It seems like an age ago that a thin sliver of the poker hierarchy believed that Phil Galfond was nothing but an accidental tourist with no business stepping into the high stakes realm.
An age ago.
On the weekend, the Run It Once Poker star found time to exchange blows with ‘ActionFreak’ throughout a 716-hand stretch that netted him a €48,169.76 profit.
While the ebb and flow of these matches produce arbitrary wins and losses, this one felt timely, given that ‘ActionFreak’ had won four of the previous five sessions including a mammoth €256,044 victory on Day 9 (the second largest of the series after Galfond collected €310,594.59 on Day 3).
As the architectural delight of the weekend loomed into view, ‘ActionFreak’ knitted together back-to-back wins on Day 11 (€23,363.64) and Day 12 (€57,580.53) to close the redness to €116,308.45. That gap is now €164,478.21.
It’s a lead that has the thin veneer of a ghost, and both players will be aware of this.
‘ActionFreak’ decided to take Monday off, so the action resumes on Tuesday 19 May.
The pair are duelling over 15,000 hands of €150-€300 Pot Limit Omaha. The winner will also receive a side bet worth €150,000 for their troubles.
There are 5,518 hands left in the contest.
Results
Day 1 – 145 hands – ‘ActionFreak’ wins €11,162.32 Day 2 – 1,107 hands – Phil Galfond wins €3,632.83 Day 3 – 844 hands – Phil Galfond wins €310,594.59 Day 4 – 665 hands – Phil Galfond wins €113,377.48 Day 5 – 680 hands – ‘ActionFreak’ wins €95,304.17 Day 6 – 727 hands – ‘ActionFreak’ wins €74,625.85 Day 7 – 746 hands – Phil Galfond wins €26,980.36 Day 8 – 944 hands – Phil Galfond wins €165,093.85 Day 9 – 721 hands – ‘ActionFreak’ wins €256,044 Day 10 – 776 hands – Phil Galfond wins €19,003.35 Day 11 – 784 hands – ‘ActionFreak’ wins €23,363.64 Day 12 – 710 hands – ‘ActionFreak’ wins €57,580.53 Day 13 – 716 hands – Phil Galfond wins €48,169.76
Total
9,482 hands
Phil Galfond leads €164,478.21
Here is the full video of Day 13’s action.
Phil Galfond is poker’s darling, right now.
The Run It Once Poker Founder, produced a Rocky-style comeback, overturning a €900k deficit to beat Venividi1993 in his first match of the Galfond Challenge series a mere squint ago.
When the force is with you, it’s time to press ahead. You don’t set up a tent, and sit around a smouldering campfire listening to the sound of rain pit-pattering on the leaves, as you reminisce over ‘those 25,000 hands.’
Press ahead Galfond has, jumping into Match #2 a chihuahua shear away from the last gasp win that sent his wife, Farah into early menopause.
She won’t need to invest in a new pair of clogs just yet.
The heels of her Louboutins aren’t going anywhere.
Can Galfond Kill Bill?
Bill Perkins is next in line.
Perkins made his millions (not billions) investing, and after mulling over what to do with his pantry full of pasties and pennies, has decided to ‘consume and donate commensurate with the decay of his faculties.’
He’s even written a book on his life experiment called ‘Die With Zero: Getting All You Can From Your Money And Your Life,’ and if you’ve never heard of it before, don’t worry. By the end of his match with Galfond, you will be sick of seeing the thing.
Perkins is an amateur.
Galfond is a pro.
As the adage says, “Any old bum can become a champ if given a shot”, and Perkins has that shot – but he’s no bum. The wise old owl has negotiated decent terms for this one. The pair are playing $100/$200 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO), and the winner will be the first to $400,000, or whoever is in the green at the end of 50,000 hands.
Galfond is so confident of winning that he will hand over $1m should his confidence prove to be unfounded. Perkins will inch $250,000 closer to his goal of ‘dying with zero,’ should he be the man in the red,
From Hero to Villain
There is an interesting dynamic in this one.
Galfond was the undisputed hero throughout his match against the ‘Mr Robot’ like Venividi1993. In this one, the scriptwriters will find it challenging to cast him in that role.
Perkins became the fan favourite during his final table run at the Triton Million (finishing sixth for $2.7m), and it’s hard to see that changing during his fisticuffs with poker’s Golden Boy. It’s hard not to like Perkins, as it is with Galfond. Still, with Perkins being such a big dog in this one, Galfond will have to hold the red lightsabre.
Despite Perkins life-goal, he won’t be setting his money alight in this one. He’s had time to prepare and would have undoubtedly hired a top-quality mentor. He is also a life-winner, and as in London during the summer, you’ll see that desire rise to the surface as he pits his wits against the best in the business.
First Blood to Bill
Unlike Match #1, this one will play out on partypoker thanks to Perkins’ allegiance to the online poker room.
The first session took place on Tuesday 14 April.
Did Galfond kill Bill?
Nope.
The underdog faired better than expected, biting chunks out of Galfond’s stacks, steaming into a $50,000 lead at one point, until Galfond finished strongly, ending with a loss somewhere around the $6k mark.
While Galfond remains the firm favourite to win this thing, that $50,000 wound, while not ultimately fatal, is a reminder that in the turbulent seas of PLO, the deck doesn’t give a toss if you’re a hero or a villain.
It only has one demand,
Action.
Judging from the first session, you’re going to get a lot of it.
“This is going to make a great Disney movie.”
Those were the words of Dan Smith, on March 4, after Phil Galfond recovered €183,481.38 of a near one million euro deficit in his heads-up match against VeniVidi1993.
The win arrived on Day 16.
On Day 15, Galfond felt like someone had knocked out all of his teeth, and his fans didn’t even know if he would continue, after calling for a timeout. Day 36, and Galfond has a chocolate pudding smile about him, after finishing the day in the green for the first time in this clash of the titans.
In The Green
The pair have curtseyed clumsily and bowed bravely through four more sessions with Galfond winning 3>1. Most notably, Galfond finished Days 32 & 35 with six-figure wins, whereas VeniVidi1993’s victory was in the minor leagues.
Here is the damage
Day 32, 664 hands, Phil Galfond +€113,680.87
Day 33, 632 hands, VeniVidi1993 +€28,538.21
Day 34, 680 hands, Phil Galfond +€28,722.28
Day 35, 758 hands, Phil Galfond €121,486.95
The pair have cruised through 22,097 hands, and Galfond is currently up €81,064.56, with 2,903 hands left to play. If they continue the pace set in those past four sessions, then you’re looking at the challenge ending in between 4-5 days. It could have been much worse for VeniVidi1993. Galfond was up close to €200k on Day 35, before dropping €80,000 at the back end of the match.
It’s worth noting that although Galfond did take a break to refresh his mental state, VeniVidi1993 has now quit a couple of times prematurely as we head into the home straight. If you fancy a flutter, the smart money is on the man who once stood over a near seven-figure hole, spade in his hand.
Disney is on alert.
Results
Day 1, 655 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €72,572.68 Day 2, 715 hands, Phil Galfond wins €2,615.26 Day 3, 557 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €84,437.52 Day 4, 581 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €17,544.87 Day 5, 726 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €155,063.52 Day 6, 703 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €13.31 Day 7, 823 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €52,057.13 Day 8, 940 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €60,743.37 Day 9, 446 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €12,706.51 Day 10, 696 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €100,993.30 Day 11, 741 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €15,647.36 Day 12, 622 hands, Phil Galfond wins €87,940.91 Day 13, 470 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €267,949.70 Day 14, 593 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €48,473.73 Day 15, 659 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €102,593.34
Phil Galfond Calls for a Break
Day 16, 574 hands, Phil Galfond wins €183,481.38 Day 17, 582 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €21,571,51 Day 18, 555 hands, Phil Galfond wins €27,198.94 Day 19, 638 hands, Phil Galfond wins €26,018.41 Day 20, 566 hands, Phil Galfond wins €92,803.89 Day 21, 576 hands, Phil Galfond wins €3,766.94 Day 22, 556 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €88,465,60 Day 23, 598 hands, Phil Galfond wins €23,821.05 Day 24, 628 hands, Phil Galfond wins €19,099.65 Day 25, 664 hands, Phil Galfond wins €139,485.78 Day 26, 539 hands, Phil Galfond wins €110,752.58 Day 27, 645 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €76,026.05 Day 28, 503 hands, Phil Galfond wins €140,979.28
VeniVidi1993 Calls for a Break
Day 29, 642 hands, Phil Galfond wins €85,271.31 Day 30, 777 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €26,992.32 Day 31, 393 hands, Phil Galfond wins €106,328.51 Day 32, 664 hands, Phil Galfond wins €113,680.87 Day 33, 632 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €28,538.21 Day 34, 680 hands, Phil Galfond wins €28,722.28 Day 35, 758 hands, Phil Galfond wins €121,486.95
Total Hands 22,097 Phil Galfond €81,064.56 Hands Left 2903
Sidebets:
Phil Galfond €200,000 VeniVidi1993 €100,000
If you’re a Manchester United fan, then the night of 26 May 1999, is likely the most memorable of your life.
The Red Devils faced the might of the German juggernaut, Bayern Munich, in the final of the UEFA Champions League. United had already secured the domestic league and cup double and was attempting an unprecedented treble.
The game began disastrously for United, with Mario Basler scoring in the sixth minute, and it remained that way as the fourth official signalled three minutes of injury time.
The trophy preparer had already strung Bayern’s ribbons onto the trophy by the time David Beckham swung in a corner, and Teddy Sheringham scored from the subsequent clearance. The time on the clock showed 90.36.
30-second later, and United won another corner. Beckham curled in beautifully once again, Sheringham rose highest at the near post to head it to the far, and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer poked out a toe, connected, and the ball ended up in the net with the clock showing 92.17.
Many of the Munich players fell to the ground in tears.
Pierluigi Collina blew the final whistle, within seconds of the restart, and United had made one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history.
“When the match ended, the crowd sounded like a lion’s roar,” Collina wrote in his autobiography.
Is Phil Galfond about to do a ‘United?’
Grit & Hope
Angela Duckworth is the author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, and Chapter 9 is on ‘Hope.’
Duckworth writes:
“Grit depends on a different kind of hope. It rests on the expectation that our own efforts can improve our future. I have a feeling tomorrow will be better is different from I resolve to make tomorrow better. The hope that gritty people have has nothing to do with luck and everything to do with getting up again.”
After 15-days of Galfond’s first match in a series of high stakes, heads-up challenges, against a wide variety of pros and non-pros alike, VeniVidi1993 sent Galfond sprawling to the floor with a series of haymakers that knocked close to €1m worth of stuffing out of the man.
Galfond decided he needed a break.
His fans didn’t know whether he would return.
Had they read Duckworth’s New York Times Bestseller, they would have realised that Galfond is a ‘grit paragon,’ and one particular attribute of a paragon of this nature is a never give up attitude.
Once the gritty start things; they finish them.
Henry Ford once said:
“Whether you think you can, or you can’t – you’re right.”
After a few days in the tank, Galfond looked in the mirror and said, “I can.”
No More Chips in Pockets
The days of Phil Galfond standing on the edge of a bridge with a donkey jacket pocket full of chips are long gone.
The last time we covered his match with VeniVidi1993, Galfond had won 10 of 13 games, closing the gap to €318,895.43, forcing VeniVidi1993 also to take a break to settle his nerves.
Since the unknown Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) star returned, things have not gotten much better.
Here are the results in the past three shifts.
Day 29
Hands played – 642 Phil Galfond +€85,271.31
Day 30
Hands Played – 777 VeniVidi1993 +€26,992.32
Day 31
Hands Played – 393 Phil Galfond +€106,328.51
Days 29 – 31
Hands Played – 1,812 Phil Galfond +€164,607.50
That means, with 5,637 hands left to play, Galfond only has to win €154,287.94 to finish a cent in the black. Given that there is a side bet on the line (Galfond’s €200k versus VeniVidi1993’s €100k), and that Galfond nearly ended up in Arkham Asylum leaving his wife Farah with a million euro bill – that’s a pretty fabulous ending.
Whether Phil Galfond will experience a Nou Camp style injury-time victory is unknown. What we do know, is unlike the lion’s roar that Collina heard moments after blowing his final whistle, Galfond will likely hear the exulted sigh from his wife, Farah.
“Finally, it’s over, right, it’s your turn to look after the baby for the next month.”
Results
Day 1, 655 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €72,572.68 Day 2, 715 hands, Phil Galfond wins €2,615.26 Day 3, 557 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €84,437.52 Day 4, 581 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €17,544.87 Day 5, 726 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €155,063.52 Day 6, 703 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €13.31 Day 7, 823 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €52,057.13 Day 8, 940 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €60,743.37 Day 9, 446 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €12,706.51 Day 10, 696 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €100,993.30 Day 11, 741 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €15,647.36 Day 12, 622 hands, Phil Galfond wins €87,940.91 Day 13, 470 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €267,949.70 Day 14, 593 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €48,473.73 Day 15, 659 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €102,593.34
Phil Galfond Calls for a Break
Day 16, 574 hands, Phil Galfond wins €183,481.38 Day 17, 582 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €21,571,51 Day 18, 555 hands, Phil Galfond wins €27,198.94 Day 19, 638 hands, Phil Galfond wins €26,018.41 Day 20, 566 hands, Phil Galfond wins €92,803.89 Day 21, 576 hands, Phil Galfond wins €3,766.94 Day 22, 556 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €88,465,60 Day 23, 598 hands, Phil Galfond wins €23,821.05 Day 24, 628 hands, Phil Galfond wins €19,099.65 Day 25, 664 hands, Phil Galfond wins €139,485.78 Day 26, 539 hands, Phil Galfond wins €110,752.58 Day 27, 645 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €76,026.05 Day 28, 503 hands, Phil Galfond wins €140,979.28
VeniVidi1993 Calls for a Break
Day 29, 642 hands, Phil Galfond +€85,271.31 Day 30, 777 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €26,992.32 Day 31, 393 hands played, Phil Galfond wins +€106,328.51
Total Hands – 19,363 VeniVidi1993 +€154,287.93
Hands Remaining – 5,637
Sidebets: Phil Galfond €200,000 VeniVidi1993 €100,000
There was a moment during the Phil Galfond Challenge against the mysterious VeniVidi1993 where the cell door closed, and Galfond’s fans thought they would never see him again.
Things have changed.
It’s as if a poker medical man stuck Thor-powered defibrillators onto the hairy chest of the fan favourite because in the past 13 sessions we’ve seen lightning pouring from his fingers.
The Vulnerability to Take a Break
Day 15 of the Phil Galfond Challenge turned out to be a pivotal moment for many reasons. Galfond was down close to a million euros. Thanks to his willingness to share his vulnerability, we knew, via Twitter, that Galfond’s mindset was all over the place.
The Run It Once (RIO) founder absconded with the deck, promising to decide on the future of the battle in good time, leaving his fans pondering the unthinkable – would their champion quit as early as this?
The Mental Game of Poker
Galfond’s decision to ask for a timeout in such a public challenge shows how critical it is for professional poker players to dedicate enough time to work on their mindset as they do on the technical aspects of their game.
We are witnessing that a 25,000 hand, €100/€200, €20,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) heads-up battle is much more than luck and technical ability. With technical edges so subtle when it comes to the talents of titans such as this, the advantage must come from physical shape and the ability to deal with the emotional turbulence of high stakes poker.
