I must say, I was quite turned off by Tom Dwan’s million dollar “I’m better than everyone, you can’t beat me, nyah nyah nyah nyah NYAH nyah,” challenge. Whether you play poker online or off, there is a certain level of integrity, honor and respect that comes with the game. Offering a million dollars to anyone who can beat you out of a buck is just cocky, and there’s nothing in that that implies any amount of respect for your fellow players. It makes us all look like assholes.
Not to mention the fact that Phil Galfond can’t play, for the speculated reason that Galfond beats the tar out of Dwan. And you can’t go making the statement that you’re better than every other online poker player, when you finished third in total high-stakes games for your sponsor just this past year.
But I suppose what really gets me is that there are a lot of poker players out there that donate their money to good causes… there are charity tournaments like Ante Up for Africa. So this guy has a million bucks just floating around that he can throw away on a whim, and he uses it to try to prove he’s better than us? That’s just lame. Self-indulgent tripe, if you ask me, but that’s just an opinion. Please don’t sue me, Tom.
I personally hope that Phil Ivey, who came in first in high stakes games for Full Tilt (where they both work), takes him out. Every good poker player must learn that cockiness leads to epic failure. Confidence is one thing, but a Braggadocio often is found on the tilt. Tom, we know you’re a good player, that’s why Full Tilt has hired you to just sit in their poker room and play cards all day. Who are you trying to prove your worth to, if not yourself?