It is over. Three matches, three defeats, and a $350,000 general loss on Excessive Stakes Duel 5 is sufficient for Patrik Antonius.
The Poker Corridor of Famer dropped Tuesday’s Spherical 3 contest, a $400,000 pot, to sports activities playing cards hobbyist Jared Bleznick in a battle of attrition, after which promptly waved the white flag. Spherical 4, an $800,000 prize pool, is not going to happen.
Poker Stars Battle for Early Pots
Bleznick defeated Antonius in Spherical 1, a $50,000-per-person buy-in, two weeks in the past. He then defended his title final week — Antonius paid $100,000 to get again within the sport — after which swept the collection of video games on PokerGO in Spherical 3. Antonius paid $200,000 to enter the third match.
Spherical 3 was fairly a battle — a five-hour marathon, the longest match between these two poker giants. The blended no-limit maintain’em/pot-limit Omaha sport started with every participant having a stack of $200,000 chips. Rising blind ranges began at $300/$600, large enough to make sure there can be a large quantity of monster pots earlier than the competition ended.
Antonius began issues off by flopping two pair in PLO and getting a little bit of motion from a drawing hand earlier than taking down a $21,000 pot on the flip. Issues received even higher for the Finnish poker legend when, moments later, Bleznick, holding A♣6♥5♠4♦ on a board of 9♣Ok♣9♠5♣3♥, used the A♣ as a blocker to bluff with a $13,000 river guess. However he was up towards the Q♣2♣ for a flush, and Antonius made the decision to take down the pot, which introduced his stack as much as $224,000.
Chip stacks largely remained about the identical for the following hour, every participant taking their flip to win small pots right here and there. Antonius would then start to slowly eat away at Bleznick’s stack, in a single hand three-betting pocket queens and taking it down on a six-high flop, and in one other hand, turning a flush to crack high pair.
Bleznick would then battle again and, after an hour of grinding to even up the rating, would take a slight lead. Antonius then got here again with a talented bluff in PLO when he wagered $20,000 on the river with only a pair to pressure his opponent off the nut straight, doubtless fearing he was up towards a flush.
Again Comes Antonius
There nonetheless weren’t any vital chip disparities three hours into the match, however Bleznick had begun to take over the sport. That will all change moments afterward a board of 9â™ Ok♣10â™ A♣5â™ with $70,000 already within the pot. Bleznick, who had queen-high, guess $58,000 just for his opponent, holding the nuts with Aâ™ 6â™ , to maneuver all in. Antonius had lastly, for the primary time in three matches, taken an enormous lead and was as much as $252,000.
The match took one other flip in the wrong way when “The Blez” rivered a king-high flush in PLO towards a queen-high flush to take down a vital $92,000 pot. Antonius would once more run right into a tough state of affairs in pot-limit Omaha on a board of twoâ™ 5♥A♦7♦ with 5â™ 5♦4♥2♦ within the gap for a set and flush draw.
Bleznick, who had the nut straight and a superior flush draw as well, guess $4,000. Antonius made it $17,000 earlier than the three-bet — and name — to $48,000 occurred. The Ok♠on the river did not pair the board. Bleznick went for blood, betting pot ($107,000). Antonius would have basically been carried out had he referred to as, however he properly folded, leaving $118,000 behind.
This match, nonetheless, was removed from over. Saving that river name was a sensible resolution as Antonius would scoop an enormous pot again into the chip lead shortly after when he flopped a set and practically received most worth out of two pair.
Bleznick Takes Over
Antonius had his moments on this match. He pulled off a few strong bluffs, received a few coolers, and frequently fought again from sizable deficits. However, in the long run, Bleznick made the best strikes when it mattered most. He took little time to mud off the cooler hand and, earlier than lengthy, would open up a 3-1 chip benefit.
Antonius did not simply throw within the towel. He continued to battle, however would lose a $100,000 pot in PLO towards a runner runner flush that was a killer.
The back-and-forth marathon match would come to an finish on the $4,000/$8,000 blind stage when Antonius jammed all in for $119,000 in NLH with Ok♣4♣ preflop on the button. Bleznick, who appeared down at A♥5♠, made the decision. Antonius then requested his opponent if he needed to run the board a few times.
“Patrik, hear, I will inform you, win or lose, okay, I will inform you this proper now, I am being sincere — win or lose, I’ve utterly outplayed you,” the assured Bleznick responded. “It is your resolution. I do not care.”
“The world will get to see each hand, you choose, my good friend,” he continued.
Antonius, trailing within the 60/40 hand, determined to run it as soon as. The flop got here out 4♦7♦2♠, placing the Poker Corridor of Famer out in entrance. However the 3♠on the flip gave Bleznick a straight to lock up the hand and the match.
No rematch will occur as Antonius tossed within the white flag. Bleznick is the second participant in Excessive Stakes Duel historical past to win three straight matches towards the identical opponent. Phil Hellmuth, in HSD I, did it versus Antonio Esfandiari, after which the “Poker Brat” repeated his efficiency in HSD II towards Daniel Negreanu with three straight wins.
*Pictures courtesy of PokerGO.
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