Dwan Does High Stakes Poker His Own Way

When Tom \”durrrr\” Dwan wanted to play poker with stakes higher than you can find in your average poker room, he simply issued a challenge to players everywhere. The magic of the big ol\’ internet allowed him to get the word out, and he found some takers for his $1.5 million wager. Of course he did. In this economy where people are losing their jobs and houses, cutting back on expenses, and crunching numbers to make sure the basic bills are paid, people like Phil Ivey, David Benyamine, and Patrik Antonius have the ability to play poker for millions of dollars.

Bluff Magazine originally reported that Dwan was ready for some high stakes action, except against friend and fellow online pro Phil \”OMGClayAiken\” Galfond. He wanted to play 50,000 hands of $200/$400 PLO or NLHE on four tables. (Multi-tabling must mean this challenge pertains to online poker only, I assume.)

In addition to money won, if the player who has the cajones and bankroll to take up the challenge is even $1 up after rake, he wins $1.5m. If durrrr is up after the 50k hands, he wins $500k. For those who aren’t mathematically inclined, that means Dwan is offering 3-1 odds to any player in the world.

Well, he\’s got takers, most vocally Phil Ivey, who announced on his \”Tuesdays With Ivey\” show on PokerRoad that he accepted the challenge. No word, however, on when the heads-up matches will begin, as those details are likely being worked out.

Others who have expressed an interest in Dwan\’s challenge are David Benyamine and Patrik Antonius.