PokerGO announced Thursday the highly-anticipated return of High Stakes Duel.
High Stakes Duel 5 will see two new combatants enter the arena for a half No-Limit Hold'em, half Pot-Limit Omaha showdown. In one corner, the most recent inductee to the Poker Hall of Fame, the Finnish Phenom, Patrik Antonius. In the opposite corner, the Sports Card Superstar, winner of the inaugural PGT PLO Super High Roller Bowl, Jared Bleznick.
Round 1 of High Stakes Duel 5 premiers Tuesday, November 12, exclusively on PokerGO. Both players will begin the first frame of the duel with a $50,000 buy-in heads up match. From there, the stakes will double each round and continue until one player calls it quits, with further rounds broadcast each week for as long as Antonius and Bleznick keep the gloves on.
Patrik Antonius and Jared Bleznick will play half NLH, half PLO for High Stakes Duel 5. “We couldn’t be more excited for the return of High Stakes Duel with a matchup that embodies everything this series is about – intensity, skill, and high-stakes drama,” said Brent Hanks, Director of Programming at PokerGO. “Jared and Patrick are without a doubt two of the most accomplished and talented players in the game, and watching them battle it out with the stakes doubling each round is going to be a thrilling ride. This is the kind of edge-of-your-seat poker that our fans crave, and we’re proud to deliver it.”
High Stakes Duel history
The popular heads up poker series has generated countless memorable moments over the course of its past four iterations. Phil Hellmuth put on a clinic in the first two High Stakes Duel battles, winning three straight rounds against both Antonio Esfandiari and Daniel Negreanu, pocketing $400,000 for his efforts each time. Hellmuth continued to defend his title during High Stakes Duel 3, defeating Nick Wright and Scott Seiver before Jason Koon stepped in to dethrone him in the $800,000 buy-in round. Unsurprisingly, no one challenged Koon to a $1,600,000 heads up match and the belt went his way.
The most recent battle saw Negreanu step up to welcome challengers in his pursuit of the High Stakes Duel 4 winner's belt. Eric Persson was the player first to answer the call, putting up the requisite $50,000 buy-in, but failing to best his opponent. With the option to re-challenge Negreanu still available to him, Persson planned to take another swing, but eventually backed off. With the second round of the duel now open to all comers, one-time rival and familiar foe Doug Polk took up the challenger's mantle to take on Negreanu, but he too fell in pursuit of High Stakes Duel glory.
Having won two consecutive matches, Negreanu opted to end the High Stakes Duel 4 challenge, per the stated rules, and take home the belt.
Images Courtesy of Manuel Kovsca/Rational Holdings Limited/PokerGO
