After 36 sessions and over a hundred hours of battle, the heads up challenge between icons Doug Polk and Daniel Negreanu has finally come to a close. Polk, a master of the heads up game has proven his prowess time and time again, ending his most recent grudge match with the Poker Hall of Famer in a landslide win.
This week’s events were highly crucial for both players as Negreanu managed to cut his deficit by half at last month’s end. With Polk however eager to scoop up the long-awaited victory, the younger pro snowballed through the last four sessions, successfully adding over $636K in profits to end the match. Having completed the 25,000 hand total duration, Polk is awarded the overall triumph and $1.2M in combined winnings throughout the sessions. More importantly, the pair is seen to have ended their personal and social issues against each other, giving their colleague the respect they both deserve.
Session: +$255,722 over 1718 hands
Total: +$1,200,000 over 25000 hands
We won guys. We did it.
— Doug Polk (@DougPolkVids) February 4, 2021
Polk secures win as challenge closes
All eyes were on the last session as the match concluded today after several months of back and forth between the two pros. While talks of extending the challenge or a rematch were brought up initially, Polk remains firm on the decision to end things here.
I am not going to play a rematch. There has been a lot of talk about this, its simply not going to happen.
Im way too burned out from all of the study/prep/play and dont enjoy the game. I also want to have some flexibility to not have to be in Nevada for the next 4-5 months.
— Doug Polk (@DougPolkVids) January 30, 2021
In the tweets following his announcement, he highlights his disinterest in taking up other opponents regardless of the money involved. On the other hand, he is open to coaching a possible opposing player of Negreanu’s if such a scenario ever arises.
Having beaten his long-time rival with $1.2M to go along with the impressive achievement, Polk discussed in a post-game interview on his channel on how he tremendously put in the work, analyzing available data and adjusting his gameplay accordingly. Clearly elated with his fresh win, he nevertheless forgot to show his appreciation for his technical team who grinded tirelessly to prepare him for the upcoming session. He also gives credit for Negreanu’s hugely improved gameplay while revealing tendencies the six-time bracelet winner can adopt for a higher level of play.
Meanwhile, Negreanu congratulated his skilled opponent right after the match ended on an exclusive interview streamed on GGPoker TV. Taking the tough beat, the GGPoker ambassador acknowledged Polk’s style yet continued on with his unfortunate run and multiple coolers throughout the match. Having lost a significant amount, Negreanu stands to believe he has a better chance of beating the heads up pro if the match had been played in a live scenario.
On a lighter note, the pair seems to have mended their relationship which ultimately started the famed grudge match. A day before the finale, the two took time off the tables to go over the previous hands together while sharing war stories throughout the years. While more than a million dollars was what it took to get the two to stop arguing, in the end both players came out stronger than ever with new insight to carry on through the rest of their respective careers.
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
Final tally
| Session | Hands Completed | Daniel Negreanu | Doug Polk |
| 1 | 200 | $116,500 | ($116,500) |
| 2 | 424 | ($218,792) | $218,792 |
| 3 | 382 | ($166,239) | $166,239 |
| 4 | 366 | $87,166 | ($87,166) |
| 5 | 365 | $206,994.59 | ($206,994.59) |
| 6 | 637 | ($93,542.68) | $93,542.68 |
| 7 | 591 | $222,832.70 | ($222,832.70) |
| 8 | 457 | $24,256.82 | ($24,256.82) |
| 9 | 377 | ($205,521.74) | $205,521.74 |
| 10 | 852 | ($117,624.38) | $117,624.38 |
| 11 | 416 | ($120,023.59) | $120,023.59 |
| 12 | 684 | ($332,178.14) | $332,178.14 |
| 13 | 476 | $17,780.32 | ($17,780.32) |
| 14 | 788 | $13,015.31 | ($13,015.31) |
| 15 | 452 | $46,581.88 | ($46,581.88) |
| 16 | 824 | ($160,348.99) | $160,348.99 |
| 17 | 662 | ($101,713.33) | $101,713.33 |
| 18 | 980 | ($173,362.61) | $173,362.61 |
| 19 | 834 | $143,642.37 | ($143,642.37) |
| 20 | 534 | $117,962.28 | ($117,962.28) |
| 21 | 904 | ($114,140.26) | $114,140.26 |
| 22 | 279 | $40,214.10 | ($40,214.10) |
| 23 | 500 | $27,005.80 | ($27,005.80) |
| 24 | 750 | $98,579.92 | ($98,579.92) |
| 25 | 750 | $27,945.80 | ($27,945.80) |
| 26 | 750 | $132,648.63 | ($132,648.63) |
| 27 | 600 | ($119,609.84) | $119,609.84 |
| 28 | 650 | ($26,198.60) | $26,198.60 |
| 29 | 608 | ($73,728.29) | $73,728.29 |
| 30 | 770 | ($298,984.93) | $298,984.93 |
| 31 | 1,046 | $390,032.13 | ($390,032.13) |
| 32 | 438 | $46,854.50 | ($46,854.50) |
| 33 | 560 | ($136,239.17) | $136,239.17 |
| 34 | 1,384 | ($34,855.96) | $34,855.96 |
| 35 | 1,976 | ($209,281.23) | $209,281.23 |
| 36 | 1,718 | ($255,722) | $255,722 |
