Jason Koon decided to replace Scott Seiver after he backed out in a $1.6 million High Stakes Duel III rematch against Phil Helmuth, fondly known as the "Poker Brat." But, Hellmuth requested the game's date to be changed from August 22, and the new date will be announced soon.
Seiver lost a crucial match in May in Round 4, an $800,000 prize pool level, and agreed to have a rematch with the Poker Brat. But he announced last week that he had opted to back out due to personal reasons and was willing to pay an extra $800,000 to increase the pot.
He would take another shot at another rematch with Hellmuth. His withdrawal created an opportunity for another player to face the poker legend.
Players like Matt Berkey and Bryn Kenney expressed interest in the rematch. Even so, PokerGO selected a GGPoker ambassador to face Hellmuth.
What Transpired?
The Poker Brat is a 9-1 on High Stakes Duel. It is a PokerGO heads-up no-limit hold'em production. Each player parts with $50,000 to enter the game, and the stakes double after each round. But, a losing player from a previous round can increase the pool.
Hellmuth eliminated Daniel Negreanu and Antonio Esfandiari in three subsequent games in the first two series and made $700,000 in profit. Then, he beat Nick Wright in High Stakes Duel III Round 1.
Wright didn't want a rematch, and Tom Dwan replaced him in Round 2 and beat Hellmuth. It was the latter's first loss in eight games. Still, he beat "durrrr" in Round 3 and got revenge.
Seiver lost in Round 4 to Hellmuth after Dwan arrived in Las Vegas late. The show's rules need a player to win three consecutive games to cash out.
This prevented Helmuth from cashing his $800,000 pot before Seiver backed out. Koon is a talented player who has competed in several major tournaments.
He will pay $800,000 to sign up for the rematch but won't cash out before PokerGO finds another player willing to part with $1.6 million to face Hellmuth in Round 6. The Poker Brat can make $1,350,000 in profit if he beats a tough opponent. He stated that he needs more time before he faces a new rival.
What Makes Koon a Suitable Replacement?
Hellmuth and Koon have different poker styles; white magic and GTO, respectively. Also, they have different personalities. The former easily accepts bad beats, while the latter is a consummate professional who doesn't berate opponents.
Their different personalities and styles will create a thrilling heads-up game that will attract a large online audience. Besides, both of them have made many achievements in their professional poker careers.
Hellmuth is 58 years old, and The Hendon Mob reports that he made $28.4 million in live poker tournament cashes. Yet, he is the only poker player that has ever won over 10 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, as he has bagged 16 gold bracelets so far.
The poker legend won the 2005 64-player NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship and was the runner-up in the 2013's championship after Mike Matusow beat him. Koon is 37 years old and has over $38 million in live poker tournament cashes.
