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.