Monday November 23, 2020 at 6:00 pm

Poker King produced a new video featuring one of their ambassadors, Tom Dwan. Dwan sat down with pro Nick Shulman to discuss how he was able to stay ahead of the curve in the high stakes realm with PLO and Short Deck poker. Many pros regard Dwan as one of the Top 5 Short Deck players in the world, but he's been playing and studying the games much longer during his time playing nose bleed stakes in Macau and Asia.

DurrrrDwanVid

It's time to listen to what Durrrrr has to say. Anything Tom Dwan can share tips and advice on how to play better poker, then you should listen. Ivey and Dwan recently joined a new site, Poker King, as their brand ambassadors. They both played high-stakes games in Asia in recent years because that's where the whales and action was located. In a short time, Dwan became one of the top Short Deck players in the world. The game has been a huge rage and hit in Asia, because there's a slight more gambling element to it. Many different new games and formats pop up every few years, but Short Deck is here to stay. The WSOP finally added Short Deck to its schedule of events and it looks like it's here to stay.

Short Deck has taken a little while longer to take root in the Americas, but high stakes pros have been playing it overseas for many years. Dwan was one of the first Americans to sample the derivative of Texas Hold'em minus the low cards (2-3-4-5 pulled out of the deck). His prowess as a PLO guru helped him accelerate the learning curve.

"Any time you change the game, some neat stuff will happen," said Dwan. "Short deck has a lot of cool stuff."

According to Nick Shulman, Dwan became one of the "Top 3 to 5 short deck players in the world People talk about you like you're a savant."

"I was playing short-deck before a lot of people," explained Dwan. "There was a time when I was way ahead of everyone because no pros were playing it. I have been working on it for two years and at high-stakes."

Shulman wondered if Dwan's exquisite PLO background helped him become one of the premier short-deck players in the world. "You have to get it more all-in with PLO. You have to accept that that needs to happen sometimes," commented Shulman.

"Up until a year ago, lot of people where thinking about the game wrong," explained Dwan. "A few had an idea, but not a lot of people. There's intuitive spots that people missed because they were new to the game and they'd miss high-value spots."

Dwan observed that many pros clearly did their Short Deck homework with solver work, but they wouldn't be able to execute in cash games because pros were folding too much in spots were they had to take a risk in a high-leverage pot.

"That's most of your (potential) earning in this game, what are you doing?!"

There's a gamboool aspect of Short Deck, which appealed to high-stakes gamblers in Asia, much like how PLO became a huge hit in Europe during the online poker boom. Omaha, especially PLO, had been an action game for many gamblers in the Southern USA. While most live card rooms and casinos focused on Texas Hold'em, Omaha8 or Stud... PLO quickly spread via the internet.

PokerStars added Short Deck to their platform, but called it 6+ Holdem. More Europeans and South Americans are warming up to Short Deck.

"It's not that hard to be a moderate dog in Short Deck. That's important because it makes for a good gambling game. It's already big in Asia, but it's starting to pick up."

Shulman commented that Dwan is still sort of a mystery because he's never easy to read, which has been true for over a decade, and he tries to do "crazy or unconventional stuff."

Dwan admitted he did goofy things every once in a while, but it didn't always work. But he was willing to admit when he went wrong and adjusted accordingly. When things went right, it gave him more leeway to keep trying new things with an outside the box approach.

When Dwan first crashed the scene and the 20-something took on the old guard, he felt he had an edge in some spots with his high-stakes approach. He had more room to work with against older players that were slow to adjust to the modern game (circa 2010). Dwan also chalked up his success to "lucky timing" during this adjustment period in the wake of the glorious poker boom. It took Doyle Brunson 20 years to develop his style and gain experience, whereas in less than two years of grinding high-volume online, Dwan reached the highest level.

These days, the best high-stakes players are polished, so there's no as much room to operate and do crazy stuff.

"I had a sick run in short-deck when I was ready to get away with murder just because people didn't understand the game," said Dwan. He had a similar experience when he took his first shots at nosebleed games a decade earlier.

Check out the Poker King video featuring Nick Shulman interviewing Tom Dwan about short deck and other high stakes approaches...

