In just over a year since issuing the much publicised online 'Durrr challenge', Full Tilt poker geniuses Tom Dwan and Patrik Antonius have been locked in a battle of ego and wits - displaying a combination of strong composure and nerves of steel to battle intently for millions of dollars and the pride stakes on offer.
The format created by Dwan was simple - 50,000 hands of online heads-up matches at $200/$400 or higher, varying between No Limit Hold 'Em and Pot Limit Omaha, playing four tables or more at once.
When laying the challenge to all-comers except friend and fellow online star Phil 'OMGClayAiken' Galfond, Dwan believed that his likely competitors were better skilled in both forms of the game; however his ability to multi-table online looked to give him a slight edge.
"I think all of them (Phil Ivey, David Benyamine, Patrik Antonius) actually are better over-all poker players than me - by quite a bit; I happen to think in this one area, I might have a little edge - and we'll see if I do," he said.
With this intangible leg-up, Dwan offered an incredibly brave and career defining challenge, with more at stake than the average set-up. If Dwan is ahead in overall winnings after 50,000 hands, his opponent must pay him an additional $500,000. If Dwan's opponent is ahead, Dwan must off-load a cool $1.5million extra, crippling his hard-earned bankroll.
According to durrrchallenge.com, as of February 9 Dwan and Antonius have tangled in more than 33,000 of the scheduled 50,000 hands to be played. So far, Dwan leads the way with close to a $1.4 million buffer on his Finnish opponent.
Next to challenge Durrr for the bragging rights and potential millions on offer are Phil Ivey and David Benyamine. Providing the online phenomenon is still in action after the Antonius challenge is complete, the Ivey match-up looks mouth-watering, sending railbirds world wide into a tail spin.