PokerStars has announced a Heads Up Challenge match between Daniel Negreanu and online Limit Hold’em specialist “rUaBot.”
The match starts at 2pm Eastern Time on May 5. It will last for 1,250 hands and $75k bankrolls will be spread across two tables of $200/$400 Limit Hold’em.
The No Limit Hold’em SuperStar Showdown has been dominated by Victor “Isildur1” Blom who has destroyed all comers. The spectacle of two great players going head to head is always going to attract fans and now PokerStars is bringing the format to Limit Hold’em.
This will be good news for Limit Hold’em players who have complained that their game has not been given the recognition it deserves. In recent years player numbers have fallen as recreational players are attracted to the action at NLHE and Omaha tables.
At the time of writing, there are several thousand players on NLHE Zoom tables, and none at the Limit Zoom tables. This Heads Up Limit Challenge is an attempt to reinvigorate Limit Hold’em and showcase its attractions to an audience more used to NLHE and Omaha.
“Fixed limit is more strategic than no limit … there is much more space for general strategic adaptations than in no-limit,” rUaBot—a high stakes HU FL regular who prefers to remain anonymous—told PokerStars. “I think, setting up your standard game is pure math, but exploiting your opponents’ patterns is an art … and will always be!”
PokerStars plans to hold many more high stakes Limit Challenge matches over the coming months. It remains to be seen how much the shows will improve Limit Hold’em player numbers.
