Less than a week after losing to Tom Dwan in their first High Stakes Duel match, Phil Hellmuth has confirmed that he has requested a rematch with Dwan. At the time of this writing, a date for the next match has yet to be announced as poker fans look forward to another match-up against the two titans of poker.
Now that Hellmuth has accepted the rematch, the stakes will be upped to a $200,000 buy-in, per the rules of the High Stakes Duel, which require that stakes double for every round. Rules require that any loser of a High Stakes Duel challenge must communicate their intentions within 72 hours of the last match.
Hellmuth texted Dwan and then shared the news via Twitter over the weekend:
I texted my boy @TomDwan to let him know that I am officially challenging him to a match for $200,000 ($400,000 total) in “High Stakes Duel,” only on @PokerGo App. Tom is a great great poker player, and he beat me last match. I’m sure next round will be a battle! #POSITIVITY pic.twitter.com/ITo0xV6NFP
— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) September 4, 2021
How did we get here?
Tom Dwan was Phil Hellmuth’s fourth opponent of the High Stakes Duel. In his first High Stakes Duel match-up last year, Hellmuth beat Antonio Esfandari three times in a row to clinch a win, the number required to end the match, assuming the feat is accomplished before the 6th round. Next up was Daniel Negreanu, who also went down against Phil Hellmuth by losing three consecutive matches. He then beat Fox Sport’s Nick Wright, a non-poker pro during the first round of High Stakes Duel III.
Through the first seven matches, Phil Hellmuth made $750,000 in profits. While that’s not exactly life-changing money to Hellmuth, who some sources say is worth $20 million, the pride factor has undoubtedly been a big deal to the Poker Brat.
While many new-school poker players have gained notoriety from playing a “GTO” strategy, some have continued to criticize Phil Hellmuth for his “old-school” style of play, questioning whether he can compete against the elite of poker in today’s game. His detractors cite fewer victories, less time playing to focus on other interests, and his lack of desire to play in high rollers.
So there is no question the Hellmuth has felt vindicated by his success during the High Stakes Duel as he keeps winning against formidable opponents.
Hellmuth experienced a bump during his match with his last match with Dwan during the second round of High Stakes Duel III, losing after a 6-hour battle. But Phil Hellmuth seemed to play well against a player who is more from the “GTO” cloth and through his request at a rematch, seems confident that he can beat Dwan if given a second chance.
After the loss to Dwan, he is still up $650,000, and losing another $200,000 on the next match would mean that he would still have a mid-six-figure profit. Should Hellmuth be defeated during the next round, he would still have the option for a rematch against Dwan for a second time.
If Hellmuth wins, Dwan will have the option to rematch. It’s conceivable we could be in the early stages of Hellmuth vs Dwan and that is ok with poker fans.
PokerGO will once again broadcast the next High Stakes Duel match.
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