in the pot, Negreanu moved all in. Polk thought a bit before calling for the last of his $46,000.
Negreanu showed 78 and Polk tabled KJ for top pair. He raked a $121,000 pot and cut into a lead considerably that had been about $70,000 at that point.
Inside the 23rd day of action
A bit later, Negreanu added his own $46,000 pot and 90 minutes into the match picked off a Polk bluff. Negreanu’s K3 found two more Kings on the board for trips and a $64,000 pot.
That’s how much of the session went – a very back and forth, swingy day. A late flush holding AJ versus Polk’s AQ on a board of A47J8 helped Negreanu even more.
Unlike some of the first half of the series, Negreanu was on the right side of some coolers. He won a nice hand with Aces versus Kings in this session.
In the end, Negreanu was able to edge ahead for what’s a tiny win in this challenge. But he found some added momentum as he hopes to reduce Polk’s lead.
That lead was about 19 buy-ins when the day began and Session 23 clocked in at just under three hours. Negreanu stressed that he’s certainly okay with small wins to chip away at that total.
“It was definitely a roller coaster,” he said on the GGPoker stream. “I definitely got some run-good early.”
Polk called the session “a wild one” with plenty of action. However, he felt much of the play was within reason in the heads-up version of the game.
“I think most of the really big pots were pretty standard stuff,” he said on the Upswing Poker stream. “I don’t think that there was anything too crazy.”
Polk remains ahead by a wide margin and has clocked in with some huge wins. Negreanu will need to keep those at bay and put in a few big scores of his own.
Day 22: Dec. 28 – Bluff-catching Negreanu scores a buy-in win
The Negreanu-Polk challenge has officially reached the halfway point at 12,500 hands. After 279 hands on Monday, Negreanu finished the day up $49,214 after two straight losing sessions.
Things could have gone much differently however. Polk ran a few big bluffs late in the day that proved costly.
Lost $140,000 bluffing in just 2 hands down the stretch. Went straight into the solver streets to see if they were mistakes. Turns out both of them were errors….
One of those hands came at just past an hour into the day. Negreanu raised to $900 and Polk made the call, bringing a flop of 393.
Polk checked and Negreanu bet $500. After a call, the 5 fell on the turn. Negreanu bet $3,000 and received a call.
The 9 came on the river and Polk checked. Negreanu bet $5,900 and Polk raised to $16,300. Negreanu thought a bit before ultimately calling with 32, picking off Polk’s bluff with 57 for a $42,000 pot.
Another big bluff came at almost the hour and a half mark. With $20,000 in the pot on a board of A9J74, Polk moved all in for $69,000 and was insta-called by Negreanu.
Polk showed 82 and Negreanu held 810 for a straight and a critical $159,000 pot. Just a few minutes later, Polk shoved on the river again and Negreanu called with top pair.
Negreanu’s pair of Kings picked off another Polk bluff when he didn’t have a pair. He added another $119,000 in that one.
Polk builds an early lead
Fireworks began only a few minutes into the day’s action. On a board of 1077A6 with $3,000 in the pot, Polk bet about $2,500. Negreanu raised to $6,600 and Polk three-bet to $20,000. Negreanu folded and Polk scored the pot.
Another early hand saw Polk raise to $900 from the button and Negreanu three-bet to $4,100. Polk then four-bet to $10,700 and his opponent made the call.
The flop brought 622 and Polk fired $4,300 after a Negreanu check. Negreanu raised to $9,300 and Polk moved all in for the last of his $34,000.
Negreanu called and Polk showed QQ to his opponent’s QJ. The turn brought the 2, giving Polk the full house and negating any flush Negreanu might draw on the river. After an irrelevant J, Polk raked $90,000.
Negreanu would grab his own all-in pot shortly afterward. With $30,000 already in the pot and the board showing 59A4, Negreanu bet $9,000.
Polk went all in for $35,000 with A10 and Negreanu snap called, showing AJ. The river produced the 7 and Negreanu scored his own $89,000 pot.
Polk would take $82,000 a short time later when his pocket Aces held up against Negreanu’s Q9. Kid Poker hit top pair on the turn and that helped Polk take a chunk of chips.
Polk seized a lead of about $30,000 in the first half hour. A cooler then played out a bit before the hour mark.
Both players got it all in preflop – Negreanu with pocket Jacks and Polk with pocket Aces. That handed Polk another $80,000 pot and he led by about $100,000 an hour into the session.
Inside the 22nd day of action
There were plenty of all ins and back forth action on Monday. The day produced big stacks for both players after auto-topping up stacks after all-in losses.
Midway through the two-hour session, things again went Polk’s way. He won a few nice pots with trips and found some other nice wins. Polk not only over-bet hands as usual early in Monday’s action, but seemed to have the goods when he did.
However, those pesky bluffs in the last hour proved his downfall. Negreanu was able to salvage the day and will look to build on that. Regarding the bluffs, Negreanu said that seems to continue working out for him.
“That’s kind of the way the match has gone,” he said. “The biggest pots I win typically are when he goes for it and I have it.”
The bluffs were frustrating losses for Polk who analyzed some of those hands on the Upswing Poker stream. He felt he punted off some of his winnings in bad spots.
“It gets really intense when you have a bunch of spots you think you have to fire in a row in huge spots and you’re just getting stacked out there,” Polk said.
Will the match continue?
Afterward, Negreanu said the two players are considering whether to continue with the matchup. At this point either side could bow out, but that didn’t look likely in the days preceding Monday’s action.
Negreanu told USPoker recently that he plans on completing the challenge. However, he seemed to indicate on the GGPoker post-session interview that both were considering their options.
“We thought it made sense to stop at the halfway point – readjust and see if we wanted to continue playing or not,” Negreanu said.
Despite that, Negreanu indicated that the match would continue after a short break. Only down about 19 buy-ins, he compared his situation to that of a football team behind 19 points at halftime.
After resuming, he hoped some luck would shift his way and he could score a few touchdowns to edge closer. Winning would still be difficult, however, which remains his goal. Negreanu feels his play has improved throughout the series.
Polk also indicated there will be more heads-up poker action between the two in 2021.
“I would be absolutely shocked if he doesn’t play on,” he said.
Hands played: 12,500
Total: Polk up $770,254
Next match: Monday, Jan. 4, 5:30 pm ET (preliminarily)
Day 21: Dec. 23 – Polk ends Negreanu rally with $114,000 score of his own
After two straight winning sessions, Negreanu came up on the short end Wednesday. As Polk noted, there were plenty of big hands and many seemed to go his way. It was quite a battle however, that seemed like it could go either way.
The big hands this session were lots of all in preflops. Things were swinging around but once we got deep it stayed in the +2-3 bi range for the entire remaining session.
Negreanu started the five-hour session off well with a few decent pots. But there were plenty of big hands coming throughout the session including a Polk full house with 6-6 for about $30,000.
The action shifted back and forth for much of the first hour with Polk up about only one buy-in. The first huge hand of the day came shortly afterward and this one did go Negreanu’s way.
Polk raised to $900 from the button and Negreanu three-bet to $4,100. Polk four-bet to $10,700 and Negreanu moved all in for his last $41,000.
Polk snap called and tabled QQ versus Negreanu’s AK. Negreanu received some help when he hit a flush with a runout of J785Q.
That secured him a $90,000 pot but Polk would land his own big punches soon.
Polk grabs some big ones
A bit after that hand played out, Polk ripped an $80,000 all over-bet on a $30,000 pot on a board of 87576. Negreanu was in the tank and eventually folded there as well to ship Polk the pot.
At the same time, he five-bet all in preflop at the second table to get a Negreanu fold and a $22,000 pot.
A bit short of the three-hour mark, a hand saw Negreanu four-bet to $10,800. Polk called and the flop brought J35. After a Polk check, Negreanu bet $5,400 and received a call.
The turn brought the J and Polk checked again. Negreanu checked and the river brought the J. Polk moved all in for $42,000 and Negreanu folded. Polk picked up another $32,000.
After about three and half hours, Polk moved his lead up to more than $80,000. Just past the four-hour mark, Negreanu mixed in a four-bet to $10,800 and Polk called.
The flop came 562 and Negreanu bet $11,000 after a Polk check. He called and the turn brought the 9. Polk checked and Negreanu bet $13,000.
After Polk called, the Q fell on the river with $69,000 already in the pot. Polk checked and Negreanu moved all in. Polk quickly folded and Negreanu raked the pot.
Inside the 21st day of action
That hand helped cut into Polk’s lead, but he found a few nice hands late to extend that again. The two continued trading pots for much of the remainder of the session with Polk coming out on top.
It was another long session in this series, certainly no easy task for all the streaming commentators involved. In the end, Polk finished to the black almost three buy-ins for about $114,140 over 904 hands.
He also jumped on the GG stream with the commentary team and Negreanu for some interesting banter. Questions about what each had in certain spots went unanswered, but Polk felt great about how he’s been playing.
“I look at kind of the progression I’ve had to go through during this and I’ve made some small changes with some size stuff,” he says. “But overall, I’ve come in with my kind of game plan, so the work I’ve been doing is kind of more on the edges.”
Both platters seem on much friendlier terms because of the match. Polk said some of Negreanu’s new bet sizing has challenged him and commended his opponent on his play overall.
When it comes to playing live in the PokerGO Studio, the two players agreed that would be fun again. However, both added that scenario wouldn’t be possible right now because of COVID-19. They didn’t rule out a future meeting though.
Rearding the session, Negreanu noted that there was plenty of action as both players built sizable stacks. That included 200 to 300-big blind stacks at times.
“It was a battle,” Negreanu said. “There were some crazy freaking hands. There’s just so much to digest from this one because it was the longest we’ve played that deep on both tables.”
The players now take a break for the holiday with play resuming next week.
Day 20: Dec. 22 – Negreanu notches another nice day for a $118K score
After a break of about a week and a half, Doug Polk and Daniel Negreanu were back in action Monday. With a nice score just before the break (see Day 19 below), Negreanu again put together another win.
That made it two in a row after a recent run of bad results for Team Negreanu. After looking as if Polk’s lead might eclipse the $1 million mark, that has now been fended off at least for now.
The action began Monday with both players mixing it up a bit with neither taking much of a lead. One early hand saw a Polk four-bet to $11,000 with Negreanu then shipping it all in on a five-bet. Polk folded and Negreanu raked a nice pot.
About almost 20 minutes in another big hand developed with Polk four-betting to $11,000. Negreanu called and the flop brought 476 and Negreanu checked.
Polk once again over-bet shoved all in for $41,000 and Negreanu called for the last of his $30,000. Polk tabled K3 and Negreanu showed 56. The turn brought the 3 and the river was the J.
Negreanu took almost an $83,000 pot after completing his straight. He grabbed another four-bet pot just shortly afterward and seemed to be in control early.
Negreanu makes a big river call
At just about an hour into the session, an interesting hand developed that thrust Negreanu further ahead. Polk raised the action from the button to $900 and Negreanu three-bet to $4,200.
