As the 2020 World Series of Poker Main Event winds toward its conclusion on Dec. 30, one man is notably not part of the action. Stoyan Madanzhiev, the Bulgarian poker pro who won the $5,000 WSOP Online Main Event in September, believes that there’s no reason to continue the search for this year’s world champion.
Because, frankly, HE’S the 2020 world champion and Madanzhiev spoke with USPoker recently about the issue. As it turns out, broader issues concerning transparency and the WSOP brand came to the surface.
One aspect that stood out was the fact that poker is decidedly not a game for Americans only. Because there are so many non-native and ESL players on the live and virtual felts, it’s becoming imperative tournament announcements are much clearer and careful with their language.
The interview also provides insight into this man and his accomplishment, given he has some argument for poker’s grandest title. He’d also be the first world champion from Bulgaria and had plenty to say about his world record score.
SM: I like to live in Bulgaria. I like the country. I have many friends here and don’t think about moving permanently.
However, I need to travel a lot because you cannot play on every poker site. Usually, it’s for poker, but I’m hoping that I’ll have more free time to go on vacation soon.
In other interviews you’ve said that you’re working to make sure that your personal life has stayed the same. Is that still true or are things changing?
SM: Because of COVID, I don’t have many opportunities to travel. That’s something I’d like to do more.
Before my WSOP win, I had to grind hard because poker was my main source of income and grinding was more important. I have more free time now.
So, I spend some time with friends or just read or watch videos about stuff that interests me. I don’t think I started living some flashy life or something.
Have you made any significant purchases since the big win?
SM: Nothing big. I’m planning on buying some (virtual reality equipment) to do some gaming. It’s not really expensive, but I tried it, I enjoyed it, so maybe I’ll buy one and spend some time gaming.
I haven’t bought cars or anything else yet. I haven’t spent enough time thinking about my opportunities. I’ll take some time to re-evaluate my situation, what opportunities I have, and I will probably invest in something or start something or play some high stakes poker. For sure, I’m playing some high stakes poker.
In the US it’s widely known that lottery winners are often flooded with requests from “long-lost” family members and friends. Have you dealt with people doing that? In other words, random people trying to figure out how to get money from you?
SM: There were a lot of people asking for some help … some financial help, basically. Most of them I didn’t know. They were just randoms with all kinds of stories.
Some just wanted a loan, some just wanted money to invest in businesses, some were offering me businesses, like starting a restaurant or hotel or whatever.
“Of course, some people who met me three years ago for a day started trying to be a closer friend, but it’s normal, I guess. That’s how people work.”
I haven’t experienced any unpleasant situations. I think I’m handling it okay. There are ways to show someone you’re not interested, and you can always use the block button.
Is that why your Twitter direct messages are private now?
SM: Actually, I haven’t used Twitter much. I hadn’t really looked at (its) options until the WSOP decided to make another Main Event. Then, I decided I need to talk about that because I was not really okay with what they’re doing.
Should Madanzhiev be the WSOP world champion?
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. When you won the event and received that certificate with your bracelet, did you think that it was a done deal that you were the Main Event champion/world champion for 2020?
SM: I mean, what else could I think? They announced that the World Series of Poker will be online on GGPoker, they announced it as the 51st WSOP, with some classic events like the Millionaire Maker, and for their Main Event, they decided to make it $5,000 with re-entry.
So if I won the “51st Annual World Series of Poker Main Event” What will the December one be? The 52nd 51.1 51 2.0 51 alfa ? Just wondering #wsoppic.twitter.com/6hhk20pdVZ
I saw the logic in that because it’s an online tournament, it’s harder to put $10,000 online, and $5,000 is not small money anyway. It was a great event – it got into the Guinness Book of World Records with about 5,800 entries. It had a huge prize for first place – almost $4 million, a decent Main Event.
At the time I didn’t think many people had problems with the event. Of course, if you are in the US, you have to travel to play, but that has always been true for players in other countries. So, I think it’s fair.
“Even the field was more difficult.Everybody thought ‘this was the Main Event.” So, same with me.’”
When I look back, probably I wouldn’t play it if I didn’t think it was the Main Event. It was always my dream to play the Main Event, but because it’s a little harder to go to Vegas from the other side of the world, I couldn’t play yet. This year was a lot easier, and 100% I thought that I’m the Main Event champion.
I didn’t know that they were thinking about making a new Main Event. If they’d just announced that (the online event wasn’tthe Main Event), everybody would be fine and everybody would know that there’s going to be another one.
But, they didn’t announce it publicly. They hid it, then, out of the blue, announced it, and that wasn’t a cool move.
Obviously you’re pretty irritated about this “new” Main Event. Has anyone from WSOP reached out to you about it or tried to explain things to you?
SM: Not really. That’s why I opened my Twitter account, because no one really reached out to me. You have to live in a cave and not follow the internet or something not to see that everyone’s talking about me being the World Series of Poker Main Event Champion.
The WSOP even sent me a certificate showing that, so I don’t find it a fair play that they didn’t reach out to me. But they didn’t.
What, if anything, would you like to see the WSOP do to make things right?
SM: There have been interesting suggestions that I should play three-handed with the winner of Rozvadov and the winner of America so that we can play for WSOP champion, even though I already won it. It’s kind of pointless, but still, it’s something.
The WSOP was not really interested, though. They just put me aside.
“One of my problems with this is that it’s not just about me and who is the winner of 2020. If you do your marketing like that, and you represent that this is the WSOP Main Event. Of course, many people have dreamed and are risking their money.”
Some people have even found money to play – if this is not the Main Event, what happens to all the people who deposited the money to play the Main Event?
It’s basically a lie to them. It’s not presented honestly, in my opinion. They say you’re playing the WSOP Main Event, and they say that it’s going to be online.
The Main Event isn’t even the biggest tournament of the year, when I see how (the prize pool is) developing. It kind of makes it less significant than the one in the summer.
I’m open to play some poker with the winner, with whoever they decide. I can play heads-up poker, tournament poker, whatever.
I saw that you played in the international leg of the “Main Event” but busted. What was your mood when you were playing? Was it tough to focus when you thought that you’d already won?
SM: That was a really hard decision for me. I was debating with myself. That’s why I registered on the final day. It’s not right to play an event that I don’t support.
At the same time, everyone I talked to said that I have to play this, you have to defend your title. So, in the end, I like playing poker and the tournament was nice.
It doesn’t really change my opinion. I didn’t really look at it as the Main Event … just some good tournament online.
Has this situation made you not want to play at the WSOP in the future?
SM: For sure, I lost some respect for WSOP because this was not professional at all in my opinion. It looked like the WSOP made so many players play an event which was not what it represented. I don’t like this stuff.
What could have been done better
USPoker chatted with Stoyan for about 45 minutes. He obviously feels very strongly about the situation and wants to be heard.
The truth of the matter is an argument can be made on both sides. After reading the marketing and Madanzhiev’s certificate closely, some wiggle room left open the possibility of another Main Event.
However, from a corporate and public relations standpoint, this whole affair could be seen as a tremendous failure. Even some native English speakers were confused about the two tournaments, two Main Events, and two champions.
If you’re going ahead with this stupid idea, at least make it an 8H FT
People mostly speaking English as a second language played the summer event. Madanzhiev makes a good point about his irritation not stopping with his lack of recognition. If others also believed they were playing the Main Event, they might feel they were handed a bill of goods.
Furthermore, the old-school stonewalling approach favored by many companies simply doesn’t work anymore in the social media era. Those with a legitimate beef, like Madanzhiev, don’t have to go quietly into the night. Like he said, that’s what prompted him to take to Twitter.
In this case, the WSOP should have acknowledged the confusion. There’s no reason that Madanzhiev should still be getting silence from the WSOP.
While he may not be the “official” WSOP Main Event champion, his accomplishment deserves plenty of recognition. It’s not even about being right – it’s just about being polite.
The Netflix limited series Queen’s Gambit continues to break records. It has become one of the platform’s most watched series with more than 2 billion hours watched.
The series has hit home for many poker players as well. Poker and chess are often compared when it comes to the elements of competition and mental strategy.
Many poker players have been known to seek out some checkmating action as well. The same might even be true for chess players. With the series burning up Netflix, many poker players are getting back to the chess board.
Like poker, there can be deep theories and heavy mathematical combinations involved in chess. Amatuer chess coach Jarod Watson of Atlanta, Georgia, recently started playing poker and noticed several similarities.
