Tom Dwan ends Phil Hellmuth’s unbeaten streak on ‘High Stakes Duel’

Phil Hellmuth’s unbeaten streak connected “High Stakes Duel” is over.

High-stakes poker pro Tom Dwan defeated Hellmuth successful a $100,000 buy-in heads-up No-limit Hold’em lucifer broadcast Wednesday connected the subscription video work PokerGO.

Hellmuth had been 7-0 successful PokerGO’s made-for-TV format, sweeping 3 matches each from Antonio Esfandiari and Daniel Negreanu earlier beating FS1 big Nick Wright.

Dwan (a -128 favourite connected Pokershares.com) held the pb for astir of the 5½-hour match, past took implicit wholly erstwhile helium called with bottommost brace to drawback disconnected Hellmuth’s bluff with ten-high. That near Dwan with a 7-1 spot pb (175,000 to 25,000), and helium finished disconnected the triumph soon thereafter.

“I deliberation I’d similar to play you heads-up forever,” Hellmuth told Dwan aft the failed bluff.

The last manus recalled a celebrated manus from 2008 erstwhile Dwan cracked Hellmuth’s pouch aces to beforehand successful the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.

In Wednesday’s finale, Hellmuth called with pouch aces, and Dwan checked with nine-three successful the large blind. On a flop of five-three-deuce, Dwan stake 5,000, Hellmuth went all-in for 18,000, and Dwan called.

A 9 fell connected the crook to enactment Dwan successful the pb with 2 pair, and a six connected the stream sealed the victory.

“I conscionable knew I was going to get needled if I lost, truthful I was trying to debar the needle,” Dwan told PokerGO.

“I deliberation I set however I play much than astir radical bash depending connected what different radical are doing successful the game,” helium added. “So I decidedly made immoderate unconventional plays there. Some I deliberation were good; immoderate I deliberation were bad.”

Hellmuth has a close to a rematch astatine treble the stakes, but helium has not made a determination connected whether to workout the option, PokerGO said. If helium declines, a caller subordinate volition look Dwan successful a $200,000 buy-in match.

Hellmuth, 57, is the all-time person with 15 World Series of Poker tourney victories, and helium has astir $25 cardinal successful vocation tourney earnings, according to the Hendon Mob Poker Database.

Dwan, 35, has astir $5 cardinal successful vocation tourney earnings, but helium is known much for his appearances connected “High Stakes Poker,” successful which helium played respective pots approaching $1 million. In caller years, helium has been a fixture successful high-stakes games successful Macao.

Contact Jim Barnes astatine jbarnes@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV connected Twitter.