#713 – Dwan v. Antonius – Update #2

The first durrrr Challenge, pitting Tom Dwan vs. Patrik Antonius, stands in favor of Dwan through 4,178 hands, though they are less than 10% through their 50,000-hand match. They haven’t played much in the less two weeks – in fact, just once since February 23 by my count – but based on some recent comments by Patrik, I expect that to change. Here is what I have to share for now:

(1) You can find the latest on the match on Full Tilt’s durrrr Challenge page. The page has individual stats – for instance, Tom has won 2,325 hands to Patrik’s 1,837 but Antonius is winning $2,555.57 per winning hand to Dwan’s $1,763.72 – as well as overall stats on number of sessions (6), hands played (4,178), total bet (over $23 million), and time played (13:12). The page also has a hand-by-hand graph of the standings and a hand replayer loaded with each player’s biggest winning hands. Best of all, these features are updated in near-real-time. You can also find out if the match is currently going on and click a link to take you railside.

(2) The newest and most exclusive feature in Full Tilt’s coverage is an audio update from Patrik Antonius. The goal will be to get a few words with Patrik after each match. In an interview conducted from his home in Monaco on March 6, Patrik weighed in on how he thinks he’s been getting it in with the best of it in the big pots and getting unlucky, and that he’s been unhappy with the frequency of the matches. He’s taken on Dwan on some late nights and after losing sessions and expressed his opinion about Tom seeming to refuse to do the same.

(3) Here is my commentary on the match, succinct and to the point: you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet. Tom Dwan is winning by $150,000. That’s peanuts in a game this size. Look at the size of the biggest pots each player has won: $150k is one big pot and they’ve played a lot of pots that size, and will play a lot more. The match is off to a slow start (and Antonius complained about that in his most recent interview) so it’s easy to be lulled into thinking that a margin of this size is somehow decisive because we’ve been watching it for a few weeks. This is merely the calm before the storm.

(4) One factor that has limited my ability to bear-hug this story is that I’m not very close with either player. But I’m friendly with both and have written some interesting things about both Patrik and Tom. I’m confident I can get more from them about these matches if they go on awhile. In the meantime, let me share some of my insights from meeting Patrik during the last two Million Dollar Cash Games and meeting Tom from the 2008 MDCG.

In the 2007 Game, even though he lost the most money, Patrik Antonius was the star. He was in most of the biggest hands and got stuck with some big losses in tough situations, he played well and oozed class. It was also the first occasion on which I got to spend some time with Patrik away from the table and I was awed. For instance, after losing the the Cash Game (and hundreds of thousands more in props to Ivey), he got into a casual game of Chinese Poker with Roland de Wolfe in Uncle Tilty’s hotel suite. Roland suggested increasing the stakes to $2,000 per point and, in the hand after Patrik agreed, de Wolfe, won $48,000. Antonius just shrugged. “It’s just not my day.” Then we all grabbed a late dinner at a nightclub in which women old enough to be Patrik’s mother were eyeing him hungrily and trying to pick him up. He handled it all like the coolest guy on the planet.

In 2008, Patrik played sick and, despite some more tough breaks and cold cards, was an impressive presence. This time, Tom Dwan was the star of the Million Dollar Cash Game. By far the youngest at the table, with almost no live experience playing for high stakes, Dwan nevertheless played the most aggressively and in the most pots. Against players like Phil Ivey, David Benyamine, and Patrik Antonius, he was fearless about pursuing obvious steals, matching aggression with more aggression, and pouring on the pressure even after losing several big pots  and quickly putting himself several hundred thousand dollars in the hole. He mounted a huge, stirring comeback  and spurred on by winning a huge pot from Patrik Antonius in a hand that fits exactly Antonius’s statement in his recent interview on Full Tilt’s durrrr Challenge page about being star-crossed against Tom in the big hands.

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