High Stakes Duel 6 has ended in an emphatic victory for Matt Berkey, defeating Jared Bleznick over two days of NLH and PLO for a resounding $314,900 win. Bleznick came into the match on a high, having whitewashed Patrik Antonius in High Stakes Duel 5 late last year.
High Stakes Duel 6 Format and Rules
Bleznick took $350,000 from the Flying Finn and joined the likes of Phil Hellmuth (twice), Jason Koon, and Daniel Negreanu in the winner’s circle.
The rules for HSD 6 were similar to the fifth iteration against Antonius: a mix between NLH (Berkey’s favourite game) and PLO (more Bleznick’s territory), but with a two day schedule rather than three matches.
Starting stacks of $100K and blinds of $200/$400, with unlimited rebuys and add ons. The plan was to play one six hour session per day, with one and a half hours of NLH followed by the same of PLO. The Antonius match had seen them switch every 10 hands.
How the Match Played Out
Day 1: Bleznick Takes an Early Lead
Day one was a relatively quiet affair with brief bursts of interest, including an excruciating river decision for Berkey.
With the pot at $3,400 on a 6c Jd 4s flop, Bleznick bet $2,500 holding 5d 2d and Berkey called from the big blind with 6h 3d. The turn 3s gave Berkey two pair but left him behind Bleznick’s straight.
Berkey checked, Bleznick bet $11,000, and Berkey called again. The river Ah brought a $30,400 pot and Bleznick shoved for $56,000. After a long and painful tank, Berkey talked himself into a call with just a bluff catcher.
A rebuy for another $100K allowed Berkey to fight back, eventually ending the day down only $22,700.
Day 2: Berkey Flips the Script
Bleznick stretched his lead to around $50K in total when Berkey changed the nature of the match by offering a deal. For $11,500 they would play only NLHE for the next two levels, having just played two levels of PLO.
Bleznick countered with $15,000 and the deal was struck. Berkey’s fortunes somehow changed with it. The cards started running his way, he picked off bluffs, and dodged getting stacked with a set of bullet killers.
“How good are you at poker?” was all Bleznick could repeat after one particularly brutal hand. But the real hurt was yet to come.
In the final hour of play, Bleznick lost with rivered trips versus rivered full house, top pair versus top two, and top pair against a rivered flush. The end result was a thorough drubbing to the tune of $315,000 and a new High Stakes Duel champion.
What’s Next for High Stakes Duel?
There is no word yet on whether Bleznick will fancy another go at Berkey or if we will see new blood when High Stakes Duel 7 is announced. For fans of high stakes poker, this was one of the most entertaining heads up matches in the series.
