Helmut took revenge on Tom “Durrrrr” Dwan
The rivalry between Tom “Durrrrr” Dwan and Phil Helmut has already become truly legendary. The previous match, which took place in the summer of 2021, has been dubbed epic. It was a full-fledged head-to-head match with a $100k buy-in. It was held as part of the High Stakes Duel show. The champion at the time was Dwan. Helmut had previously won seven matches in a row, but this opponent disrupted the whole picture for him.
Towards the end of January, the two poker players decided to have a rematch. The rematch featured double the buy-in. Helmut managed to reclaim the Heads-Up King title (not officially). This match was announced immediately after the previous one had ended. The problem was the timing.
Both poker players have quite busy schedules. They need to participate in the filming of various shows. In addition, at the time, it was still going on for the World Series of Poker. As a result, the rematch did not take place until 5 months after the date of the last game. Each player’s current wager was in the region of $200,000. Helmut bet his personal funds and Dwan bet his winnings from the last time.
The battle was broadcast on PokerGo. The commentators were Phil Galfond and Ali Neyada. By the way the broadcast was for money. You can get the opportunity to take a look if you have access to the service. The latter costs around $10/month. All the traditional meetings before the match, as well as the first hour afterwards, could be watched for free on YouTube.
Change of strategy and principle of play
The match went relatively smoothly in the beginning. There was a certain measuredness to both players. Dwan managed to collect a straight flush on the river, but the pot would not be impressive. Helmut subsequently risked to confuse him by making a mini check-raise on the flop, having a low pair in hand. But it ended with a nats flush on the river. Subsequent hands were completely unimpressive.
The game only came to life at the start of the second hour. By the way, the whole match was five hours long. Helmut got a triple on the river, while Dwan only had two pairs. Phil ended up with a substantial pot. This was the turning point of the game, as Helmut’s lead was already quite noticeable. Moreover, he wasn’t afraid to pick an interesting line after an impressive hand.
The rematch was a really incredible match for Helmut. He is renowned for his aggressive play, but that was what let him down last time. In the current situation, this allowed him to knock out Dwan and maintain the lead until the end of the match. Commentators say that it was a combination of luck and Helmut’s atypical game approach. The “nuclear” mix allowed him to rub his opponent’s nose in it.
Despite winning 8, Phil would only get his win if he won twice more this season. And this is a condition of the show even if his opponent refuses a rematch. However, Dwan immediately indicated that he intends to get back at it. The next battle between Tom and Phil is already estimated at $800,000, which is the first time in the entire history of the show High Stakes Duel. The match is expected to take place in the spring of 2022.
