Tom Dwan: Biography, Career and Poker Results

June 6, 2025
Updated October 8, 2026

Table of Contents

Tom Dwan is an American professional poker player, born in 1986 in Edison, New Jersey, who became known in the late 2000s under his online screen name “durrrr”. He built his reputation in the highest-stakes online cash games and in televised cash games such as High Stakes Poker, and in May 2023 he won a $3.1 million pot on a live stream, reported at the time as the largest pot ever seen on TV or a live stream. ^{[1][3][6][11]}

Tom Dwan at a poker table in 2008 — “Tom Dwan” by Casino Connection, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Tom Dwan: key facts

Name	Tom Dwan
Nickname	durrrr ^[3]
Country	United States ^[1]
Born	July 30, 1986, Edison, New Jersey ^[3][4]
Known for	High-stakes online and televised cash games; record televised pots
WSOP bracelets	0 (14 WSOP cashes, 7 final tables) ^[2]
Best WSOP finish	2nd, 2010 $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em, $381,885 ^[2]
Largest tournament cash	£656,500 ($793,775), 8th in the 2019 Triton London £250,000 Short Deck ^[1]
Live tournament earnings	$7,335,777 as of October 5, 2026 ^[1]

Early life in New Jersey

Dwan was born and raised in Edison, New Jersey, and grew up as an only child. He played basketball, baseball and soccer as a boy, but did not find a passion in any of them. He discovered hold’em through friends and free games on Empire Poker. ^[4]

After high school he enrolled at Boston University as an engineering student. His poker bankroll grew while his class attendance fell, and he dropped out to play full time. ^[3][4]

Beginning in poker: from $50 to the nosebleeds

Dwan started playing online in 2004, at 17, on Paradise Poker. ^[1] “I convinced my dad to put $50 online for me. I had some Christmas money, so I gave it to him to put on Paradise Poker,” he told Card Player. He began with $6 sit-and-gos, saw his balance drop to $15, rebuilt it and then moved to cash games and to PokerStars. By the end of his senior year of high school, the $50 had become $10,000. ^[4]

He picked the screen name “durrrr” because he wanted something so ridiculous that it would put players who lost to him on tilt. ^[3] In 2006 he and fellow online pro David Benefield bought a house in Fort Worth, Texas, and within a year Dwan was taking shots at $200-$400 No-Limit Hold’em. Just before the 2007 World Series of Poker, his bankroll of around $3 million fell by more than $2 million in four months; he moved down to $25-$50 and rebuilt. ^[4]

Full Tilt Poker became his home site. On December 6, 2008, he won a $657,070 pot at a $500-$1,000 six-max table there, his largest online pot at the time. ^[4] PokerNews estimates that he profited by more than $10 million at Full Tilt alone, although online cash game results are not officially tracked. ^[1] He joined Team Full Tilt in November 2009 ^[8] and parted company with the site in 2013. ^[1] In March 2024 he signed with ACR Poker as an ambassador and host of the streamed cash game “Durrrr’s Game”. ^[12]

Playing style

Dwan is primarily a cash game player, best known for deep-stacked No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha, and in later years for high-stakes Short Deck tournaments. ^[1][4] Card Player described the early “durrrr” as young, ruthless and hyperaggressive. Fellow professionals quoted in the same 2009 profile saw it this way: ^[4]

Barry Greenstein: “Tom is very dangerous and really tough to play against. He’s real active and the kind of player who forces you to play pots with him.” ^[4]
Phil Galfond: “Tom is an enigma. Most players fall into one of a few categories as far as style of play, but Tom kind of created his own.” ^[4]
Nick Schulman: “He’s aggressive when he should be, and he’s passive when he should be.” ^[4]

Greatest achievements

Record televised and streamed pots

High Stakes Poker, season 5: a $919,600 pot against Barry Greenstein, who held pocket aces; Dwan flopped top pair with a flush draw and turned trips. It was the largest pot in televised poker at the time. ^[6]
Full Tilt Poker’s Million Dollar Cash Game, London, 2009: a $1.1 million pot against Phil Ivey, at $1,000/$2,000 blinds with a $200 ante, played after 20 hours at the table. Dwan held the seven and six of hearts for the nut straight against Ivey’s smaller straight with ace-deuce, setting a new televised record. ^[6]
Hustler Casino Live, May 2023: a $3.1 million pot against Wesley Fei in a No-Limit Hold’em game with a $1 million minimum buy-in and $500/$1,000 blinds. Dwan called Fei’s river all-in with pocket queens after nearly four minutes; Fei had ace-high. Yahoo Sports reported it as the largest pot ever seen on TV or a live stream. ^[11]

Selected live tournament results

Year	Event	Result	Prize	Source
2019	Triton London £250,000 Short Deck	8th	£656,500 ($793,775)	[1]
2019	Triton London £100,000 Short Deck	5th	£514,000 ($624,514)	[1]
2010	WSOP $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em (2,563 entries)	2nd	$381,885	[2]
2022	Triton Madrid €30,000 Short Deck	1st	€336,000 ($359,859)	[1]
2007	WPT World Poker Finals, Foxwoods	4th	nearly $325,000	[4]
2014	Aussie Millions A$250,000 Challenge	6th	A$500,000	[9]
2017	Macau Billionaire Poker HK$500,000 Super High Roller	2nd	US$275,000	[9]
2011	WSOP $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship (240 entries)	5th	$134,480	[2]
2008	Aussie Millions A$3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha with rebuys	2nd	A$103,200	[5]
2024	WSOP $10,000 Main Event (10,112 entries)	593rd	$32,500	[2]
2005	EPT London £3,000 Main Event	12th	£7,000	[1]

