Jared Bleznick Wins Round 3 of High Stakes Duel 5 for $400,000

High Stakes Duel 5 concluded on Tuesday, November 26, from the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Jared Bleznick defeating Patrik Antonius for the third consecutive time. Following the final hand in Round 1 and Round 2, Antonius threw in the red flag to challenge Bleznick in a rematch.

Following the conclusion of Round 3, Antonius, however, threw in the white flag to indicate he would not challenge Bleznick in Round 4, where the stakes would double and a total of $800,000 would be on the line. With Antonius declining to put up $400,000 to compete in Round 4, Bleznick was crowned the High Stakes Duel 5 champion and pocketed the $400,000 in prize money. 

Round 3 Begins

Bleznick had two consecutive wins under his belt, but the Poker Hall of Famer Antonius was looking to stop Bleznick's winning ways. After kicking off Rounds 1 and 2 with the Cadillac of poker, Round 3 began with Pot-Limit Omaha, and both players traded pots to start the match. Antonius would gain the most momentum over the first few orbits as his chip stack swelled to $240,000 from the starting $200,000. 

Bleznik would take his first big bite out of Antonius when he flopped a set and rivered a full house. Antonius flopped a flush and straight draw and turned the nut flush, but an unlucky river would see him slip down to $179,000 after calling Bleznick's river bet.

The match would swing back in Antonius' favor when, during No-Limit Hold'em, he would see a flop with ace-six suited and flopped a flush draw against Bleznick's gutshot. The pot swelled as Antonius turned top pair and rivered the nut flush. Bleznick bet just under pot on the river of $58,000 and Antonius moved all-in for $125,000. Bleznick swiftly folded, and Antonius now held a lead of $253,000 to $147,000.

Bleznick battled back and took the lead before a huge Pot-Limit Omaha hand saw him flop the wheel against Antonius' middle set. Antonius was unable to improve by the river, and when Bleznick bet the pot which was nearly all of Antonius' stack, the Finnish poker pro made an excellent fold to stay alive. Antonius clawed back to even after flopping a set, and after pots went bak and forth for some time, the first use of a "Run It Twice' plaque would be used. Antonius was all-in with king-jack-ten-nine double suited against the ace-ace-jack-deuce of Bleznick. The majority of the money went in preflop as Antonius was all-in for his last $8,000 on the flop with two pair. Bleznick had his aces and a flush draw and threw in the "Run It Twice" plaque. Antonius won the first board, and Bleznick hit a flush on the second board to keep his advantage of $347,000 to Antonius' $53,000.

Antonius found himself all-in with ace-seven against Bleznick's pocket kings and spiked an ace on the turn to double to $130,000. As the levels increased, Antonius would find himself down to $123,000, and with the blinds at $4,000/$8,000, he moved all-in on the button with king-four suited. Bleznick made the call with ae-five and neither player used their "Run It Twice" plaque. Antonius flopped a four and Bleznick flopped a wheel draw. "The Backer" spiked his wheel on the turn, and the Round 3 match was declared over, along with High Stakes Duel 5 as Antonius threw in the white flag and declined to challenge Bleznik. 

Who's Next for High Stakes Duel 6?

Both seats are open for High Stakes Duel 6, with Bleznick the favorite to return to defend his High Stakes Duel 5 win. Bleznick has previously called out 17-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, who also was High Stakes Duel 1 and High Stakes Duel 2 champion. Could it be High Stakes Duel 3 champion Jason Koon, or perhaps "Kid Poker" himself, Daniel Negreanu, who High Stakes Duel 4?

Could someone else step up and challenge Bleznick in this unique format of a No-Limit Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha rotation that includes a "Run It Twice" plaque? Two-time Poker Players Championship winner Dan Cates or 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Ivey? Could 2024 PGT leaderboard front-runner Jeremy Ausmus or two-time Super High Roller Bowl champion Seth Davies be interested in making their mark in High Stakes Duel history?

Stay tuned to PGT.com for when the next set of players are announced to compete in High Stakes Duel 6. Watch all the High Stakes Duel 6 matches and the entire High Stakes Duel library on PokerGO now.

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