Tom Dwan - the missing man
How convenient is it that he just falls off the face of the earth after issuing and bailing half way through a 50k hand
Video summary
The poker world is filled with drama, big personalities, and even bigger swings. But few stories have dragged on as long (or as publicly) as the Durrrr Challenge – that epic battle between Tom "durrrr" Dwan and Dan "Jungleman" Cates. After years of accusations, misunderstandings, and a little bit of self-reflection, these two legends finally sat down for a real chat. Here’s what you need to know.
- The Wild West Days of Poker
Back in the late 2000s, online poker was untamed. Big games, fearless plays, and some insane prize pools. Tom Dwan was at the heart of it, firing off huge bets on TV and online. In 2009, he laid down the gauntlet:
@durrrr: "It's 50, 000 hands, $200/$400 or higher. I put up $1.5 million, you put up $500k. If you’re up even a dollar, you keep it, and if you’re up a million, you get that plus the side bet."
First up was Patrik Antonius, but things ended privately after some wild swings. Then Jungleman stepped up. - Durrrr vs. Jungleman – The High Stakes Grudge
@Jungleman: "I was doing everything I could to find his weaknesses. If he was over-folding, I’d attack that. If he triple-barreled, it was too value heavy – so I just ignored those."
The match started hot – after 19, 000 hands, Jungleman was smoking Dwan for $1.2 million. The poker world was buzzing.
But just as things heated up, disaster struck. Black Friday hit and Full Tilt Poker, the home base for these games, was shutdown by the Feds. Suddenly, millions were frozen and nobody could play. The challenge went on ice – and for years stayed that way. - Years of Messy Fallout
The challenge never got finished. Dwan was under pressure to resume, and Jungleman tried to keep things afloat by adding penalties – $40k every two months with another $10k tacked on for inactivity.
@Jungleman: "Did you guys ever finish that match? Well, we agreed to settle — and... I’m still waiting for my payment."
Over time, frustration mounted, rumors spread, and the “scam” word got thrown around in some corners.
But when these two finally talked it out, some truths came out. Both sides were dealing with major bank and mental hits from Full Tilt’s collapse. Tom tried to help Jungleman with side deals, and both admitted to making emotional mistakes.
@Jungleman: "At some point, I realized my anger was doing no good. It makes sense to try to help – you have to at least see things from someone else’s point of view."
@durrrr: "I had often thought you just hated me. But renegotiating the penalties, that’s when I realized, okay, maybe not." - Cheating, Trust, and the State of Poker
Both players admitted the bigger issue isn’t unfinished challenges, but shady cheating scandals that hurt the whole game.
@durrrr: "The poker world spends too much time focusing on small stuff – like someone missing a game – and not enough on the big scams and cheating."
They both agreed that while poker sites have improved on catching bots and protecting games, there’s still work to do – especially with accountability and transparency. - New Era, Better Vibes
Maybe the biggest takeaway? Grudges fade, and sometimes, talking it out actually works.
@Jungleman: "I definitely haven’t felt any malice for a long time. Honestly, I feel a bit lucky to have seen things from a different perspective."
The Durrrr Challenge might never finish, but at least the bad blood is finally buried. And for poker fans, hearing two of the game’s wildest legends finally hash it out is a win in itself.
I think "Ye who is without sin should cast the first stone" is very relevant here
But also:
"You should pay off your f debts"
Did Durrr Dwan play the main?
Did he play anything this year? Does he normally play WSOP?
Only when he used to have massive bracelet side bets, including when he got 2nd in an event where he would have won millions if he won it. He had 2 cashes last year including the main and a 25k which were his first wsop cashes in almost 15 years
Hope Durrrr gets back to normal soon
He went deep in main last year but he looked like he hadn't slept in months. Dude will do literally anything but sleep.
Bottom line, don't trust anyone. When you go to the cage to get chips do they allow you to '...pay on Tuesday for $100k in chips today...' NO, they don't. So Dwan, Jungleman, Chino, my brother in law or whoever is not to be trusted, ever. Pay up front.
Bottom line, don't trust anyone. When you go to the cage to get chips do they allow you to '...pay on Tuesday for $100k in chips today...' NO, they don't. So Dwan, Jungleman, Chino, my brother in law or whoever is not to be trusted, ever. Pay up front.
You never heard of a line of credit? highrollers can absolutely go to the cage and get 100k to gamble with wtf?
Id be pretty stoked, and also pissed if I finished in the top 95% of the main next year. Dwan probably felt it was a waste of time to win 20k
Quickly scrolling through YouTube, and for a brief second I thought Tom had really gone off the rails...
Spoiler
He, again, made some concernig tweets a week ago. Hopefully he'll figure out a way to deal with his issues
He, again, made some concernig tweets a week ago. Hopefully he'll figure out a way to deal with his issues
He's so annoying at this point. He's constantly tweeting cryptic stuff, and then it goes nowhere or he "can't say anything more"
"Just had the craziest experience ever at a McDonald's, I'll just say the walls aren't actually walls and maybe they're AI and, well, the ceilings had cameras. But if I'm right this will be mainstream news. Will say more later"
5 weeks later, no news.
Asked about it... "Can't talk now"
Then people tell the people interested or asking to leave him alone.
And repeat
It's a drug induced psychosis. He needs help. He needs rehab. :(
Yeah, annoying is one way to describe going crazy
Tom Dwan came to my house the other day and tried to sell me candy bars. He said something about a field trip to China?