Latest news
Wednesday June 11, 2025 at 12:08 pm
2025 WSOP: Chang Lee wins $25K High Roller, Xixiang Luo and John Racener snag third bling

At the 2025 WSOP, Chang Lee won his first bracelet and nearly $1.95 million in Event #26 $25,000 High Roller. Then Xixiang Luo was the last player standing in Event #24 $1,500 PLO Double Board Bomb Pot. Luo won his third bracelet and $290,400. John Racener also won his third bracelet in Event #34 $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty. In a shark-heavy field, Nick Guagenti outlasted a star-studded and tough final table to win Event #25 $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship. Over in Event #28 Mixed $600 NLH/PLO Deepstack, Tyler Brown emerged victorious for his second bracelet. Other first-time winners included Igor Zektser in Event #27 $1,500 Big O, Courtenay Williams outlasted a massive field to win Event #19 $500 COLOSSUS for $542,540, Mark Darner took down Event #29 $2,500 NLH, and Jonathan Stoeber prevailed in Event #31 $800 NLH Deepstack.

Sunday June 8, 2025 at 1:25 pm
2025 WSOP: Blaz Zerjav takes down $25K High Roller 6-Handed for $1.7M

Slovenia's Blaz Zerjav was the last player standing in 2025 WSOP Event #22 $25,000 High Roller NL 6-Handed to win his first bracelet and $1.7 million in cash. Scott Bohlman won his second bracelet in Event #17 $2,000 NLH, which paid out $436K. Ryan Hoenig navigated a tough final table to win Event #18 $10,000 Dealers Choice 6-Handed Championship for $354,444. Michael Lavin secured his second bracelet in Event #20 $1,500 NL Shootout which paid out $267,373. Zachary Zaret won his first bracelet when he outlasted a stacked final table in Event #21 $1,500 PLO, which paid out $248,245. Brazil's Aloisio Dourado won his first bracelet in Event #23 $1,500 Badugi for $138,114.

Friday June 6, 2025 at 11:40 am
2025 WSOP: Benny Glaser wins bracelet #7, Lou Garza ships $25K High Roller Mixed

Only a couple of days after English pro Benny Glaser won his sixth bracelet, he joined the WSOP Seven-Timers Club after a victory in Event #15 $1,500 Mixed Pot-Limit Omaha 8 worth $258,193. Glaser becomes the first dual-bracelet winner in 2025. Lou Garza won his second bracelet and a score worth $1.3 million in Event #14 $25,000 High Roller PLO/NLH Mixed. Also, Chris Staats faded field of 2,354 runners to win Event #13 $1,500 6-Handed NLH for his second bracelet.

Wednesday June 4, 2025 at 3:13 pm
2025 WSOP: Benny Glasser snags #6, Brad Ruben wins #5, Artur Martirosian ships $25K Heads-Up

The second week of the 2025 WSOP included a couple of big events and major milestones. English pro and mixed-game specialist Benny Glasser secured his sixth WSOP bracelet and joined the Six-Timers Club when he shipped Event #8 $1,500 Dealer's Choice for $150,246. Brad Ruben won his fifth bracelet in five years when he took down Event #12 $1,500 NL 2-7 Lowball Draw. Fan-favorite Daniel Negreanu had a shot at winning bracelet #8 in Event #9 $10,000 Omaha 8 Championship, but he'd finish in second place after losing to Ryan Bambrick heads up. Artur Martirosian secured his third bracelet with a victory in Event #7 $25,000 Heads Up Championship when he picked off Aliaksei Boika for $500,000. Michael Wilklow banked a cool million by outlasting 19,654 players to win Event #1 $1,000 Mystery Millions.

Sunday June 1, 2025 at 9:18 pm
2025 WSOP: Dan Heimiller, Antonio Galiana, David Shmuel, Bruno Furth win bracelets in first week

The 2025 World Series of Poker is underway in Las Vegas at the Paris Casino and Horseshoe Casino. Several players added additional bracelets to their collection. Spanish pro Antonio Galiana won his second bracelet in WSOP Event #3 $5,000 8-Handed NLH worth $582K. David Shmuel was the last player standing in Event #4 $1,500 Omaha 8. It's another PLO win for Bruno Furth, who snagged his second bracelet with a victory in Event #5 $5,000 PLO for $620,696. Dan Heimiller won his third bracelet in Event #6 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud.

