In a frank admission on the sidelines of the London World Open 6, poker prodigy Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan has confessed that the real reason he plays the game is simply for the money.
Responding to a question on whether he took satisfaction from the fact that he was considered one of the top players in the world by his fellow pros, Dwan replied:
“No, that’s not why I play poker…I don’t care about the competition, just the money.”
Giving a fascinating insight into the mind of the 24 year-old New Jersey pro, Dwan said that the competition was only a factor for him in home, fun games with friends but that when it came down to real stakes it was the money which became all important.
That attitude seems to have served him well as since depositing his first $50 online in 2004 aged 17, Dwan has managed to work his way all the way up to Full Tilt Poker’s $500/$1,000 game, accumulating $5,010,587 winnings along the way.
That is in addition to the $1.5million he has won from live tournaments, as well as the lucrative live cash games he often plays.
Despite living in one of Las Vegas’ top penthouses, complete with a jacuzzi on the balcony, Dwan says he has a lot of fun while in Vegas but is predominantly their for the poker action and tends not to be their when not playing.
Giving another glimpse into his prodigious talent, during an interview with Michael Kaplan, Dwan said he could readily make $90,000 over three weeks multi-tabling online at the $10/$20 no-limit level.
However, Dwan seemed surprised when asked why he didn’t just guarantee himself $120,000 each month without all the stress.
“Anybody who wants to make $120,000 a month that badly will lose $10,000 in a pot and flip out. Or else they will stop playing against a bunch of fish because they are running bad.”
Thanks for the insights Tom, and we wish you continued good luck relieving your opponents of their bankrolls.