When last we checked in on Doug Polk and the progress – or, rather, lack thereof – he had made in his $100K Code Doug Challenge, it wasn't looking good for him. If you haven't been following along with the challenge, Polk set a goal of making $100,000 in a single month while playing public heads-up games on ClubWPT Gold – with the intention of giving away a slice of his winnings to anyone who signed up for the site using his affiliate code.
Around the halfway point, Polk found himself deep in the hole, with time slipping away from him. Over the course of the last week and a half, however, he managed to claw his way back towards even and today announced his triumphant return to the land of profit.
After spiking a crucial one-outer, Polk ended his session today with an $11,590 win to dig himself out of the hole entirely and set the stage for a potential eleventh-hour comeback.
Eric Persson enters the ring
While Polk was languishing away on the felt, stuck tens of thousands of dollars, Eric Persson took to the social media streets to fire off a barb or two at his expense. Polk, never one to shy away from a contender, welcomed Persson's action, but the match failed to materialize — until now.
On Saturday, April 5, the $100K Code Doug Challenge will conclude with a Polk vs. Persson showdown on the ClubWPT Gold virtual felt. With the stakes set at $50/$100 and $20,000 stacks in play, Polk and Persson will battle it out starting at 5:00 pm CT — with all the action live-streamed on Polk's YouTube channel.
Can Polk pull off the comeback?
With the match against Persson coming at the closing bell of the challenge, just as Polk returns to a breakeven point, the question has to be asked: can he pull off the comeback?
We've seen big comebacks on the felt in the past. Phil Galfond vs. Dirk 'VeniVidi1993' Gerrits in the Galfond Challenge. Jack Strauss' chip and a chair resurgence in the 1982 WSOP Main Event. Daniel Negreanu's clawback last week in the PokerGO Tour PLO Series.
While it's not impossible, Polk would have to close the $99,479 gap in the next few days, which, at the stakes he's playing, is a big ask. Or, win it all back in one fell swoop against Persson.
Clearly, the Persson vs. Polk match throws a wrench in the works, but it's well within the established rules of the challenge and should make for an exciting finish. Plus, with $20,000 stacks in play and a certain scent of gamble in the air, it's not at all unreasonable for Polk — and, by extension, his Code Doug signees — to walk away as big winners.
Lead images courtesy of Alicia Skillman/Lodge Card Club and Antonio Abrego/PokerGO.