We know that Galfond has had his problems when it comes to his fixed mindset preventing him from working on the technical aspect of his game, but we also know his growth mindset led him into the more than capable hands of mindset coach, Elliot Roe.
We wonder if VeniVidi1993 also has this side of his self-improvement covered.
Stacked and Stacked Again
Fans of the Galfond Challenge were left sucking their thumbs after the Day 28 peephole closed dramatically, as Galfond stacked VeniVidi1993 in back-to-back pots.
In the first hand, both players were staring at a flop of Th6c4h and €3,599 in the pot. The aggressor, VeniVidi1993, bet pot, and Galfond called after not much fuss. The 4d arrived on the turn, and VeniVidi1993 bet €3,200 into a €10,797 pot, and once again, Galfond made a swift call. The Kc came on the river, VeniVidi1993 jammed for his remaining €15,940.62, and Galfond called. VeniVidi1993 showed 8d7h6s5d for the airball, and Galfond showed KhKsQsAs, for the rivered full house.
In the very next hand, Galfond raised pre, and VeniVidi1993 made the call. The dealer sent 4d4s8h out to play, VeniVidi1993 bet €899.25, and Galfond called. The 6s arrived on the fourth-street, and VeniVidi1993 bet pot; Galfond called. The 3c came on the river, and VeniVidi1993 bet €8,992.50, and Galfond put him all-in.
“Nice hand,” VeniVidi1993 posted in the chat before calling.
VeniVidi1993 showed JsJh4h3h for the full-house, but Galfond showed KdQs6h6d for the bigger full house.
We then saw a few more orbits, before VeniVidi1993 sat out on both tables, and the commentary team realised that the man who had zoomed out to a near million euro lead, was likely running around his back garden, cold soil between his toes, howling at the moon in a moment of madness.
The pair played 503 hands, and Galfond finished €140,979.28 up in a dominating performance.
A little while later, Galfond confirmed on Twitter that VeniVidi1993 had decided to take a break. It won’t be as long as Galfond’s (the pair are due to butt heads again on Thursday, March 26.
Mindset coaches.
Give the man a call.
Here are the highlights of that final day, including those incredible last hands.
Results
Day 1, 655 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €72,572.68 Day 2, 715 hands, Phil Galfond wins €2,615.26 Day 3, 557 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €84,437.52 Day 4, 581 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €17,544.87 Day 5, 726 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €155,063.52 Day 6, 703 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €13.31 Day 7, 823 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €52,057.13 Day 8, 940 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €60,743.37 Day 9, 446 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €12,706.51 Day 10, 696 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €100,993.30 Day 11, 741 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €15,647.36 Day 12, 622 hands, Phil Galfond wins €87,940.91 Day 13, 470 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €267,949.70 Day 14, 593 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €48,473.73 Day 15, 659 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €102,593.34
Phil Galfond Calls for a Break
Day 16, 574 hands, Phil Galfond wins €183,481.38 Day 17, 582 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €21,571,51 Day 18, 555 hands, Phil Galfond wins €27,198.94 Day 19, 638 hands, Phil Galfond wins €26,018.41 Day 20, 566 hands, Phil Galfond wins €92,803.89 Day 21, 576 hands, Phil Galfond wins €3,766.94 Day 22, 556 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €88,465,60 Day 23, 598 hands, Phil Galfond wins €23,821.05 Day 24, 628 hands, Phil Galfond wins €19,099.65 Day 25, 664 hands, Phil Galfond wins €139,485.78 Day 26, 539 hands, Phil Galfond wins €110,752.58 Day 27, 645 hands, VeniVidi1993 wins €76,026.05 Day 28, 503 hands, Phil Galfond wins €140,979.28
VeniVidi1993 Calls for a Break
Total hands: 17,551
VeniVidi1993 is uo €318,895.43
There are 7,449 hands left to play.
Remember, there is a side bet of Galfond’s €200,000 versus the €100,000 of VeniVidi1993.
When I became lost in the maze of professional poker dreams, Bluefire Poker, showed me the way out.
For that reason, I am a Phil Galfond fan.
When
he threw down the high stakes heads-up gauntlet, I didn’t care who
picked it up. In the 90s, when someone squared up to Hulk Hogan, you
knew they were going to be on the end of a leg drop. I had the same
faith in Galfond.
It didn’t matter how out of touch he was.
The quality of his opponents didn’t matter.
Phil Galfond would win, and win as only Phil Galfond can.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the recipe for a big dollop of confirmation bias.
Confirmation
bias is your brain’s tendency to interpret new evidence that favours
your beliefs. After the first 15 sessions, and 9,927 hands of a
25,000-hand, €100k/€200k Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) war, ‘VeniVidi1993’ had
Galfond at the point of a knife with close to €900k in losses.
There
is always a badass villain, whom, you later find out, wasn’t as badass
as you thought. Another villain with a badder-arse lurked in the
shadows. While we all thought VeniVidi1993 was badass, it transpires
that Galfond’s mind is the biggest baddest ass of all.
Unable
to curtail the beast, Galfond pressed pause, and either bought a Run It
Once Elite subscription, flew to Thailand for a meditation retreat or
dived straight into the karmic habit of cleaning shitty nappies.
Either
way, he left the poker world on a Netflix show cliffhanger, and the
sound of kazoos was deafening when Galfond picked up the megaphone and
announced to the world that he would rather be dead than give up on this
challenge.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
10-Sessions In
10-sessions
in and the belief that Galfond is a ‘nice guy, has-been’ feels like a
bad joke. The former surgeon of high stakes online cash games has taken
VeniVidi1993 apart, winning 8 of their previous ten sessions, winning
€405,638.93, through 15,864 hands.
I knew I did not need to worry.
I
knew he still had the scent of dried blood under his fingernails from
the days of million-dollar swings against introverted Swedes with a
penchant for J.R.R. Tolkien.
My bets were safe.
Galfond
is the best poker player in the world; the best boss, the best leader,
the best father, the best husband, the best beard wearer, and the best
improv star.
Then he went onto Twitter and burst my bubble.
“To
you, it looks like I was outmatched, but I stepped back, regrouped,
studied, shook off some rust, and now I’ve figured Veni out and am
crushing him,” Galfond wrote before continuing. “To me, it looked like I
was right – that I was a favourite, the whole time and was experiencing
an extremely improbably run of bad luck, and that lately, I’m running
just slightly good.”
Then the gem.
“That is what our minds do to us – we are drawn to the story that we most want to believe.”
With VeniVidi 1993 currently ahead €494,601.24, and 9,136 hands left to claw it back, what story does Galfond now believe?
“The
evidence suggests that I’m likely the underdog,” Galfond tweeted. “This
is something I need to keep reminding myself of. “One important thing
to keep an eye on is that my motivation I feel to study and improve
right now is naturally at a lower level than it was while I was getting
crushed. I need to stay on top of this.
“I’ll
try to keep as much focus as I can on continuing to improve and as
little focus as I can on hoping or expecting any result. You can all
root for the most improbably come back in poker history without me!
“I hope you’re enjoying the show.”
He’ll do it.
Of course, he will do it.
Galfond is the best, and will always be the best.
The Facts
Day 16
574 hands played
Galfond +€183,481.38
Day 17
582 hands played.
VeniVidi1993 +€21,571.51
Day 18
555 hands played
Galfond +€27,198.94
Day 19
638 hands played
Galfond +€26,018.41
Day 20
566 hands played
Galfond +€92,803.89
Day 21
576 hands played
Galfond +€3,766.94
Day 22
556 hands played
VeniVidi1993 +€88,465.60
Day 23
598 hands played
Galfond +€23,821.05
Day 24
628 hands played
Galfond +€19,099.65
Day 25
664 hands played
Galfond +€139,485.78
Overall
Ten sessions, +€405,638.93 to Galfond.
Galfond wins 8 of 10 sessions.
VeniVidi1993 currently ahead €494,601.24
15,864 hands played.
9,136 hands left.
It’s
not without a sense of irony that in the wake of much Twitter talk over the
value of his post VeniVidi1993 match musings that Phil Galfond chooses to end
speculation on his intentions to restart the match with a four-word blog post.
“I’m
gonna keep playing.”
When
you’ve been the apex predator for so long, the label becomes as sticky as a
Winnie the Pooh paw.
Galfond
has earned many millions of dollars playing online cash games. In his
household, when Farah and Phil sing baby shark to their nipper, daddy shark
really is a shark.
When
the Run It Once founder issued his heads-up challenge to every human being this
side of exoplanet K2-18b, the vast majority of the poker community assumed that
he would have the best of it. He is Apollo Creed. Only those for whom poker is
as frequent in their lives as a cuppa in the north of England cast him as
Rocky.
It
seems the apex predator has finally found a predator, and it’s not the man to
whom he is stuck close to a million euros.
It’s
himself.
The Man in the Mirror
Old
Jacko once sang, “I’m asking him to change his ways,” and I bet my
pet pigeon’s birdseed that this is relevant in the battle between Galfond and
Galfond.
Football
fans of the 1980s will remember the Norwegian commentator, Bjørge Lillelien,
saying:
“Lord
Nelson, Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Anthony Eden, Clement
Attlee, Henry Cooper, Lady Diana – can you hear me? Maggie Thatcher – your boys
took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!”
That’s
what happened when Galfond pressed pause on his heads-up match with
VeniVidi1993, €900,240.17 in the red through 15 sessions. The boy had taken one
hell of a beating.
Galfond
needed to regroup and refocus.
Was he
masquerading as a shark?
Was
Luke Schwartz right when he called him a ‘washed up nice guy?”
Plagued
with self-doubt, Galfond had to ask those questions and more. He had to start
believing that he was enough. He had to let go of who he is supposed to be, and
be who he is.
Throughout
his match, Galfond showed tremendous courage, bravery and resilience, and now,
he’s delving into his stores of vulnerability. When Galfond holds up a mirror,
I believe he likes what he sees. It’s a different story when he holds that
mirror up to his detractors.
When he
took a sabbatical, there was so much at stake.
All
that changes thanks to a single sentence.
He’s
already won.
Everyone
was watching the wrong fight.
What
did our high roller thoroughbreds get up to during Valentines Day?
Not one
of them mentioned it.
Still,
there were other strains of stampedes to focus on.
Let’s
get to it.
