Many poker enthusiasts anticipated the $1.6 million rematch between Scott Seiver and Phil Hellmuth. The High Stakes Due III rematch was scheduled to take place on PokerGO on August 22, but it has been called off.
Seiver backed out of it due to personal reasons that he didn't disclose. This was after losing Round 4 and promising his supporters that he would make them proud in a few days. The poker pro's withdrawal creates an open seat for another player to face the "Poker Brat," who has a 9-1 heads-up on the poker show.
Hellmuth Dominates High Stakes Duel
Tom Dwan was scheduled to battle out with Hellmuth in May 2022 for the third time in Round 4 with an $800,000 prize pool. But, he arrived late in Las Vegas and missed the game.
Seiver stepped in for Dwan by paying $400,000 to play in the match, and he lost it. He would have to pay an extra $800,000 to reenter the match this month and double the pot. But the poker pro opted to withdraw from the rematch after losing one game and $400,000.
His departure allows another player to battle it out with Hellmuth. The Poker Brat can cash out if he wins in Round 5 against his fourth rival in High Stakes Duel III and sixth opponent in High Stakes Duel.
Hellmuth beat Antonio Esfandiari in three consecutive games and made a $350,000 profit in total. He also defeated Daniel Negreanu thrice. The player defeated Nick Wright, a sports talk show host, in Round 1 and won $100,000, lost $200,000 to Dwan in Round 2, beat "durrrr" in Round 3 and bagged $400,000, and won $800,000 in Round 4 after defeating Seiver.
Are Jungleman, Jorstad, and Ivey Seiver's Likely Replacements?
PokerGO is hunting for another skilled player who can replace Sevier in the upcoming rematch. They have several choices now as various players are willing to face Hellmuth and win the seven-figure pot.
PokerGO's Twitter account highlighted the instructions that Seiver's replacement has to follow. It stated that Hellmuth can cash out if he wins the rematch. Yet, if his opponent wins it, they will compete with another player for a $3.2 million pot in Round 6.
Many high-profile pros commented on the tweet, including Phil Ivey, who is the mainstream poker audience's favorite. Even so, Espen Jorstad is a top matchup among the players who commented.
He created an "Idiot from Northern Europe" bio on his Twitter account, which was an insult to Hellmuth in the past in a live-streamed World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament. The player added that he can rebook a flight to Europe if necessary, despite winning the 2022 WSOP Main Event.
Jorstad was scheduled to play at Hustler Casino Live on Friday night and return to England. Still, Dan "Jungleman" Cates might be Hellmuth's next opponent if Jorstad fails to replace Seiver.
Cates tweeted that he has been aspiring to face Hellmuth. But, Ben Lamb, Dan Zack, and Julien Martini are also interested to play in the Round 5 High Stakes Duel rematch.
