PokerGO’s beloved High Stakes Duel has returned with a bang. After last year’s climactic finish, Jared Bleznick defeated poker Hall of Famer Patrik Antonius in the first round of the new edition.

High Stakes Duel Returned

The opening of High Stakes Duel 5 was just as unforgettable as the final of last year’s event when Daniel Negreanu defeated Dough Polk. While this year’s format is a bit different, the stakes are as high as ever.

High Stakes Duel 5 buy-ins start at $50,000 per player and double each round. Additionally, the match switches between No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha every ten hands, ensuring a dynamic and interesting event. Participants can also ask the dealer to “Run It Twice” a single time during the entire event.

An additional change is that the consecutive wins requirement, which stalled previous iterations of the event, has now been revoked. For context, some of the previous iterations of the event continued for months because of this.

The consecutive wins requirement has now been replaced with the option to call for a rematch, doubling the stakes. Once the loser decides they are done, the winner is declared the High Stakes Duel champion.

Bleznick’s Aggressive Playstyle Paid Off

As mentioned High Stakes Duel 5 saw Jared Bleznick prevail over Patrik Antonius in the first round of the event. Bleznick’s aggressive playstyle and fearlessness paid off, allowing him to defeat his more disciplined opponent.

Antonius has already called for a rematch, which will see the two players clash again with stakes doubled at $100,000 per player.  

The rematch is set to take place on November 19 at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. Poker aficionados can watch the action live on PokerGO’s official subscription service.

If Bleznick manages to reaffirm his victory, he may join previous High Stakes Duel winners, such as Phil Hellmuth, Jason Koon and Daniel Negreanu. However, Antonius might decide to initiate a third rematch, continuing the poker excitement.