The flop brought Q2J and Negreanu checked. Polk bet about $2,400 and Negreanu called. The turn brought the 3 and Polk fired $8,800 after another check.
Negreanu called and checked again when the river brought the K. Polk moved all in for his last $29,000 – putting Negreanu to the test.
After a long tank, Kid Poker made the call with Q9 to Polk’s 44. The pair of Queens scored Negreanu a pot of more than $88,000. He’d taken a lead of about $70,000 after the first hour.
Inside the 20th day of action
It was that kind of day for Negreanu. When it was all over, he scored $117,962 over 534 hands. In the last two sessions, Negreanu has shaved about $262,000 off of Polk’s lead.
Negreanu seemed just to have it on Monday and avoid some of the bad runs from earlier sessions. Some bluffs got through and he hit some draws. Overall, despite still being down, Negreanu is enjoying the series.
“I’m actually learning a lot and really enjoying heads-up poker,” he said on the GGPoker stream afterward.
Both players continue to adapt and the break gave them even more time to study. Polk remains in good shape and perhaps felt a bit of Negreanu’s earlier frustration on Monday.
“Tough one today,” he noted on Twitter. “Lots of really tough spots. Got my work cut out for me.”
The 12,000-hand “quit or stay in” limit is approaching. However, Negreanu confirmed this week that he’s in it for the long haul.
Day 19: Dec. 11 – Negreanu $144K Score Halts the Bleeding
Would Doug Polk officially reach the $1 million mark? That was the question for many poker fans going into Friday’s action.
However, after a terrible run of cards (see Day 18 below) Negreanu stopped the bleeding in session lasting 834 hands. He chalked up a $143,642 victory but still has a way to go to draw closer to Polk.
Things got off to a big start quickly with the two players trading blows. On a board of 53810, Polk bet $6,300 with $19,000 already in the pot.
Negreanu thought a bit and moved all in for $31,000. Polk eventually folded and his opponent jumped out to an early lead.
Simultaneously, Polk moved all in on the river on the second table with $19,000 also in the pot. With a flop of 610932, Negreanu eventually folded.
About 45 minutes into the day, a big hand went Negreanu’s way. He called a preflop raise to $900 and saw a flop of 542. Negreanu checked and then called Polk’s bet of about $800.
The 7 came on the turn and Negreanu checked. Polk bet $3,400 and received a call. The J fell on the river and Negreanu checked again.
Polk launched one of his routine river over-bets, $15,000 into a $10,000 pot. Negreanu took a bit of time and then moved all in for $96,000.
After a long tank, Polk called the last of his $33,600 and showed 77 for trips. However, Negreanu flopped a straight – showing 36 and took a pot of $106,000. For a change, the cooler went the other way.
Inside the 19th day of action
By the hour mark, Negreanu had moved up by more than $100,000. He continued to find success picking off occasional bluffs and hitting hands that held up.
About two hours in, Negreanu’s KQ landed two more Queens on the flop, Those trips brought him a $55,000 pot.
A few Negreanu drawing hands actually paid off as well and he hit trips a few times that got paid off. Polk notched some nice hands as well, such as winning a significant pot with pocket Kings versus Negreanu’s pocket Jacks.
Some of Polk’s large river bets also continued to pick up some pots. Negreanu’s lead was trimmed to about $60,000 halfway through the four-hour session.
Late in the session he also scored an $80,000 pot with pocket Aces. Polk also tool a late $87,000 pot with a full house versus Negreanu’s two pairs.
But the larger pots seemed to go Negreanu’s way. It had to feel good to lock up a winning session again after some tough runs. Missing on some big draws seemed to still leave him flustered however.
“Obviously I won today so I shouldn’t be bitching,” Negreanu said on the GGPoker stream. “But I felt like I could have won a lot more.”
As the recent days played out, Polk has seen Negreanu go on tilt on the GG stream. However, he feels Negreanu hasn’t really lost control at the table and kept a clear mind.
“I think he’s more of a verbal tilter than a play tilter,” Polk noted on the Upswing Poker stream.
Polk tries to keep his game at a similar level, he noted. A 3.5 buy-in performance certainly helped Negreanu but he’ll have to rally off more days like Friday to recover.
That will have to wait at least a week as the two combatants have scheduled next week off. Negreanu jumped in the WSOP Main Event on Sunday. Polk, not so much.
Not playing the main today because I hate playing poker. GL out there
Day 18: Dec. 10 – Polk scores another six figures as massive run continues
Daniel Negreanu’s frustration seemed to reach a boiling point after Thursday’s session. Nothing seemed to go right and even Doug Polk recognized an insane run of cards.
Even when Negreanu was ahead, Polk just seemed to pull the perfect cards. Negreanu’s pocket Aces versus pocket Kings? No good. Ace-Queen and hitting a flop with two more Queens? No good.
Surely a misclick five-bet by Polk with 9-7 offsuit would bring a nice Negreanu pot? Nope, Polk won that one too. That’s just how things have gone lately in this series.
After a $100,000 loss on Wednesday, Polk booked a $173,363 scored over 980 hands on Thursday. In a session that stretched over more than five hours, Polk extended his lead to just short of $1 million. He once again won most of the big pots and continues to run hot.
Bad flops, turns, and rivers for Negreanu
After Wednesday’s session, Negreanu went on a curse-filled rant on the GGPoker stream. A more subdued tilt followed on Thursday – with less cursing.
Negreanu noted that luck has worked against him and added significantly to Polk’s lead. The big hands have not only not worked out his way, Negreanu noted, but just seemed like unreal run-outs. He’s lost regularly with straights, flushes, and trips.
“You sort of become numb to it,” he noted afterward on the GGPoker stream. “You’re hoping that it’s going to turn, but there are no promises just because he’s run incredibly well. And literally the only reason he’s up as much as he is is pure luck. There’s no question.
“I really don’t think I made any mistakes that were significant in this entire day – that’s why I kept playing.”
Adding to that analysis, he later released another video detailing some of the hands more specifically. The extended run of poor luck couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Polk responds after another big win
Despite the tough run, Negreanu remained confident and was ready to go ahead on Friday. For his part, Polk seemed to agree with how things played out Thursday.
“This is just unbelievable how hot I’m running,” he said on the Upswing Poker stream. “I’m going on one of the hottest stretches of my entire career at maybe the most important point ever.”
Polk said he understood Negreanu’s frustration, although mixed in some laughs and needling. He remains confident and plans to keep the Polk truck rolling.
I have probably made between moderate and large mistakes in 25-50 hands in this challenge. I have no problem saying that, its just the truth. As this challenge goes on I will do my best to play at the highest level I can learn to play at.
While Negreanu may be struggling, he seems determined to battle back. Even Polk noted that his opponent has run terribly recently. Kid Poker was set to be back at the tables on Friday.
The two players were then scheduled for a break. The $10,000 WSOP Main Eventkicks off Sunday and it’s a good bet at least Negreanu will be playing.
The 12,500-hand mark is approaching, which means either party can then quit. Will Negreanu decide he’s had too much?
That hasn’t seemed like a possibility. But down a million bucks and so completely frustrated, could Team Negreanu sound the surrender? The coming weeks will tell the tale.
His opponent is not only skilled and confident, but has been running amazingly well. Regarding the luck factor, Polk even noted on Twitter that “this was my luckiest session I’ve had of the entire challenge.”
Day 17: Dec. 9 – Lead grows again for Polk with $101K win
Things continued to fall Polk’s way on Wednesday, posting a win of $101,713 over 662 hands. He remains a dominating force the further the action goes into the series.
Negreanu started out well by taking a few pots and building small leads on both tables. Polk again used some river over-bets to take some of his own and get back in it.
The first big hand occurred about 15 minutes into the action with Negreanu raising to $1,000 from the button. Polk called and the flop brought A68. Polk checked and Negreanu bet $400.
Polk called and the 10 fell on the turn. Polk checked and Negreanu bet $2,100. Polk then raised that to almost $11,000.
The river brought the K and Polk moved all in with a snap call from Negreanu, who showed 79. He’d turned a straight, but Polk showed J4 for a flush and an $85,000 pot.
After the last session, Negreanu remarked afterward that he missed numerous draws that cost him big pots. This time he’d gotten there but Polk had the goods to scoop another one.
It was a major frustration for Negreanu and he mentioned the hand several times in his interview afterward.
Aces score for Negreanu, Kings score for Polk
Despite the loss, Negreanu would find his own hefty pot early. After raising on the button to $1,000, Polk three-bet to $4,100.
Negreanu then four-bet to almost $11,000. Polk called and there was already almost $22,000 in the pot. Polk checked and Negreanu bet $4,400.
Polk called and the turn brought the 7 bringing another check from Polk. Negreanu checked behind and the 5 came on the river.
After another Polk check, Negreanu moved all in for $33,000 and Polk called. Negreanu showed pocket Aces, AA, for trips to Polk’s top pair with A8.
Those pocket rockets brought Negreanu a pot of $110,000. But once again the big hands were too fleeting for Negreanu.
A short time later, a similar hand developed. This time Polk check-raised all in on a board of 5K10J3. Negreanu called and showed K3 for two pairs.
However, this time Polk had the big pocket pair – tabling KK for trips. He raked another $81,000 pot with the cooler going his way this time.
Inside the 17th day of action
It was another nice session for Polk, where he seemed to pick up pot after pot. Those sweating Negreanu are probably concerned at this point as he moves closer to $1 million in the hole.
The 16th session could have been better for Negreanu if not for a tough cooler just before the day’s end. After a Negreanu four-bet, Polk five-bet all in and showed AA to Negreanu’s AK.
Despite landing a flush draw on the flop, Negreanu suffered another big loss. Polk scored $118,000 – the largest pot of the day.
Wednesday’s session lasted just under three hours and Negreanu seemed extremely frustrated and tilted afterward. To say the salty language was flying would be an understatement.
“Heads-up poker is bananas,” he noted on the GGPoker stream.
Negreanu noted that he’d have to deposit more funds on WSOP.com to keep playing. Players had planned to play Thursday this week as well. A wire transfer could delay those plans however.
While the players are expected to play 25,000 hands, either can quit at 12,500. That doesn’t seem likely considering Negreanu’s comments following the match.
In the GGPoker interview, Negreanu noted that he was willing to play even more hands. He said running to 100,000 hands might show how long his bad run of cards and coolers could continue (or perhaps turn things around).
Hearing that, Polk certainly seemed amenable to the prospect.
Just watched the @GGPoker stream. I liked the ending interview where @RealKidPoker said lets do 100k hands. If that is something he would like, I’m down!
It was another long session for Polk and Negreanu on Monday – spanning four hours. Polk scored an impressive win after three straight losing, albeit small, losing sessions.
After 824 hands, Polk finished up $160,349 – about four buy-ins. He’s now closing in on a positive $700,000 in the series. Things didn’t start out poorly for Negreanu. He scooped a few nice pots early and utilized some aggression.
