Polk Defeats Negreanu In Grudge Match And Pockets Over $1.2m

The heads-up battle between Doug Polk and Daniel Negreanu is finally over. The final session of the grudge match took place on February 3, and Polk finished it in style, amassing over $1.2 million in total winnings.

The results did not come as a surprise, as Polk had been a strong favorite to win the match since it began back in November. But Negreanu put up a good fight and even managed to take down numerous sessions.

There was a time when the battle became anyone’s game, with Negreanu’s supporters clinging on to the possibility of him winning the battle in epic fashion. The six-time WSOP bracelet winner made Polk’s hands sweaty at some point, cutting his opponent’s lead several times. He also booked the biggest win of the grudge match (Day #31, $390,032), which forced the Upswing Poker founder to change his strategy.

Doug Polk Poker

 

Negreanu sure did his best to score a massive comeback, but his efforts proved unsuccessful, as his losses snowballed to almost $1 million just before the final day of the match. The concluding session saw the Canadian scoring an initial lead of almost $200,000, but Polk did not give in and went on to knock his rival out with a $255,722 win.

Forgive & Forget?

The pair have already reached the end of their grudge match, but does it mean their long-standing feud has also been put to rest? Latest statements from both players indicate they have “buried the hatchet“.

Based on Negreanu’s recent tweets, he and Polk appeared to have discussed hand histories and shared war stories with each other. Polk also commended Negreanu for taking on a difficult challenge, calling him a “worthy opponent“.

We have talked hands and stuff here and there from the get go, but today we really talked about a bunch of different situations and spots from the challenge.

Some really fun stuff. 1 bluff he ran I cannot fucking believe lol.

Glad we buried the hatchet. A worthy opponent ? https://t.co/mELUfjBFwD

— Doug Polk (@DougPolkVids) February 2, 2021

Polk had a significant edge in the match, considering that HU NLHE is his forte. He is also more experienced when it comes to online poker, compared to Negreanu who mainly focuses on live tournaments.

The pair began their feud back in 2014 when Polk took offense at Negreanu’s statement about mastering $25/$50 NLHE 6-max online games within just a few weeks of studying. Polk considered it an insult to the grinders, and since then he kept on attacking Negreanu on social media. The latter would rarely respond to the insults.

Polk and Negreanu have finally ended their long-standing dispute and all it took was a 35-session, 25,000-hand HU NLHE match. Negreanu can now move on and focus on his poker career, as Polk steps away from the poker tables for good.