“The first thing I noticed that was similar was learning to defend against aggressive opponents,” he says. “Figuring out a player’s style is the key in how you will counter effectively.”
The Netflix hit has inspired players new and old to jump back into the game. One of those is poker player James Brady of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“I’ve been playing chess ever since I was a kid,” he says. “After watching Queen’s Gambit it renewed my interest in chess. I am a little too old to pursue chess seriously but it’s a nice little break from poker tournaments.”
Another similarity between the two from a game play is the growth online. A quick look at the App Store and one will find numerous chess gaming options.
Players can battle it out against others without even needing a chess board. That same scenario has fueled poker’s growth over the last two decades. Online poker and online chess games offer players the mobility to play from anywhere.
Life at the chess board and poker felt
Jennifer Shahade is a former US Junior Open chess champion. She’s also an ambassador for PokerStars and still competes in poker and chess events.
“Chess is a beautiful game that draws you into a ‘flow’ experience, and also ties you to hundreds of years of chess history,”she says.
Shahade currently has more than $340,000 in live poker tournament cashes. As a resident of Philadelphia, she’s a regular Pennsylvania online player. She sees similarities in the games, espcially in regards to strategy and preparation.
The games are similar mostly in the approach to studying them, especially now with solvers, which is another reason I think poker players are drawn to chess,” Shahade says. “Some of the study techniques in chess are even clearer, due to decades of work with scholastic players and developing curriculum for efficient study.
“So diving into chess and getting a sense of how players improve can give poker players a lot of ideas on how to approach their own study, whether a serious student of the game but with limited hours or a successful pro.”
While she may now be involved heavily in poker, Shahade remains active in chess. She serves as a board member of the World Chess Hall of Fame and is also in charge of the US Chess Women, a program of the US Chess Federation.
The program helps introduce chess to girls all over the country. Queen’s Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy even spoke with the group recently.
What a literal *joy* to see the faces of dozens of girls in my program when the star of the Queen’s Gambit herself surprised them with some encouraging words.
Shahade has also been an unofficial ambassador for introducing more chess players to the poker world. In 2016, she hosted a chess and poker mixed tournament in Atlantic City for PokerStars.
Players competed in preliminary chess tournaments to earn extra chips for the poker tournament. Shahade continues to promote both games.
Chess players turned poker rounders
Over the years, other poker players have also transitioned from the world of chess. Some well-known pros players who used their chess skills to find success on the poker felt.
Chess hustler to Main Event final table
Ylon Schwartz
Ylon Schwartz won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2012 in a $1,500 HORSE event for $267,081. He also made the final table in the 2008 Main Event, finishing fourth for $3.8 million.
His poker skills date back to his days hustling chess on the streets of New York. Schwartz gambled against people on the streets for years.
In 2008 his chess game advanced when he achieved the title of master when his ranking rose above 2300. That achievement is just two rankings below grandmaster.
Chess author Bill Robertie also influenced poker
Chess champion, poker player, and author Bill Robertie won the 1970 speed chess championship. He’s also written six books on the game and also one of the greatest backgammon players of all time.
Many poker players may have unknowingly been influenced by Robertie from Dan Harrington’s strategy book series. Robertie, or Massachusetts, coauthored the Harrington on Hold’em books that inspired a generation of players during the Moneymaker boom.
Bishops to bracelets
Ivo Donev is a WSOP bracelet winner with $2 million in poker winnings. The Bulgarian took down the 2000 $1,500 Limit Omaha tournament for $85,800.
The WSOP champion’s roots are based on his chess skills. Donev won the 1989 CSSR International Chess Tournament, moving him to international master status.
Donev’s biggest win at the poker table came in the 2017 Poker Players Championship, finishing fourth for $419,337.
Youth chess champ scores at poker felt
Child chess prodigy Jeff Sarwer won the 1986 U-10 World Youth Chess Championship. The Canadian later branched into poker as well.
Sarwer first appeared on the tournament poker scene in 2008 when he cashed in the European Poker Tour (EPT) event. Some of his biggest scores have come on the EPT series.
That includes a third-place finish for $232,704 in the 2009 EPT Vilamoura Main Event. Sarwer has gone on to more than $836,000 in live tournament winnings.