Deeper into the first hour of play, however, Polk took command. One hand at about the 50-minute mark exemplified Polk’s river-raising forte. Negreanu started the action with a raise to $1,000 and Polk called.
The flop brought 58K. Polk checked and Negreanu bet $800. Polk called and the turn was the 3. Negreanu bet $1,600 and thought a bit before raising to almost $9,900.
Negreanu called to make it more than $23,000 in the pot. The river produced the Q and Polk moved all in for his $102,000. Negreanu tanked before eventually folding. The big pots continued for Polk throughout the day.
The Polk truck rolls on
About an hour and half into the match, three-bet pots developed on both tables. The first saw Polk make a pot-sized bet of $8,200 into a board of KQ108. Negreanu called and the river brought the 2.
Polk moved all in for $79,000 and Negreanu called the last of his $33,000. Negreanu showed K7 for top pair, but Polk tabled Q10 for two pairs. He raked about $90,000 in that one.
On the second table, Negreanu took a smaller pot of about $14,000. However, it was a large net win for Polk and typical of how things went. Polk had a lead of $170,000 about 90 minutes into the match.
Just short of the two-hour mark, Polk raised to $900 and Negreanu three-bet to $4,200. Polk then four-bet to $12,500 and Negreanu made the call with 2Q5 hitting the board.
Both players checked and the 3 landed on the turn. Negreanu bet $10,500 and Polk called, making it $46,000 in the post so far.
The river brought the K and Negreanu moved the last of his $36,000 into the pot and was called. Negreanu showed top pair with Q10, but Polk tabled AA for a $120,000 pot.
Inside the 16th day of action
Despite a nice win and a healthy lead, Polk is still only up just about 17 buy-ins. A couple big days from Kid Poker could swing this back to a closer matchup.
Polk has run well and even caught four of a kind on Monday for a $25,000 pot. If the cards turn, Negreanu may be able to turn the tables if Polk is snookered here and there.
But Polk is a tough customer and Negreanu admitted he was an underdog going into the series.
“There were some interesting big pots,” Polk noted on the Upswing Poker stream afterward. “I think Negreanu might have overplayed his hands a little on some of those.”
Polk questioned his opponent’s play on the pocketAces versus Q10 hand. He was unsure why Negreanu moved all in on the river.
“It’s just not good,” Polk said. “It’s just very bad. I don’t know what that was.”
Polk remains in control as of now. He seems to take the big wins of late with his opponent taking the small ones. Polk picked off a few bluffs on Monday and looked to have made some timely folds.
Negreanu had been down more in the session, but was able to cut some of his losses late. It was a frustrating day for the Poker Hall of Famer.
“I just missed a lot of draws,” he said on the GGPoker stream. “If you hit those hands you can win big. But if you keep putting in a lot of money and then miss them, you feel silly sometimes. I ran a couple bluffs that didn’t work and he had a hand he had to call with.”
Overall Negreanu believed it was a good battle and still feels comfortable with his heads-up game.
Could live play be returning to the series?
Those watching the GGPoker stream of the series on Monday received some interesting news. Host Jeff Platt noted there’s a possibility the two players may return live on PokerGO at some point.
No firm details are available yet and the possibility may depend on the status of the match. A big loss by one player (Negreanu as of now) may put a damper on those plans however.
In other news, the two players announced that they’ll be playing four days this week. They’re planning on throwing in a Thursday session and then taking some time off next week for the holidays.
Day 15: Dec. 4 – Negreanu chalks up third-straight win
Polk started the week noting it would be an important three matches for the series. Negreanu could add to his deficit and be in rougher shape or battle back to stay in the match.
After Friday’s action, Negreanu had notched three small wins in a row. While Polk’s lead remains large, his opponent has chipped away. A larger Negreanu win this week could change the series even more.
Friday’s action included an interesting development, with Polk streaming his session. While not all his cards were visible, many of his hands were shown for viewers. He offered his reasoning for not showing everything.
“The reality is that when you play at high stakes, people are trying to look at what you do and trying to figure you out,” he said to begin the stream.
Negreanu stacked early in session
Shortly after taking an early $14,000 pot, Negreanu raised another hand to $1,000 and Polk three-bet to $4,100. Negreanu called and the flop brought 106Q. Polk informed viewers he’d be betting the size of the pot
“This could be getting spicy right out of the gate,” he said.
After a Polk bet of $8,200, Negreanu shoved all in for $44,000 and received a quick call. Negreanu held JQ for top pair, but Polk’s KQ had him out-kicked. The turn brought the 10 and the 8 fell on the river. Polk raked an $80,000 pot.
“We stacked him right out of the gate – boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,” Polk yelled on his stream. “That’s what’s up. You love to see it.”
Kid Poker catches up
While Polk found some early success, Negreanu would find some of his own pots. A short time after the big Polk win, four hearts showed up on the board. Negreanu snagged $17,000 with his A for the nut flush.
On the second table with a flop of 10J2, Negreanu check-raised to $11,000 when the 10 landed on the turn. Polk called and the river produced the 4.
Negreanu moved all in for almost $28,000 and Polk went in the tank before eventually folding. Negreanu secured a $34,000 pot in that one.
A short time later he raked a $21,000 pot with pocket Queens. Those wins moved him closer to even for the session.
About halfway through the day, Polk raised to $900 and Negreanu made it $4,200. Polk four-bet to $11,300 and Negreanu called.
The flop brought J22 and Negreanu checked. Polk bet $4,500 and Negreanu called. The turn brought the 3 with both players checking and the Q coming on the river.
Negreanu checked again and Polk moved all in. Hs opponent insta-called with AA for his last $40,000. The trap had been set and he picked off a Polk bluff with K4. The move was good for a $114,000 pot.
After about an hour, Negreanu was up $40,000, but Polk would close that to a few thousand. He’d later move ahead himself to about $40,000 at the two-hour mark.
Inside the 15th day of action
In the end, Negreanu finished up winning $46,582 over 452 hands. It was a bit of a swingy day again with things going Negreanu’s way.
The session lasted just under three hours and Polk lost just a bit over one buy-in.
“Sometimes you’re going to have good sessions and sometimes you’re going to lose a buy-in,” Polk said. “Considering all the swings that we had and the stacks were flying, I thought this was a good session.”
After some thought, Polk seemed to be a bit less positive and will be looking to correct some mistakes.
yikes, we had some mistakes today. Back in the lab we go.
Throughout the series, Negreanu has noted that he’s had Aces numerous times. That continued on Friday and he was happy to finally get paid off with them.
“I think I had Aces six times in this session,” he said in an interview on the GGPoker stream. “It was nice to finally get action.”
Day 14: Dec. 2 – Negreanu scores small victory in massively swingy day
Team Negreanu has some reason for optimism. While they haven’t been huge wins, Wednesday brought the second-straight positive day for Negreanu.
There’s still a mountain to climb, but any momentum is good for Negreanu backers. The day started with Negreanu grabbing a few pots including a three-bet pot eventually won with Queen-high.
A few nice more would follow and then 10 minutes in, Polk utilized an all-in shove on the river. With a board of 10475Q Negreanu bet $9,000 and Polk moved all in for $35,000. That was enough to win about $30,000.
Things continued to swing back and forth for much of the day, which went for four hours.
Polk finds a flush and more
In the first hour of play, one interesting hand saw Polk raise to $900 from the button. Negreanu called and the flop came Q64.
Negreanu checked and Polk bet $600 and received a call. On the turn, the 3 hit the board and Negreanu checked again. Polk bet $2,000 and Negreanu check-raised to $7,500.
Polk called and the river brought the 2. Negreanu bet $13,500, about two-thirds of the pot, and Polk made the call. Showing A5, Negreanu made a straight.
However, Polk showed J2 for a flush and raked a $45,000 pot. The Polk train continued to roll when he took down another $45,000 with two pairs shortly afterward.
As part of this big run, Polk also picked off a Negreanu bluff for $36,000. He built about a $60,000 lead at the half-hour mark.
Negreanu battles back
Despite some huge Polk runs, Negreanu would find his share of big pots as well. Just short of an hour in, Polk raised to $910 and Negreanu reraised to $4,100. Polk four-bet to $11,100 and Negreanu called.
The flop brought 48Q and Negreanu checked. Polk bet about $4,500 and Negreanu called, building the pot to $31,000.
The turn brought the 4 and Negreanu again checked with Polk betting $6,800. That brought an all-in shove from Negreanu for his last $31,000.
Polk called and tabled 1010 to his opponent’s AQ. Negreanu added to his hand with a K on the fiver and the nut flush. He took $94,000 on that one.
This win came right after Negreanu took a $63,000 pot with a King-high straight. He’d moved up over $30,000 by about midway through the action.
That lead wouldn’t stand, however, and he was down later as much as $70,000. There were plenty of big pots and by the end, it was Negreanu who rallied and edged out ahead.
Inside the 14th day of action
When it all wrapped up, Negreanu booked another small win of about $13,000 after 788 hands. This came after a win of almost $18,000 on Monday.
These aren’t massive days and Negreanu will need much bigger scores to get back in the series. However, Polk said this week would be crucial for Negreanu and the match overall.
The two are closing in on the 12,000-hand mark where either player can decide to quit. Negreanu has answered the bell so far this week.
But if he remains down more than a half-million bucks, tapping out might be a possibility. Adding a couple six-figure wins in the coming days would certainly help his cause. Accomplishing that is easier said than done.
Not only is Polk a heads-up shark, he’s also running well in big spots. He noted this on Twitter after the match about another huge hand from session 14.
On the GGPoker stream afterward, Negreanu described Wednesday’s session as emotional with “crazy back and forth.”
Some added streaming coverage coming from Polk
Players checking out Friday’s action will find an added bonus from Polk. He’s decided to stream his play so viewers can see his hands throughout the session.
Ok you guys got close enough. Let’s roll. Planning on most likely this Friday session streaming it. https://t.co/islRe5pGtj
In a matchup that is attracting plenty of interest, this should bring some extra excitement. Less experienced players may be amazed at the hands each play for so much money.
The Polk stream should offer some insight into the thinking of players at this level.
Day 13: Nov. 30 – Negreanu books small win to break Polk streak
After 12 days of play, Polk noted the importance of this week in the High Stakes Feud. He sees it as a big week in the challenge with Negreanu now down more than a half-million dollars.
“A swing towards Dnegs and it will be back in any man’s game territory,” he noted on Twitter. “A swing towards me and it will start to get out of hand. Could be a make or break week for the challenge.”
From Polk’s perspective, Negreanu would need to cut into that lead this week to have a chance to stay close. After four straight days on the losing end, Negreanu was at least able to stop the bleeding on Monday.
Negreanu looks at some of the showdown hands
While the Negreanu-Polk matchup has been making news, viewers haven’t been able to see hole cards. Negreanu offered some insight on Tuesday with a look at some of the bigger hands of the day. All the hands made it to a showdown.
