07 Jannuary 2014
Most poker players would jump at the chance to be sponsored by a poker room. In fact, most players are so eager to have the opportunity that they accept the obligations these contracts represent without question.
However, as it is in all facets of life, not all people are made alike and, in this case, the example is Tom "durrrr" Dwan. Apparently, he did not put in the effort to renew his contract with Full Tilt Poker's team, The Professionals.
Much has been speculated about the reasons behind this situation, since no official reason has been given. There are three theories amongst the poker community, though.
The first relates to Dwan's lack of professionalism, something that
Daniel Negreanu himself denounced when Dwan arrived late to a scheduled showdown between
Team PokerStars Pro and The Professionals.
"If you are a sponsored player and get paid," said Daniel, "you must do it right or you're disrespecting your organization. If you're not ready, then don't take the job."
Another option making the rounds in poker forums is the hypothesis that Tom has no appetite to deal with the media, shying away from interviews and promotional events. This doesn't mean that Dwan has breached his contractual obligations (no one's really sure of that), just that other sponsored players are doing more to represent their rooms.
Last (but not least), money seems to be a very valid reason. Although he has made more than $700k playing online poker in 2013, Dwan surely prefers playing against wealthy Asian businessmen than against online sharks.
