Durr Challenge: Another 2 040 hands played in online poker marathon

10/29/09 – It was only sheer exhaustion that stopped Tom Dwan from continuing to play beyond 2 040 hands in his latest 50 000 hand Challenge match against Patrik Antonius this week. The two called it a night in the wee small hours of the morning, promising to continue later.
 
The two pros met again in an online clash almost three weeks since their last Challenge encounter, which saw the Challenge at last pass the half way stage.
 
In the latest battle some $19 million crossed the table, bringing the total amount wagered so far to an imprssive $217 037 659, according to independent statistics from MarketPulse.
 
Antonius and Dwan went at it from early afternoon to around 2am the following morning, taking brief breaks for sustenance and relaxation. 22 $100 000+ pots were contested, with the largest a massive $293 000, won by Dwan. His luck continued to hold, and he took the two other largest pots as well, enabling him to end the session $81 000 in profit, and extending his overall lead in the Challenge to $779 248.
 
The Challenge has now seen 27 185 hands played, or 54 percent of the target 50 000 reached.