Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan – On the Spot of the Light
Tom Dwan is currently one of the main topics in the world of poker. Not only in the High Roller circuit, but also for all online- and recreational players from all over the world. 'Durrrr', as his nickname remained after his time at Full Tilt Poker, entered the high roller cash game circuit from a very young age, showing his incredible poker skills on tv, as well as at the online poker tables. Fast forward to 2024, Dwan signs for unregulated ACR as an ambassador, just after speculations towards him for not paying off debts.
If you take a look back at the history of poker, starting from the early 2000s, the absolute major happening was Chris Moneymaker winning the World Series of Poker in 2003. Moneymaker, then a 27-year-old accountant, managed to become the World Champion of Poker, securing a massive payday of $2,5 Million, and all that by winning an online satellite with a buy-in of just $86!
When the 'Moneymaker Effect' occurred, young Tom Dwan was only 16-years-old. After having dropped out of school, and earning his money at McDonald's, he started off trying to pursuit a career in poker. A true fairy tale was in the making, when he had build himself a bankroll, starting from $50. By playing online sit 'n goes, followed by heads-up games, he registered his first-ever live cash during the EPT in London at the age of 19. Not many can say the first ever registered tournament cash was in a tournament with a buy-in of $3,000, but for the young Dwan it was straight away about competing with the big boys of the game.
Durrrr: A Guarantee for a lot of Online Action
Where Tom 'Durrrr' Dwan registered a bit more as $300,000 in his first year when he legally was allowed playing online, it would be followed up quite swiftly with profits going into millions of dollars. Back then, the cashes which were made at the cash games online, already went like a rollercoaster ride nobody else had experienced before. He was put in the spotlights straight from the beginning of his poker career, being the 'new' Phil Ivey of Poker, who is considered as one of the best poker players in poker history. In 2009, he signed his first ambassador contract with Full-Tilt Poker, where the his biggest battles took place at the online nosebleed cash games.
Players like Patrik Antonius, Daniel 'Jungleman' Cates, Ilari 'Zigmund' Sahamies, Victor 'Isildur1' Blom, Brian Townsend, Phil Ivey, all stood in line to compete against Tom Dwan at the high stakes heads-up cash tables. As the matter of fact, 'Durrrr' was guaranteed giving a lot of action, mainly as he was one of the first recognized players out there who really went until the very end for winning a hand. His playing style was either super profitable, or meant to be in for a big loss. The same counted for Victor 'Isildur1' Blom, a young Swede who went through the beginning of his carreer as absolute 'unknown' person as his real name was never introduced to the crowd at the beginning.
The 'Durrrr' Challenge was a challenge between Dwan and Victor Blom on Full-Tilt poker. Six tables simultaneously, heads-up format, with millions of dollars on the line. Dwan would essentially lose the challenge with big negative numbers, but somehow recovered quite quickly with action outside the challenge.
Millions up, Millions down, it was the story of Dwan at the online tables. The challenge against fellow young-gun of the scene Isildur1 would not be his last challenge. Dwan dared the world to play a cash game over 50,000 hands with $1,000,000 to start. Two players accepted the challenge, Patrik Antonius and Daniel Cates, but both challenges weren't completed since Dwan forfeited to give action before the half way line. After not reacting to his opponents' messages, he paid several penalties for not completing the challenge.
Live Tournament Poker not Dwan's Style
Straight from the get-go of his career, Tom Dwan went on to play at the High Stakes of poker, including live tournaments. From the EPT London, to the World Poker Tour's 2007 World Poker Finals, he did play tournaments despite being specialized in high stakes cash games.
After having visited the Aussie Millions back in 2008, he went on to play several events during the World Series Of Poker, where he cashes mainly in mixed games events. The partypoker Premier League was iconic back in the day, and Dwan also has been part of it. He managed to get eventually 4th in the final event, where names such as Tony G, Roland de Wolfe, and Peter Eastgate were part of.
Going through the scores of Dwan for the scores until 2014, we can see a variance of tournaments. From the NBC Heads-UP Championship, WSOP events, various invitational events, to the Poker After Dark games.
Until 2018, it has been rather quite around the person Tom Dwan when it comes to live tournament play. It took him until the Triton Poker events in 2018, when he showed tournaments cashes again. in 2019, he became an ambassador for Triton Poker, presumably the most elite high stakes tournaments of the world at this moment.
Dwan has been playing mostly mixed games events, including his favourite 'Short Deck' poker. At the moment of writing, Dwan is also present at the Triton Poker event in Jeju.
As of March 2024, Dwan's total live tournament winnings are a bit over $6,500,000.
Live High Stakes Cash Games
Tom Dwan, known for his prowess in high-stakes poker, once held the record for the largest pot won in a televised live game, surpassing $1.1 million during the fourth season of Full Tilt Poker's Million Dollar Cash Game. This achievement broke his own previous record of over $919,000, which he set during the fifth season of High Stakes Poker. However, Dwan didn't stop there; he reclaimed the record by winning a staggering $3.1 million pot during a livestream at the Hustler Casino in late May 2023.
In recent years, Dwan has shifted his focus away from traditional Texas hold 'em and has shown a preference for short-deck hold 'em. Explaining his transition in a 2018 interview, he expressed his view that poker is more of a game than a sport. He also voiced his frustration with what he perceived as excessive staring tactics employed by players. Despite acknowledging his role in popularizing staring as a strategy, Dwan objected to its continuous use, particularly outside of critical moments in the game.
Dwan's poker journey has taken him to high-stakes cash games in Macau and Manila, where he has honed his skills and solidified his reputation as one of the most formidable players in the industry.
The Face of Poker
The first ambassadorship of Tom Dwam was related to Full Tilt Poker, where he spend two periods of time between 2009 and 2013.
In 2019, after been under the radar for a while, he got connected by an ambassadorship to Triton Poker. It is uncertain if he is actually still branded as ambassador of Triton, although he is named in the 'Partners' section of the webpage of Triton, alongside names such as Jason Koon and Phil Ivey. He is also connected to the brand 'PokerKings'.
For many poker players all across the world, Tom Dwan is presumably one of the main reasons why people fell in love with poker in the first place. Poker brands from across the world know this as well, being glad to sign such an iconic player of the last two decades.
Recent Allegations against Durrrr
Tom Dwan has found himself back in the limelight amidst a storm of controversy. He is facing allegations of unpaid debts from fellow players such as Haralabos Voulgaris and Peter Jetten, Dwan has been embroiled in a series of heated exchanges and public disputes.
The drama escalated further when Dwan signed on as an ambassador for unregulated poker site Americas Card Room (ACR), drawing attention due to its persistent bot problem. As accusations flew back and forth on social media platforms, one unexpected voice emerged in Dwan's defense: Dan "Jungleman" Cates, a former opponent who had previously criticized Dwan over unsettled debts.
In interviews with PokerNews, Dwan vigorously denied owing money to Jetten, asserting instead that he himself was owed money from their past dealings. He also engaged in a contentious exchange with Voulgaris, alleging misrepresentation in a sports betting arrangement.
Despite calls from some quarters for Dwan to use his sponsorship earnings to settle his debts, the resolution of these disputes remains uncertain. The poker community eagerly awaits further developments as these high-stakes conflicts continue to unfold.
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