Tuesday May 20, 2025 at 2:12 pm
PokerStars NAPT Las Vegas returns to Resorts World in November

Get ready for the third installment of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT), which return to Las Vegas. Resorts World will host another 10-day festival of tournament poker between November 3 to 12. The NAPT Las Vegas Main Event has a $5,300 buy-in and $3 million guarantee, which begins November 6. The diverse schedule includes events with buy-ins ranging from $330 to $50,000 including a Women's High Roller.

Monday May 12, 2025 at 2:32 pm
Aleksandr Shevliakov wins 2025 EPT Monte Carlo Main Event for €1M

Russia's Aleksandr Shevliakov won an online qualifier via PokerStars and parlayed his €530 satellite seat into €1,000,000 when he won the 2025 EPT Monte Carlo Main Event. The €5,300 buy-in Main Event was the second-largest field in history with 1,195 total entries. The prize pool was a smidge under €5.8 million with a cool million set aside for the champion. Shevliakov defeated Khossein Kokhestani heads-up for the title. The final table also included Boris Angelov, Enrico Coppola, Mariusz Golinski, and Jamil Wakil.

Wednesday April 30, 2025 at 2:57 pm
2025 WSOP Online: Bracelet schedule released

The World Series of Poker released the 2025 WSOP Online schedule with 30 bracelets up for grabs beginning May 31 through July 15. Pennsylvania became the fourth state to joined the shred liquidity pact, so the residents of the Keystone State can complete with residents of Nevada, New Jersey, and Michigan for bracelets at WSOP Online. Five events, including four High Rollers, will begin online with the final table hosted live at the Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. There's also $5.5 million in guaranteed prize pools with buy-ins starting as low as $250.

Friday April 18, 2025 at 4:56 pm
Shannon Shorr snags 2025 US Poker Open championship

The 2025 US Poker Open concluded at the Aria Casino in Las Vegas. Shannon Shorr won two events with victories in Event #5 $10,100 NLH and Event #8 $25,200 NLH to lock up the coveted golden eagle trophy awarded to the player of the series. Shorr edged out Matthew Wantman, who won Event #4 $10,100 NLH, and final tabled three events. Other winners in the USPO high roller series included Kristen Foxen, Kazuomi Furuse, Michael Rossitto, Brandon Wilson, and Alex Foxen.

Monday April 7, 2025 at 3:19 pm
2025 PGT: Jesse Lonis named PLO Series champion

The 2025 PGT PLO Series concluded at the Aria Casino in Las Vegas. After 11 events, American pro Jesse Lonis earned Player of the Series Champion honors with the top spot on the leaderboard. Lonis cashed in five events and shipped Event #9 $15,100 PLO for a $204,750 score, and held off Alex Foxen to earn the PLO series overall title. Some of the more recent winners included Christopher Costa, Dylan Smith, Bryce Yockey, Jim Collopy, and Zachary Schwartz.

Sunday March 30, 2025 at 2:59 pm
PGT PLO Series: Chino Rheem, Daniel Negreanu, Ky Nguyen, Billy Tarango win events

The 2025 PGT PLO Series is underway at the Aria Casino in Las Vegas. The latest high-roller PLO series features 11 events and four are in the books. Ky "SuitedSuperman" Nguyen shipped Event #1 $5,100 PLO. In the second one, Blly Tarango took down Event #2 $5,100 PLO Progressive Bounty. The third one made history when Daniel Negreanu set a record with his 11th PGT title after he binked Event #3 $5,100 PLO. The latest winner is Chino Rheem after he won Event #4 $10,100 PLO for a $295,000 score.

Wednesday March 12, 2025 at 2:55 pm
2025 Triton Jeju: Wenjie Huang, Joao Vieira, Punnat Punsri big winners

The 2025 Triton high roller series in Jeju, South Korea continued. Some winners over the last week included Bryn Kenny, Sean Winter, Joao Vieira, Punnat Punsri, Gergo Nagy, Tom-Aksel Bedell, Wenjie Huang, Mario Mosbock, and Anatoly Filatov. Joao Vieira shipped Event #9 $150,000 NLH Eight Max for a hefty $4.6 million score when he faded 128 runners. Wenjie Huang banked $5.55 million when he took down Event #11 $100,000 NLH Main Event, which attracted 285 entrants. Thai pro Punsri snagged nearly $2.6 million for winning Event #12 $125,000 No-Limit Hold'em Seven Max.

