Tag: Phil Galfond

With Phil Galfond’s incredible comeback against VeniVidi1993 as fresh as a laceration, the Run It Once founder has decided his best course of action in the Galfond Challenge is to plough ahead. 

Bill Perkins became the second player to grapple with Galfond. It’s a match that could end up expensive for the Maryland native if Perkins has the yachts of the Poker Gods moored in his harbour. 

The plan is to play 50k hands or stop at a $400,000 loss, competing in a heads-up game of $100/$200 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO). The coupling has played 1,013 hands, with Galfond finished $90,144.05 in the black. Given Perkins’ business dealings, the schedule is murky on this one, but we know that should Galfond lose, Perkins will pick up €1m side bet. Galfond nets €250,000 should he go on and win. 

The contests against VeniVidi1993 and Bill Perkins could not have been more different. The VeniVidi1993 match was all business, whereas, the opening gambit against Perkins has been more relaxed with Galfond live streaming the action, commenting on his plays, and interacting with Perkins. The other difference is Galfond is getting changed in the ‘Away’ dressing room with the series taking place on partypoker. 

It will be interesting to see if the feelgood vibe remains should Perkins find a way to drive Galfond closer to that €1m cliff face.

Here is Galfond winning an $81,489 pot with set-over-set.

Galfond Takes an Early Lead Against ‘ActionFreak’

With Perkins placing Galfond ‘on hold,’ the three-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner has turned his attention to the person many believe will be his toughest competitor, ‘ActionFreak.’

He’s had a great start.

The pair will compete through 15,000 hands of €150/€300 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) with an even €150,000 side bet going to the winner, and after three days and 1,861 hands, Galfond holds a +€303,065.10 lead. 

Day 1 only lasted 145-hands before gremlins cut the match short with ActionFreak €11.1k in the black. Day 2 saw Galfond reach a high of €202,000 in profits before ActionFreak switched gears to put Galfond in the red. Galfond recovered to finish the day with a €7,529.49 profit through 1,107 hands. 

Day 3 turned into a drowning.

Everything went right for Galfond who turned an 844-hand session into a €310,594.59 win, a record haul for Galfond since his challenge series began. 

Summary

Hands Played – 1,861

Galfond +€303,065.10

Day 1/2 Action

Day 3 Action

Andrew Lichtenberger Wins on WSOP.com

From an online cash game genius to a man who made his name winning millions in online tournaments, and Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger took advantage of lockdown to win a title on WSOP.com, only he’s no longer ‘LuckyChewy!’

Playing under the pseudonym, “WATCHGUY42”, Lichtenberger, took down a 176-entrant (inc. 61-re-entries), $1,000, $50k GTD No-Limit Hold’em High Roller, on the Nevada based platform.

The prizepool struck $168,080, and Lichtenberger collected $36,389 for his win after outliving a final eight that included the likes of Shannon Shorr, Darren Elias and Chris Moorman. 

Final Table Results

  1. Andrew “WATCHGUY42” Lichtenberger – $36,389
  2. Krista “Pollux” Gifford – $27,263
  3. Shannon “aulophobia” Shorr – $20,422
  4. Darren “darrenelias” Elias – $15,329
  5. Jake “tooletime13” Toole – $11,497
  6. Gordon “veileux” Vayo – $8,623
  7. Frank “spaghetti” Marasco – $6,454
  8. Chris “Robotbob47” Moorman – $4,790

Some people in the world won’t walk beneath a ladder, not through the fear of a hammer landing on your head, but because it’s deemed bad luck. 

Pure superstition.

What’s not superstition is the belief that luck plays no part in our successes or failures. That control, strategy and foresight always triumph over fate.

Those people don’t play poker.

Hard work and effort doesn’t guarantee your results. Within every success, and every failure lies a degree of luck. We are not, the authors of our destiny, but if we were, then Phil Galfond would have written a script just like the way it played out in real life. 

A Game of Two Halves

After taking time away from the game to build an online poker room, Phil Galfond shocked the world by offering a high stakes heads-up challenge to 7.8 billion people. 

It wasn’t a plan to escape nappy duty. Galfond wanted to pump some life into Run It Once Poker while at the same time shaking the ring rust that had clung to his hairy body while others matters of the mind and heart took precedence.

Venividi1993 became the first player to sit down with Galfond. The stakes were €100/€200 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO). The length of the match would be 25,000 hands, and Galfond said he would stump up €200,000 should Venividi1993 win, and the PLO genius would hand Galfond €100,000 should the roles be reversed.

Fifteen days in and Galfond was in trouble.

Down close to €1m, the wolves gnawed on Galfond’s Twitter bones. There were some beauties, with Luke Schwartz calling Galfond a washed-up has-been nice guy, punching way above his weight – or something like that.

Galfond, took a few days to ponder his future.

Prayer?

Meditation?

Running naked through the woods, howling at the moon.

Whatever Galfond did, it worked. 

The RIO Founder leapt from his sickbed and went on an insane run, and by Day 35, Galfond had taken an €81,064.56 lead with 2,903 hands left to play.

Could Galfond do the unthinkable, and win?

Determined to put a fork into that idea, Venividi1993, knuckled down, thought back, and won two of the final three sessions, before taking a small lead into what would prove to be the last blob of wax to melt in this particular candle. 

There Are People on The Pitch

When it comes to climactic moments in sport, none have been as memorialised as Kenneth Wolstenholme’s final words during the 1966 World Cup Final between England and West Germany. 

With England leading 3-2 after extra time, and seconds remaining on the clock, Geoff Hurst, chasing a hat-trick, bore down on the German goal, and Wolstenholme began his awesome oration.

“And here comes Hurst! He’s got…”

“Some people are on the pitch!”

“They think it’s all over!”

