Hellmuth looking for a new heads-up opponent
Scott Seiver is out of the High Stakes Duel and there is a queue a mile long to replace him in the seven-figure battle on PokerGO.
Scott Seiver has pulled out of the $1.6 million High Stakes Duel match with Phil Hellmuth due to personal reasons, leaving the door open for a player with $800,000 to take his place.
PokerGO revealed the news that a new opponent is needed for the match scheduled for August 22, with their interest needing to be made known by midday today.
Due to personal reasons, Scott Seiver has withdrawn from his upcoming HSD 3 Round 5 match with Phil Hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth).
Who wants to step up and challenge Phil Hellmuth?
You need $800K and to let us know by Monday, Aug 15 at 3PM PT*. pic.twitter.com/nMQSlAepCq
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) August 12, 2022
To be clear: I DO NOT choose my opponent. @PokerGO chooses…
— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) August 13, 2022
Often it is quite difficult to find anyone willing to pony up $800,000 to play an accomplished player heads-up, that is not the case here. Despite Hellmuth's remarkable winning streak he still cannot command the respect of his fellow high stakes peers and it appears PokerGO's biggest problem will be choosing between a long list of candidates.
Looking at the replies to the tweet from PokerGO there are plenty of serious potential challengers including Chris Brewer, Espen Jorstad, Dan Zack, Dan Smith, Julien Martini, Ben Lamb, Bill Perkins, Darren Elias, Matt Berkey and Jason Koon. That's just the people active on Twitter, no doubt the likes of Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan have been made aware of the vacancy in private.
As per the rules of the challenge, only when one player wins three consecutive matches before Round 4 or two consecutive matches starting with Round 4 can they bank their winnings. Another challenger can step up to the plate if it is within 30 days of the last match. The stakes have to be doubled every time a new match is played.
That means the challenger in this scenario only has one shot to scalp Hellmuth before Phil can walk with the money, a fact that put one candidate out of the running:
Lots of people stepping up to the plate! Am I weird for not wanting to because you only get 1 shot as a sub?
I'll wait patiently on the sidelines for an opportunity at 3 matches, and will keep enjoying the show in the meantime 🿠https://t.co/M0IB4llDnv
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) August 12, 2022
This will be the 11th High Stakes Duel in a row for Hellmuth, which started in July 2020 when the stakes were just $50,000 to enter and his opponent was Antonio Esfandiari. In that time Phil has lost just once, to Tom Dwan, whom he beat in the rematch.
| Match | outcome | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| Duel 1 Round 1 | Phil Hellmuth defeated Antonio Esfandiari | $100,000 |
| Duel 1 Round 2 | Phil Hellmuth defeated Antonio Esfandiari | $200,000 |
| Duel 1 Round 3 | Phil Hellmuth defeated Antonio Esfandiari | $400,000 |
| Duel 2 Round 1 | Phil Hellmuth defeated Daniel Negreanu | $100,000 |
| Duel 2 Round 2 | Phil Hellmuth defeated Daniel Negreanu | $200,000 |
| Duel 2 Round 3 | Phil Hellmuth defeated Daniel Negreanu | $400,000 |
| Duel 3 Round 1 | Phil Hellmuth defeated Nick Wright | $100,000 |
| Duel 3 Round 2 | Tom Dwan Defeated Phil Hellmuth | $200,000 |
| Duel 3 Round 3 | Phil Hellmuth defeated Tom Dwan | $400,000 |
| Duel 3 Round 4 | Phil Hellmuth defeated Scott Seiver | $800,000 |
Who do you want to see next in the High Stakes Duel? Let us know in the comments:
