Pro poker player Tom Dwan has revealed some details of how he went from a business class flight to being involuntarily committed at a mental health clinic in London.
Dwan stayed at the Park Royal Centre for Mental Health in London for around two weeks in the spring last year.
In an interview with CardPlayer this week, Dwan said a strange flight from Los Angeles to London preceded being taken to the facility against his will.
“I was flying to meet with a gambling boss who is also a friend,” Dwan explained. “Some things happened on the flight that were unusual, to say the least. I was told that there was no WIFI when there obviously was. I had three glasses of wine and fell asleep.”
Reality Blurred
Dwan then awoke to an even stranger scene. In his words, he said, “When I woke up, a woman was having a heart attack on the floor next to me, even though all the seats in business class were taken. It didn’t make sense why she would be in that location.”
He added, “I was instructed not to get out of my seat. They didn’t want me to go to the bathroom and wouldn’t let me move back to coach. I was told that the seats were all taken, but they weren’t. It was very weird.”
In a tweet after the flight, he claimed to be the subject of a planned conspiracy.
On the day he landed, Dwan began posting a series of worrying messages. The New Jersey native appealed for help from the US embassy and JD Vance.
Upon landing at Heathrow Airport, he was not met by his friend’s driver, as he expected. Instead, he said only that he “had a process” and arrived at Hillingdon Hospital an hour or two later.
It appears this is when he started posting on X, appealing for help. His last post on April 29 claimed he was drugged.
He now acknowledges “processing some versions of details or reality wrong at some point,” but still claims that “the majority was mostly on point.”
Sweeping Claims of Maltreatment
Dwan also alleges he was forcibly restrained by police officers, who he thinks may have broken his rib. The day after the flight, he posted on X:
He continued to post messages appealing for help from his hospital bed, claiming on numerous occasions that he was being drugged, held against his will, and threatened.
The messages stopped on April 30 when it appears he was taken to the Park Royal Centre for Mental Health. His next message was on May 17, when he claimed that staff had coerced him into sending an update saying he felt better.
A later post threatened to file legal action against the facility over allegations that they drugged him, took his phone, denied him medical care, and the right to contact friends and family. There is no record of any lawsuits being filed.
Dwan Denies Rumors of Massive Debts
At his peak online, Dwan was reportedly winning millions per month, sometimes tens of millions, in the biggest games. He served as an ambassador for Trinity, attending £1 million buy-in games.
Despite winning some huge tournaments in the past, he is rumored to be in debt of as much as $30 million. However, he denies these claims, blaming Nikhil “Airball” Arcott and Doug Polk for spreading misinformation.
“F***ing Airball,” he says, “who owed me money at the time, and still does, started this rumor that I owe $30 million. Then Doug reinforced it. They both know it’s not true. Airball was trying to steal VIPs for his game, and Doug was doing his shenanigans.”
He claims the amount he owes is small, adding that it is, “Mostly to a few close friends, not a big deal, and way less than what was put out there. It’s also less than money owed to me, which, unfortunately, I’ll probably never see.”
Slowly Stepping Back Into Spotlight
The incident last year, either its causes or its fallout, appears to have damaged the now 39-year-old, who began his poker career over 20 years ago.
“Things f***ing stress me out now,” he said. “I used to be able to deal with so much. In 2020, I got brought into the middle of a f***ing triad war, for a moment, without intending to, and I handled it. I solved that situation without many headaches.”
“But, right now, I’d rather not play high stakes. Part of it is that I am cash short. Let’s just say that some people have been difficult with me. And part of it is that I can have a higher chance of losing in heavy situations than I did a few years ago.”
He recently played his first tournament in months.
“It was a $500 buy-in, and I dusted $2,000,” he says. “No big thing.”
He added, “I’m very slowly stepping back into the spotlight.”