We
start in the online poker realm, with Phil Galfond becoming supine in his
heads-up challenge against VeniVidi1993. The Run It Once founder, called silly
goose on the challenge after 15 sessions, in which time Galfond had lost
€900,240.17, over 9,927 hands.
Galfond
hasn’t given up, yet.
Instead,
the orchestrator of the ‘Phil Galfond Challenge,’ said he needs until March 1st
to clear his mind of ball bearings.
“I was
playing scared. I was expecting to lose. I couldn’t get my brain to work properly.”
Galfond wrote on Twitter.
The
poker community seems divided on the matter with half spewing forth their usual
splenetic, spiteful spittle at Galfond’s outward introspection. Then you have
Galfond’s love club who understands his need to rein his nostrils in for a
moment.
The
funniest response came from Luke Schwartz, roasting Galfond in a rip-roaring
reply, calling Galfond a ‘washed up nice guy.’ He even had a poke at the size
of Galfond’s chest. Eventually, Schwartz owned up to wanting to add extra hype
their will it/won’t it match, and the pair now seems to be in love again.
One
other collector’s item in the world of online poker, this week, was the release
of the online bracelet events for the 51st Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP).
The
WSOP has reserved a wheelbarrow containing 14-bracelets and a bucket load of
cash for the subterranean section of the most iconic poker festival in the
world, and for the first time, there is a $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em bracelet up
for grabs.
Forget
the Golden Globes and the Oscars; the major movie announcement comes from
Triton Towers. Triton Million: A Helping Hand For Charity may be over, but not
forgotten. Earlier this week, the Triton team released the ‘Triton Million
After Movie’, including never before seen footage as the players warmed up for
the event in Las Vegas, as well as coverage of the incredible event itself.
Check
it out right here.
Another
movie in the works that will interest the high stakes poker community covers on
the story of Phil Ivey’s edge-sorting saga. Popcorn and pastries at the ready,
as the Golden Globe winner, Awkwafina, has signed on to play the role of Cheung
Yin “Kelly” Sun, in the tentatively titled ‘The Baccarat Machine.’
The
major live festival this month came from Uruguay. The Enjoy Punte del Este
Casino and Resort lay partypoker MILLIONS branded red carpets over their
pavements for nine days of action.
James
Romero won the 30-entrant $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em for $325,000, and Pablo
Silva won the 465-entrant $10,300 No-Limit Hold’em MILLIONS Main Event for $1m.
Finally,
the gossip has ended, and the truth is out.
Ok,
there was no gossip.
Poker
Central has inked a deal with Global Poker that will see the latter become the
‘Official Online Poker Partner’ at a series of live events including, but not
restricted to, The Super High Roller Bowl, The Poker Masters and the US Poker
Open.
With a
lull in the high stakes action, last week and nobody seemingly interested in
the night of love, discourse flew to the most apparent lands of “how famous is
Phil Hellmuth,” and “What is a dime?”
Mike
‘The Mouth’ Matusow, who is a great friend of Hellmuth, told Twitter that the
gold-rimmed spectacle reached a new height of delusion when he said to him that
he is a ‘B’ list celebrity, and would bet an undisclosed amount to prove it.
Matusow
polled his 116.7k Twitter followers, 11,465 voted, and 21.8% agreed with the
great man. Still, the vast majority felt that Hellmuth was a ‘D’ list celebrity
(32.2%).
What do
you think?
My conversation with @phil_hellmuth last night has hit all time delusional in my opinion. He wants to bet me an undisclosed amount that he is a B list celebrity! Lol! What if any list of celebrity do you rate @phil_hellmuth ?
The
player who lost the flip sent the winner $10k. The winner assumed he would
receive $1k. They asked Timex, and he said a dime is $1k, the second person
said it was $10k, so they agreed that it would be a $5k bet.
What do
you think?
Interviews
A bunch
of high stakes interviews have agitated the social media airwaves this week.
We’ll
start close at home with the latest in our ‘I am High Stakes Poker’ interviews
and a look at the life of Erik Seidel.
Catch
it right here.
Poker
Central’s Sam Simmons joined the PokerNews Facebook Live thingamajig to talk
about all things high stakes poker.
You can watch the varnished version, right here.
Live Q&A with Sam Simmons – President of PokerGO & PokerCentral
Fedor Holz made an appearance on the London Leadership Podcast, and you can watch this razor-sharp mind unfurling, right here.
Triton
Poker Ambassador, Jason Koon, partook in what Remko Rinkema called the best
podcast he’s ever done. If you’ve turned up at the beach, and the tide is in,
then get back in the car, and watch this.
This
week marked the end of Andrew Yang’s presidential run, and that left the poker
community looking for another stand to rest their hats on. Daniel Negreanu has
gotten involved more than most, and this week, he appeared on the ‘Nerds for
Yang’ podcast, and ‘The Vegas Take,’ to talk about the Yang Gang.
Finally,
have we seen the end of Doug Polk’s highly successful poker YouTube channel?
Polk managed to persuade 286k people to subscribe to his poker channel before
broadening his horizons, moving into light entertainment and crypto.
This
week, Polk polled his fans on the future of the poker channel, and the response
was in favour of ditching it.
I am debating what to do with my poker channel.
Option 1 – I start making videos not related to poker on my poker channel
Option 2 – I bring in someone qualified to make poker videos on my channel, ill do videos elsewhere
Derek
Wolters wanted to know if there was any correlation between initial temperament
and eventual success as a poker player. Should players start playing tight or
aggressive?
