The PokerGO streaming program High Stakes Duel has captured the attention of a great deal of the poker world. There’s still room for some innovation with the program, however, as PokerGO proved on Friday night. In what was a precursor for the match on Monday evening, poker veteran Mike Matusow showed that he still has the skills on the felt in defeating Shaun Deeb in a pregame match for High Stakes Duel.
Slow, Grind it Out Match for “The Mouth”
Both Matusow and Deeb showed up on Friday night with $10,000 burning a hole in their pocket and a deal to play until one or the other was felted. Deeb came out of the gate to pick up a slight lead. Over the course of the three-hour battle, however, Matusow was meticulous in his methods, never really getting a big hand but always slowly moving his stack upwards.
Approximately thirty minutes into the battle, Matusow would take the lead back from Deeb in a well-played poker hand. Matusow would raise off the button with a 10♠ 7♠, which Deeb (K-8) called, and the flop came down with something for everyone. The K♠ 8♠ 2x flop hit both players, with Deeb getting the top two pair and Matusow a sneaky flush draw. Deeb checked his two pair and Matusow expertly checked back to see another card.
A J♠ on the turn brought the magic for “The Mouth,” and Matusow was able to get a check-call out of Deeb to the tune of 3500. An innocuous four on the river changed absolutely nothing and Deeb checked the action to Matusow, who fired off an 8000-chip bet. Deeb couldn’t find a way to extricate himself from the hand, paid off the bet, and found himself down for the first time.
Although he would take the lead back a brief time later, Deeb was never able to put the hammer down on Matusow. “The Mouth” stuck around and, after about two hours, finally eked his way back into the lead. On the final hand, Deeb would move all in with a Q-10 and Matusow nearly beat him into the pot with a call and K-J for battle. A nine-high board changed absolutely nothing from the preflop situation and Mike Matusow captured Deeb’s $10K in a highly entertaining match.
Monday Brings Negreanu v. Persson
The Matusow/Deeb showdown was but an appetizer for what will be the real show on Monday and (maybe) Tuesday. Daniel Negreanu, who lost all three of his previous appearances on High Stakes Duel (against Phil Hellmuth), will hit the tables against high-stakes player Eric Persson. The twosome will put up $50,000 each, with the eventual winner of the match taking down the cash.
In a change from previous High Stakes Duel efforts, the two players will continue after the first match. The losing player from that initial battle, however, will have to put up $100,000 to continue with the fight. If the Round One winner takes down Round Two, then the match is over, and the champion is crowned. If there is a split between the two matches, the loser of the second match will have the option to play again, but they will have to declare their intentions immediately.
Negreanu might have a chip on his shoulder when it comes to High Stakes Duel. The Hellmuth battle from 2021, where Hellmuth took three consecutive matches against ‘Kid Poker’ for a cool $350,000, may still irk Negreanu. Persson, in his case, has shown himself to be an inventive and daring player who is routinely used to playing for large piles of cash.
The action begins in the Negreanu/Persson High Stakes Duel at 5 PM (PDT) on Monday. It will air live on PokerGO, which is offering some great deals before it covers the 2023 World Series of Poker. It could be a suitable time to get in on the action!
(Photo courtesy of PokerGO.com)