Beating a tough opponent such as Scott Seiver in consecutive matches isn’t an easy task, but that is exactly what Phil Hellmuth will attempt to accomplish August 22 on High Stakes Duel III Round 5 with $1.6 million on the line.
With the date and time (8 p.m. ET) officially set at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas, we can now preview what figures to be an entertaining contest, and an important one for both players for reasons beyond the money.
How We Got Here
In the third series of games on High Stakes Duel, Hellmuth defeated Fox Sports personality Nick Wright, an amateur, in the $50,000 buy-in phase. Wright gave a valiant effort but lost and then declined a rematch, leaving the door open for Tom Dwan to pay $100,000 (the stakes are doubled each round) to take on the “Poker Brat” in Round 2.
Dwan won the first battle, handing Hellmuth his first defeat in eight games on the PokerGO show, but the 16-time WSOP bracelet winner got some revenge in the rematch, a $400,000 pot. The two were set for the rubber match in May, but “durrrr” had other priorities and was replaced by Seiver.
In Round 4, which Seiver paid $400,000 to enter, Hellmuth moved to 9-1 on High Stakes Duel, setting up the upcoming match for $1.6 million.
Why the Match is Huge for Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth
As crazy as it might sound, despite holding a massive lead on the all-time WSOP bracelet record list (six more than anyone else), Hellmuth still has his critics. The 1989 world champion isn’t considered a great heads-up player by many pros, but he continues to defeat formidable opponents.
Winning in Round 5 would mean consecutive victories against a high-stakes legend and a 10-1 record on the show, certainly not an accomplishment that should be overlooked.
It’s true he hasn’t faced any of the players many top pros would consider to be among the best in the game at heads-up no-limit hold’em, but Antonio Esfandiari, Daniel Negreanu, Tom Dwan, and Scott Seiver are no slouches.
Hellmuth’s legacy will always be connected to World Series of Poker greatness. Few would argue he’s been the top WSOP performer in history. Beating Seiver in a $1.6 million match and going 10-1 against quality competition would give the “Poker Brat” another talking point when critics question his legacy outside of the WSOP. In live heads-up sit ‘n go style matches, he’s arguably been the best ever. Not only is he currently 9-1 on …….
Source: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2022/08/phil-hellmuth-scott-seiver-high-stakes-duel-rematch-41815.htm