I still don’t understand why anyone thinks either of these guys are loaded enough to not care about getting wrecked at 200/400

DP can write it off as a marketing expense for Upswing

Dnegs will likely get some money from GG for it

That's not really how deducting expenses works. If he's playing on his own I'm not sure how you think Upswing would be able to deduct anything. Likewise you believe his gross winnings would be included in their revenue?

Negreanu lost multiples of 100k in several hands on HSP. That was 15 years ago before amassing enormous wealth. 200/400 is peanuts, let's cross our fingers he becomes convinced to escalate stakes.

Lol at his hair transplant. He might as well have gone for the good old comb over.

For a while was playing any SHR flicking in 3 or 4 bullets in 250ks like it’s nothing.....

I mean Sulsky was beating Sauce123 heads-up until the guy stopped playing him. If Doug puts 100% into this I think he's a favorite to win quite a bit.

Allegedly he lost a cool 2 million on HSP. https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/s...&postcount=404

Wat? Sulsky and Sauce are the same person...

I think it was a typo and he meant one of them was Doug.

Doug has a sick team of crushers to help him. Any idea what High rollers would help daniel?

Think you mean Polk beating sauce. I think its pretty clear Doug could put 0 added study, and even if Dnegs studied considerably, hes still going to be a sizable dog.

Even though some of the team are retired now, they have proved formidable opponents in the past (think TCfromub, sauce, Bot challenges) and if they can get any sorta action on this will be again.

No idea what Dnegs is thinking, its almost like hes trying to prove that what Doug has been doing is morally bad and you cant get away with it, but really all hes proving is if you poke a whale enough, he might just play you at your chosen format at high stakes cause hes upset, if anything he is rewarding Doug for all his antics. But with Stars, his general demeanor, 5knl in two weeks comments, I for one cannot wait for this bloodbath.

If he wants to insulate himself from the risk, that's exactly how it works. Upswing would front the money for the challenge. If he loses, it's a marketing expense. If he wins, he's the main principal of the company, so he's entitled to his share of the profits from the business.

Make it live. It would be much more interesting. Not mention the trash talk.

Wait, Matusow is his coach? Holy crap. Why would he do that.

At 30:25 DN says Doug has 'no chance'/'can't beat me'/'he'd be dead' in live HU NLHE.

Assuming Doug is willing to spend a reasonable amount of hours live playing this challenge:
- clip it and publicly respond with 'What are the highest stakes you're willing to play live?'
- if answer is low make fun of DN mercilessly
- if answer is high enough respond with 'Ok, on top of online challenge I can play you live X hands minimum and then till you quit.'
- enjoy what I assume will be the most profitable poker game of his life

Does he actually believe these three can help him? Insane.

A surprising amount of people are completely tone deaf when it comes to sarcasm. Pretty sure DNegs was kidding about Hellmuth and Mikey. Negreanu is smart and self-aware enough to seek out some legitimate short-handed/HU crushers for coaching, and there should be plenty willing to help.

For people wondering why Daniel would agree to this, it's a fun challenge that can improve his game and it also generates attention/interest. If you think about poker as a profession, the only real product it creates is entertainment. A Polk/Negreanu clash can be an entertaining product. Even if Negreanu loses some money, it puts his name in the spotlight and creates a spectacle for people to enjoy.

As for Polk, he's also an entertainer/attention seeker, and he likely has a solid financial edge here, so it's a clear win-win for him. However, I think he has more to potentially lose, as most people expect him to win, meaning a loss would be more humiliating and damaging to his brand.

It's a silly feud, but I won't complain about more interesting stuff going on in the world of poker, which is pretty dry right now. I welcome it. Whether you love or hate these guys, they make the game more interesting and give people stuff to watch/talk about. They are both quite clever when it comes to staying in the news.

You do realize the ability to write off say 1 million at a corporate rate of 30% would still represent a 700k net loss for Upswing? And if he (Upswing in your example) wins 1 million he just pays the same tax rate on the winnings?

Also LOL at Upswing being liquid enough to just to extend a couple million (worst case lets call it) if Doug got crushed.

You're ignoring the possibility that Polk's ultimate goal isn't to sink Negreanu. He might just want a good poker game, brand recognition, or just think it's good comedy to do these things.

Polk has stated publicly multiple times that he has two goals: one, to leave the challenge with as much money as possible. Two, to still have his teeth intact and in his mouth as opposed to broken and inserted into his rectum. I’ve also heard rumors from reputable sources that Doug is also interested in a brief wife swap.

Hi Ten:

Possibly correct. Also, Doug might think that this match would put more pressure and mental stress on Negreanu and who knows where that would lead to.

Best wishes,
Mason

Getting Hellmuth, Mike and Grizzle to train him is very clearly a joke.

DNegs seemed on edge for his entire stream today. He responded sarcastically to friendly comments the same as mean ones. He even berated a guy.

He also gave a speech about how what he does is comedy, and that viewers are coming to his stream therefore he can do whatever he wants. Probably not the first, or last time he'll comb over that.

More commentary today between Daniel and Norman Chad.

Daniel talked about Norman in the recent YT video posted above [2:30-4:50] if you'd like a preview.

I also read that Daniel addressed this earlier today on the stream, but wasn't watching it at the time.

It sounds like he's not enjoying the streaming very much and may just be doing so out of contractual obligation.

A lot of people underestimate how stressful and taxing it can be.