by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Mar 10, 2012 | Updated on Mar 10, 2012When Viktor Blom first joined Team PokerStars – a time when Blom wasn’t conclusively known to be the nosebleed stakes player who went by the name “Isildur1” – he immediately began playing SuperStar Showdowns, a series of high stakes cash game matches against all comers. His first opponent was Isaac Haxton, who wasn’t as well-known as his illustrious opponent, leading many to believe Blom would coast to his first victory. But it was Haxton who would ultimately score a convincing win over the Swedish high-stakes superstar: one of the few blemishes on Blom’s record during the series.Now, Blom and Haxton will resume their rivalry by taking part in another match in the SuperStar Showdown series. The match will take place at 17:00 GMT this Sunday on PokerStars, with the stakes doubled when compared to their first challenge in late 2010.This time around, both Blom and Haxton will have to put up stakes of $300,000 for the 2,500 hand, four-table no-limit hold’em challenge. In their last encounter, the games were played with blinds of $50 and $100; this time around, the stakes will be increased to $100/$200.Other than the loss to Haxton, Blom’s record in these matches is sublime. Depending on how results are counted, it is possible to see Haxton as the only loss on his record against nine victories for Blom; however, some count each half of a two-week match against Daniel Negreanu as separate matches, and as Negreanu won one half of the match (though losing the overall battle), that is often credited as a second loss on Blom’s record.In either case, Haxton is the only player with a positive record against Blom in the SuperStar Showdown, and Blom appears eager to get revenue.“I want to play this guy again,” Blom said after losing to Haxton in their first match. “I don’t think he deserved to win.”
