Holz vs. Malinowski: Four Sessions of $100/$200, Starting March 5
Challenge accepted — the match is on between Fedor Holz and Wiktor Malinowski.
It won't be a long match but it should be entertaining nonetheless. The action kicks off today at 12:45 p.m. EST with the first of four sessions, each of which will last at least 400 hands of $100/$200 heads-up no-limit hold'em.
Additionally, the two high-stakes veterans will engage each other not just on the virtual felt, but on a video call. That should allow for considerable trash talk and Malinowski to take his fair share of drinks as promised in their pregame banter.
Action will take place on Holz's sponsor site GGPoker, which will also facilitate a show for the fans on GGPoker.tv. Joe Ingram has signed on to serve as lead commentator for the cards-up stream.
Tale of the Tape
| Fedor Holz | Wiktor Malinowski | |
|---|---|---|
| "CrownUpGuy" | Online Nickname | "limitless" |
| $32,556,377 | Recorded Tournament Cashes | $708,014 |
| 17-10 | Heads-Up Record in Tournies | 1-0 |
| Won a $25K Heads-Up bracelet in 2020 | Notable Fact | Won one of the biggest pots in online poker history |
| Made semifinals of RIO Legends Showdown, won +€9,179 overall | Notable High-Stakes Experience | Can often be found playing highest stakes cash anywhere online |
| "I'm gonna motherf****** destroy you." | Notable Trash Talk | "I'll offer you 3bb/100 extra or $1K per hour and I'll be drunk." |
| 2.15/+115 | Odds* | 1.77/-130 |
Stats courtesy of The Hendon Mob
*as of Thursday afternoon
First of a Many?
Of note, the GGPoker page hyping the match calls it GGPoker Face-Off Challenge and bills it as "the greatest heads-up matches in poker."
"The greatest feuds are unforgettable, unmissable and intriguing," the page says. "In the GG Face-Off Challenge, some of the world’s top poker players throw down the gauntlet and take their peers on head-to-head, playing for both big cash and eternal glory."
That's a lot of plural in there, and it seems to indicate more matches may be on the way in the future. Certainly, with the amount of high-stakes action taking place on the site already, there should be no shortage of candidates for the GGPoker matchmakers to try to prop up for short but entertaining battles.
Schedule of Play
| Date | Time (EST) | Game Details |
|---|---|---|
| March 5 | 12:45 p.m. | One table, $100/$200, 400+ Hands |
| March 8 | 12:45 p.m. | One table, $100/$200, 400+ Hands |
| March 10 | 12:45 p.m. | One table, $100/$200, 400+ Hands |
| March 13 | 12:45 p.m. | One table, $100/$200, 400+ Hands |
PokerNews Video Breakdown
Here's a video breakdown of the feud from PokerNews' own Sarah Herring:
