Doug Polk takes early lead on Daniel Negreanu in poker match

Doug Polk has taken the early lead in his heads-up No-limit Hold’em poker grudge match against Daniel Negreanu.

Polk is ahead $180,865.22 after 1,372 hands at stakes of $200-$400. The match is scheduled to last for 25,000 hands, though the loser can end the match after 12,500 hands.

The match is being played online after the first 200 hands were played live at the PokerGO studio by the Aria.

Polk and Negreanu have played four sessions. Negreanu won $116,500 in the live session, but Polk won $218,292.78 in the first online session and $166,239.03 in the next one.

Negreanu clawed back $87,166.59 online Wednesday to trim the deficit. The next session is scheduled for Friday. The match could last up to two months.

Negreanu and Polk have a long-standing feud, with Polk attacking Negreanu for his actions while an ambassador for the online poker site PokerStars as well as some of his personal behavior.

Negreanu, a 46-year-old Las Vegas resident, is a six-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner with $42 million in live tournament earnings, according to the Hendon Mob Poker Database.

Polk, a 31-year-old Henderson resident, is a three-time WSOP bracelet winner with more than $9 million in tournament earnings, but he made his name in poker by beating the best players in the world in heads-up No-limit Hold’em online, while Negreanu is known primarily as a live multitable tournament player.

Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.