
[toc]Poker After Dark, the popular poker television show, made a comeback this week. However, truthfully, it could have easily been called The Tom Dwan Show.
Dwan, after spending a few years under the radar in Asia, returned to the U.S. to participate in the show. The event was hosted by Aria Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was broadcast live on PokerGO’s subscription-based streaming service.
Three cash game sessions took place, each featuring a unique line-up. Dwan, more commonly recognized by his online alias “durrrr”, participated in all three sessions.
Dwan won high six figures after three sessions
Once the three-day period concluded, Dwan was ahead by more than $500,000. He undoubtedly had a significant victory. However, a closer look at the crucial plays can provide some insight into his excellent performance during the sessions.
During the inaugural night, he drew pocket aces preflop in a pot where Daniel Negreanu held queens and Antonio Esfandiari had kings. In a showdown between Esfandiari and Dwan, they went all-in, creating a pot worth $700,000. Despite running it twice, Dwan’s aces remained unchallenged, earning him the entire pot.
The subsequent night saw Andrew Robl and the renowned poker legend Doyle Brunson join the line-up. Despite the action being $200/$400 no-limit hold’em, Robl chose to buy in for an incredible $1 million due to straddles being in play. In total, there was over $3 million up for grabs on the table.
In the second session, Dwan ended up with more than $1 million. He increased his stack by beating millionaire Bill Klein, who had two pairs against Dwan’s set. Dwan further boosted his stack when he and Jean-Robert Bellande both flopped a set, but Dwan’s was larger. Bellande did manage to fold on the river, but it still resulted in Dwan winning $575,000 from the hand.
Brunson left an impression on Poker After Dark too
Brunson took to Twitter the next morning to comment on Dwan’s lucky streak.
You should have witnessed his performance last night! There was a time when I was young and could grab every opportunity like he does now. #poorJRB https://t.co/l99Sr4MjiM
This was posted by Doyle Brunson (@TexDolly) on August 16, 2017.
Defending Brunson, he was his own harshest critic. Originally, he was slated to play on the third night but he withdrew himself. He stated that his game wasn’t up to the standard required to participate in such high stakes.
Thank you for the compliments on my poker game last night. It’s true, I didn’t have the best cards for most of the night and I was a bit out of my comfort zone. It’s been a while since I last played.
Doyle Brunson (@TexDolly) posted this on August 16, 2017.
I’m uncertain about participating in tonight’s Poker After Dark game. It’s going to be a major event and I’m unsure if my skills are up to par.
From Doyle Brunson (@TexDolly), posted on August 16, 2017.
Brunson didn’t participate. Instead, “Aussie” Matt Kirk stepped into the action.
Dwan and Poker After Dark had fans feeling nostalgic
During the Poker After Dark sessions, social media was buzzing. There was a substantial amount of criticism, particularly due to the limited graphics package that frustrated viewers as it did not display the position at the table or bet sizes.
A lot of the remaining conversation was fueled by enthusiasm for the large prizes. This reminded many of the golden age of online poker, when players eagerly watched high-stakes cash games where Dwan was a prominent figure.
Regrettably for the show and PokerGO, it’s impossible to preplan a popular player out-performing everyone else. Therefore, it’s uncertain if upcoming Poker After Dark episodes will maintain the excitement of this one. As for Dwan, it’s unclear if this implies his re-emergence on the scene or if he will recede back under the radar, now considerably richer.