In the twoplustwo weekly rumour mill, we bring you some of tastiest news and gossip to grip poker circles.
With his relentless aggression and fearless attitude Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan is one of the hottest properties in poker. His ability to think ‘outside the box’ and put players in a spin by dragging them through ‘durrrland’ (as Gabe Kaplan calls it on HSP), make him a real favourite amongst poker aficionados.
So why isn’t he a Full Tilt red pro yet? His single status in the world of poker sponsorship relationships is being hotly debated in poker circles. Major shareholder in Full Tilt Howard Lederer recently stated it was only a matter of time, and was a case of when both parties could find the time to start discussions. Tom Dwan is one of the major success stories on FTP. He is a regular at the high stakes, and his ‘durrrr challenge’ with Patrik Antonius has captivated railbirds and fellow pros alike.
The big stumbling block seems to be what Dwan would get out of the deal. With his fame and status, he would want more than 100 per cent rake back and event sponsorship – instead, a percentage in the Full Tilt site / brand ownership (what Antonius and Ivey reportedly have). Furthermore, Dwan has never really taken the tournament circuit, and Full Tilt pro sponsorship would mean a whole load of competition appearances. That said, it seems only a matter of time before Dwan, Galfond and co agree some sort of major sponsorship deal.
Who is martonas? Well, truth is, no-one really knows. But the Swedish stranger seems to have come and gone quicker than an Ikea desk on delivery. This time last week, martonas was crushing the NL Hold’em six max games and beating the likes of Ivey out of hundreds of thousands.
But his over-aggressive, maniac style caught up with him over the weekend, as he dropped millions to Tom Dwan and Cardrunners pro Brian Hastings. The HighStakes Database now puts him down $65k since his arrival on the FT scene a couple of weeks ago. We’ll let you know when martonas (believed to be Martin de Knjiff staking Jonas ‘Nebuchad’ Danielsson’ re-emerges.