Not sure the exact dates .. but Dwan did participate in the Madrid Trition Poker series where both he and Jason Koon took down short deck titles. Not a huge score for Dwan, but I'm sure the cash games were also a motivating factor for him to be there instead of wishing he were there while taking on PHell.

There's no doubt that short deck is where a lot of the chips are right now .. and both he and Koon are considered experts in that game. GL

Dwan also won the PLO Triton and cashed two other short deck events.

i'm not saying it's not true (i wouldn't know), but what is your source on this?

I wouldn't be surprised if Phil is staked for some of these events. If you've read his autobiography (it's a decent read), he has always been fanatical about keeping a lot of money tied up in investments and such.

There was a story in there about him using a $180k check that was supposed to be for a down payment on his house that he almost blew through playing high stakes LH with Bobby Baldwin and a couple others.

He was staked by Ted Forrest in the early 2000s even though he had approx a million in a SEPP retirement fund.

i would be chocked if he wasn't staked for most, if not all the events. hellmuth being a nit isn't really news.

I can't offer a published source, but there's been various times that I've heard table talk about Dwan 'crushing' Macau short deck cash games and that Koon has put 'more study into short deck than anyone in Vegas' during various streams .. PokerGo, Hustler and LATB. And even the little bit I've seen from Triton it was mentioned.

It was pretty obv that Tom wanted to play short deck during the recent HSP episodes .. so he must feel/know he has an edge in that game.

All talk, yes, but if you replay any PokerGo archive that involves short deck with Koon at the table he is constantly spouting off Player's holdings before they are shown and what percentages one hand has against the other once all-in.

As with all things, I can only comment on what I've run across but IMO there's enough unrelated chatter that all points in the same direction for both of them. GL

https://twitter.com/PokerGO/status/1558126256440217600

So, just like Dwan before him, Seiver can't make it to the next Duel. I think he probably realised how badly he got outplayed in the previous match.

This was in the replies. What's this about? What did MJ quit?

So as someone pointed out, there really isn't a time limit to rechallenge since both Dwan and Seiver backed out with no consequences. Should at least be a 10% deposit that goes to Phil. Any prep for that player goes out the window.

Looks like Byrn Kenney said yes. Per rules if multiple people come forward then PokerGo names the challenger.

given the context, I imagine the challenge?

But if multiple challengers come forward then PokerGo picks, no idea if calling people pussies makes it more or less likely to be picked

Hellmuth vs Kenney would be beautiful. PokerGo might be hesitant given the controversy though.

i would love to see that, i may actually sub to pokergo

I don't get the concept though

If A plays B

A losses and doesn't play the next match


Why would B have to play the next match at stakes as if it was against A?

This should be a new challenge


Surely PH won, when Sever weaselled out - and should get a reward of cashing out and starting the next challenge anew..

I mean at this rate - PH will be playing a 36 million dollar HU game against a new challenger...


Not impressed.

Also if it starts so high - then you don't get the 'trilogy' of HU challenges... because the buy ins will get too deep for such a swingy concept... what would this be 3rd match for the new challenger would be 6.4 million? I may have the wrong numbers... but it is still silly to move on a round if someone ducks out


And what is the fine for ducking out? If you lost are you just allowed to? Maybe the winner in that situation should be allowed to rat hole?

Nobody more boring than Koon

I agree that Koon is a boring choice, but it will be enjoyable to see Hellmuth take Koon's money.

I was really rooting for it to be Bryn Kenney.

A quick review of the rules of the challenge will explain all of this .. as well as many previous posts in this thread.

In this particular spot .. the loser has a timeframe to come back, of which he apparently did make the challenge. But now he's out, so there's another timeframe at which 'anyone' can step up and continue the matches up the stake ladder. If no challenger had come forward then 'this' challenge would be over with PHell as the winner .. and then a new challenge would begin at the lowest level.

There is a cap to every challenge, not '36 million' .. and there's rules in place for a Player to be able to cash out. GL

I hope everyone is surprised at Koon in this match. He's maturing (older, wife, kid, money in the bank?), he's now sponsored by GG and he's now a member of the 'cheating' committee. He's taken his own, very intense, path to success in poker without showing much interest in the commercial side of the business. Have we seen him Donk off 100bb in a $1M cash game? Actually yes .. Koon v Kalas. I dare say that a lot of his 'highlights' have been in Europe with Triton which is not as popular in the US .. see Koon v Elton.

Has he been stand-off-ish? For sure, but this is his opportunity to play a 'friendly' match and show some personality, especially in the early levels when they're deep.

I'm not sure how well he knows PHell, but I do think the more he talks the more Phil will pick up on some things and perhaps do the 'zoom-zoom' or white magic at the right time in this match. If there's one thing that has been pretty consistent in all these matches is that there's usually be a spot in the match where Phil's made a move that would've basically ended the match .. but it's always been at the exact right time where the opponent just couldn't believe that it was a move and it turned the match around. GL

Why does the poker community have such a hard on for Jason Koon? He just came out of nowhere on the SHR scene some years ago and has been pushed so hard by every single production. HSP, Triton, SHR Bowl etc all use Koon in their youtube thumbnails etc, as if hes an audience puller. I dont get it. Seems like an ok dude but jfc hes so boring its an absolute pain watching him play poker. Did he even play a single hand when he sat in this season at HSP? Dude folded ****ing 99 facing a 3b and raise folded 33..in a lineup with several rec players.. WHO wants to see this nit play poker?

The main event champion Espen Jorstad offered to play against Hellmuth but they go with well known boring boring Jason Koon. WHY?

he absolutely seems like a nice enough guy but i'd also like to know why he's top billing in all tv-poker lineups.

He knows all the producers, right?

Just came out years ago?

I’m guessing you’ve been following poker for less than 5 years?

doubtful.

Eh? He said "some years ago..." No implication that it was so few.

Good find. Even more surprising to just hear about him then.

Time flies.. 10 years is pretty recent now in poker terms. And its literally irrelevant to my post whether its 5 or 10 years since Koon started playing highrollers. The point is hes a boring guy with nothing to show for except the fact that hes one of many playing high rollers. Why is he being used so much in promotion material over other guys like Addamo, Chidwick, Justin Bonomo (hate the guy but his results and longevity speak for themselves) etc. Those other guys at least seem to have some creativity in them, Koon is the most boring low variance style player out there.

I guess he must be very good at befriending producers and others with decision making influence in the scene, that would explain it.