Let's Get Ready to Rumble!
Back in April, PokerNews reported that this year's World Series of Poker was instituting inaugural Main Event ��Grudge Matches�� that will feature three of poker��s most famous heads-up battles. Today, those matches will be decided as some titans of poker take to the felt to do battle in a historic rematch.
One of today��s matches will be a rematch of the 1989 Main Event when Phil Hellmuth put a halt to Johnny Chan��s attempt at a three-peat. The grudge match will be a single match with even stacks, winner takes all the glory.
The second match is will see a poker-boom grudge match decided as Sammy Farha attempts to exact revenge on 2003 World Champion Chris Moneymaker -- a feat that could have altered poker history had he done so in the original match. ��Winning the WSOP Main Event was a life-altering moment,�� Moneymaker said of the grudge match. ��Even though I��m agreeing to run it again against Sammy, I have been assured they can��t take away my title if my bluffs don��t work as well this time.��
The Moneymaker vs. Farha matchup will feature a best two-out-of-three format with the first match using the same starting stacks the players had when they entered heads-up play back in 2003 (Moneymaker: 5,490,000; Farha: 2,900,000). The second match will reverse the stacks, and the third match, if required, will start players with even stacks.
The third and final match was determined by you, the poker fans, on a poll previously located on the WSOP��s Facebook page. Four matches were available to choose from including: Jamie Gold vs. Paul Wasicka; Greg Raymer vs. David Williams; Jonathan Duhamel vs. John Racener; and Erik Seidel vs. Johnny Chan. Given Seidel��s 2011 heater, it was no surprise the latter match earned the most votes.
In that original match, that was immortalized in the poker film Rounders, the reigning World Champ flopped a straight with 
on a flop of 
. He coyly slow played, giving then-newcomer Seidel the opportunity to hang himself with his 
. That is exactly what Seidel did as he bet the 
turn and then moved all in on the 
river. Chan made the easy call -- and the rest is history. However, that may all change today!
The WSOP Grudge Matches are set to begin shortly here on the main stage in the Amazon Room at the Rio. Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for all the hands, actions, and eliminations!