I just got off a conference call that I never really expected to take. Among the people on the line were Daniel Negreanu and Gus Hansen. They were talking about an upcoming Battleship-style poker event. And they were talking trash.
"We grew up as live poker players. I've never played this Battleship style before," Hansen said. "It's still poker, and it's still against Daniel, so I'll be fine."
"I don't hate Gus. I think he's a good guy," Negreanu said. "But needling him is a lot of fun. There is a lot of material there."
If you're trying to catch up, here are the Cliff's Notes:
Some time ago, Negreanu and Hansen played a big hand on High Stakes Poker that involved Hansen beating Negreanu with quads versus a full house. Ancient history? Hardly. Hansen won't let it go.
Hey @realkidpoker remember this hand youtube.com/watch?v=_ufZ-D... - Wonder if I ever get another chance to take your money ;-)
— Gus Hansen (@GusHansen) February 21, 2013
Negreanu, not one to let a of war of words go un-fought, found his nearest Twitter device and got to work.
.@gushansen I was going to congratulate you on your graph for 2013 but then realized I was looking at it upside down. Ouch!
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) February 21, 2013
And they were off. One tweet led to another. They got chatty.
Then there was this. With your best French accent say the word..."Challenge!"
Hey @gushansen I have a proposition for you: youtube.com/watch?v=OJewR7... let me know ASAP if you accept the challenge!!!
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) February 26, 2013
Hansen accepted the challenge. Here's how it's going to work. Negreanu picked two teammates (Isaac Haxton and ElkY). Hansen picked two players (Viktor Blom and Tom Dwan). Each of the players will play one of the others on the Full Tilt software live during EPT London on March 10. The team that wins the most matches wins the cash--$50,000 from his opponent, and the winning team getting $10,000 in tournament buy-ins from the rival poker room.
Here's what the match-ups will look like on the FTP software:
"I think the $50,000 should be enough to motivate anybody. It's a close call," Hansen said. "I think I would take the $50,000 over the bragging rights. On the other hand, it's so much fun to beat Daniel."
Each match will consist of three heads-up tournaments at 14:00, 17:00 and 20:00 GMT. You will be able to watch the matches on the FTP software (while you're at it, pair your two accounts).
We will be in London for the EPT, so chances are we'll head over that direction and give you a little look at what's happening.
Who do you think will win? Let us know on Twitter: @PokerStarsBlog.
Brad Willis is the PokerStars Head of Blogging
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