January 7, 2009 — U.K. Poker News is reporting that three "of the most intimidating names in live and online poker" have accepted Thomas 'Durrr' Dwan's recent, well-publicized "3-to-1" challenge
"I'm making this heads-up challenge to the world," Dwan told Bluff Magazine last week. "Anyone can accept. Four tables, minimum of $200/$400, and I’ll put up $1.5 million to their $500,000. We play 50,000 hands minimum and if they end up a dollar after rake they keep the side money or whatever. So basically, if you and I played and you won a dollar, you would get my $1.5 million and if I won a dollar I would win your $500,000. So I'm giving a million dollars free if anyone thinks they can do it."
And the three top-tier players who have accepted the challenge? David Benyamine, Phil Ivey, and Patrik Antonius.
Receiving the most attention of these three is Phil Ivey. Ivey, who announced that he would accept Dwan's challenge yesterday, admitted that he may be in for a run for his money.
"You know what, the funny thing is he probably does have an edge," PokerListings quoted Ivey as saying. "But you know, like, I don't know, it's just something tempting about that million and a half to that $500,000."
The PokerListings article continues: "He admits durrrr will initially have the edge as he adjusts to playing four tables at once, but he's counting on durrrr not realizing how many hands 50,000 hands really is. He'll have time to catch up, and it's likely someone will go broke in this challenge."
Read the PokerListings story here. Read the U.K. Poker News report here.