Doug Polk urged Dan "Jungleman" Cates to play a $200/$400 heads-up match with him at The Lodge, his poker card room that is located in Round Rock, Texas. He wanted the game to be competitive and friendly with high stakes. It was live-streamed on Friday afternoon, and the casino owner dominated most of the battle.
Polk eventually won the match. The two players wore costumes during the six-hour game. Polk dressed as a sheriff but looked more like a park ranger, while Cates dressed as a cowboy. Yet, both of them were amazing sports and tried to retain their character most of the time.
Cates appeared to be into the gig more than Polk. The two players goofed around but kept entertaining their fans on The Lodge Live channel on YouTube. They played for real money, and none of them messed up their poker strategies.
Cates and Polk have a long history of facing each other. But they haven't battled a lot in recent years. Cates beat Polk in their last online heads-up cash matches a few years ago.
Luck was on Polk's side on Friday. Both of them made $50,000 buy-ins, equivalent to 125 big blinds.
They topped up several times, and Cates got in a hole faster than Polk. The latter booked a $53,000 victory that was equal to one buy-in.
No One Hates Chop Pots
Polk could have ended the battle with a huge win margin at one moment if he had gone several extra all-ins. Both poker pros chopped huge preflop all-in wagers thrice.
Before then, Cates had gotten a huge pot against Polk. The former used {a-Diamonds}{a-Clubs} on the button to make a $1,000 raise as the big blind made a {k-Clubs}{5-Clubs} defense.
The flop turned {7-Hearts}{3-Diamonds}{4-Spades} and each of them saw {3-Clubs} on the turn when they checked. Polk had a $700 lead before railing and making a $2,400 call. The big blind wagered $2,400, having the top pair when the river revealed a {k-Spades}.
Then, Cates made an $8,500 raise. Unfortunately, things drastically turned against him as he made an $18,000 over-bet rip-off using $12,000 in the six-high and pot. The bluff failed to go through as Polk used a small pair to call.
Both of them chopped most of the largest pots. For instance, Polk used {a-Hearts}{a-Clubs} to make a $900 raise on the button during the best hand of the day. He held {q-Spades}{q-Diamonds} as he made a $4,100 three-bet on the big blind.
The Upswing Poker founder made an $11,000 four-bet and a $61,000 snap-call. Both of them agreed to run twice, and it favored Polk, who had suggested it runs once. The board ran {q-Hearts}{8-Diamonds}{6-Spades}{5-Hearts}{5-Diamonds}, and it was Cates' full house.
The second board turned {7-Clubs}{9-Spades}{8-Clubs}{8-Hearts}{10-Spades} as pocket aces held, and the two players chopped a pot. The outcome of two big preflops was the same, including one moment when they went in with $58,000 as Cates held {k-Hearts}{k-Clubs} and Polk held {6-Hearts}{6-Clubs}.
Cates recovered some chips in the second last hand, and he ended the action with a slim defeat margin. Polk has spent a long time at The Lodge. He won $142,000 last week after finishing the Lodge Championship Series Main Event in the fourth position.
