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Ten days into the New Year, and we finally have news on, perhaps, one of the most awaited heads-up encounters! Poker superstars Phil Hellmuth and Tom Dwan will be facing off for a $400,000 heads-up poker match in Round 3 of the High Stakes Duel III. The match will be broadcast on PokerGO.com on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, at 8 PM (local time).
IT’S ON!@Phil_Hellmuth vs. @TomDwan with $400,000 on the line for High Stakes Duel III Round 3. Wednesday, January 26 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT), exclusively on PokerGO. pic.twitter.com/sLmS5WaAXg
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) January 10, 2022
It’s been a while since the duo last went head-to-head against each other. So, let’s do a quick recap of all that has happened so far.
Phil Hellmuth’s High Stakes Duel Winning Streak
Phil Hellmuth’s winnings spree started out against Antonio Esfandiari in October 2020. He whitewashed The Magician in all three rounds of High Stakes Duel I. He meted out the same fate to his long-time rival Daniel Negreanu in High Stakes Duel II.
After the likes of Esfandiari and Negreanu, Fox Sports broadcaster Nick Wright, in all honesty, wasn’t much of a challenge for Hellmuth. Possibly recognizing how out of his depth he was, Wright threw in the towel after losing Round 1 of High Stakes Duel III.
With Wright out of the way, the search for Hellmuth’s next opponent began. Quite a few names were thrown in the air, including Phil Ivey, Tony G, and Johnny Chan. In the end, it was revealed to be the elusive poker pro, Tom Dwan.
Tom Dwan Ends Phil Hellmuth’s Seven-Match Heater
Hellmuth has a history with Dwan and isn’t all favorable for the Poker Brat. In fact, their rivalry goes back to 2008 when Dwan had met Hellmuth in the opening round of the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Dwan cracked Hellmuth’s pocket aces with his pocket tens to send the self-proclaimed ‘G.O.A.T’ into one of his patented rants.
Maybe fate led Hellmuth to go up against Dwan in Round 2 of the High Stakes Duel III. We say fate because of the final hand of the heads-up match that finally ended Hellmuth’s seven-match heater. Dwan, once again, cracked Hellmuth’s pocket aces to become the new High Stakes Duel champion!
Gear Up For Round 3: Phil Hellmuth vs. Tom Dwan
On September 5 last year, Hellmuth had challenged Dwan to Round 3 for $200,000 ($400,000).
I texted my boy @TomDwan to let him know that I am officially challenging him to a match for $200,000 ($400,000 total) in “High Stakes Duel,” only on @PokerGo App. Tom is a great great poker player, and he beat me last match. I’m sure next round will be a battle! #POSITIVITY pic.twitter.com/ITo0xV6NFP
— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) September 4, 2021
At that time, no date for Round 3 was announced. With WSOP due to return after a 26-month hiatus in Las Vegas, expectedly, the buzz around this heads-up match-up died down for a while.
However, the dates are finally out. Round 3 of High Stakes Duel III between Hellmuth and Dwan airs on PokerGO.com on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, at 8 PM.
Will Hellmuth be able to avenge his defeat? Will Dwan persist with his winning form? We’ll just have to wait and see!
Cover Image Courtesy: Poker Central