Isildur1 Dominates Daniel Negreanu in SuperStar Showdown

It seems that Viktor Blom may have saved his biggest win for his biggest opponent. Isildur1 dominated the first half of the latest SuperStar Showdown matchup this Sunday, stacking Daniel Negreanu for his entire $150,000 stake. The match, which was scheduled to last 2,500 hands, finished after 1,439 due to Blom having won the entire stake.

This was the first of the SuperStar Showdown matches to end early, and it didn’t even get close to reaching the normal conclusion. Instead, Blom struck a knockout blow thanks to his ability to seemingly win big pots at will. Time and again, Negreanu faced coolers, suck outs, and just plain bad luck on the river, quickly draining his stack. According to the Canadian professional, he lost 12 of the 14 pots of $20,000 or more over the course of the match.

This edition of the SuperStar Showdown features the same rules as previous matches. The players each brought $150,000 to the game, equivalent to 1,500 big blinds in the $50/$100 no-limit hold’em games that were being played. The players competed on four tables simultaneously in heads up play. The match would be played for 2,500 hands (approximately 625 per table), or until one player lost their entire stake.

However, this match had an extra twist – and one that gives Negreanu some slim hopes of redeeming himself. Rather than play just 2,500 hands, the match was set for 5,000 hands, to be played over two consecutive weeks. Despite the loss of his entire bankroll, it appears that Negreanu will return to the tables with a fresh $150,000 next week.

That means that Negreanu will have the chance to win some or all of his money back next Sunday, when he and Blom once again head to the tables for more heads up action. Of course, Negreanu would have to stack Blom just to break even; and with only one loss six matches so far, Blom does not appear to be a player who is likely to take a huge loss. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how Negreanu adjusts for next week’s match; even if he cannot win overall on the scoreboard, it could be a chance to win back a few dollars and gain some respect from heads-up poker fans.