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Who’s Next in the Durrrr Challenge?

It’s now been over a year since the Durrrr Challenge got underway, and we’re still on opponent one. That’s not stopping speculation about who will be next in line for a shot at Tom Dwan.

To be clear, it’s not 100% that there even will be a second opponent in the DC. The glacial pace of the first challenge, combined with Dwan’s increasing celebrity in the poker world, may well combine to make the thought of a second chapter unpalatable to Dwan. However, he’s suggested in a few formats that there will be a new challenger at some point – he’s just yet to make it clear who said challenger will be.

So, who’s on deck? More than a few names have been floated – we’ve got a quick list of the top suspects and the relative likelihood of each below.

Brian Townsend Next Up in Durrrr Challenge?

Townsend sort of made sense as an opponent; he’s a high-stakes semi-regular (at this point) with the experience, the bankroll and the access to backers that would all be required for any opponent of Dwan not named Ivey. Townsend also has the motivation to play, in the form of the increased exposure the match would certainly bring to CardRunners, the training site he’s a co-owner of.

That’s why when Dwan announced in a recent issue of Bluff Magazine that Townsend would be the next opponent, not everyone was surprised. What was surprising was when Dwan quickly recanted on 2+2, saying that Townsend wasn’t going to work out as an opponent due to unspecified problems.

Could those problems be worked out? Hard to say without knowing details, but Townsend seems like a viable challenger on several counts, so don’t be surprised if his name resurfaces down the road.

Phil Ivey to Play Dwan in the Challenge?

This prospect has a lot of the poker community salivating, and if you believe Full Tilt’s website, Ivey is in fact next in line to play Dwan.

Then again, the site also says Benyamine is on the waiting list, so maybe take it with a grain of salt.

No doubt that FTP would love it if their two highest-wattage stars (at the moment) traded blows on a public stage, and no doubt, the match would prove. However, Antonius’ experience may provide a cautionary tale that keeps Ivey on the sidelines – as tough as it was for Antonius and Dwan to line up their schedules to play, imagine how tough it would be for Dwan and Ivey. Ivey is also notorious for brief online sessions, meaning the challenge could fall victim to the same stasis that has sucked the public interest life out of the Durrrr Challenge.

It’s also a bit unlike Ivey to play second fiddle to anyone, so while it’s pure speculation on our part, the idea of having to “challenge” anyone might not appeal to the man considered by most to be the world’s greatest living player.

Luke “Full Flush” Schwartz to Play Dwan?

If the Durrrr Challenge consisted primarily of running your mouth and not so much on playing poker, Schwartz would be a mortal lock. However, it isn’t, and he isn’t.

While he’s used the threat of challenging Dwan as a way to get his name floated in the poker press, there’s been little to nothing in Schwartz’s history to suggest that he’ll actually back up his talk. The stakes are far outside his comfort zone and the one benefit he can count on from playing Dwan – notoriety – he can gain simply by loudly announcing his intention to play and then quietly backing away once the attention subsides.

Look for Schwartz to do exactly that as Dwan’s match with Antonius finally draws to a close.

Ben “Milkybarkid” Grundy in Line For Durrrr Challenge?

This is an interesting case. Grundy makes a ton playing PLO online, but you don’t always hear his name bandied about with the online stars simply because he sticks to (relatively) lower stakes than the nosebleeds.

Even so, Grundy has accumulated a seven-figure online bankroll, has a reputation as a PLO whiz, and recently put it out there that he’d possibly be interested in challenging Dwan. A quote from a recent blog post by Grundy:

Durrrr challenge. I’ve actually considered giving this a go…. the offer of $1.5 million if i beat him, compared to paying out $500,000 is really appealing. I’d definitely do it if i could sell a big enough percentage. I’d guess the worse case scenario would be losing $2 million ish, then having to pay up $500k. I’m way to much of a bankroll nit to take the chance of that kind of loss. It would be interesting, i’m not ruling it out under the right circumstances.

With his record, skills and the added money of the DC, Grundy might not have a problem finder takers, and the two online phenoms would likely have little problem slamming out the 50k hands required by the challenge.

The moral of the story…

Very few people have the resources to take on the Durrrr Challenge, and few of those have the time, spine or inclination to do so. While several possible challengers exist, it seems possible that we could spend even longer waiting for a second opponent in the Durrrr Challenge than we’ve spent waiting for the first match to conclude.

Read all Durrrr Challenge news here.

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