Has Tom Dwan Ever Gone Broke?
8 years ago03 Nov
Seven years ago, in one of his many national TV spazz-outs, the âPoker Bratâ Phil Hellmuth made a prediction that made many laugh back then. After a suckout elimination in a heads-up match against Tom âdurrrrâ Dwan, Hellmuth told Dwan:
Weâll see if youâre even around in five years."
If we look at the current state of the poker world, we are tempted to say: âGood Game Phil!â His prediction is more or less spot on. Dwan has been off the radar for quite some time now. Hellmuth based his assumption on Tomâs reckless aggression and probably thought that the wizkid who took online poker by storm would end up broke at some point in his young career. Many say he actually is broke since he hasnât hit the headlines in a long time. Why wouldnât he brag with his life if he had money to spend right? So he must be broke.
Not so fast though. Just because he doesnât play online anymore where everybody can track his winnings, it doesnât mean he isnât playing poker. He still plays but his focus is now live where the games are much softer and the blinds are much higher than any online high stakes limit. So he isnât broke? Not really! Has Dwan ever gone broke? Not that likely! Here are the facts:
Pre-Black Friday: âdurrrrâ Conquers Online Poker
Everyone agrees pre-Black Friday, Dwan was a real phenomenon. He crushed the nosebleeds on Full Tilt by playing mostly No Limit HoldâEm - especially Heads-Up - and Pot Limit Omaha. 2008 was his best year online winning over $5.4 million, according to HighStakesDB. The second part of the year 2009 though was the worst losing over $4.3 million. Overall, from 2007 till Full Tilt shutdown in April 2011, he cashed in $2,402,040...only on FT. There are no real stats of his play on sites like Paradise Poker and so on.
Besides his online status, he had numerous appearances on national TV in shows like Million Dollar Cash Game and High Stakes Poker. During the fourth season of the Million Dollar Cash Game, Dwan won the largest pot in televised poker worth over $1.1 million (YES thatâs cash as in real money).
Broke anyone?
Post-Black Friday: Dwan Conquers Macau
Following Black Friday and Full Tiltâs shutdown, âdurrrrâ was stuck. His online poker bankroll vanished and now he had to find other ways to play and earn a living. Las Vegas of Asia - Macau was a good place to start. He wasnât a major fan of tournament poker - although he did win over $2.6 million while playing live tournaments, according to TheHendonMob - so he focused on live cash games. Soon, rumors started spreading about mind-boggling numbers: $1,250/$2,500/$5,000 and higher plus $500,000 and $1,000,000 stacks. Of course, many assumed that Dwan was staked in some form or another but how could a broke man play that high? The blinds were high and the winnings were even higher. Card Player Latin America reported a session in which the American won around $25 million (these rumors were denied by âdurrrrâ in a 2+2 post). Reports of losing millions - ranging from $4 million to $7 million in one session were also present but at those blinds and with action at the table, the numbers arenât that unbelievable.
âdurrrrâ also returned online teaming up with Viktor âIsildur1â Blom to form the Full Tilt Professionals for a short period of time from November 2012 to December 2013. During that span, Dwan played over 85,000 hands and lost $236,564 at the virtual tables. Not that big of a deal for a high-roller like Dwan who spent A$500,000 in the 2014 Aussie Millions in only one tournament.
Later in 2014, he even helped his friend Paul Phua and his son to get out of jail by paying a share of the $2.5 million bail. Doesnât look that broke after all.
How About 2015? Is Tom Dwan Broke?
Again, the facts tell us otherwise. A photo of Dwan playing in an underground basement in Macau was posted on 2+2 in July. Later that month, Daniel âjunglemanâ Cates posted that he and âdurrrrâ agreed to resume the âDurrrr Challengeâ and finish it no later than the next nine months. In August, Macauâs and now Manila's Poker King Club President Winfred Yu mentioned Dwan in an interview telling the poker community that he played the biggest cash games ever played in Manila area ($2,500/$5,000/$10,000).
Just a week ago, Poker King Club posted this tweet with âdurrrrâ in it:
Celebrity Alert at the Poker King Club:
@TomDwan joins in on the fun at the poker tables! Hey Tom! #PokerkingClubpic.twitter.com/bPqfBSUb5Q
â Poker King Club (@PokerKingClub)
9 octombrie 2015
Broke? No way! Would a broke Dwan ever speak with Cates to finish the âDurrrr Challengeâ - which most likely will cost him an extra $1.5 million? Would he play the biggest cash games in Macau and Manila? Even if he went broke, he would still have friends in high places - not to mention the skills - to bounce back. So rest assured because âdurrrrâ is doing just fine and he will most likely continue to visit places like Macau and Manila. As for the online environment, letâs hope we will see the $1 million challenge completed. Beyond that, Dwanâs online adventure might be as good as over.
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