The Professionals vs. Team PokerStars
Day 1 Completed
2013 PokerStars.com EPT London
The Professionals vs. Team PokerStars
Day: 1
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What started as a tweet, ended in a sweep here at EPT London, as Team PokerStars has prevailed over The Professionals three to nil. Gus Hansen, Tom Dwan, and Viktor Blom will have to pay Daniel Negreanu, Isaac Haxton, and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier $50,000 respectively, and all three members of Team PokerStars will receive $10,000 in tournament buy-ins from Full Tilt Poker.
The day began with a match between Grospellier and Blom. Neither player spoke much during the match, and Blom was swept by Grospellier. Grospellier got out to a quick lead when Blom moved all in on Table 1 with 
on a flop of 
. Grospellier flopped the second-nuts with 
, and held as the turn and river bricked 
, 
respectively.
Over on Tables 2 and 3, Grospellier finished the job. On Table 2, all of the chips went in the middle on a flop of 
. Grospellier had Blom dominated with 
against 
, and Blom didn't connect with either the turn (
) or the river (
). The match was already over, but the Frenchman secured the sweep when he shoved with 
on a board of 
. Blom called with the best hand - 
- but the spiked on the river, giving Blom the nut flush.
Isaac Haxton jumped out to a quick lead in the second match, winning Table 1. On the 23rd and final hand, Haxton min-raised on the button to 60. Dwan called, leaving 522 behind, and the flop was 
. Dwan checked, Haxton fired 40, and Dwan check-raised to 145. Haxton called, and the turn brought the 
. Dwan checked, Haxton bet 99, and Dwan called. The 
completed the board, and Dwan checked a third and final time. Haxton moved all in for effectively 278, and Dwan called. Haxton showed for trip fours, and Dwan mucked his hand.
Dwan evened the match, winning Table 3, and little did we know that it would be the one and only table The Professionals would win all day. Haxton was all in and at risk for his last 396 preflop, Tom "durrrr" Dwan called, and the cards were tabled.
Haxton: 
Dwan: 
The 
flop gave Dwan a leading pair of sevens, and he held as the turn and river came , respectively.
Dwan could not win the rubber match however, and when Haxton took down Table 2, Team PokerStars officially won. On the 63rd and final hand played on Table 2, Haxton raised to 100 on the button with the blinds at 25/50. Dwan three-bet jammed for 1,176, and Haxton immediately called.
Haxton: 
Dwan:
Haxton had Dwan crushed, and held as the board rolled out 
. With the win, Haxton earned $50,000 from Dwan, and each member of Team PokerStars earned $10,000 in tournament buy-ins from Full Tilt Poker.
Even though Team PokerStars was freerolling, Hansen and Negreanu still battled for their own $50,000 bet. On the seventh hand on Table 2, he took a 1-0 lead over Hansen. Most of the heavy lifting was done on Hand #6, where Negreanu min-raised to 40,000 on the button. Hansen called, and the flop brought 
. Hansen checked, Negreanu bet 60, and Hansen check-raised to 120. Negreanu called. The turn was the , Hansen led out for 320, and Negreanu raised to 820. Hansen moved all in for 2,860, and Negreanu quickly called.
Negreanu: 
Hansen:
The bricked off on the river, and Hansen was left with just 40 chips. He busted the very next hand.
Hansen took a very large lead on Table 1, but Negreanu doubled up twice. Negreanu then won the table in a cooler situation. Negreanu min-raised to 100 on the button with the blinds at 25/50, Hansen three-bet to 300, Negreanu four-bet to 600, and Hansen five-bet to 1,250. Negreanu moved all in for effectively 2,010, and Hansen snap-called.
Negreanu:
Hansen:
"I don't like my chances," Hansen sighed.
Negreanu indeed held as the board rolled out 
, and the match was over. PokerStars has swept Full Tilt Poker three to nil, while Negreanu himself is looking for a sweep of his own.
"He stuck it right in my..." Hansen started. "I probably shouldn't say that."
Negreanu secured the sweep on Table 3 shortly after. On the 81st and final hand, Negreanu min-raised to 100 on the button. Gus Hansen three-bet to 300 in the big blind, Negreanu moved all in for effectively 1,295, and Hansen called.
Negreanu:
Hansen:
The ace-king held as the flop, turn, and river came , and it was all over. The two shook hands, then the trip that represented Team PokerStars today posed for pictures.
