Bleznick Sweeps High Stakes Duel 5 on PokerGO
It was a much anticipated match-up. High Stakes Duel 5 was on the docket for November 2024, well over a year since the last HSD match between Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk in August 2023. The newest edition of HSD would feature longtime poker pro Patrik Antonius, who was riding on his entrance into the Poker Hall of Fame this summer, and Jared Bleznick, an unpredictable but talented player.
Antonius headed to the heads-up battle with nearly $30M in lifetime live tournament earnings, his most recent win coming at the at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Monte Carlo. He won the $200K buy-in Triton Invitational for $5.13M.
Bleznick had more than $7M to his live earnings credit, much of which he earned in 2024 alone. After winning the 2023 PokerGO Tour PLO Super High Roller Bowl for $1.3M, he made numerous final tables early in 2024 from the Triton Super High Roller Series in Jeju to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. It was at that WSOP that he won the $50K High Roller for $2M and a bracelet. He then final tabled a PLO event on the PokerGO Tour PLO Series and finished fourth in the PLO Super High Roller Bowl, falling just a few spots short of back-to-back titles.
Aggression Wins
Of the two fearless players, one might classify Antonius as strategic and Bleznick as aggressive. November 12 showed that aggression was the key to winning the first round, and Bleznick won it handily.
Antonius quickly indicated that he wanted a rematch, which cost each of them $100K to play. One week after the first round, the second got underway with much the same tactics from each player. And again, it was Bleznick who emerged victorious.
Again, Antonius indicated quickly that he wanted another shot. Both players put up $200K to participate on November 26 at the PokerGO Studio. The third round, however, was much longer and more intense. Both switched their strategies and tried different methods to win. But in the end, after about five hours of heads-up action, it was Bleznick who won the third of three rounds.
Bleznick won $350K in cash and the HSD belt.
All episodes are available on PokerGO’s website, which requires a subscription to view High Stakes Duel and other poker programming on demand.
*Photo courtesy of PokerGO
