Pud's Poker Progress / Matthew Pitt / 08 January 2009 / 1 Comments

Whilst the majority of us mere mortals are struggling to come to terms with the start of a global recession, there are a privileged few who seem to have money to burn in these testing times.

During a recent interview, high-stakes cash guru, Tom 'Durrrr' Dwan mentioned he was putting together details for a prop bet of epic proportions. However, before details could be finalised, the reporter posted the outline of the bet onto the largest poker forum on the planet and the thread soon exploded with literally hundreds of replies.

Whilst the finer points of the bet will always remain private, 'Durrrr' has gone on record to give a brief outline of the rules. He has said he will play anyone in the world, apart from Phil Galfond, at No-limit Hold'em or Pot-limit Omaha for 50,000 hands over four tables with stakes a minimum of $200/$400! Players are allowed to change tables if they get to 250 big blinds deep ($100k at $200/$400!) and they must reload if they drop to 75 big blinds.

The unbelievable part of this bet is the odds 'Durrrr' is laying. If he finished just one cent in profit after 50,000 hands, the loser has to pay him $500,000, yes half a million dollars but if he loses, he will pay the winner $1.5m!

At time of writing three of the world's best players have accepted this million dollar challenge and amazingly, Tom Dwan has announced he will play all three of them, risking not only the money he could lose at the tables, but $4.5m in prop bets! The three pro's he will play are Frenchman David Benyamine, Patrik Antonius and arguable the best player in the world, Phil Ivey.

The challenge is a railbird's dream come true, with literally millions of dollars being fought over for a series of long poker sessions. It is rumoured Benyamine wants to play Pot-limit Omaha, Ivey wants No-limit Hold'em and Antonius says he simply does not care!

The publicity these matches receive can only be good for the game, although Ivey, who will play 'Durrrr' last out of the three contenders, thinks that at least one player will go bust before the 50,000 hands are finished and will have to buy out of the bet.

It must be nice to be able to bet over $1.5m in times of the credit crunch!

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