Here’s another hand that will blow your socks off from the May 4th installment of the Durrrr Challenge. In it, Patrik Antonius bet $1,200 pre-flop, Tom “durrrr” Dwan bumped it to $3,600, Antonius made it $6,000, and Dwan called the $2,400 needed. The flop came J-2-8 with two hearts. Dwan led out for $8,600, prompting a call from his adversary. The turn was the five of clubs. Dwan bet $29,200, Antonius pushed all-in for over $60,000, and Dwan called. The river was the king of diamonds. At showdown, Dwan flipped up 8d-Qc-9d-Qh for a pair of queens, while Antonius revealed As-8h-10s-5h for two pair. Not even on a busted flush draw, Dwan went to showdown with one of the worst hands we’ve seen exposed so far. As a consequence, Antonius scooped another $150,000, padding his lead over the youngster.
DurrrrChallenge.com sought the input of our trusted PokerXFactor.com pro Chris “Fox” Wallace to learn more.
DurrrrChallenge.com: Talk about the vast amount of betting pre-flop, which is a trend that we’ve seen throughout this contest.
Wallace: When Durrrr re-raises, I don’t understand Antonius’ light raise to $6,000. The only thing I can think of is that Antonius thinks it will slow Durrrr down. It accomplishes that, but he’s doing it when he’s behind. Some players in Omaha can’t play out of position because there are so many draws, which are hard to play out of position. It could be that Antonius raises to take the initiative in this hand because he can’t play without it.
DurrrrChallenge.com: Did taking the initiative in the hand pay off?
Wallace: These guys aren’t playing hands slowly. Taking the initiative doesn’t work because Durrrr bets into him for two-thirds of the pot on the flop. If Antonius raises him on the flop, they’re going to end up all-in, so calling is the right play. The donk bet on the flop means that Dwan may have top pair, two pair, or a set. Antonius flops a draw, but only has second pair and a guy betting into him. When he hits two pair with a draw on the turn, the raise is reasonable. You don’t want to call and let your opponent see what will happen. People who play like this are frustrating. They don’t always make money, but the swings are huge.
