Is The "durrrr" Challenge Losing Steam?

A few of you have probably been wondering the same thing we have about the "durrrr" Challenge. Namely, why does it seem to be moving at a snail's pace, especially given the amount of press attention it received?

To give you an idea of where the challenge stands, 3 pros accepted the offer: Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey, and David Benyamine. Antonius is the first one up the bat and each match goes at least 50,000 hands.


















As of yesterday, just over 5,000 hands have been played. And we're still on Phase 1: durrrr vs. Antonius. Geez, at this pace, it'll be 2014 before the challenge is over.

Some folks are speculating that poor 'ole Tom "durrrr" Dwan is trying to recoup some of his 2009 losses by hitting the $500/$1,000 tables. That might be true. Especially since Antonius pinned Dwan for another $87,000 yesterday (Monday).


















With the 2009 WSOP coming around the corner (it starts May 27th), time is going to get even more limited for these guys. We'll be lucky if they finish Phase 1 this year.


Phil Hellmuth Talks Trash

Ah, Phil Hellmuth, one of the gentlemen of poker. An ambassador of tact and poise. True believer in the "never let 'em see you sweat" ideology.

















Of course, everyone has moments of lapse and our good man Hellmuth is no exception.

He was recently playing Limit Hold'em against Matt "Hoss_TBF" Hawrilenko over at UltimateBet. Things weren't going well for Phil. A few bad beats down the road and his normal genteel sophistication gave way to a rolling rant. Here's an excerpt:

PHILHELLMUTH: u morons cannot even play LH right, how U gonna beat

PHILHELLMUTH: raise and bet every street

PHILHELLMUTH: what a joke

PHILHELLMUTH: this ***cin moron turn firing OP [over playing] MF

PHILHELLMUTH: OP everyhandPHILHELLMUTH: brutal

PHILHELLMUTH: I never hit vs the moron

PHILHELLMUTH: fuyck

PHILHELLMUTH: RWGHwwshnjEDTYuj

PHILHELLMUTH: 35WR

Hawrilenko tries to calm and console Phil with sage advice...

HOSS_TBF: there is a program called mavis beacon teaches typing which

HOSS_TBF: i found very useful and you may as well

You can enjoy a nice transcript of the courtly exchange between Hellmuth and Hawrilenko at Hawrilenko's blog.

In the aftermath of the emotional trainwreck, Phil had this to say...

"Why should I have any negativity in my life at all?" Hellmuth wrote. "I am already super super positive, but why not kick it up another notch? The 'New Phil' will try his hardest to never berate another player again. It hurts them, and it hurts me when I get that emotional."















Hmmm... be wary of anybody who refers to themselves in the third person.

We're just sayin'.

Another week, another wrap. To recap...

1. We may never see the end of the "durrrr" challenge.
2. Phil Hellmuth could probably use some anger management classes. Of course, trainwrecks are far more entertaining.

That's us bringing you the poker news that's fit to print (or upload).

See you next week...