Poker is now his main game, but Sarwer still appears in live chess tournaments from time to time. In 2015 he competed in the VI Shakkinet Chess Tournament in Finland.
After planet of big stack action, Doug Polk got back to his winning ways on Wednesday against Daniel Negreanu. A post-match interview involving both players offered some extra insight and showed any negative feelings between the two may have thawed.
For more of the Day 21 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 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.
Michigan online poker players are one step closer to being able to take part in tournaments and cash games that involve players in other states. But there are still a lot of questions about how, and if, that might happen. For now, SB 991 is headed to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer‘s desk. That bill allows the […]
Walt Disney once said: “Around here … we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things.”
Global Poker may not be as big as Disney, but the sweepstakes poker company understands the importance of moving forward. That included plenty of improvements and innovations in 2020.
It may have been a challenging year for many companies, but online poker has actually thrived. Poker sites gave many an outlet to play a game they love right from their homes.
“Like all other social game companies, we saw a large influx of new players when COVID restricted live poker and also kept people at home,” Global Poker general manager David Lyons told USPoker. “We were delighted to see that our infrastructure coped well, but we worked on a lot of stability improvements in the spring and summer that have made the platform a lot more stable and scalable today.”
Global Poker is a sweepstake poker site available to players in the US and Canada (excluding Washington and Quebec). Global functions as a social gaming site where players can play using a free virtual currency called Gold Coins (GC).
When purchases of additional Gold Coins are made, players receive Sweeps Coins (SC) as a bonus. These can be used in separate tournaments and ring games.
Players can also redeem Sweeps Coins for cash prizes and gift cards. Global Poker offers easy and safe options to purchase Gold Coins and cash out Sweeps Coins.
The sweepstakes poker setup is a unique online poker option ideal for many players.
2020 brought beta testing, bounties, and more
Global Poker kicked off the year with a new felt beta release in January. The new table felt allowed for smoother game play and added color options.
The software update was a major overhaul that allowed for future changes to take place over the course of the year.
A look at the new Global Poker tournaments during an elimination.
In May, that overhaul allowed for bounty tournaments. These were loaded into the regular tournament schedule and became an instant hit among tournament grinders.
In a bounty tournament players redeem rewards for each player they knock out of the tournament. Every player is worth the same amount when they are eliminated.
The bounty element brings an interesting twist to a traditional poker tournament.
PKOs become the latest knockout at Global Poker
The bounty option ramped up even more in June with the launch of Progressive Knockout (PKO) tournaments. PKOs are a specific type of bounty tournament with an even bigger twist.
When a player takes out an opponent, that player cashes in 50% of the opponent’s bounty. Those funds go right in the player’s own account.
The other 50% is added to the bounty on the winning player’s head. That bounty can grow larger after knocking out even more opponents.
Near the end of the tournament, a player’s bounty may be much higher than a normal cash. Players who go deeper in a tournament can really cash in on eliminating more players.
The bounty updates led to the first Global Poker Bounty Series in October, which carried a SC500,000 guarantee. The series proved successful and players have also been able to get in daily PKO events as well ever since.
Global adds casino games, responsible gaming options in 2020
Beyond its sweepstakes poker offerings, Global Poker began adding even more casino games in early April. That included the Lightning Nudge and Lucky Show slots.
Throughout the year Global Poker also introduced table games such as Classic Blackjack and Caribbean Poker.
Another big step for the company came in May. Global Poker launched a major effort to help players ensure they were playing responsibly. With added casino games, the site allowed players to have more control over their site usage.
Players can now choose to take a timeout from poker and casino games by clicking the “Responsible Gaming” section. A second update in July allowed for players to limit their play.
Players can now self-serve their purchase limits. This enables a cap on how much they spend on Gold Coins on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
The responsible gaming section also advises players on how to seek support services.
Expanding on Twitch and adding a podcast
The year also saw some media expansion for Global Poker. In January, a few tournament regulars independently created a regular podcast called Talking Global Poker.
This weekly show is the brainchild of Global Poker players Sam Bernard (writer of the movie Rad), Ken Sumner, and Sean Connell. The podcast is not directly affiliated with Global Poker, but does focus on the site’s player community.