Friday March 7, 2025 at 3:46 pm
2025 PGT Mixed Games: Chino Rheem snags series championship

American pro Chino Rheem won his second PGT Mixed Games series championship and secured the top spot on the leaderboard for the 2025 PGT Mixed Games series with 384 points. Rheem won Event #4 $10,200 Eight Game Mix and cashed three times for $348,500. He was awarded a PGT Gold Cup and a $10,000 PGT Passport as the series champion. Other winners in this seven-event series included Daniel Negreanu, James Obst, Nicolas Milgrom, Ryan Miller, Maxx Coleman, and Adam Friedman.

Monday March 3, 2025 at 4:07 pm
2025 Triton Jeju: Jeremy Ausmus, Ramin Hajiyev, Zhao Hongjun, Tuck Foo Wai win titles

The 2025 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Jeju, South Korea is in full swing at the Landing Casino with an 18-day festival. The first event set a new record with 379 runners, and Zhao Hongjun banked $818,000 for his victory in Event #1 $15,000 NLH. Foo Wai snagged $1.35 million for his win in Event #2 $20,000 NLH. Amrerican pro Jeremy Ausmus shipped Event #3 $25,000 NLH, which was another record-setting affair with 391 runners, and he banked almost $1.9 million. Ramin Hajiyev was the last player standing in Event #5 $30,000 NLH, and he won over $1.5 million for outlasting a field of 252 entries.

Wednesday February 19, 2025 at 4:32 pm
Phil Hellmuth skipping the 2025 WSOP Main Event

The World Series of Poker released their schedule for the 2025 WSOP this week. Phil Hellmuth, the 1989 WSOP Main Event Champion and all-time bracelet leader with 17, said he will not play in this year's WSOP Main Event. Hellmuth released a video explaining why he's not playing because he lacks the stamina at 60 years old to play the Main Event due to its grueling schedule and long days.

Tuesday February 18, 2025 at 3:01 pm
2025 WSOP schedule released

The 2025 World Series of Poker will begin on May 27 and run through July 16 at the Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas on the Strip. The 2025 WSOP will have 100 bracelet events kicking off with Event #1 Mystery Millions with at least $1 million set aside to first place and a $1 million top bounty. The 2025 WSOP Main Event will begin on July 2 with Day 1A and a new champion will be crowned on July 16.

Monday February 10, 2025 at 8:24 pm
Mississippi Grind: 10 Years Later

Ten years have almost passed since the release of "Mississippi Grind" with Ben Mendelsohn and Ryan Reynolds. The 2015 film directed by Anna Bolden and Ryan Fleck holds up as one of the better poker and gambling films. Very few films have come out since "Rounders" that can match the gritty nature of the gambling world, but "Mississippi Grind" came the closest.

Thursday January 30, 2025 at 5:31 pm
Circus Circus owner seeks $5 billion for sale

Phil Ruffin purchased the Circus Circus Casino in 2019 and six years later he's looking to flip it for more nearly six times the price. Ruffin's asking price is $5 billion for Circus Circus and the adjacent property that includes over 100 aces in the North end of the Las Vegas Strip. Whomever buys the property will certainly implode Circus Circus Casino and the area is rumored to be redevloped as a mega-resort casino, a new NBA arena, or a film studio.

Tuesday January 21, 2025 at 7:46 pm
Phil Hellmuth joins BetRivers as new ambassador

Phil Hellmuth has a new gaming sponsor. The 17-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and well-known 'Poker Brat' joins BetRivers as their newest brand ambassador. Hellmuth will take on an expanded role in the BetRivers Network which also includes an uptick in appearances on Poker Night in America. He will also be pitching their new online poker platform, which is currently live in Pennsylvania, and has plans to expand to other states. Hellmuth will attend Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans as one of his first major public appearances for BetRivers.

Free tournaments and added prizes

The Club Poker organizes freerolls and special tournaments with added prizes.
To qualify for free, register on our poker partners websites: