Daniel Negreanu Slips As Doug Polk Takes Control

November 10th, 2020 | by Jason Reynolds

Daniel Negreanu may have drawn first blood, but Doug Polk has hit back with a vengeance in their $200/$400 No Limit Hold’em heads-up match.

Doug Polk (pictured) has taken the lead in his high stakes match against Daniel Negreanu. (Image: 888Poker)

The two prominent pros started their much-anticipated showdown last week and, since then, they’ve played two more matches.

Negreanu raced out to an early lead after 200 hands of live action inside PokerGo’s Las Vegas studio. However, with the match now playing out on WSOP.com, Polk has not only reversed the deficit but taken a sizable lead.

Daniel Negreanu Starts Strong but Falters

The first session saw Negreanu win almost $117,000 from his opponent. His performance had the railbirds questioning whether Polk should have been marked as the pre-game favorite.

However, for all his bluster, Polk is not only a winning player but a smart one. Maybe he used the opening session to create an image. Maybe he didn’t.

What we do know is that the two most recent sessions went in his favor. Given that the match is now taking place online, that’s hardly surprising.

I will say this though, just cause the number is big doesnt mean Dnegs is down that much. He is down a little under 7 buyins. That is a completely normal result over 1k hands of hunl.
— Doug "Truck Driver" Polk (@DougPolkVids) November 10, 2020

Unlike Negreanu, Polk cut his teeth in the digital arena and that’s why many had him pegged as the favorite. This doesn’t mean Kid Poker doesn’t have any support. What’s more, even though the pair have played just over 1,000 hands, the battle is far from over.

However, as it stands, Polk is ahead by $268,031 after three sessions. He’s not had it all his own way though. Early in the third session on November 9, Polk’s aggressive strategy caused him to bluff off $40,000.

He rallied and finished the day with a $168,239 profit to extend his overall lead. But the swing could offer Negreanu a glimmer of hope.

Daniel Negreanu is Far from Done

Polk was aggressive and, at times, too aggressive during the opening session and Negreanu was able to capitalize. Although he didn’t manage to do that on Monday, it’s a tendency he could exploit further down the road.

If it is something he plans to exploit, there are plenty of ways he can analyze the match. As well as his own hand histories, Negreanu can review GGPoker’s video coverage and watch analytical breakdowns from people like Koray Turker.