Episodes include interviews with regular grinders and up-to-date news regarding the site. One guest recently included Jesse Sylvia, runner-up in the 2012 WSOP Main Event. The podcast also gives away monthly prizes for the site.
In 2020, Global also took major steps into the world of streaming. The operator launched GlobalPokerLive on Twitch in November 2019 but really started growing the channel in early 2020.
The nightly stream highlights some of the site’s biggest grinders. Players and viewers can win prizes, ask questions, and learn about the site from streamers such as:
While there have been plenty of additions in 2020, Global plans even more for 2021. That ranges from mobile improvements to new tournament offerings.
“I hate to make commitments, because I do not want to disappoint,” Lyon says. “However I can say that we expect to be able to tackle the first mixed (game) or or hi-lo variants by the middle of next year. And expect to see the return of Surge a lot sooner than you think.”
The site has also recently begun experimenting with synched breaks.
Additionally, with more customers playing on phones, enhancing that medium is also on the horizon. The site offers an easy way to play via a browser on a mobile device. New tournament styles are also on the drawing board, according to head of marketing operations Henrik Nilsson.
“In our latest release in November, we improved card size in mobile mode, showdown hand time exposure, chat functionality, and more,” Nilsson says. “We are in the process of beta testing standard shootout tournaments plus all in shootout tournaments, and believe we will release these in the near future.”
Land some free Gold and Sweeps Coins
It was no coincidence that on St. Patrick’s Day, Global Poker added some extra incentives for players. The site began giving away a free Gold Coin daily with no purchase necessary.
The site even took it one step further in May by adding free daily Sweeps Coins as well. The free Gold and Sweeps Coin bonus is available to all players and located in the cashier.
The free coins increase for consecutive daily logins and the promotion resets after seven days.
Sunday majors rewarding big paydays
The big Sunday majors continue to pay out nice prize pools at Global Poker. The SC110 Sunday Teaser featured a SC25,000 guarantee on Dec. 20.
The event featured 280 entries and a SC28,000 prize pool. New Jersey’s “Cartermac” took the top spot for SC5,404.
The SC218 Sunday Scrimmage features a SC50,000 guarantee, but attracted 303 entries for a SC60,600 prize pool. Texas player “WRB5676” took the title for SC11,599. A big holiday weekend promises an opportunity for even bigger payouts on Sunday, Dec. 27.
★★★ Looking to get in the game at Global Poker? Check out USPoker’s complete review with exclusive bonus offers. ★★★
Daniel Negreanu may be down, but certainly not out of this matchup. He locked up a score of a $117,962 on Monday for a second-straight win and trim Doug Polk’s lead.
For more of the Day 20 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 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.
The final slate of candidates is now set for poker’s biggest honor. After two weeks of open nominations, 10 finalists for the Poker Hall of Fame were announced Thursday.
The list ranges from well-known players to commentators to tournament executives. One name also stands out among them – Isai Scheinberg.
The PokerStars founder recently settled a 2011 indictment following Black Friday. Scheinberg was sentenced to time served and a $30,000 fine on various gambling-related charges.
The Poker Hall of Fame recognizes important players and notable figures in the industry. WSOP and Hall of Fame organizers have made a change to this year’s induction. As was the case from 1980-2004, only one person will be inducted.
The finalists will now be considered by the 31 living Hall of Fame members. Each will allocate a ballot of 10 total points to any of the nominees to decide this year’s inductee.
Here’s a quick look at all the 2020 nominees:
Patrik Antonius
This longtime pro from Finland has played at some of the highest stakes both live and online. He has $12 million in live tournament winnings and is recognized for his appearances on televised poker shows.
Some of those have included High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark. Antonius has scored wins and finishes on some of the game’s biggest stages.
Lon McEachern and Norman Chad
This is the first duo ever nominated for induction because of contributions to the World Series of Poker broadcasts on ESPN. The pair began broadcasting for the network in 2003 and remain some of the game’s most popular commentators.
Eli Elezra
Another well-known pro, Elezra has played in some of the biggest stakes and has four WSOP bracelets. With $3.8 million in live tournament wings, he’s also been featured in major televised cash games.
Elezra released an autobiography in 2019 detailing his life in the Israeli armed forces. He later emigrated to the US, spending time in Alaska before jumping into poker in Las Vegas.