His first live cash came at 19, at the 2005 EPT London. He was too young to play tournaments in the U.S. until his 21st birthday, so his first WSOP was in 2008, when he finished 8th in both the $10,000 Mixed Event and the $5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw. ^[3][4]

World Series of Poker

Dwan has not won a WSOP bracelet. His WSOP.com profile lists 14 cashes, 7 final tables and $1,350,112 in earnings. His closest call was the 2010 $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event, where he finished 2nd of 2,563 entries. In 2024 he cashed in the Main Event for the first time, finishing 593rd of 10,112 for $32,500, his first WSOP cash since 2011. ^[2]

Heads-up matches against Phil Hellmuth

At the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, the then 22-year-old Dwan knocked out Phil Hellmuth in the first round, cracking his pocket aces with pocket tens. Hellmuth told him: “We’ll see if you’re even around in five years.” Thirteen years later, on August 25, 2021, Dwan beat Hellmuth again in a six-hour match on PokerGO’s High Stakes Duel III, a $100,000 buy-in each, ending Hellmuth’s run of seven straight wins on the show. ^[10]

The Durrrr Challenge

In 2009 Dwan offered to play anyone except his friend Phil Galfond for 50,000 hands of heads-up No-Limit Hold’em or Pot-Limit Omaha at $200/$400 or higher. If the challenger finished ahead, Dwan would pay an extra $1.5 million; if Dwan won, he would collect $500,000. ^[4][13] Patrik Antonius was the first challenger and bought out after falling more than $2 million behind. Daniel “Jungleman” Cates took over in 2010 and built a lead of around $1.2 million across 19,000 hands, but no hands were played after 2013, and the unfinished match turned into a long public dispute. In June 2025 the two settled their feud in a joint GTO Wizard video. ^[13]

A live spin-off, the Full Tilt Poker Durrrr Million Dollar Challenge, was held in November 2009 at Les Ambassadeurs Club in London. Dwan lost $22,500 to Marcello Marigliano, won $68,000 from Ilari Sahamies and won $750,000 from Sammy George. Against George, with a $10,000 bonus for winning a pot with seven-deuce, Dwan pushed for $400,000 on a board of J-A-6-3-3 holding 7-2, and George folded aces and sixes. ^[7]

In his own words

“I just gamble and hope I win.” Asked what makes him successful, in a remark Card Player described as sarcastic, 2009. ^[4]
“Right now, at the highest stakes, no one has an understanding of no-limit hold’em or pot-limit Omaha that is much above anyone else, meaning that the best player and the next-nine-best can play together. You just need to adapt to your opponents.” 2009. ^[4]
“I don’t get enough people to play me heads up.” On launching his heads-up challenge, 2009. ^[4]
“I’m really excited to be joining the ACR team.” On signing with ACR Poker, March 2024. ^[12]

Iconic hands and moments

Tom Dwan vs. Patrik Antonius on Poker After Dark

A $561,800 pot from Poker After Dark, published by PokerGO. ^[15]

Tom Dwan on High Stakes Poker

PokerGO’s compilation of Dwan’s hands on High Stakes Poker. ^[16]

FAQ about Tom Dwan

How old is Tom Dwan?

Tom Dwan was born on July 30, 1986, so he is 40 as of October 5, 2026. He turned 21 on July 30, 2007. ^[3][4]

Why is Tom Dwan called “durrrr”?

“durrrr” is his online screen name. He has said he chose a name that sounded so ridiculous that it would put players who lost to him on tilt. ^[3]

What is Tom Dwan’s net worth?

There is no reliable public figure for his net worth. What can be verified is his live tournament record: $7,335,777 in earnings as of October 5, 2026, according to PokerNews. Card Player, which also counts confirmed real-name online results, lists $6,790,492. Most of his career has been spent in cash games, whose results are not officially published. ^[1][14]

Is Tom Dwan married?

We could not find a reliable source that confirms a marriage, so this profile does not name a spouse. The poker press sources used here cover his career, not his family life. ^[1]

Has Tom Dwan won a WSOP bracelet?

No. His WSOP.com profile shows 14 cashes and 7 final tables without a bracelet. His best result is 2nd place in the 2010 $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event for $381,885. ^[2]

Has Tom Dwan played the WSOP Main Event?

Yes. In 2024 he finished 593rd of 10,112 entries for $32,500, his first WSOP cash since 2011. ^[2]

What is the biggest pot Tom Dwan has won?

The $3.1 million pot he won against Wesley Fei on Hustler Casino Live in May 2023, calling an all-in bluff with pocket queens. ^[11]

What is Tom Dwan’s biggest tournament cash?

£656,500 ($793,775) for 8th place in the £250,000 Short Deck event at Triton London in August 2019. ^[1]