Viewers will get some insight on how Negreanu plays some of his hands. An early hand saw him flop top pair with his 10J on a board of 106439. Negreanu bet the hand through only to see Polk rake a $23,000 pot with 46.
A similar hand saw his K5 hit top pair. However, Polk’s A9 drew four spades for a flush and a $28,000 pot.
Negreanu would find some of his own pots however. Negreanu raised to $4,100 with AK and Polk called. The flop brought A3Q and Negreanu checked, as did Polk.
The 10 came on the river and both players checked again with the 9 falling on the river. Negreanu checked again and received no action with Polk checking again. He may have raked a small pot, but was unhappy with his passive play and not betting the hand.
“Bet your own hand you dumb idiot,” he says about his play in that spot.
Adding some nice wins
Later he would bet a big hand, with his pocket 10s taking a $32,000 pot. That win came despite a Jack and Queen hitting the board.
Another big hand saw him dealt AK again and three-bet before the flop to $4,100. A flop of Q2K had him in even better shape and he bet $2,400.
Polk called and the turn produced the 7 giving him a nut-flush draw. He bet $9,800 this time and the two players saw the 5 on the river. Negreanu moved all in and Polk called with QJ.
Negreanu raked a pot of just under $100,000. Here’s a look at Negreanu reviewing all the hands.
Inside the 13th day of action
After 476 hands, Negreanu came out on the plus side with a $17,780 win. Some of the draws Negreanu missed in earlier matches seemed to be hitting Monday.
A few straights and flushes produced some nice results. Negreanu felt like he could have possibly won some big hands in other spots as well. However, timely Polk folds kept that from happening.
A win is a win but this freaking guy is WORLD CLASS at folding preflop when I have Aces! I have video evidence we are now at exactly 10 straight times where he has either open folded, folded bb, or folded t a 3 bet.
Putting the day in perspective, it was still a tiny win in the big scheme of things. Polk believes he made some errors and that Negreanu keeps improving.
“Poker is so humbling,” he noted on Twitter. “You can play great several sessions in a row then get a couple tough spots and be super inaccurate. Just gotta keep doing your best to improve.”
Polk has also put together his own analysis of some of the bigger hands in the matchup so far. He’ll be looking to make it a tough week for Negreanu and make his prediction a reality.
Day 12: Nov. 28 – Polk scores huge post-holiday win
After some Thanksgiving festivities, Polk did a bit more celebrating on Saturday. His sharp play and some nice cards ushered in a fourth-straight win.
After some early Negreanu pots, Polk grabbed a nice one after making a pot-sized $13,500 river bet. With a board of 545KK, Negreanu folded and his opponent raked a nice pot.
More pots would continue to go his way. Later, Negreanu three-bet a small Polk raise to $4,100. Polk called and the flop brought 4910.
Negreanu bet $3,200, Polk made the call, and the turn brought the A. This time, Negreanu checked and his opponent did the same.
The 2 fell on the river and Negreanu ripped in almost $11,000. Polk has traditionally played fast throughout the series, but gave it some deep thought here.
Eventually, Polk clicked call and showed 88 while Negreanu held 76. Polk took down a pot of $36,500 after sniffing out the bluff.
Polk rolls on, bags a six-figure pot
About a half hour into the action, Polk took down another nice one. Negreanu raised to $1,000 on the button and Polk three-bet to $4,100.
Negreanu called and the flop brought 47A. Polk bet $1,800 and received a call, with the K coming on the turn. This time Polk bet $9,500.
Doug Polk
After a bit of thought, Negreanu called and saw the 6 on the river. Polk then moved all in for $24,600 and his opponent folded. Polk took about $31,000 on that one.
A short time later, the two saw a board of 78AJ6 with $19,500 already in the pot. It went check-check on the river and Negreanu grabbed that one with a pair of Jacks.
Close to the hour and a half mark, Polk three-bet to $4,100 followed by a four-bet from Negreanu to $10,400.
Polk called and Negreanu’s pocket Kings would eventually be good for a $30,000 pot. But the Polk pots continued throughout the day.
One massive pot stood out later in the day. After raking a $13,000 pot Polk raised to $928 from the button. Negreanu three-bet to about $4,200 and Polk called.
The flop brought 106J and Negreanu checked. Polk bet $2,300 and received a call. The turn was the Q and Negreanu checked again.
Polk bet $12,300 and Negreanu called. With the 7 falling on the river, Negreanu checked and Polk moved all in for his last $35,000.
After a snap call, Negreanu showed AK for a Broadway straight. However, Polk hit runner-runner flush with his 46 and won $108,000 in a huge cooler.
Inside the 12th day of action
After 684 hands, Polk had notched a win of $332,178 – the biggest session score by either player. As the match has gone deeper, Polk seems to have gotten comfortable and been in a groove.
“It’s honestly just too unfair I think, when I’m playing good and getting good spots and then the deck [ hits me],” Polk said on the Upswing Poker stream. “Obviously this was the session that I was hoping for for a while. You don’t want to get too excited because it can easily just flip back the other way.”
Despite a rough day, Negreanu felt good about the day.
“He ran hotter than the sun, and if didn’t admit that he’d be lying,” Negreanu said on the GGPoker stream. “That was absolutely insane.”
The action lasted a bit over three hours and Polk now has a solid lead of about 15 buy-ins. He spoke at length about how certain spots are becoming understandable and recognizable.
However, Polk also realizes things can change quickly in heads-up play.
Also he did make some improvements in the last session. Don’t completely write him off cause he went on a big downswing.
Also next time I lose 250k lets not overreact the other way lol.
Polk once again took command the day before the Thanksgiving holiday. This win made it three in a row for the heads-up specialist.
One hand on the day stood out and came early in the match. With Negreanu raising to $1,000 on the button, Polk made the call and saw a flop of 873.
Polk checked and Negreanu bet $1,500. After another call, the turn brought the J. After a Polk check, Negreanu bet $3,750 with another call behind.
The river brought the 3 and Negreanu bet $3,200 after another check. Negreanu tabled J9 for a flush, but Polk showed 107 for a bigger flush. That sent almost $19,000 Polk’s way.
The Polk river over-betting continued on Wednesday as well. One big pot near the end of the session saw Polk raise to $928 from the button and Negreanu call.
The flop brought 78J and Polk bet $400. After a call, the two players saw the J on the river. Negreanu checked and Polk bet about $1,800 with Negreanu calling.
The river brought the A and Negreanu checked. In a $6,200 pot, Polk then bet $9,300. Negreanu eventually called and Polk flipped 88 for a full house and a $25,000 pot.
Inside the 11th day of action
The day was fairly quiet considering some of the recent fireworks. There were no big all-in pots and lots of small and mid-range pots heading to Polk.
The two went for about two hours during this session. When the dust settled, Polk added to his total again – finishing up $120,024 over 416 hands.
Despite that, Negreanu is down only less than seven buy-ins and seems to have felt he could have lost more.
I don’t know how I only lost 3 buy ins in today’s session but I’m thankful for it!
“Of the entire match … that was easily the worst two hours I’ve run,” Negreanu said in the post-session interview with GGPoker.
Negreanu noted that he could have easily lost 35 buy-ins. Polk has said his opponent has been much tougher than he expected. But he continues to come out on top in the online sessions to build his lead.
Lotta pros in the chat telling @RealKidPoker how he needs to play. Wonder how many of them would be doing better than he has so far.
Day 10: Nov. 20 – Polk extends lead with another six-figure day
After moving back ahead last week on Day 9, Polk built on his lead Monday with an impressive day. Polk scored a win of $117,624 over 852 hands on a day when there were plenty of big pots shipped back and forth.
“This was our longest session we have played yet I think,” Polk noted on Twitter. “Lots of big pots back and forth. Some coolers, some bluffs, this one had it all.”
It was also the longest day of the series, checking in at over four hours. The action got underway with a decent-sized pot just a few minutes into the day. After Negreanu three-bet to $4,100, the players saw a flop of 829.
Kid Poker then fired $6,100 into the pot and Polk called. The turn brought the 2 and both players checked. The 6 fell on the river and Negreanu checked again. Polk bet almost $14,000 and Negreanu folded, sending his opponent about a $21,000 pot.
At the same time, another big hand developed on the second table. On a board of AJ45Q with about $5,000 in the pot, Negreanu bet $3,400.
Polk raised to almost $15,000 and Negreanu went into the tank for quite a while. He eventually called with A3 for top pair while Polk revealed KK. Negreanu raked a $34,000 pot.
This was the kind of back and forth action Polk referred to, and it continued throughout the day.
Polk throttles ahead again
About 30 minutes into the match, another interesting hand played out. On the button, Negreanu raised to $1,000 and Polk made the call. The flop brought 999 and Polk checked. Negreanu made a min-bet of $400 and Polk raised to almost $2,700.
Negreanu called and the turn brought the 2. Polk bet $2,400 and received a call. The 8 fell on the river and Polk bet $4,000.
Negreanu called and turned AA for a massive full house, while Polk tabled J2 for a smaller boat. Negreanu raked a bit over $20,000 on that one.
That may have been a rough hand for Polk, but plenty would go his way too. After an early Negreanu lead, Polk began finding his own pots.
At just over the hour mark with a pot of about $21,000 the two players saw a board of K49104. Polk then used a common weapon in his arsenal, the over-bet all-in shove. The move worked with Negreanu folding and Polk snagging the pot.
A hand just a short time later saw Polk raise from the button to $928. Negreanu then reraised to $4,100 and Polk called. The flop brought K22 and Negreanu bet $2,000.
Polk called and the turn brought the A. Negreanu bet $9,300 and Polk called to see the 4 on the river. Negreanu bet $35,000 and Polk moved all in for his last $39,000.
Negreanu called and showed J4 for two pairs, but Polk tabled Q6 for a flush. Polk raked more than $111,000.
Inside the 10th day of action
The last two sessions may have shown why many picked Polk to win the match. He booked his second straight six-figure win.
Negreanu has been game, however, and has shown he can battle. Polk’s total win still only amounts to a bit over three buy-ins.
Either player has the option to call it quits after 12,500 hands. The action is just a bit more than a third to that point. If he’s deep in the hole at that point, would Negreanu hang it up?
That doesn’t seem likely. Negreanu has noted how he’s pleased to see so many in the poker world watching the action. Bringing the series to an end, especially when he’s played well, doesn’t seem to fit that narrative.
One of the coolest things about this challenge is the buzz it’s creating in the community and seeing so many different commentary teams covering the same event.
Everyone has different taste which makes this a win for poker fans across the globe.
Day 9: Nov. 20 – Polk notches nice win to edge ahead in series
Team Polk should be happy after a big finish to the week. Polk scored a nice win on Friday after three straight losing sessions. The win moves him back into the series lead.
One of the first major hands of the day saw Polk call about a $14,000 river bet on a board of 59643. He showed A9 for top pair to Negreanu’s QJ to win about $48,000.
