The first episode of the fifth season of High Stakes Duel aired this week. Here’s what changed in the new season, how the first heads-up match unfolded, and whether Antonius will seek a rematch.
Three Main Changes in the New Season of High Stakes Duel
- Players now compete in a mix of NLHE & PLO, with the game changing every 10 hands.
- Run It Twice option – available once per round.
- The losing player must immediately display either a white or red flag after the match. A red flag indicates a desire for a rematch, while a white flag signals acceptance of defeat. Previously, players had up to a month to request a rematch.
How Jared “The Backer” Bleznick Defeated Patrik Antonius
Both players posted $50K each. The match lasted for three hours, with Patrik Antonius leading for most of it. By the middle of the heads-up, he had extended his lead to $80K versus $20K.
Bleznick’s comeback began midway through the third hour. In one PLO hand, Bleznick improved to a full house on the river, while Antonius had a straight on the turn.
In the final hand, with 34 BB remaining, Antonius defended his big blind and 4-bet jammed on the flop. The Run It Twice option was not used.
Bleznick held up. Notably, Bleznick mentioned before the match that he did zero preparation for the heads-up.
Patrik Antonius Requests a Rematch!
Immediately after the final hand, Patrik Antonius raised the red flag – signaling he is ready for a rematch.
The new heads-up match is set for Tuesday, November 19 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT). Both players will post $100K each. The match will be streamed on PokerGO for paid subscribers only.
About High Stakes Duel
The High Stakes Duel show premiered on July 30, 2020. In the first season, Phil Hellmuth and Antonio Esfandiari faced off in three heads-up matches. Hellmuth won each one, taking home $400K.
In the second season, Phil Hellmuth played three heads-up matches against Daniel Negreanu. He also won all three, securing another $400K.
The third season featured five heads-up matches:
- Phil Hellmuth vs. Nick Wright, $50K buy-in.
- Phil Hellmuth vs. Tom Dwan, $100K buy-in.
- Phil Hellmuth vs. Tom Dwan, $200K buy-in.
- Phil Hellmuth vs. Scott Seiver, $400K buy-in.
- Phil Hellmuth vs. Jason Koon, $800K buy-in.
Hellmuth won four of these matches but lost the fifth to Jason Koon, who could not find an opponent willing to play with a $1,600,000 buy-in.
In the fourth season, Daniel Negreanu played against Eric Persson in a $50K buy-in heads-up. In the second match, Negreanu defeated Doug Polk and withdrew with $200K in prize money.
English