Online Poker

Going by the number of hands and frequency of the last 10 sessions of the 'durrrr' Challenge, it's looking like I was right about the need for a short time limit on these things. We can currently expect another 10 months of playtime if we take the past 10 sessions as a guide - though that's probably too optimistic. If we just look at the time it took to play the hands in the last 5 sessions... it's looking more like 14 to 15 months.

That's right, it could easily be more than a year until the completion of the first 'durrrr' Challenge. At this point, I think it would be a great idea for Full Tilt Poker to add some kind of incentive for Patrik Antonius to get back to the Challenge tables. He's at an incredible disadvantage now, and to be honest, there's really no reason any poker player of his calibre would keep playing at this point unless he was enticed to do so... or obliged. Yes, this assumes that it's Antonius that is delaying, but why would Dwan not want to get this done with and collect an extra $500K? If it all ends up in some kind of lawsuit, I won't be shocked.

I have some ideas for rules in any future 'durrrr' challenges:

1. Time limit of one year for the whole challenge (hopefully less)
2. At least half the hands to be completed by 6 month mark
3. A maximum win amount - if one player is up by an agreed on amount, the Challenge is over
4. A partially set schedule - one game guaranteed per month, minimum of 3 hours (preferably more, but the players will need flexibility)
5. Penalties for missing scheduled games

Maybe those rules would help, maybe they need a little more thought. I'd be interested in what everyone out there thinks. Mostly I just think there needs to be a way to keep the Challenges within a reasonable time limit, and for the challengers to have a reasonable total risk to their bankroll.

What do you think about the situation? Does someone like Full Tilt Poker need to step in and convince the two to play through the rest of the Challenge quickly? Tell us what you think in the comments.

PS: I apologize for the title pun. I could resist no longer!

-Shad