Polk doubled up with a $12,000 win on the second table at the same time. The heads-up specialist seemed off and running from the beginning. He led by about $33,000 about 15 minutes into the session.
One interesting Negreanu win came in the first hour. Negreanu raised to $1,000 on the button and Polk three-bet to $4,100. Negreanu called and bet $2,000 after a Polk check on a flop of 579.
Polk then raised to about $10,000 and his opponent called. The turn brought the 2 and Polk moved all in for $32,000.
Negreanu snap called, showing 77 for trips with Polk tabling KK. The J on the river changed nothing and Negreanu raked a pot of about $53,000.
Polk takes command
Negreanu may have taken that one, but much of the day went Polk’s way. A short time after that cooler, the two locked horns in another big hand.
After Negreanu raised from the small to $1,000, Polk called and the flop came 954. Negreanu then called Polk’s bet of about $5,000.
The turn brought the 2 and Polk bet $5,800. Negreanu continued with a call and the river brought the 9. Polk moved all in for $42,000 and Negreanu called with the last of his $40,000.
Negreanu showed J10 for a flush, but Polk had a bigger flush with K7. He raked a pot of almost $111,000. About an hour in, Polk raked $54,000 also after an all-in shove on the turn and a Negreanu fold.
That was a move Polk utilized throughout the day. For example, late in the day Negreanu raised the action to $1,000 with Polk three-betting to about $1,800.
Negreanu called for a 5310 flop and his opponent fired another $1,800. Negreanu again called and the 2 fell on the turn. This time Polk bet almost $14,000 and received another call.
The river brought the 9 and Polk moved all in. Negreanu eventually folded and Polk took a $43,000 pot.
A short time later, the two were involved in another three-bet preflop hand. On a board of 572102, Polk moved all in again. Negreanu folded and Polk added another $43,000.
Inside the ninth day of play
It was a big day for Polk, who dominated much of the action on Friday. He continued to take most of the big pots and his aggressiveness scored plenty of small ones also.
After 377 hands, Polk scored $205,522 in a session that lasted a bit more than two hours. A couple coolers also went his way leading to a nice win.
“It was good that I finally got a win after a little bit,” Polk said on the GGPoker stream. “It’s anyone’s game at the moment.
“Sometimes when you’re on a big upswing, it feels like you can’t lose. And sometimes when you’re getting beat every session, it feels like you forgot even what it’s like to win.”
Going into the series, Polk said he expected Negreanu to be weak and easily run over. He’s been surprised at his aggressiveness and strength. He believes Negreanu isn’t afraid to make tough calls at times, but also still has some leaks in his game.
“A lot of the situations in heads up are really difficult, very complicated and you really have to think about how often you should take some lines,” Polk said.
“I do think there are some errors that he’s making that make me feel good about my side, but he’s not going to get totally run over. I don’t think that’s going to happen in this one.”
For his part, Negreanu felt good about his play and that he took some tough situational beats. He believed he played better on Friday than he did when booking a small win on Wednesday.
“I’m glad this is a close match,” Negreanu said. “I wanted it to be competitive and it is.”
What’s up next?
With the Thanksgiving holiday this week, the upcoming schedule has been adjusted slightly. Look for action on Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday.
Day 8: Nov. 19 – Negreanu adds another session to the win column
With eight sessions into the High Stakes Feud, Negreanu continues to defy the doubters. There’s still plenty of poker to be played, but he again extended his lead with a small victory on Thursday.
One of the first major pots of the day fell Kid Poker’s way with a fortuitous river card. Polk started the action with a raise to $910 and Negreanu three-bet to $4,100.
Polk made the call and flop brought 42Q. Negreanu led out with $6,155 and Polk called. The turn brought the 4 and Negreanu checked, with his opponent doing the same.
The river card was the 2 and Polk bet almost $14,000. Negreanu made the call with J9 for a flush and Polk turned Q10 for two pairs. Negreanu raked a $48,000 pot.
Polk grabs his share of pots and then a big cooler
Thursday’s action saw a bit of a see-saw battle with Negreanu able to book a win just over a single buy-in. Polk certainly had his moments as well. Early in the day he raised from the button to $910.
Doug Polk
Negreanu called and the flop came 9J3 and Negreani checked. Polk bet a bit over $760 and received a call. The turn was the 4 with Negreanu checking again.
Polk bet $5,000 this time, Negreanu called, and the 4 fell on the river. After another Negreanu check, Polk went for his signature over-bet on the river – this time for $20,000. Negreanu thought a bit before calling and Polk showed AJ for two pairs and a $53,500 pot.
At about the 90-minute mark Polk made an all-in river bet of about $53,000 into a $42,000 pot. With the board showing 81022K. Negreanu went into the tank and eventually folded.
The crazy hand of the day came just short of two hours into the match and produced plenty of fireworks. After Polk’s raise to $910, Negreanu three-bet to $4,100.
Polk called and the flop brought 5AQ. Negreanu bet $2,000 and received a call with the turn bringing A. This time Negreanu checked and Polk did as well.
The 3 fell on the river and Negreanu bet about $9,200. Polk moved all in for his $103,000 stack and his opponent called the last of his almost $32,000 chips instantly.
Polk showed K8 for the nut straight, but Negreanu tabled AA for quads. It was a massive cooler hand for Polk and Negreanu pulled in almost $94,000.
Inside the eighth day of play
The action swung back and forth a bit Thursday. Negreanu finished up ahead again for the session, scoring $24,157 after 457 hands.
The win moves his total number of days won to five, including the live session to start the series. Here’s a review of the sessions won by each player:
Negreanu – sessions 1, 4, 5, 7, 8
Polk – sessions 2, 3, 6
Both players took to Twitter afterward to comment on a couple hands and had some back and forth. Polk noted losing with a nice pocket pair.
Day 7: Nov. 18 – Negreanu bags nice day to reclaim lead
The back and forth battle between Negreanu and Polk continued on Wednesday as these two upped their session frequency. After about three meetings a week, that moves to four this week.
Polk jumped out to about a $65,000 lead early after raking a few decent pots. But Negreanu turned the tables at about the five-minute mark. In one big hand, Negreanu raised from the button to $1,000 and Polk three-bet to $4,100.
The flop brought K58 after a Negreanu call. Polk bet $2,300 and Negreanu called before seeing the Q on the turn. Polk now bet $9,600 and Negreanu called, swelling the pot to just over $32,000.
The river brought the 7 and Polk moved all in for $32,000. His opponent thought a bit before making the call with K10 for a pair of Kings. Polk tabled AJ for Ace-high and his opponent raked an $80,000 pot.
Shortly afterward, Negreanu raked a nice pot again after calling some hefty bets from his opponent. Negreanu hung in to secure a pot of $122,000 after Polk missed on his flush draw.
Kid Poker continues to build
The pots continued to go Negreanu’s way throughout the afternoon. After about 20 minutes, both players flopped a flush. Negreanu came out on top of that one with a Queen and won $20,000.
Later Negreanu scored a $31,000 pot when his pocket Queens hit trips on the flop. He was able to bet the hand all the way through the river.
Daniel Negreanu
By the hour mark, Negreanu had moved up to more than $160,000 for the session. Polk did find his share of pots, such as a three-bet forcing a Negreanu fold after an hour of action.
On a flop of K26, Polk bet $2,300 followed by a Negreani raise to $7,000. Polk then escalated the action to more than $14,300. Negreanu got out of the way and Polk took down about $30,000.
However, most of the really big pos went Negreanu’s way. One more example came late in the match with about $7,200 in the pot and a board of 42QQ3.
After a Nreganu check on the river, Polk made a signature over-bet of almost $11,000. Negreanu made the call with Q10 for trip Queens and a $29,000 pot while Polk showed J9.
Inside the seventh day of play
It was that kind of day for Polk. Negreanu just seemed to have the nuts in big spots and picked off his opponent at key times. He finished $222,833 to the good after 591 hands.
The Poker Hall of Famer is pleased with his play so far and feels his preparation has paid dividends.
“I’m looking at my balance now and it’s definitely bigger than when I deposited online, so I’m happy about it,” he said afterward on the GGPoker stream. “I think my play’s improving with each session and one think I’ve always prided myself in is that I work hard and learn fast.
“This isn’t my first time playing poker. I did have to re-learn a lot about how the game is structured and the best way to play it, but I’m willing to do that. It requires a good amount of humility to ask other people for help.”
It was certainly a nice day for Negreanu, but still only a small win in comparison to the buy-in. Polk remains a favorite, but so far Negreanu has shown he can play in this arena.
“Lowest point in the challenge yet,” Polk noted on Twitter. “Luckily only about four buy-ins or so. Looking forward to getting in a lot of volume tomorrow and Friday.”
The heads-up specialist Polk remains confident in his play and his chances.
Day 6: Nov. 16 – Controversy over hand histories, Polk slides back ahead
After plenty of fireworks in Day 5, there may have been more interest in a post-session controversy after Monday. Businessman and poker player Bill Perkins charged Polk with using study methods outside the rules.
Match delayed due to disagreement over rules. One party(@DougPolkVids )thinks its ok to manually enter in hand history to software and have frequency analysis done and the other does not (@RealKidPoker) Big disadvantage that Dnegs has not been doing this. @PhilGalfond time #Poker
That drew some quick responses from Polk, who said the charge was completely baseless. He noted on Twitter that both players can open the WSOP.com client and review hand histories. The “cheating on his homework” charge was out of line, he noted.
“The rules were, no hand histories and no HUDs [head-up display, an app that collects and displays statistics about opponents],” Polk said. “We both agreed and were clear on that. Neither was used.”
After a brief discussion on data mining, Negreanu agreed with Polk. The matter now seems to be in the past and players can again focus on the match.
At the tables, Negreanu found the first big pot on Monday. Early action saw him score $34,000 when his Q5 made two pairs on the flop.
After about 10 minutes, Negreanu seized a lead of about $22,000 and then snatched two more nice pots. At about the 20-minute mark, Polk scooped a small one but there were big developments on the second table.
After a pre-flop four-bet from Polk, the players saw a board of 10102. Negreanu checked and Polk bet a bit over $4,100.
Negreanu called and the 9 landed on the river. After another check, Polk checked as well and the river brought the 7.
After another check, Polk thought a bit and checked again – sniffing out a trap as Negreanu tabled 1010. Kid Poker scooped a $28,000 pot with his quad 10s but missed out on more.
Action shifts Polk’s way
After two straight losing days, Polk would find some nice pots of his own – and one would come quickly. Just a couple hands later on the same table, Polk picked up pocket Aces and three-bet.
The flop brought 5KQ and he led out with a $6,700 bet. His opponent moved all in and Polk snap-called. Negreanu turned over Q5for two pairs and looked to be in good shape to crack his foe’s Aces.
A 4 on the turn was no help for Polk, but a second King on the river gave him a bigger two pairs. That gave him the $81,000 pot.
