Million Dollar Challenge: Marcello Marigliano

Tuesday’s opening round action in the live version of the Tom “durrrr” Dwan Million Dollar Challenge saw the youngster tango with Marcello “luckexpress” Marigliano. In the end, Marigliano edged Dwan by $22,500.

Each player bought in for $250,000 and after 12 hours had elapsed, the duo called it a night, as 500 hands had played out. When the smoke cleared, Marigliano owned a stack of $272,500, a $22,500 gain at the expense of Dwan representing an hourly rate of nearly $1,900. According to stats released by Million Dollar Challenge organizers Matchroom Sport, Dwan won 55% of the hands played to Marigliano’s 45%. In addition, Dwan raised on the button 84% of the time. However, the financial edge went to Marigliano, who told organizers, “In the end, I won a small amount, but I’m happy, though, as I won with bluffs. He raised a lot pre-flop and you have to play tight, but I made some good moves and I’m happy I proved I can play with Tom.”

Each player had his swings throughout the half-day marathon. Marigliano put in a bluff with king-high, scooping a massive $100,000 pot, and further helped his cause by flopping a boat with A-3 on a board of A-A-3. Then, his run continued. The press release distributed by Matchroom Sport relays a hand in which both combatants held hearts: “Durrrr with six-deuce, Marigliano with queen-seven – and two hearts came on the flop. Marcello was all-in before the ace of hearts on the turn gave him the pot and a healthy lead over Dwan before they moved to Pot Limit Omaha.”

Dwan fought back during the hour-long session of Pot Limit Omaha, the only time the players deviated from No Limit Hold’em. On his performance, Dwan noted, “It was a really aggressive match. There was a time when Marcello folded 20 hands in a row then the next hand he picked up a gutshot and decided to win the $150,000 out there. But he made two really good reads and without either one of them, he ends up down $50,000 or so, but instead he’s up. It was an interesting match – of course I wish I’d won.”

Dwan will have 12 hours to recoup before facing Power Poker front man Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies at 2:00pm local time in London today. Sahamies and Dwan will face off in 500 hands of Pot Limit Omaha. Heading into the festivities in the European city, each player was set to buy in for $500,000 and blinds began at $500/$1,000. The event is playing out at the Les Ambassadeurs Club in Mayfair and is being filmed for television. The end product will air on Sky Sports in 2010.

After Sahamies, Dwan will face Sammy “Any Two” George on Thursday, with the two squaring off in 500 hands of No Limit Hold’em. In all matches held as part of the Million Dollar Challenge, neither player is permitted to leave the table until 500 hands are up or someone is broke. The festivities are sponsored by Full Tilt Poker, which recently signed Dwan to become the site’s newest sponsored pro.

The log of live Durrrr Challenge hands on Matchroom Sport’s website shows that nearly all pots were raised pre-flop, with bets on the flop taking them down with high frequency. Hole cards were revealed to Matchroom officials through the day. Other Full Tilt Poker pros including Roland de Wolfe stopped by throughout the proceedings in London to check in on the action.

The action between Dwan and Sahamies has been face-paced in the opening minutes, as the pair played 50 hands in the first hour, with over 60% of them won by Dwan. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the Million Dollar Challenge in London.

Photo courtesy Matchroom Poker/Simon O’Connor.

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Poker terminology:

ON THE COME - A situation where the player does not have a complete hand but hopes to make one if the right cards come up.
OVERCALL - To call a bet after one or more players already called.
BLANK - Used in describing stud and Hold'em games. Refers to a dealt card that does not offer any value; stating the actual rank and suit would detract from a description of the hand. "The last card was a blank.".
THIRD STREET - In Stud, the third card dealt to each player.
BAD-BEAT JACKPOT - In some cardrooms, a prize that is shared by the players in a game, when a very good hand (usually Aces full, or better) is beaten by a higher hand. Jackpots are usually financed by taking a drop ($1 is a common amount) from every pot. A typical division of the jackpot will give the losing hand 50 %, the winning hand 25 %, and the other players at the table share the remaining 25 % of the Jackpot.
BACK DOOR - Applies to a hand that was made in the last card or two, specifically not a hand the player was originally planning on having. Most often applied to straights and flushes.

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