Here we are again, with crisp updates on the two high-profile heads-up poker matches currently underway!

Last we talked about the Grudge Match taking place between GGPoker Ambassador Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk; the duo had played 25 sessions, with Negreanu winning the last four to shave off some of his massive losses. Two more sessions have played out since, and the duo took turns winning one each. As things stand currently, Polk continues to hold the advantage with a profit of $603,683.77 after 15,850 hands. Still, Negreanu`s gameplay has made the retired-pro acknowledge that his adversary has improved significantly since the start of the challenge.

Like Polk, Run It Once Poker`s Phil Galfond is another player sitting comfortably on top of his $100/$200 PLO heads-up challenge against Chance Kornuth. Kornuth had a roaring Session #46, but Galfond bounced back in the most recent one, profiting $46,000 to bring his overall lead over the half-a-million-mark, i.e., $514,500.

Grudge Match: Polk Wins Session #27, Praises Negreanu

The Grudge Match, aka High Stakes Feud pitting GGPoker Ambassador Daniel Negreanu against Doug Polk, has been godsent for poker lovers globally! It’s no secret that Polk and Negreanu are archrivals with a lot of blood between them. But after watching them battling through 27 Sessions of heads-up poker, it is clearly visible that some of the animosity has started to wear off. Touching upon the highlights from our last update: Negreanu was still the underdog staring at a massive deficit, but a back-to-back four-session winning run had helped him close some of that gap.

They are due to play three sessions this week, and two of them have already taken place. Negreanu booked a whopping $132,648.63 profit in Session #26, but Polk took most of it back in the next winning, pulling back $119,609.84.

Negreanu continues to be the player on the back foot as he sits on a deficit of $603,683.77. Still, Polk has started crediting him for playing better. If you look at the last nine sessions, Negreanu has won seven of them, and that’s definitely something!

Session #26

Session #26 took place on January 11. Negreanu was entering the week on a four-session winning streak. And he kept the streak going by coming out on top for $132,648.63 after 750 hands. After this session, Polk was ahead for $484,073.93 after 15,250 hands.

Session: -$132,648.63 over 750 Hands

Total: +$484,073.93 over 15250

Just about a 12 bi downswing now peak to trough. Tough stretch, but feel good about how we are playing. On the positive side we did manage to stack him once today 😂.

— Doug "Truck Driver" Polk (@DougPolkVids) January 12, 2021

Negreanu`s gameplay elicited him praises from his adversary. Polk publicly admitted that Negreanu’s level of play has improved vastly since the start of the challenge.

I gotta say @RealKidPoker is playing just night and day better than at the start of the challenge. I still think I have the edge but I wouldn't be surprised if its pretty low at this point. Gotta give credit where credit is due.

— Doug "Truck Driver" Polk (@DougPolkVids) January 12, 2021

Negreanu posted a video on YouTube.

Perhaps the biggest sign the tide is turning is the decrease in F-Bombs in my review videos, here's the latest:https://t.co/BkrFRUOdG3

— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) January 12, 2021

Polk and Negreanu returned for Session #27 on January 13. Negreanu lost most of his profits from the previous session to Polk, as the latter booked a nice six-figure win worth $119,609.84.

Session: +$119,609.84 over 600 hands

Total: +$603,683.77 over 15850 hands.

Good to finally get a 6 figure win in. Up 15 buyins with about 9k hands to go. Not over by a long shot but we stopped the bleeding and if we can get a couple more solid wins should be hard to lose.

— Doug "Truck Driver" Polk (@DougPolkVids) January 14, 2021

With less than 10,000 hands to be played, Polk continues to remain the hot favorite. However, considering Negreanu`s recent form, it`s still very early to rule him out completely. The next session starts at 5.30 PM ET on Friday.

Galfond Challenge: Galfond Wins Latest Session to Pull $514K Ahead of Kornuth

‘Tis been the season for intense heads-up matches, and the other ongoing battle is the famous Galfond Challenge. The mastermind and key proponent of the challenge, Phil Galfond, remains the undefeated champion through the series of heads-up clashes that have preceded the ongoing battle

Looking at the results of the last few sessions of his current challenge against Chance Kornuth, Galfond seems be cruising along towards another victory.

Last week, Galfond registered his most significant win yet at the challenge. He came out ahead for $192,000 in Session #45. But the two sessions since have been a mixed bag. Kornuth bounced back in Session #46, winning $76,000 before Galfond won the next one.

Galfond commands the lead of $514,500 with precisely 10,500 hands of the 35,000-hand challenge still left to play.

Let’s take a quick look at the recent sessions.

Session #46

Chance Kornuth staged a comeback of sorts in Session #46. The duo played 500, and Galfond ended up dropping $76,000. Kornuth reduced his overall deficit to $468,000.

A robust bounce-back session for @ChancesCards, as he managed to book a $76,000 win. If you're interested in hearing from the legend himself, check out the end of tonight's VOD. These two will be back at it tomorrow! #GalfondChallenge pic.twitter.com/oy8w4Ho6cW

— Run It Once Poker (@RunItOncePoker) January 12, 2021

Session #47

Kornuth played solid through the 500-hand session, but Galfond picked up several big pots to end up on top for $46,000. The winning session extended Galfond`s overall lead to $514,500.

Another #GalfondChallenge session just wrapped up, and @PhilGalfond escaped with a $46,000 win. He's back up over half a million! We'll be back tomorrow night with another match. pic.twitter.com/9ZQFRBKyQz

— Run It Once Poker (@RunItOncePoker) January 14, 2021

Check out the Session #47 highlights below.