Alex
Livingston, Dan Smith and Bryn Kenney had their say.
You can
trace the poll via this blue line.
I wonder if there is any correlation between initial temperament and eventual success as a poker player.
Is it better to start your career too tight/nitty and learn to apply aggression? Or be too aggro/spewy and eventually rein it in?
Nick
Schulman exposing Phil Ivey’s love of skittles.
This really stuck with me I was too tilted to post at the time but on my daughter the other day Ivey ordered a beautiful little sushi dinner to Bobby's and just roared thru a bag of skittles at the same time 👀 dont worry bout how I eat. I eat good. I'm good. 👀 I'm good
Still,
I don’t think anyone will ever beat this one.
Rob
Yong is so committed to growing partypoker he didn’t even notice that his house
had flooded.
It’s officially impossible for anyone to be more focussed on their job than me. Was on discord call to @padsPokerSquad discussing @partypoker MTTs & never even noticed house was flooded & I was sitting in 1ft of water 💦 KTF Rob 💪 #focussedpic.twitter.com/4zRgZUapTk
There are the rats of the skies that hobble, one-legged, hoping for a crisp, and then you have racing pigeons like Armando, sold to a Chinese bidder for $1.4m in March.
Before the creation of the telegram in 1844, the fastest way to get messages to people was via homing pigeon, because they could fly a 1,000 miles, and reach speeds of up to 90 miles p/h.
Today, we have Twitter.
The last time we reported on the ‘Phil Galfond Challenge’ it was going as well as a weasel picking a fight with a pride of lions. After 15 sessions and 9,927 hands, ‘VeniVidi1993’ had won €900,240.17. Or, Galfond had lost €900,240.17, depending on your point of view.
With gossip rife and a day of R&R in the bag, Galfond took the unusual step of pressing the pause button.
Writing on Twitter Galfond stated:
“Until a few days ago, I was very proud of the way I’d handled a very unfortunate run. I think that I played well and remained as level-headed as can be expected.”
Galfond then continued to state that his €88k win made him feel “great about his play,” and that he “got a taste of the downswing ending, and was excited about the future.”
As we now know, the following day, Galfond’s cape ended up in the fireplace when VeniVidi1993 pocketed €268k from him.
“I felt tilt during that session, but managed to play my B game,” Galfond wrote on Twitter. “Again, I was proud of myself considering the circumstances.”
Cue The Problems
Since that razor to the carotid loss, Galfond has gone on to lose a further two sessions, and approx. €150,000, and it’s these two sessions that have gotten Galfond all agitated.
“I could tell that I’d abandoned my gameplan for plays that felt better (emotionally), and I couldn’t seem to gather my thoughts coherently, or to make reads like I normally do.”
“I was playing scared. I was expecting to lose. I simply couldn’t get my brain to work properly.”
Galfond went on to state that he had experienced €900k losses before – that wasn’t the problem. It was the crushing ‘loss of hope.’
“I lost that hope, and it was replaced by depression,” wrote Galfond. “I have found my mind’s limit.”
Downswings of this nature are not uncommon to a man who has been plying his trade for a decade-plus. Still, it’s rare to lose so much, so swiftly at the start of the most talked-about heads-up, high stakes challenge since Tom Dwan’s infamous tongue wavering.
With Galfond admittedly ‘unable to play my A or B game,’ and with realism kicking in that he needed time to heal, the Run It Once founder has decided to pay the €3k day penalty losses until he either throws in the towel or feels confident enough to resume on March 1.
Throw a Bomb on The Man When He’s Down
Back to those pigeons.
Never shy of controversy, Luke Schwartz, penned a hilarious and cutting, assessment of Galfond’s decision, his play during the challenge, his decision to face ‘a human-robot in the first challenge,’ and his post-match meanderings on Twitter.
Schwartz called Galfond a ‘washed up nice guy,’ and a ‘spent force’ whose ‘time has passed,’ and that the smart thing to do is to ‘wave the white flag.’
The tirade continued with Schwartz stating that Galfond either has too much ego or is ‘too stupid to quit,’ because he’s no ‘LeBron James. He’s a nerdy little guy who was trying to extend his poker money-making by getting some traction on his failing site.”
There was also time to give Galfond’s fans some advice – “It’s time to get some new poker heroes lads.”
The man from the UK also offered Galfond some business advice suggesting that it was a ‘horrible business decision’ to choose an ‘unknown solver who is five years and 14 advanced solvers better than him, as his first challenger.’
And Schwartz isn’t without empathy.
“Listen up, save your site. Come and play me.” Wrote Schwartz. “We are the same age and have similar egos. I’ve never studied a hand of poker in my life. Let’s level out the playing field, and give the fanboys a proper rail.”
The Hendon Mobster, Barny Boatman, believes that Schwartz should get off the fence, and tell us what he really thinks.
When are ever gonna come off the fence and tell us what you think? 😂
With no VeniVidi1993 to think about for a few days, Galfond was able to spend a few moments on Twitter when he came across the pigeon killer’s dig.
Come on, Luke 🙂
Call me a delusional, outmatched washed-up, nice(?) nerd all you want, but don’t act like I’m dodging our challenge. We’ll play when I’m done with a few of these, probably after WSOP, as we’ve discussed & planned. Do I have to post our texts?