Polk grabbed another big pot a short time later, taking $37,000 with a full house. That win moved him ahead in the session and he continued battling.
Inside the sixth day of play
For much of the day, Polk’s aggression paid some big dividends including a five-bet pre-flop shove at one point. His typical river over-bet shoves also scored some nice pots.
The chips just kept going his way much of the day. That was enough to book a win of almost $93,542 on the day, moving Polk back up for the series. However, that’s not a huge lead – just a bit more than two buy-ins for this High Stakes Feud.
The capper for Tuesday’s controversy may have been a video released by poker pro Will Jaffe calling Perkins out. He advised that this was “the ultimate stay in your lane moment.”
After Monday’s session, the heads-up challenge is now about 10% complete. The play went more than three hours and both players have promised moving past the early two-hour sessions.
There are also plans for more frequent matches, with more play set for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week. USPoker will update all the action as it plays out.
Hands played: 2,374
Total: Polk up $67,625.81
Next match: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 5:30 pm ET
Day 5: Nov. 13 – Negreanu makes it two in a row, climbs ahead in series
After rallying late in Wednesday’s session, Negreanu built on that momentum Friday. He notched his second straight online win, this time much bigger than his previous score and putting him ahead in the match.
There was plenty of action in session four with plenty of three- and four-bets with big pots. The three-bets came early in the fifth session and Negreanu took the first $20,000-plus pot.
A few more pots went Negreanu’s way early before Polk scored a $7,000 pot with a full house. He followed that up with a few more nice ones.
Just after raking an $11,000 pot, Negreanu raised to $1,000 from the button. Polk three-bet to $4,110 and his opponent made the call.
The flop brought Q9A and both players checked with 8 coming on the turn. Polk checked and Negreanu bet $6,165.
Polk called and the flop brought the 6. After a check from his opponent, Negreanu fired $15,413 and Polk made the call. Negreanu tables 89 for two pairs and took down a $51,373 pot.
Kid Poker finds some big pots
Things seemed to be going Negreanu’s way and he’d seized a small lead by the first half hour. A massive hand then developed after Negreanu five-bet shoved all in with AK.
Polk quickly called with 1010 for an $83,000 pot. The flop brought Polk a set with 2410 followed by a J on the turn. The 7 on the river meant a huge win for Polk.
A few hands later, Negreanu added an $11,000 pot and then found another for $20,000. A $25,000 pot then immediately went Negreanu’s way as another big hand also developed on the second table.
In that one, Polk raised to $910 from the button and was three-bet to $4,241. Polk called and the flop brought 723. Negreanu bet $1,600 and received a call.
The turn brought the 5 and Negreanu bet a hefty $8,762 before receiving another call. On the river 6, Negreanu moved all in and Polk snap-called.
Polk showed 64 for a straight while Negreanu tabled 89 for a bigger straight. Kid Poker collected a nice $80,000 score.
Truck driver rolls, Negreanu fights back
After a break in the action, the truck driver rallied back with a few nice pots at just over an hour into the session. However, Negreanu seemed more aggressive throughout the day. A big hand developed at about the 90-minute mark.
After Polk raised to $910 on the button, Negreanu three-bet to $4,241. Polk called and the two players saw a flop of 8J10. After Negreanu checked, Polk bet $2,798 and was called.
The 6 fell on the turn and Negreanu checked. With the pot at about $14,000, Polk bet $11,542. After Negreanu’s call, the K fell on the river and he checked again. Polk then jammed all in with Negreanu snap calling.
Polk held Q9 for a King-high straight, but Negreanu showed AQ for a Broadway straight. The hand shipped him more than $93,000.
Inside the fifth day of play
It was that kind of day for Negreanu and he seemed to collect plenty of nice pots with big hands. Just a short time after the big Ace-high straight, another pot fell his way.
With 45, Negreanu flopped a straight and snagged another $24,000. By the end of the two-hour session, Negreanu had erased his deficit and climbed ahead. He’s now winning almost $26,000 for the series.
That represents less than one buy-in, but so far Negreanu has been competitive in an event many felt Polk would dominate.
“A long way to go to the finish line, but very happy to be ahead obviously,” Negreanu noted on Twitter, and broke out a Rocky shirt to commemorate his success so far.
Beyond hitting big hands, many feel Negreanu heads-up skills have sharpened since earlier online sessions. Even Polk echoed those thoughts.
“The worst part of today’s session wasn’t getting stacked repeatedly for $200,000, it was also seeing Dnegs making less and less errors in other pots,” Polk noted on Twitter. “If the challenge keeps going this direction, may need to trade in the truck for a used Honda Civic.”
Polk probably won’t be heading to the Honda dealership any time soon. He remains confident and is looking forward to next week’s action.
Hands played: 1,737
Total: Negreanu up $25,916.87
Next match: Monday, Nov. 16, 5:30 pm ET
★★★ Those looking to follow the action live, should check out our complete review of the GGPoker and Upswing Poker streams. ★★★
Day 4: Nov. 11 – Daniel Negreanu rallies for first online win
Score one for Kid Poker. After two straight losing sessions, Daniel Negreanu notched a winning session online Wednesday against Doug Polk. It was a nice result for Negreanu, who is considered the online underdog.
Polk made a small aesthetic change on Wednesday, switching his avatar to the American flag. It may have been a Veterans Day gesture with or a slight needle to his foe’s Canadian flag.
The two traded pots early, moving just above and below each player’s $40,000 starting stack. At about the five-minute mark, Polk made the day’s first four-bet for more than $10,000.
Negreanu made the call and the two saw a Q7Q flop with almost $22,000 in the pot. After a check, Polk bet $4,318 and his opponent called. The J came on the turn and Polk bet $6,650 after a Negreanu check.
Again Negreanu called and the 10 came on the river. Polk shoved all in for $25,000 and Negreanu went in the tank. He eventually folded and Polk dragged a $43,528 pot. More fireworks would follow.
Polk dominates early play
A few hands later, another big pot developed with $34,000 in the pot on a board of 529K7. Both players checked the river and Negreanu took it down with KQ.
Despite that, Polk was up about $45,000 the first 20 minutes. A $42,000 pot after a half-hour moved that up to $65,000 and later more than $90,000.
Just short of an hour into the match, a couple interesting hands developed. Polk shoved all in on both tables, one on the turn and one on the river.
I think the average player really underestimates the amount of time and work it takes to become even somewhat decent at HUNL. With the info out there now the bar is just absurdly high and you will constantly be making mistakes.
Negreanu folded on both, and Polk took almost $14,000 on one and $29,000 on the other. A few hands later Negreanu raked a $17,000 pot, but Polk soon gobbled up one for $32,000. For the first hour, Polk seemed to take pot after pot with aggressive bets on the turn and river.
Kid Poker surges late in the session
Despite Polk’s early domination, Negreanu got back into it. A few hands later, a check-raise on the river worked out well when he caught a straight. Polk called and Negreanu won $24,000.
With about 30 minutes left, another huge hand developed. Negreanu raised to $1,000 from the button and Polk three-bet to $4,110. Negreanu then four-bet to $10,220.
Polk moved all in for another $47,495 with Negreanu making an insta-call. Polk tabled JJ to Negreanu’s KK. The flop didn’t change things and Negreanu took a $95,000 pot.
That became the largest pot so far for Negreanu during online play and cut his session deficit to about $30,000. Another $41,000 pot would ship his way a short time later.
In the last 15 minutes, Polk four-bet a pot to $12,876 and Negreanu called. The flop came A84. Negreanu checked and Polk bet $5,150 and Negreanu called before the turn brought the A.
Again Negreanu checked and Polk bet $11,896. His opponent called once again and the river produced a 4. Negreanu checked again and Polk moved all in with $126,351.
With only $34,633 in front of him, Negreanu made a snap call and revealed AQ for a full house. Polk showed JQ, handing Negreanu a pot of $129,109 after picking off his bluff.
Inside the fourth day of play
The late comeback brought Negreanu his first winning online session in the series. He finished the day winning $87,167 and the late wins helped overcome some early struggles and frustrations.
“It didn’t feel like a win did it?” he said on the GGPoker stream. “The first hour I just kept missing all these hands. I was getting annoyed.”
Nice to book a win today of about 2 buyins. Lost that pesky JJ vs TT hand on the river or it would have been 4 buy ins, but a win is a win.
1372 hands played of 25,000 and currently down about 4.5 buy ins.
While Polk was dominant for much of the day, Negreanu’s late push seemed not to bring any real concerns. Polk knows it’s a long haul.
“Obviously it was not the best of runs there at the end,” he said after the match on the Upswing Poker stream.
Polk said when Negreanu seemed to bet aggressively, he always seemed to have a strong hand. He also feels his opponent has ramped his game up a bit.
“I think he’s playing a little more aggressive online overall than when we played live,” Polk said. “It’s been interesting. It was an interesting swing today.”
Despite the big numbers, Polk notes that he’s up only two and half buy-ins. There haven’t been any massive swings so far and Negreanu also made note of that as well.
Hands played: 1,372
Total: Doug Polk up $180,865.22
Next match: Friday, Nov. 12, 5:30 pm ET
Day 3: Nov. 9 – Doug Polk extends his lead
The High Stakes Feud action resumed on Monday between Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk. After one live session won by Negreanu, Polk again won in the second online session at WSOP.com.
The pair got in another 382 hands and Polk came out on top for an additional $166,239. This moves his total up to a positive $268,032.
Monday’s action began well for Polk after his 25 hit two more fives on the flop early in the match. He got paid off on the river for almost a $27,000 pot.
However just after that, Negreanu raked his own $29,000 pot on the second table. He added another $10,000 pot a few minutes later with a flush.
There was plenty of three-bet action early. About 15 minutes into the match, Negreanu also picked up a $93,000 pot after picking off a Polk bluff. He seemed to be rolling through the second online session.
Polk turns it around and turns it on
That momentum would change however. About a half-hour in, Polk moved all in for $42,000 on a board of J734. This came after Negreanu three-bet pre-flop and then bet the flop and the turn. Polk took the $34,000 pot instead.
Several five-figure pots continued to go his way. Polk picked up a $16,000 pot when his K-J hit a King on the river. Polk’s stacks on both tables continued to grow.
He raked a $25,000 pot at about the one hour, 15-minute mark. After three-betting pre-flop, he check-raised the flop and bet big on the turn to draw a fold.
A few hands later, Polk raked a $12,000 pot after betting $17,000 on the river. More pots would go Polk’s way including two simultaneous pots for about $30,000, both of which Negreanu had three-bet.
Polk methodically took control and continued to over-bet often on river cards. Negreanu was put in numerous tough spots and a critical hand came late in the match.
With $13,000 in the pot and a board of K7385, Polk moved all in for $81,000. Negreanu tanked before eventually making the call.
Polk tabled K7 for two pairs with his opponent showing K5 for a smaller two pairs. The $96,000 pot was sent to Polk after a tough cooler for his opponent.
