Negreanu’s team puts on poker clinic to emphatically defeat Hansen’s trio 8-1
With the UKIPT London reaching its climax and the EPT London just about to kick-off, the scene was set for one of the most eagerly awaited poker showdowns in recent years.
The Vic has held its share of thrilling poker moments over the years, but rarely have six bigger names in the game sat down in one room in a battle to the bitter end.
Following a Twitter spat between Danial Negreanu and Gus Hansen last month, the pair decided to settle their dispute at the tables in the only way they know how. Each player agreed to select two players from their respective pokerooms to play a series of heads-up matches to decide once and for all who was the best, Team PokerStars or Full Tilt’s Professionals.
The format was simple, each player had to put up $50,000 of their own money and then played one match of three simultaneous tables. The player who won two or more of the tables was declared the winner. Likewise the team that won at least two of the three match-ups would be the overall victors.
With a packed rail the first of the three matches got under way. Representing PokerStars was ElkY and the Frenchman got off to the perfect start against Finnish phenom Viktor Blom, winning the all three of his tables.
“It was a really amazing feeling to win, especially three in a row,” said ElkY. “Viktor is one of the best, if not the best, heads up players in the world.”
Isaac Haxton then completed the perfect start winning the first two tables of his match only to lose the final one to Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan, but by this point the whole event was effectivy wrapped up, making Daniel Negreanu and Gus Hansen’s match a mere formality.
But that didn’t stop the PokerStars captain wanting to prove a point; and he did that emphatically. Like ElkY in the first game he won all three of his matches, making sure that Team PokerStars completed its rout.
Negreanu was expectedly delighted with his win and wasted no time gloating on his Twitter page about his team’s clean-sweep. He was also very keen to draw particular attention to a hand he lost when Hansen had shoved into him and Negreanu had timed out with the nuts, but had still managed to go on to win that table.
With all three victories going to Team PokerStars and a final score of 8-1 there could be no doubt as to which team was the superior and until the two sides agree on a rematch, all of the bragging rights will remain well and truly with PokerStars.