Schwartz responded immediately, writing to Galfond to assure him that he was merely ‘hyping it.’
“Rest up, go and get some Perkins money and avoid ActionFreak. Be well, Phil x” Wrote Schwartz.
“Ok, cool, just fact-checking. I am happy with you talking shit about my posts and my play. Carry on.” Replied Galfond, ending the tweet with a thumbs-up emoji; evidence that Phil Galfond is not one of those 800 breeds of pigeons because none of them has thumbs.
When Phil Galfond sent his heads-up challenge shivering throughout the poker stratosphere, some expected the odd starling to reply. Instead, he received a murmuration of interest.
Millions of dollars would be on the line, won and lost through high stakes cash games, across a variety of formats, both live and online. Add side-bets into the equation and all the hogs in the yard stop searching for walnuts, and instead, start looking for ways to open a Twitch channel.
The Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) star, ‘VeniVidi1993,’ became the first person to step into the arena. €100/€200 were the stakes. Heads-Up Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) the game. January 22, first blood, and Veni, not Phil, has been crushing the action.
The pair have duelled through 7,583 hands, throughout 11-sessions, and Veni has won all but one of them, with Galfond picking up a measly €2k win on the day the Poker Gods decided to pick him up out of the mud and dump him on a beach somewhere.
The damage is $574,394.83.
Galfond: Beaten & Bloody?
Not yet.
After speculation that Galfond was stuck like glue to an elevator floor heading for a stop called ‘Out of Your Depth,” he took the time to respond to his fans.
In a series of Tweets, Galfond urged people to keep their powder dry. He is taking a good kicking, but downswings like this are part of poker life, and he wants to take the opportunity to teach his followers how to handle them.
“Nobody is immune to the psychological effects of a string of consistent losses, myself included,” Galfond wrote.
It was an illuminating self-assessment rarely seen in public. The more unusual considering the three-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet holder still has 18k hands to play, and a myriad of future challenges to come.
Humility and vulnerability aside, Galfond has not walked through his mistakes. Still, he has admitted that he has been making them despite trying to keep a ‘positive attitde’ in his play.
Galfond’s advice to people experiencing a similar situation is twofold. First, identify the emotion that’s creating the feeling that’s leading to the mistake, and then work on turning down the volume. It’s an aspect of the game that Galfond feels is crucial, and he hires poker’s mental game coach, Elliot Roe, to help with that.
Secondly, Galfond insists that while in the storm of emotional turmoil, you have to focus on logic and rational thinking. You have to ask yourself: “Is this the right play, or is it just the play I want to make for bad (emotional) reasons?”
Knowing When to Quit
Despite wanting to use the experience to coach his followers, Galfond doesn’t want to go broke. Top pros need to assess their performances, and their opponent’s performances to understand when they’re dog enough to quit.
Once again, humility comes to the fore as Galfond admits that he has often thought too long about whether his opponents are much better than him, and then dissects his thought process when applying that same internal question to his current scrap.
“Whatever the (unknowable) truth is about how VeniVidi1993 and I match up, I can be confident I am running poorly. But, if I’m a significant underdog, this has maybe been a bottom 15% run. If I’m a significant favourite, it has been more like a bottom 0.5% run.
“So, if I knew nothing but the results so far, I could conclude that it’s something around 30 times more likely that I’m a significant underdog than a significant favourite (and a sliding scale for edges in between that.”
“I then need to factor in m educated (but somewhat inherently biased) opinion of how I am playing compared to him. Had I somehow been unaware of the results thus far, my opinion would be that I’m a favourite. And to be clear – by that, I mean that I think I am probably a favourite. I always am aware that I could be wrong.”
The tweets end with Galfond remaining steadfast – he will keep on fighting, and anyone who knows him wouldn’t expect anything less.
The reasons for Galfond continuing his tussle with Veni are numerous and astute. He wants to continue teaching his followers how to handle a downswing while in the midst of one. He knows that he is running bad, and is hoping the tide turns. He is still shaking off that ring rust, and with more challengers in the wings sharpening their axes, he needs the action. He has side bets, and if he quits, he forfeits them, including losing an additional €200,000 to Veni. And he has an online poker site to promote.
But.
Most.
Of.
All.
“As difficult, exhausting and risky as it is to battle a tough player at very high stakes, I absolutely love this shit.”
Results
Day 1: 655 hands, VeniVidi1993 won €72,572.68 Day 2: 715 hands, Phil Galfond won €2,615.26 Day 3: 557 hands, VeniVidi1993 won €84,437.52 Day 4: 581 hands, VeniVidi1993 won €17,544.87 Day 5: 726 hands, VeniVidi1993 won €155,063.52 Day 6: 703 hands, VeniVidi1993 won €13.31 Day 7: 823 hands, VeniVidi1993 won €52,057.13 Day 8: 940 hands, VeniVidi1993 won €60,743.37 Day 9: 446 hands, VeniVidi1993 won €12,706.51 Day 10: 696 hands, VeniVidi1993 won €100,993.30 Day 11: 741 hands, VeniVidi1993 won €15,647.36 Total: 7,583 hands with VeniVidi1993 +$574,394.83.
