'durrrr Challenge' Update: Antonius Increases Lead
The fascinating online poker “durrrr Challenge” came off a twelve-day hiatus yesterday, with Patrik Antonius and Tom “durrrr” Dwan sitting down for a nearly four-hour session of $200/400 heads-up pot-limit Omaha. The high-stakes rivals put in another 842 hands of play on their way to 50,000, and for the third consecutive session, Antonius turned a profit. The $75,153 he took off Dwan yesterday expanded his total lead to $159,727, the largest lead either player has taken over the other for the life of the challenge. Thus far, the two have logged 12,956 hands. That’s still 37,044 hands to go and their pseudo-deadline — the start of the World Series of Poker — is only 28 days away.
Antonius was dominant when it came to the large pots in this session. Though Dwan laid claim to the $199,000 monsterpotten that ended up being their largest confrontation of the day (and the third-largest overall in the challenge), Antonius took down five of the nine $100,000-plus pots that developed and an even more impressive ten of the fifteen pots over $50,000. In that aforementioned whopper, both players were sitting about $100,000 deep when Antonius led off the action with a raise to $1,200 with an absolute monster of a hand, A♦A♠K♣K♥. Dwan liked the look of his Q♦10♠9♦8♣ and reraised to $3,600, only to have Antonius four-bet it to $6,000. Ever the aggressor, Dwan came back over the top for $18,000 only to have Antonius retaliate with yet another raise to $54,000. At this point, clearly both stacks were going all in at some point in the hand, and Dwan finally flat-called, creating a $108,000 pot pre-flop. The flop hit Dwan’s hand beautifully, coming down 9♠8♠7♥. Naturally he shoved the $45,480 he had behind and Antonius, holding the overpair, came in with a call. Antonius couldn’t improve against Dwan on the 5♠ turn, and the 9♣ on the river made Dwan nines full, earning him the nearly $199,000 pot.
The situation was nearly reversed in the session’s second-largest pot, won by Antonius. Tom Dwan opened to $1,200 with K♠K♣Q♣7♠ and Antonius three-bet to $3,600 holding J♦10♣9♦6♣. Dwan put in another reraise to $10,800 and Antonius called, the Q♥J♥J♣ flop hitting his hand hard — giving him trip jacks and a straight draw while Dwan held the overpair. Antonius led out for $15,200 and Dwan came along with a call. The turn was a blank, the 3♦, and Antonius bet it again, moving all in for $48,048. Dwan did a little thinking before deciding to call, only to discover his two pair was drawing extremely thin against Antonius’ trips and redraws. The river fell the 6♠, improving Antonius to jacks full and giving him the $148,000 pot.
After having his aces snapped off earlier, Antonius finally saw them hold up in another all-in confrontation. Dwan made a standard pre-flop raise to $1,200 and Antonius three-bet to $3,600 while holding A♦A♥K♥9♠. Dwan called with 10♦8♦7♠4♦ and the two saw a flop of Q♥7♣4♥, Antonius getting the overpair and the nut flush draw while Dwan made bottom two pair. Antonius kept his foot on the gas and led out for $6,000, with Dwan calling. The 2♦ on the turn didn’t change much and Antonius fired again, this time for $19,200. Dwan responded with a shove for the $72,479 he had behind and Antonius called for the rest of his chips, $40,992 in all. Antonius was in trouble against Dwan’s hand, but the 8♥ on the river saved the day for the poker world’s most popular Finn. Antonius made the nut flush and raked in the $139,583 pot.
The match concluded as most of these matches do — with one player deciding to catch a few winks:
durrrr: break?
durrrr: ok, ill b asleep
Patrik Antonius: let me know when I wake up maybe we can play again
durrrr: kk
Patrik Antonius: when u wake up
Patrik Antonius: gg
Antonius is currently playing on Day 1A of the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, so the chance of action today is quite unlikely. Keep it here on PokerNews, though for all the skinny as the “durrrr Challenge” rolls on.
Editor's Note: Nicole Gordon's continuing reports on the "durrrr Challenge" highlight PokerNews.com's coverage of the latest in online poker. To railbird the "durrrr Challenge" yourself, open up an account at Full Tilt poker today.
