Hellmuth Defeats Negreanu Again on High Stakes Duel

Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu locked horns in a second High Stakes Duel broadcast on PokerGO. Hellmuth emerged the victor just as he had done a month ago, much to the surprise of the poker community.

The first High Stakes Duel saw Negreanu soar into a seemingly unassailable lead. Those thoughts proved incorrect as Hellmuth mounted what can only be described as an epic comeback to win the first battle.

Both players desperately wanted to win this encounter, as is evident by their daring bluffs and aggression.

Negreanu slipped into a minor hole early into the latest High Stakes Duel with an ill-timed bluff. The board read 9h-Jd-6s-7s after Negreanu checked from the big blind with 5h-3c. Hellmuth bet 300 into 400 holding 9s-7c, which turned two pair. Negreanu raised to 1,300, and Hellmuth called. Negreanu fired a 2,000 bet on the As river, and Hellmuth wasted little time in calling.

Another bluff went awry before Negreanu found himself on the right side of a full house over full house scenario.

Cooler Hand in the High Stakes Duel

A monster-sized pot went down shortly after Negreanu climbed out of his hole, leaving Negreanu holding a near three-to-one chip advantage.

Hellmuth limped with 6h-4h and called the 900 raise from Negreanu, made with Jd-Jc. Hellmuth called a 1,200 bet on the 6d-Tc-3c flop and 3,100 on the Jh turn. The river brought the 4d into play, and Negreanu bet 13,000. The self-proclaimed Poker Brat raised to 28,000 only for Negreanu to make it 43,000.

A few expletives and time banks later, Hellmuth called, and the giant pot slide to his opponent.

“Ah, f**k that’s my fault. Shoulda just called him on the river.”

Negreanu endured an extended period of poor cards and a lack of bluffing opportunities, which allowed Hellmuth to claw his way towards being level.

He had an opportunity to get close to even when he opted to limp with Ah-Ac. Negreanu checked with Kh-Tc before check-calling a 600 be on the 9s-3c-Jc flop. Negreanu check-called a 1,500 bet on the 6d turn. The 5d river completed the board, and Negreanu checked again. Hellmuth fired 4,000 into the pot, Negreanu check-raised to 17,000, and Hellmuth snap-folded.

First All-In Pot, Then Victory for Hellmuth

The first all-in pot went uncalled but went Negreanu’s way. Both payers checked to 8h-Qs-2d-6s before Negreanu bet 5,500. Hellmuth raised to 12,500, Negreanu made it 28,000 to go, and Hellmuth called. Negreanu moved all-in on the Tc river, but Hellmuth folded his Qd-4s, leaving Negreanu’s Qh-6h best.

Another big bluff went Hellmuth’s way, leaving Negreanu with a little over 50,000 chips. The final hand of the latest High Stakes Duel saw Negreanu open to 4,000 with 8c-8s. Hellmuth moved all-in with Ah-4c, and Negreanu called off his stack. A board reading Jh-9h-9c-6h-Kh improved Hellmuth to a flush and resigned Negreanu to another loss.

Negreanu was gracious and magnanimous in defeat and went as far as complementing his old friend.

“Good job, buddy, you played well. This one, I thought you played a lot better than the first one. So, we’ll have to see you in Round 3.”

Hellmuth’s frequent limping in the first High Stakes Duel drew criticism from the poker fraternity. Hellmuth argued that he won anyway, but that is not the point.

No date is set for this third and final High Stakes Duel, but we know Negreanu must pay $200,000 to enter under the format’s rules. Everything points to a Hellmuth victory when you look at the previous battles. This and the fact the 15-time WSOP bracelet winner swept Antonio Esfandiari aside 3-0 in their matches.

Say what you will about Hellmuth, but he has the skills to pay the bills!

Matthew Pitt

If it’s something you can play online for real money, chances are Matthew knows a bit about it. He’s been writing about slots, craps and poker for the better part of the last decade. He’s written for PokerNews, PartyPoker and many other respected online gambling websites during the last nine years.

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