Antonio Esfandiari
Any poker fan will probably recognize Esfandiari from television as well as his numerous tournament wins. That has included two Word Poker Tour titles and three WSOP bracelets.
In 2012, he won the biggest tournament ever at the time – the WSOP $1 million Big One for One Drop. That brought him more than $13 million and he now has $28 million in live tournament winnings. Esfandiari has also served as a poker analyst on ESPN.
Chris Ferguson
One of the more recognizable names from the poker boom of the 2000s, Ferguson has six WSOP bracelets. His resumé also includes $9.6 million in live tournament winnings and a European Poker Tour title.
In 2017, Ferguson was named the WSOP Player of the Year. However, many players harbor negative feelings about him for his role in the Full Tilt poker scandal following Black Friday.
Ted Forrest
One of the most respected players in poker, Forrest has been on the tournament scene since 1991. That included winning three WSOP bracelets in 1993 and he now has six total. He also scored a WPT title in 2007 and won the National Heads-Up Poker Challenge in 2006.
Additionally, Forrest was among a group of players who challenged billionaire banker Andy Beal in the early 2000s. The battle included massive stakes in heads-up Limit Hold’em. Author Michael Craig detailed in the book The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time.
Mike Matusow
No stranger to poker fans, “The Mouth” has been one of the more colorful characters in the game. Fans have enjoyed his antics on ESPN broadcasts and numerous other poker shows. Matusow also has four bracelets and $9.8 million in live tournament winnings.
His two final table appearances in the WSOP Main Event certainly stand out as nice bullet points. With $1.9 million in winnings and five final table appearances, Matrusow has also found plenty of success on the WPT.
Matt Savage
The longtime executive tournament director of the WPT has managed some of the biggest events in the world. He’s also conducted interview segments for the WPT and is a co-founder of the Tournament Directors Association.
Savage worked at the WSOP from 2002-04 and has been a longtime tournament director at the Bicycle Casino.
Isai Scheinberg
Many in the poker world had hoped for Scheinberg’s inclusion in the Hall of Fame. Scheinberg combined a love of poker and background in mathematics and programming to create the company’s software.
Founded in 2001, PokerStars would go on to become the largest online poker site in the world. Scheinberg played a key role in online poker’s explosion around the world.
Huckleberry Seed
The winner of the 1996 WSOP Main Event, Seed now has four WSOP bracelets and $7.6 million in live tournament winnings.
In 2010, Seed won the National Heads-Up Poker Challenge and the WSOP Tournament of Champions a year later. He remains a regular on the tournament poker scene.
A look at the Poker Hall of Fame criteria
The Poker Hall of Fame criteria remains the same as in previous years. A player must:
have played poker against acknowledged top competition
be a minimum of 40 years old at the time of nomination
played for high stakes
played consistently well and gaining the respect of peers
stood the test of time
Non-players must have contributed to the overall growth and success of the game with indelible positive and lasting results.
The 2020 inductee will be announced on Dec. 30 prior to the WSOP Main Event finale at the Rio in Las Vegas. A formal induction ceremony is expected to take place later in 2021.
After the nominations were released, several players took to Twitter to announce how their points would be used. Poker legend Doyle Brunson appeared to be squarely behind Elezra.
Not gonna say who I voted for in the Poker HOF but he was from Israel. Nobody deserves it more. He has logged more time at the poker table than anyone I know.
A former PokerStars ambassador, Daniel Negreanu has long been a supporter of Scheinberg and announced his continued support.
“It’s been a long time coming for Isai Schienberg to be on the nomination list and he got all 10 of my votes this year,” Negreanu noted. “His innovations changed poker forever.”
Erik Seidel chose to use his points for two players.
“After careful thought and consulting people whose opinions I value, [I’m] going to split my vote between Huck and Isai,” he wrote on Twitter. “So many great choices who have all helped grow the game, but these two seem the most deserving to me.”
Several other players have yet to reveal their votes and it will be interesting to see this year’s selection.
The Kentucky Supreme Court has reinstated a judgment holding PokerStars liable for $870 million in damages for its illegal activities before Black Friday.
#wsop pic.twitter.com/6hhk20pdVZ
versus Negreanu’s A
K
8
The other 50% is added to the bounty on the winning player’s head. That bounty can grow larger after knocking out even more opponents.
