Tom Dwan says he's been in communication with Dan “Jungleman12” Cates and that the long-awaited durrrr Challenge II is back on his agenda.
“It should be starting some time soon,” Dwan told PokerListings.com at EPT London. “I've been talking to him about it so I think we'll be starting it up at some point.”
Judging from Jungleman's latest tweet, though, the two high-stakes pros might not be on the same page.
“Would you like to continue our challenge instead of playing everybody else at every game on Full Tilt Poker?” Cates tweeted, perhaps referencing Dwan's latest action and the recent PokerStars vs. Full Tilt Poker high-stakes challenge this weekend.
Dwan and Cates completed just under 20,000 of the Challenge's proposed 50,000 hands back in early 2011 with Cates coming out over $1.2 million ahead so far.
durrrr Challenge Starting "Sometime Soon"
The challenge was put on hiatus following Black Friday, along with Full Tilt Poker itself, but with the site back up many are hoping to watch Dwan and Cates finish what they started.
PokerListings.com caught up with Dwan at EPT London yesterday to ask him a few questions.
PokerListings.com: A few words about your challenge against Isaac Haxton today?
Tom Dwan: Well, I didn't win. I wanted to win, and I didn't. That's about it.
PL: Does it feel a bit surreal to play for FTP again? Does it feel like the good old days?
TD: I'm definitely happy it's back. I was delighted the first time I played on the new Full Tilt.
It also felt good knowing that everyone was probably going to get paid back. It also felt a bit strange to be back after so long.
PL: What about the durrr challenge against Jungleman, will that ever be finished?
TD: It should be starting sometime soon. I've been talking to him about it so I think we'll be starting it up at some point.
PL: Do you still love the game as much as you used to?
TD: I definitely don't love the game as much as I used to.
But I think that if I was playing any other game for a living, I would have lost my mind long ago, so obviously I still think poker is a pretty awesome game.
But lots of time I play three days in a row, and I play for 20 hours straight on the fourth day because the game is really good.
And yeah, obviously I'd rather be sitting on the beach that fourth day, looking at the sun and all that, but well, sometimes I make trade-offs when the game's really good, so it's okay.
PL: What else would you do if you didn't play poker?
TD: That's a conversation for another time, because I've got a few things on my mind.
PL: For most people, high-stakes poker feels really unreal. How does it feel to put so much money into the game? Is it scary, exciting?
TD: Sometimes it's all of that at once, other times it just feels normal, like a day-to-day routine.
Obviously the times I've played over my bankroll have been more intense and emotional, but generally I play stakes that I can afford.
PL: Have you settled down in Macau for good, or do you think you'll move back to the US with the new legislation moving forward?
TD: I haven't really moved to Macau. I spend a lot of time there, I have a place there, but I still spend time in the US or in Europe. I do all of it.
PL: Who do you think is the best online player of all time?
TD: I think it depends on the games. I think Ivey and Galfond are probably the two best though.
PL: And the most influential in terms of style for you?
TD: Ivey and Galfond too.
PL: How do you see yourself in 10 years? Still playing poker?
TD: Probably not.
PL: By the way, where does your nickname come from?
TD: I just came up with in about a minute. I just wanted something goofy and that popped into my head. I think I did good in that minute though.
Files from Fred Guillemot.
Jughead ftw.