Tom Dwan – better known by online players as the infamous “durrrr” – started playing online poker in 2004 at only 17. By the time he was 21, Dwan’s impeccable playing style had made him a household name among both live and online poker fans. In 2009, Dwan launched the Durrrr Challenge, an open million dollar challenge to the world’s leading heads-up players (excluding his good friend Phil Galfond). For almost two years, we’ve brought you the latest and most comprehensive news on Tom Dwan’s online exploits, including his most recent Durrrr Challenge session against Daniel “jungleman12” Cates on March 30, but on April 15 something happened that could change not only this site but online poker forever.
On April 15, the United States Department of Justice seized the domains for Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, Absolute Poker and UB.com. That day has come to be known as Black Friday. While it’s business as usual for poker players outside the U.S., Black Friday has left dozens of sponsored American pros wondering about their next move. With the tournament season in full swing, disenfranchised pros like our man Tom Dwan, Full Tilt teammates like Phil Ivey, and opponents like Daniel Cates have plenty of live action to keep them occupied, but questions about their online careers still loom.
While durrrr has yet to officially comment on his plans regarding his online career, it’s safe to say that not playing at Full Tilt Poker – the site that’s made him millions since 2007 – isn’t an option. Dwan’s had significant live tournament success, but he hasn’t posted a cash since 2010, making his preference for the virtual felt pretty clear. That Dwan has made appearances at two different European tournaments this year (including the EPT Grand Final in Madrid), has the rumor mills buzzing about an overseas move following the end of the 2011 WSOP Main Event.
Needless to say, with the current Full Tilt Poker ban on American players, Dwan would have to move in order to continue the Durrrr Challenge. His ongoing opponent, Daniel Cates, has already admitted that he is strongly considering a move, with Canada, the U.K., and potentially even parts of Asia at the top of his list of potential new homes. It’s safe to say that Macao also holds some appeal for Dwan, who hustled several million dollars off some of the region’s regulars in a historical series of high stakes ring games last year.
Some pros have taken another alternative, signing with one of the only remaining American-friendly poker sites, Lock Poker. Some former FTP and PokerStars players that have already defected to Lock Poker’s Lock Pro team include Casey “Bigdogpckt5s” Jarzabek, Brett “gank” Jungblut, Mike “goleafsgoeh” Leah, Eric “Rizen” Lynch, Bryan “PrimordialAA” Pellegrino, Matt “All In At 420” Stout and Jason Young. Others are rapidly following, with several big name signings expected in the weeks to come.
Obviously a move to another poker room is out of the question for Dwan, who’s been faithful to the Full Tilt site for years and officially joined their team in 2009, leaving us once again to wonder where in the world durrrr is going to end up once the tournament season slows down later this summer. In the meantime, stay tuned to DurrrrChallenge.com for continued coverage of Tom Dwan and his online associates as they navigate in a post-Black Friday world.
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