Congratulations to PokerStars and their representatives for winning this inaugural, battleship-style match up. We don't know if there will be any more of these in the future, but The Professionals are already awaiting a rematch:
On the 81st and final hand of Table 3, Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu min-raised to 100 on the button. Gus Hansen three-bet to 300 in the big blind, Negreanu moved all in for effectively 1,295, and Hansen called.
Negreanu:
Hansen:
The ace-king held as the flop, turn, and river came , and it was all over. The two shook hands, then the trip that represented Team PokerStars today posed for pictures.
On Hand #66 at Table 1, Daniel Negreanu min-raised to 80 on the button. Gus Hansen three-bet to 240 from the big blind, Negreanu moved all in for 1,520, and Hansen called.
Negreanu: 
Hansen:
The gave Hansen a royal flush draw, but Negreanu also made a pair of tens. The on the turn gave Hansen two extra outs to eliminate Negreanu, but teh bricked on the river. The match was then even at 3,000 a piece.
Ten hands later, Negreanu min-raised to 100 on the button. Hansen three-bet to 300, Negreanu four-bet to 600, and Hansen five-bet to 1,250. Negreanu moved all in for effectively 2,010, and Hansen snap-called.
Negreanu:
Hansen:
"I don't like my chances," Hansen sighed.
Negreanu indeed held as the board rolled out , and the match was over. PokerStars has swept Full Tilt Poker three to nil, while Negreanu himself is looking for a sweep of his own.
"He stuck it right in my..." Hansen started. "I probably shouldn't say that."
Daniel Negreanu is having some software issues on Full Tilt Poker. In one hand, he supposedly folded the nuts on the river because he didn't know how the "Timer" button worked, and in another, he folded because he hit the "Timer" button and he didn't have any more time.
"This wouldn't happen on PokerStars!" he griped. "The world's largest poker site where you can play tournaments now, now, and now."
The problems continued when Negreanu couldn't adjust his betting amounts.
"You have home ice advantage!" Negreanu told Hansen.
We wonder if Kid Poker is a hockey fan.
While Negreanu was complaining about the software, Gus Hansen was complaining about how Negreanu was running.
"Somebody stop this man from hitting it every time," Hansen sighed.
Despite being left with just 10 big blinds, Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu has staged a comeback on Table 1.
On Hand #25, Gus Hansen open-shoved on the button with . Negreanu called with 
, and the flop was a very interesting one: 
. Negreanu had a king-high flush draw, while Hansen flopped a pair of sixes.
The turn was the , improving neither hand, and the spiked on the river, giving Negreanu a flush.
A few hands later, Hansen limped in on the button, Negreanu checked, and the flop was . The two checked, and the turn was the . Negreanu fired 60, Hansen called, and the completed the board.
Negreanu led out for 150, Hansen raised to 390, and Negreanu moved all in for 985. Hansen called, then mucked when Negreanu showed for a full house.
"He's fighting back!" Negreanu yelled. "This bloody tick won't go away."
Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu min-raised to 60 on the button at Table 1. Gus Hansen, with his feet shaking ferociously, three-bet to 180, and Negreanu called. The flop came , and both players checked.
The turn was the , Hansen led out for 360, and Negreanu called.
The 
completed the board, and Hansen went into the tank.
"There's 1,080 in the pot?" Hansen asked. "And you have 1,085?"
Negreanu didn't respond.
Hansen was deciding on what to bet, and then he timed out. Negreanu opted to fire, and Hansen quickly called.
"He called???" Negreanu blurted.
Negreanu showed for a bluff, which Hansen had beat with 
.
Negreanu is left with just 365 chips.
On the sixth hand of Table 2, Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu min-raised to 40,000 on the button. Gus Hansen called, and the flop brought . Hansen checked, Negreanu bet 60, and Hansen check-raised to 120. Negreanu called.
The turn was the , Hansen led out for 320, and Negreanu raised to 820. Hansen moved all in for 2,860, and Negreanu quickly called.
Negreanu:
Hansen:
The bricked off on the river, and Hansen was left with just 40 chips. He busted the very next hand.
"Always nice to let the sucker bet the hand for you," Negreanu said, grinning.
Unlike the first two matches, there hasn't been a moment of silence in this third and final match. Everybody knows that Daniel Negreanu is a bit of a chatterbox, but Gus Hansen has been narrating every play.
Here are a few snippets from the Great Dane:
- "I took the lead...on Table 3!"
- "That was a good one, I had s***."
- "He's going to bet here...OK maybe not."
- "If I bet the pot, I have a hand."
We'll continue to provide as much color as possible while the two do battle.