Hurst smashes the ball into the roof of the net.

“It is now!”

People began clambered onto the pitch with 97-hands remaining in the war between Phil Galfond and Venividi1993. At that time, Venividi1993 held a €6,307 lead and seemed the favourite to win his €200,000 side bet.

12-hands later, and Galfond had the lead. 

The people thought it was all over. 

Galfond raised and Venividi1993 called. With €1,200 in the pot, the pair stared down at a Jd9d4c flop, and Venividi1993 check-called a pot-sized bet from Galfond. The 4d brought the flush in on the turn, and Venividi1993 check-called a half-pot bet. The Ts paired the board on the river, Venividi1993 checked, Galfond bet pot, and in came the call.

Galfond showed QsTcTd8d for the turned flush and rivered full-house.

Venividi1993’s hand went into the muck.

“It is now!”

Galfond had enough leeway to fold his way to victory, ultimately winning a little over a grand from the match, and a €100,000 side bet – an incredible feat when you consider his position after a fortnight of action. 

During his post-match interviews, Galfond revealed that Venividi1993 had a full-house during the final hand, and had that ten not landed on the river, then there would have been a reversal of fortune.

‘Luck’ just had to squeeze itself into the headlines, and that’s not a bad thing. Luck takes the edge off our arrogance, and at moments when fate turns against us, it tempers the violence of our self-hatred.

After a month battling at crazy stakes, Galfond and Venividi1993 need that right now.

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
Day 36, 592 hands, Venividi1993 wins €34,580.19
Day 37, 883 hands, Venividi1993 wins €78,237.54
Day 38, 734 hands, Phil Galfond wins €23,581,50

“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. 

You can read all about it here.

The Phil Galfond Challenge: Galfond Presses Pause to Rethink VeniVidi Challenge; Cue The Pigeon Killer

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.

You can read up on it, right here.

World Series of Poker: 14-Online Bracelet Events Including a $10,000 NLHE Super High Roller

Live Poker News

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.’

Please read all about it, right here.

Phil Ivey’s Edge Sorting Story Reaches Hollywood; Awkwafina to Play Accomplice Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun

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.

You can check out Romero’s win, right here.

partypoker MILLIONS South America: James Romero Wins the $25k Super High Roller

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.

Check out the finer details, right here.

Poker Central Ink Sponsorship Deal With Global Poker

The Debate

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?

As a man from the UK, I struggle with this one.

What is a dime?

I know, from recently buying a children’s book from the library on this topic that a dime is a ten-cent coin, and ten of them makes a buck.

But this week, I learned it’s not that simple in gambling parlance after Mike ‘Timex” McDonald had to resolve a dispute between two players.

And the disputed amounts?

It seems my ten cents isn’t worth ten cents.

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

Posted by PokerNews on Tuesday, February 11, 2020

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.

The Biggest Game Jason Koon Every Played & How Macau Gamblers Are on a Different Level

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.

Check them out.

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.

What do you think Polk should do?

The Poll of the Week

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.

The Tweet of the Week

There were so many gems this week.

These two were epic.

Jason Mercier’s nipper explaining what daddy does for a living.

Nick Schulman exposing Phil Ivey’s love of skittles.

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.

There are more than 800 breeds of pigeon. 

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. 

Here is the tweet in full.

And the cliff-notes.

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.

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.

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. 

Phil Galfond is a poker Titan.

In Greek mythology, the Titans were Gods, amongst whom was Hyperion, the father of the lights of heaven. 

Hyperion is also the name of the world’s tallest tree. 

Imagine the stress of your roots, pulling you towards the earth’s core as the sun stretches your branches towards its solar flares, and you get a feel for the pressure VeniVidi1993 is applying to Galfond during their €100/€200 HeadsUp Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) bout.

The last time, we reported on Match #1 of the ‘Galfond Challenge’, the Run It Once Poker founder, said that when it came to his confrontation with the PLO maestro, he was ‘absolutely loving this shit’ despite being down $569,164.31 through 7,583 hands, and 11 sessions.

We wonder if that’s still the case.

Galfond’s Losses Approach €1m

On the 12th day of the challenge, Galfond stopped the nine-day rot, booking his most significant win to date (€87,940.91). However, fans of Galfond desperate for some sense of momentum would soon realise that their fresh salmon was still nothing more than fishsticks when Galfond suffered his most prominent loss of the series.

On Day 13, Galfond called time after 470-miserable hands that saw his foe win €267,949.70. Here are two of Galfond’s worse beats courtesy of Pocketfives.

The pair got it in for a €47,000 pot with Galfond holding top set on Qc8h4d rainbow. VeniVidi1993 had Qs7s5h54 for the gutshot and hit it on the turn when the 6h fell through the roof with a thud. Then Galfond got it in with aces on 8h6c2d only for VeniVidi1993 to hit two-pair on the river.

Days 14 & 15 were equally as meagre for Galfond with VeniVidi1993 booking winning sessions of €48,473.73 and €102,593.34. PocketFives lieutenant, Donnie Peters, put things into perspective, highlighting that the losses Galfond sustained post his most significant win, nearly totalled the entirety of his losses throughout the first 12 days (€419,016.77 versus €481,223.40). 

With Galfond losing at a rate of €60,016 per session if that pace continues he will be €2.46m the poorer (including his €200,000 side bet). 

Marathon Not a Sprint

The results look dire for Team Galfond. 

Still, it’s worth remembering that Galfond is yet to face a series of players that he holds a skill advantage over. Should the Poker Gods be a little more kind to this Titan, and after the ring rust wears off, there is every chance for the Run It Once Poker founder to fill this hole rather than being buried alive in it. 

Macros Results

15 sessions

9,927 hands

€900,240.17 to VeniVidi1993