Daniel Negreanu and Eric Persson Clash In Return of High Stakes Duel on PokerGO

Heads-up poker action returns to PokerGO on May 8 and 9 with the fourth edition of High Stakes Duel, and for the first time, Phil Hellmuth will not be one of the contenders.

Jason Koon ended Hellmuth’s dominant run last December with a conclusive win to close out High Stakes Duel 3, giving Hellmuth a final record of nine wins and two losses. Now, two new competitors are set to battle for the belt in six-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu and frequent nosebleed cash game contender Eric Persson.

Persson, who is a casino owner, made waves in his first PokerGO appearance when he defeated Hellmuth in the PokerGO Heads-Up Showdown just over a year ago, drawing attention for not only his victory but also the onslaught of trash talk he unleashed against the ‘poker brat’, who has had plenty of profanity-laden rants in his day.

In addition to two new headliners, there will also be an ‘undercard’ match that will pit five-time bracelet winner Shaun Deeb against four-time bracelet winner Mike Matusow for $10,000, which will be held on Friday, May 5.

A key rules update has also been instituted for this latest clash. Now, each contender will need only two consecutive victories to secure the championship belt and cash out.

The first two rounds are set to take place on back-to-back days, with round 1 scheduled for 5 PM PT on Monday, May 8, and round 2 at the same time the following day. The first round will see each player put up $50,000. The winner will let their $100,000 ride, while the loser will have to post another $100,000 for the rematch.

If Negreanu and Persson end up splitting the first two rounds, the loser of round 2 has first dibs on another rematch. If they do not exercise that option immediately, they are eliminated from contention, opening the door for a new challenger.

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