In an age of poker where sponsorship deals are no longer announced on a weekly basis, and ambassadors have a lot more responsibilities across a variety of platforms, Americas Cardroom have thrown a curveball into the mix. Legendary poker player Tom Dwan, doyen of the Full Tilt Poker poster-boy days and online phenom turn live cash crusher, is their new Team Pro.
Is the appointment of ‘Durrrr’ a personality-based appointment by a high-stakes friend, an inspired risk from an expanding brand or a tone-deaf choice in an age where transparency demands more respect than controversy?
The Legend of Durrrr
Tom Dwan, also known by his online moniker ‘durrrr’ has long polarized the poker-loving public. Still not yet 38, Dwan remains two years away from eligibility into the Poker Hall of Fame, yet to some appears to have been around forever. Rising to fame during the online poker boom of the mid-2000s, Dwan’s fearless playing style and willingness to take on the best players at the highest stakes – often prevailing – quickly earned him the reputation of a phenom and the nickname ‘durrr’ from his online avatar.
Once a Boston University student playing online poker with a modest bankroll, Dwan’s natural talent and strategic prowess was masked by a permanent ‘who cares?’ expression he wore with ironic charm given how much he evidently loved the game and buried himself in its intricacies. Winning big in nosebleed cash games on the internet, often facing off against seasoned pros with decades of experience, ‘durrr’ became a messiah for those just starting out, the young and fearless online hive mind.
Not that Dwan was purely a cash game player, he could win tournaments too. Winning $1.1 million in 2007 by taking down a PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event, he quickly adapted his sills to the live tournament circuit too, with cashes on the EPT and WSOP.
Dwan’s biggest calling card, however, is High Stakes Poker. In taking money off Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen and Daniel Negreanu to name just three, Dwan captured the spirit of the age and Full Tilt Poker’s collapse and the Black Friday undoubtedly changed his immediate future for the worse through no fault of his own.
Dwan headed East, Far East, winning in Macau and racking up millions. Happy to gamble in sports, and never risk-averse, Durrr was never afraid to bluff for his stack. Despite never winning a WSOP bracelet, he was cleaning up at the felt nonetheless. For now.
The Biggest Pot of All-Time
“[Dwan’s] bold, daring approach to poker is a great fit with ACR Poker’s mentality.”
If we’re looking at reasons why Tom Dwan is appealing to Americas Cardroom then his ability to make televised poker gold is chief among them. On a personal basis, Dwan is convinced not only by ACR but their CEO in particular.
“I believe in ACR; I believe in Phil [Nagy] especially.” Dwan said in the announcement video, which dropped on the ACR X/Twitter account on the weekend.
Monster News!
We’re thrilled to welcome the legendary Tom Dwan @tomdwan to the ACR Poker team as our newest Pro! ??
Why ACR? What’s next? Watch our interview with him for all the exclusive details.https://t.co/R7Nb1lfqvT pic.twitter.com/ZGwkJeruBh— ACR Poker (@ACR_POKER) March 8, 2024
ACR also made a statement where they enthused about the value of Dwan.
“We’re really excited to bring Tom Dwan aboard,” they said. “His bold, daring approach to poker is a great fit with ACR Poker’s mentality and we’re excited that he’ll be working with us to bring big poker to more people, both in the U.S. and around the world.”
Winning the biggest television pot of all-time last May, Dwan has an innate ability to turn a good hand into a great one, often by the sheer maelstrom of feeling that has surrounded him and has done for two decades.
Dan is looking to change what a poker site offers and he’s no problem describing it.
“[The ACR deal] hits that spirit of what I find interesting and valuable in poker.” he said, before mentioning a ‘Progressive Squid Game’ several times. Those three words will put many poker players and fans of the Netflix hit series in thrall.
Dwan’s arrival, just like the action in the South Korean TV masterpiece, does not come without raising potentially thorny issues too.
Recent Controversy Makes Timing Questionable
As an investment for a poker room, Dwan doubtless represents a big name, a progressive thinker and a banker in terms of content. But does that represent value to the brand, and will he uphold the values to which they themselves aspire? Over the years, Dwan has been dogged by rumors of unpaid debts, and we’re not talking solely in 2024.
Back in the past decades, Dwan cancelled his famous ‘Durrrr Challenge’ against Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates and that caused some to speculate that he was someone who backed down from a challenge or settling his debts at the end of such challenges. In the past few days alone online, Dwan has been alleged to owe the poker player Peter Jetten $226,000 and the Spanish soccer side C.D Castellón owner Haralabos Voulgaris $350,000. Having won $3.1 million just before last summer, either Dwan refused to pay that money back or was in so deep that elsewhere was still unable to – either scenario is concerning for any poker brand.
Neither debt has been publicly confirmed by Dwan, at least at the time of going to press. Voulgaris told his followers that he invested in Dwan via sportsbettting, only to lose that money. Betting is a notoriously difficult way to make real money on a tangible, consistent basis, so was the debt agreed or did a bet simply lose when those behind it expected it to win without any guarantee of it doing so?
It’s very clear where Voulgaris stands on the matter.
Imagine owing someone for 12 years, scooping a $3.1m pot right in front of the guy, him offering you a deal where you can make monthly 10-30k a month payments with 0 interest and then ghosting him while flying Private back to whatever rock you crawled out from.
— Haralabos Voulgaris (@haralabob) March 5, 2024
After being accused of stealing from Voulgaris and blackmailing him into a debt, Dwan responded angrily, stating: “Wanna bet no $$ was stolen [you] *****? Why didn’t [you] say anything when Bob was trying to blackmail me?”
. @haralabob How much action did you have on basketball while under contract with the mavs? I wonder what contract and legal spots that could bring up.
Does the same kinda stuff happen with your soccer team?
— Tom Dwan (@TomDwan) March 9, 2024
Recent allegations against Dwan could hardly have been made at a worse time. With everything that it takes to prepare a poker ambassador for announcement, it’s obvious to many that rather than ACR being toneless in announcing this now, the announcement was coming, and the recent controversy is what is mistimed.
None of that helps Dwan, however.
With the eyes of the poker world now even more keenly focused on his actions on and off the felt, how he performs in the first 12 months of a professional sponsorship with a growing poker brand is likely to determine whether it is the first deal of a new era or the last deal of his poker career.