Inside the third day of play
After 1,006 hands played so far, Polk looks to be in control. However, there is plenty of poker left to be played. Polk’s lead looks hefty at more than a quarter of a million dollars. However, players start each session with $40,000 and Polk noted his lead isn’t large in this kind of challenge.
“I will say this though, just cause the number is big doesn’t mean Dnegs is down that much,” he noted on Twitter. “He is down a little under seven buy-ins. That is a completely normal result over 1,000 hands of heads-up no limit.”
The two foes are about 4% through the challenge and Polk looks to be in command online so far. His river aggression on Monday seemed constant and gave Negreanu some trouble. Polk did note that Negreanu faced some tough hands.
At the end of the challenge ill give my thoughts on Negreanu’s play, but until then not going to say much.
I will say he is obviously running bad in a bunch of standard cooler spots. His game does have some issues though.
Negreanu said the big two pairs versus two pairs hand was indicative of how things went. He still seems pleased with how he’s played and believes he’s on the right path overall.
“I was very happy,” Negreanu said on the GGPoker stream after the day’s action wrapped up (see complete stream replay above). “I felt like I ran kind of bad in the last session … but in this one I was quite certain I ran worse. I generally felt pretty comfortable, pretty good.”
Can Kid Poker turn it around? There are plenty more online sessions and USPoker will be tracking all the action.
Day 2: Nov. 6 – online action begins, Polk storms ahead
After battling on PokerGO live, the action shifted to WSOP.com on Friday. The heads-up game is Polk’s forté and that came through in the first session online.
When it comes to usernames, Polk brings some humor – going with “MicroStakes” as his moniker. Negreanu goes with “DNegs” at these virtual tables. Here is all the action below via the GGPoker stream.
There was plenty of action right from the beginning with Negreanu scooping a few pots early . Then almost simultaneous $20,000-plus pots developed on both tables within the first 10 minutes.
Negreanu won the first for $120,698, then action shifted to the second table. That hand produced some fireworks.
With Polk on the $200 small blind, Polk raised to $918 and his opponent three-bet to $4,140. Polk made the call and the flop brought 624. Negreanu then bet $6,210 and Polk called with the 10 landing on the turn.
Kid Poker checked and Polk bet $6,830. Negreanu, on a stack of just over $56,000, then moved all in. Polk snap-called with almost $29,000 left in front of him – producing a $92,205 pot.
With the call, Negreanu held J9 for a flush draw. Polk flashed 46 for two pairs. The river brought the A and Polk raked the massive pot.
Inside the second day of play
That’s the kind of day it would be for Polk on Day 2 online. He completely flipped the table from the first session – winning $218,292.78 after 424 hands.
I won 200k but I still feel bad because I made more misclicks in my session than a man 2 tabling in a recliner
“Felt good today,” Polk added on Twitter. “Obviously ran hot in some important spots. Much happier to be back on the online felt.”
A few coolers ran Negreanu’s way and he wasn’t disappointed with his play.
“I’m playing against a really great player,” Negreanu said after the match on the GGPoker stream. “It’s going to be tough and put you in really tough spots. Overall I think I played pretty well.”
Hands played: 624
Total: Doug Polk up $101,792.78
Next match: Monday, Nov. 9, at 5:30 ET
Day 1: Nov. 4 – kicking things off on PokerGO
The two combatants got things started at the PokerGO Studio at Aria casino in Las Vegas. The live component was a late addition but added extra excitement to the series to get fans even more interested.
Ali Nejad and Kane Kalas called the action as the series, known as High Stakes Feud, got underway. Those looking for some contentious banter wouldn’t find it on PokerGO.
While they may trade barbs on social media, Polk and Negreanu were friendly and even wished each other good luck.
I was happy that despite our history, and with all the divisiveness in the country right now, that @DougPolkVids and I could be civil and put on a show that the poker community could both be proud of and enjoy the fireworks.
The action began with Negreanu raising to $1,000 with K4 and Polk called with A4. Both players continued checking on the flop of K29 and turn of 6.
Negreanu then fired a $1,500 bet on the river with Polk raising to $8,500. After some thought, Negreanu made the call and jumped out to a lead of $9,500.
“How many hands left?” he said as he got up from his seat. The joke drew a laugh from his opponent.
That run would continue and the two continued talking poker and other topics throughout. Both players even needled Phil Hellmuth a bit.
Negreanu finds some big hands to take lead
Some poker fans may have preferred more combative conversation. However, even the friendly chit chat made for better viewing. High stakes players simply staring at cards hasn’t made for great viewing.
Negreanu even mentioned his new chair for the online portion of the match – complete with built-in massager.
By Thursday morning, High Stakes Feud had been viewed more than 260,000 times on YouTube. At the table, Negreanu seemed in control in the first match.
A look at the action from the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas.
An early win with a flush saw Polk dip below half his starting stack and add $30,000. Negreanu kept a small advantage of $10,000 to $15,000 for much of the early play.
Polk reversed Negreanu’s lead after a break in the action. He flopped a flush while Negreanu hit the nut-flush draw. Polk ultimately raked a pot of $11,600 for his first lead in the match.
That lead disappeared soon as Negreanu took a few big pots and found a lead of about $50,000. One of the biggest hands then came right before the end of the night.
Polk raised the action to $900 with QJ and Negreanu three-bet to $4,000 with 106. Polk made the call and the flop brought 6K6.
Negreanu then bet $1,600 and Polk called. The river brought the 8 and he then checked. Polk fired $7,600 and Negreanu called.
The 2 fell on the river and Negreanu checked again. Polk continued the bluff moving all in, swelling the pot to more than $70,000.
Negreanu called and raked a massive pot with Polk adding another $50,000. The match would come to a close a few hands later with Negreanu finishing up $116,500 for the first session.
In his post-match interview, Negreanu spoke about how the live game was to his advantage.
“I’ve got 20 years of playing under the lights in this scenario, but unfortunately for me that’s just a very small portion of the match,” he said. “I know that we’ve got a long road ahead and we’re going to be walking into his arena, which is online.
“I felt like I played well and executed my strategy. It was really important to me to get off to a good start and I want to make this match competitive.”
Negreanu did just that. With action shifting online, Polk is in his element and it will be interesting to see how things play out.
“I had some spots that I thought were good to bluff – they weren’t,” Polk said about the live play element. “Just really didn’t get things going my way.”
“I always feel bad [for the sites] because it’s not their fault,” Negreanu noted about regulations legal operators faced. “It’s all politicians just doing their best.”
The site, however, apparently made some moves to facilitate the large deposits. WSOP.com has also designated two cash game tables for the match.
“It was pretty cool they made it work for us,” Negreanu noted.
Kid Poker went on to detail some of the frustrations the industry initially faced in Nevada. The two continued discussing the state of online poker and now take the game to the virtual tables.
After the loss, Polk to Twitter to offer an interesting post-match note as the action heads online.
Getting ready for bed and I get a text from my dad “Doug had a rough night, lost 100k”. Then texted back, oh wrong person.
Doug Polk continued his dominance through the first half of his heads-up matchup against Daniel Negreanu. Polk led by almost $1 million after the 18th session.
The two opponents are playing up to 25,000 hands on two tables at blinds of $200/$400. Both players live in the legal regulated state of Nevada and are playing on WSOP.com.
In recent sessions, Negreanu has shown plenty of fight and is working on a Rocky Balboa-style comeback. With the second half of the series underway, here’s a look at some of the biggest moments on the felt so far.
Follow all the action in the Daniel Negreanu versus Doug Polk High Stakes Feudright here. The USPoker landing page has updates from every session as well as links, details, and videos. For the first part of this series analyzing early hands, click here.
In the week of Dec. 12, Negreanu lost a huge pot for six figures. Action began as Polk raised from the button with Q6. Negreanu three-bet to $4,182 with J4.
The flop came K22 with Polk on a flush draw. Negreanu led with $2,000 into the $8,361 pot and Polk called.
The turn peeled the A and Negreanu fired a 3/4-pot size bet and Polk called. The pot inflated to $30,907.
The river was a 4which landed Polk his flush. Negreanu over-shoved by making a massive bet 2.5 times the pot. Polk called with his flush and nailed a huge pot worth $146,849.
2 – Suited connectors for the win
On Nov. 30, Polk released a YouTube video giving insight into some hands he played. While not going into too much of his personal strategy, he did review some of the biggest moments.
Polk highlighted a hand where he started on the button by raising with 46. Negreanu reraised to $4,182 with AK and Polk called.
The board read J106 and Negreanu checked his overcard and gut shot straight draw. Polk bet 25% of the pot with bottom pair and Negreanu called.
The Q showed up on the turn. The Queen helped Negreanu reach Broadway and gave Polk a flush draw. The pot was $13,044 and Negreanu got sneaky and checked the nuts.
Polk took the bait and launched a $12,285 bet, setting up a possible river jam. The river indeed made a flush for Polk when with the 7.
Negreanu checked again and Polk went for almost a pot size bet again with $35,426. After Negreanu called, Polk raked in a $108,467 pot. Kid Poker experienced quite a tough cooler.
3 – Negreanu battles back
On Dec. 11 in session 19, Negreanu gained back some of his losses. One notable hand made for a six-figure swing. Polk raised preflop with 77and Negreanu flatted with 63.
Negreanu checked the nuts when the board came 542 and Polk bet $800.The fireworks started on the turn when the 7 showed up – giving Polk a set.
With the second-best straight possible, Negreanu felt confident enough to trap by checking. Polk bet $3,400 and Negreanu just called again
The river brought the J. Negreanu checked and Polk fired a 1.5X pot bet for over $15,000. Negreanu then shoved all in.
Polk called off his last $33,600 and saw the straight at showdown. This hand helped Negreanu rake in over $106,000.
4 – Standard preflop jams
On his YouTube channel, Polk explained that some hands are just standard in heads-up games. Polk highlighted a hand where Negreanu and Polk end up getting it all in preflop for big money.
As the hand started, Negreanu raised from the button with 1010 to $1,000. Polk then three-bet his QQ to $3,768. Negreanu responded with a four-bet to $10,336. Polk five-bet shoved all in to $52,988 and Negreanu called.
Negreanu had two outs and didn’t find them with a board runs of J3J39, rewarding Polk a $105,974 pot.
A popular poker room line from a Dire Straits song applies: “Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug”
5.) Check, check, check – he tricked me
On Dec. 4 during Session 15, Negreanu found maximum value with pocket Aces to the tune of $114,000. How he raked the pot would have left “Teddy KGB” from Rounders quite frustrated.
The hand started with Polk raising to $900 with K4 and Negreanu three-betting 4.5X to $4,200. Polk four-bet to $11,300 and Negreanu simply called.
The board showed J22 and Negreanu went into pot control mode by check-calling Polk’s $4,500 flop bet. The turn was a 3 and both players checked.
