Phil Galfond has experienced a dreadful start to his duel with “VeniVidi1993”. The first match in the Galfond Challenge has so far been one way traffic.
Session #6 was the closest sessions yet, and unfortunately, @PhilGalfond ended the sessions losing €13.31. Through 3937 hands, Venividi is up €327,016.64. pic.twitter.com/oifJXdnbFQ
— Run It Once Poker (@RunItOncePoker) January 28, 2020
Bad Start to the Galfond Challenge
When Phil Galfond announced the Galfond Challenge, the poker community was excited to see what would become of it. Here was a guy considered to be one of the greatest PLO players in the world offering to take on all-comers.
The problem was that he has really been away from any serious action for quite a while. Galfond’s latest project Run It Once Poker has understandably taken up much of his time. There simply hasn’t been enough hours in the day to compete like he used to.
Those of us who have been around the scene since the glory days, know very well that this isn’t as much of a handicap as it would be for normal players. Phil Galfond is a top drawer competitor.
That said, some of the guys he is taking on are also of that calibre. The net result being we expect close matches.
Unfortunately, the start of the match with VeniVidi1993 has been an unmitigated disaster for Galfond. After only 3,937 hands of the planned 25,000 hand match, Galfond currently stands €327,016 in the red.
The nice thing about being down €327k in 3.2k hands is that you can be absolutely certain that you’re running bad!
Yesterday was the worst day yet but my focus was good, even when getting smashed, so I’m happy with how I handled what I could control. Back at it in 90 minutes! pic.twitter.com/wNcxQmrjY6
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) January 28, 2020
He said,
“I shouldn’t be losing that much per hand, even if I’m outclassed badly,”
Still Time Yet
The upside for this bad start is that there is still plenty of time to mount a comeback. Galfond tweets indicate that he still remains optimistic, but also concerned about his focus and energy.
“The result is nothing I haven’t faced 100 times before, but I‘ve been disappointed not by the outcome, but by myself. I haven’t hit the level of focus and energy I used to. Must be getting old?”
As requested, graph of the #GalfondChallenge to date with red & blue lines added.
To call it an ugly start would be an understatement. Even if I were a 15bb/100 loser, a run this bad or worse (in AIEV) is ~5% likely.
It’s the perfect setup for an amazing comeback story! 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/d7Fww0bCgg
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) January 29, 2020
While age is certainly a factor with energy and focus, the run of play might be deceiving Galfond a little.
Here is how the totals have added up over the six days of play so far.
- Day 1: VeniVidi1993 +€72,572
- Day 2: Phil Galfond +€2,615
- Day 3: VeniVidi1993 +€84,437
- Day 4: VeniVidi1993 +€17,544
- Day 5: VeniVidi1993 +€155,063
- Day 6: VeniVidi1993 +€13.31
“VeniVidi1993” up €327,016 overall.
Galfond Challenge – Big Pots
As you would expect playing these nosebleed stakes, there have been some monster pots played when the stacks start to get deep.
Tuesday’s session saw the biggest pot played in the Galfond Challenge so far. A whopping €82,000 after Galfond hit the nut straight on the river.
BIGGEST POT SO FAR! The flush draw misses on the river, but the straight draw does not. And the bets go flying in… #BigPots #GalfondChallenge pic.twitter.com/BdQuLXm2RC
— Run It Once Poker (@RunItOncePoker) January 28, 2020
Not long after, Galfond managed to get the stacks in with second set over third set for a €58,000 pot.
We're closing in on the end of the session, and this €60k pot could be a deciding factor on today's winner. 👀 #BIGPots #GalfondChallenge #SplashTheWinnings? pic.twitter.com/n4ILeCheXq
— Run It Once Poker (@RunItOncePoker) January 28, 2020
Those who joined the live stream on Twitch a bit late might have been excited to see Galfond crushing like this. Sadly, he was only pulling himself out of a hole, ending the day €13.31 up.
Galfond might be a little discouraged right now, but his customers will certainly be rooting for him. During the first two weeks of the Galfond Challenge, any day that sees Phil Galfond ahead will also see a doubling of the “Splash the Pot” promotion.
We look forward to seeing Galfond pull the situation back into a much closer contest.
Join Run It Once Poker and Get €600 First Deposit Bonus Plus Up To 75% Rakeback!
Terms and conditions apply. New customer offer and 18+ only. Should you require help regarding your betting pattern, please visit www.begambleaware.org.