The river brought the Q and Negreanu checked again. Polk tried to steal the pot by shoving. Negreanu snap-called the bluff with his last $40,000. Negreanu scooped a pot worth over $114,000.
The action continues all week and USPoker will have all the highlights and recaps. Follow @USPoker on Twitter for regular updates or visit our Negreanu-Polk Central page.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board meets Tuesday to take care of last-minute red tape and provide answers to burning questions about the upcoming launch.
The hunt for a 2021 championship ring is on. WSOP.com is kicking off the new year next week with the Winter Online Super Circuit Series.
The festival runs Jan. 14-31 with 18 gold ring tournaments and $1 million guaranteed. Players in New Jersey and Nevada will be eligible to participate in these events exclusively through WSOP.com.
With the pandemic still in place, the WSOP has chosen to play circuit events exclusively online for 2021. The series recently announced a slate of 13 Online Circuit Series playing out each month.
The first of those includes a $525 Main Event on Jan. 31 with a $250,000 guarantee. Other highlighted Super Circuit events include:
Like other 2021 events, the Online Circuit Series comes with a $10,000 monthly leaderboard. The top 10 circuit grinders for the month will win WSOP.com tournament tickets.
The winner also wins a seat into the $250,000 year-end WSOP Online Circuit Championship. That tournament is set for Dec. 28 and rewards the champion with a WSOP gold bracelet.
To qualify for the $250,000 Championship players will need to win a:
WSOP gold ring event during the 2021 season
$10,000 Player of the Month leaderboard
Second Chance Freeroll (see more on that below)
Those among the top 50 players on the cumulative circuit leaderboard also earn an entry.
WSOP.com offering plenty of freeroll cash
The site has added plenty of player extras for 2021. Two bonus events are scheduled to close out the Winter Online Super Circuit on Feb. 2 .
January ring winners along with top 10 leaderboard players can take a shot in a $25,000 freeroll. On the same day, WSOP.com hosts a Second Chance Freeroll.
The winner is eligible for a seat in the $250,000 Online Circuit Championship. To get in the freeroll, players must have played in at least four ring events in January
Reload bonus available for new series
Before the launch of January’s ring events, players in New Jersey and Nevada can take advantage for a 100% reload bonus. The bonus is available from Jan. 5-25 – up to $500.
★★★ Those new to WSOP.com should check out USPoker’s complete review, which also includes exclusive bonus offers. ★★★
It’s a new year, although poker tournament organizers continue to confront the same challenges they faced during most of 2020.
As a means to meet those challenges, the World Series of Poker this week announced a new WSOP Online Circuit Series that will last throughout 2021.
Patterned after the live WSOP Circuit of past years, the online series will feature monthly 12- or 18-tournament series in which winners will receive WSOP-C gold rings.
The 2021 WSOP Online Circuit will culminate with the $250,000 WSOP Online Circuit Championship in December, which will award a WSOP gold bracelet to the winner.
Monthly online series similar in format to earlier live WSOP-C stops
A press release on Wednesday from the WSOP noted how “live poker remains a challenge due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” thus prompting the decision to create an expanded online series.
During 2020, the WSOP was able to stage a handful of live tournament series early in the year, including one in February at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. However, from mid-March onward, all live WSOP-C events were cancelled and replaced by several online series on WSOP.com.
For the 2021 WSOP Online Circuit Series, tournaments will only be open to those playing on the WSOP Nevada and WSOP New Jersey sites.
There will be 12 WSOP-C tournament series in 2021, one per month. In most cases, the series schedule will contain 12 tournaments, similar to the schedule used in the past at live WSOP-C series stops. Roughly once per quarter will come an expanded “Super Circuit” series with 18 tournaments.
The Super Circuit series will include both $1,000 and $2,000high roller events and a $500 pot-limit Omaha event.
Extra tournament in the cards?
The announcement notes that a 13th tournament series might be added to the schedule at a later date “pending launch of the WSOP.com service in a newly regulated market.”
WSOP.com received regulatory approval to launch in Pennsylvania last year, and has indicated the new site will go live in 2021. There has been no announcement regarding whether or not the new WSOP PA player pool might be shared with those at other WSOP sites as part of a multi-state agreement, either initially or in the future.
As noted, winners of each tournament will receive a WSOP Circuit ring along with first-place prize money. In addition, the WSOP will be adding over $600,000 in prize money over the course of the year via “a variety of promotions and events.”
Casino branding, leaderboard and freerolls with added prize money
For the first time, some of the online tournament series will be “co-branded” via partnerships with various retail casinos.
Planet Hollywood, Bally’s, Paris Las Vegas and Harrah’s Las Vegas are among the Nevada properties that will be represented. Such tournaments will feature “‘cash at the cage’ buy-in and cash out availability while offering its out-of-market players special promotional rates to stay onsite” while they play.
There will be a 2021 WSOP Circuit Series Leaderboard as well, with all players who cash in events receiving points for their finishes.
The points will enable players to become eligible for freeroll events. They also will help players win their way into the year-ending $250,000 WSOP Online Circuit Championship (discussed below).
Also, the top 10 players each month will divide $10,000 worth of tournament tickets. Those 10 players will also win seats to play in that month’s $25,000 Monthly Freeroll where only that month’s event winners and top 10 points-getters will participate.
The $25,000 Monthly Freerolls are scheduled for the following dates:
Feb. 2
Mar. 2
Apr. 1
Apr. 29
May 27
Jun. 29
Jul. 29
Sep. 28
Oct. 28
Nov. 23
Dec. 21
Players who play in a minimum number of tournaments each series who have not otherwise won their way into the Championship will be able to play another freeroll event, the Monthly Second Chance Fast Forward. That will be a winner-take-all tournament with first-prize being a seat in the Championship.
WSOP bracelet awaits $250K Championship winner
The $250,000 WSOP Online Circuit Championship will take place Dec. 21, 2021. Players can become eligible in a variety of ways:
Winning any 2021 WSOP Online Circuit gold ring event
Finishing with the most points in a given month to win Player of the Month
Winning a Monthly Second Chance Fast Forward freeroll
Finishing as one of the top 50 players on cumulative 2021 WSOP Circuit Series Leaderboard (if not already eligible)
The Championship will be limited to a maximum of 256 entrants.
2021 World Series of Poker Online Circuit Series Schedule
The tiny buy-ins and thunderous payouts are back at Global Poker. The Micro Thunder Series II is set for Jan. 10-17 with 15 million Gold Coins (GC) and 50,000 Sweeps Coins (SC) guaranteed.
Players will find a varied schedule with 26 GC and 26 SC events with two Gods of Thunder finals planned. As in all Global series, some nice trophies is on the line as well in both GC and SC events.
With buy-ins starting at just GC1,000 and SC1, players can create their own thunder with a nice payday.
Global Poker is a sweepstakes, social gaming-style site where players can play for free using virtual currencies. However, players can also redeem some of those for real cash prizes.
Players can use Gold Coins to play in tournaments, sit and go’s, and ring games. These are a free-to-play currency, but can’t be exchanged for cash prizes.
However, a player purchasing additional Gold Coins also receives a second virtual currency known as Sweeps Coins. These coins can be used in separate ring games, sit and go’s, and tournaments.
Unlike GC, Sweeps Coins can be accumulated and exchanged for real cash prizes and gift cards. The site offers an easy coin-buying process and quick payouts for winners.
Global has grown considerably over the last year and now has more than 1 million players. The site is available for players in the US and Canada (excluding Washington and Quebec)The site also underwent some major improvements and additions in 2020.
Global offers major tournament series throughout the year for GC and SC players. That now continues with the Micro Thunder Series.
Getting in on the Micro Thunder Sweeps Coin action
Players looking to win some Sweeps Coins with a shot at some real money cash prizes will find plenty of action. The 26 Micro Thunder events feature buy-ins ranging from SC1.10 to SC5.50 with guarantees from SC500 to SC10,000.
Events are grouped into Low, Medium, and High buy-in levels with a few special events also thrown in. Players will mostly No Limit Hold’em with a Pot Limit Omaha event on Jan. 10 with a SC500 guarantee.
There’s even a No Limit Crazy Pineapple tournament set for Jan. 16 with a SC500 guarantee. This is a version of Hold’em where players start with three cards and discard one after flop betting is complete.
Several poker variations are planned including six-max, deepstack, rebuy, progressive knockout (PKO), and traditional bounty format.
The series is highlighted by three main events on Jan. 17. The SC11 Thunderstorm tournament features a SC10,000 guarantee. The SC5.50 Thunderbolt and SC3.30 Thunderclap versions come with SC3,000 and SC1,500 guarantees.
Satellites for the main events run throughout the series. Some other highlights include:
Micro Thunder Gold Coin players also have a chance at earning some hardware and prestige. All 24 winners receive a trophy. All those who make the final table are also awarded a limited-edition, Micro Thunder pin. A few highlights of that include:
Micro Thunderclap Main Event-L GC 750,000 Guaranteed [Deep]
3,300
Jan. 17
Micro Thunderbolt Main Event-M GC 1,200,000 Guaranteed [Deep]
5,500
Jan. 17
Micro Thunderstorm Main Event-H GC 3,000,000 Guaranteed [Deep]
11,000
Jan. 24
GC 600,000 Gods of Thunder
Winners battle in the Global Poker Gods of Thunder
Those who rise to the top in one of the Micro Thunder tournaments have even more to play for. All SC and GC final table players will clash in the Gods of Thunder events for some bonus prizes.
GC and SC event winners receive a Micro Thunder Series II trophy. The champion’s package also includes a “God of Thunder” hoodie, limited-edition cap, and pin.
Global Poker unveils new trophy
Global Poker takes pride in awarding players a top-notch trophy and the Micro Thunder is no different. The site attempted to take the design to the next level for 2021.
The company believes the cool metallic hand clenching a lightning bolt is a great representation of the Micro Thunder attitude. Even players jumping in GC events also have a chance to “grab some lightning.”
Big Sunday action continues at Global Poker
Along with numerous daily tournaments and cash games, Global Poker also hosts some big Sunday majors. These regularly top the guarantees with some big payouts for players.
The SC110 Sunday Teaser features a SC25,000 guarantee. On Jan. 3, the event attracted 310 entries for a SC31,000 prize pool. California player “Michaelgreer22” took the title for Michaelgreer22.
The SC218 Sunday Scrimmage features a SC50,000 guarantee and attracted 332 entries for a SC66,400 prize pool. New Jersey player “HolySmokes” took that one down for SC12,709.
The action in both events continues this Sunday. Click here for a complete Global Poker site review and exclusive USPoker bonus offers.
and Polk bet $6,500 before Negreanu called. The river brought the K
and his hand held up with a 2
with Q
However, a player purchasing additional Gold Coins also receives a second virtual currency known as Sweeps Coins. These coins can be used in separate ring games, sit and go’s, and tournaments.
guarantee. This is a version of Hold’em where players start with three cards and discard one after flop betting is complete.