Three-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Galfond has founded his own poker site with the goal of keeping the online poker dream alive. Over the years, a big part of that dream has been epic high stakes battles for everyone to see.
With the Galfond Challenge, a series of high stakes heads up matches between Phil and his various challengers, Phil is bringing back the glory days of railing high stakes games.
Phil Galfond vs Venividi1993
It has already been the second week of the Galfond Challenge and things aren't looking so good for the 35-year-old Galfond.
Against "Venividi1993", Galfond is down a whopping €380,000 after the first seven sessions, resulting to a new low of -€569,164.31. With over 7,500 hands played as of Tuesday afternoon, recorded during the time this was written, the challenge is 30% finished, and Galfond is bound to lose nearly €2 million.
In the second week of the challenge, below shows what happened on each round of the match.
Day 8
Most of the medium to large pots were raked in by Venividi, building up a nice profit of €60,000.
After the break, he scooped a double from Galfond when they saw a J63 flop. Galfond had aces with nut flush draw while Venividi had top two and a backdoor flush draw. Galfond hit a set on the river, but it gave Venividi his diamond flush.
Around four hours in, Galfond was able to make some headway. He put in a block bet on 56A3 and Venividi shoved on him. After some thinking, Galfond called with Q665 to create a pot of €45K. Venividi held 10844 for a combo draw and blockers but he bricked the river.
Galfond at the final stretch tried to bluff off a stack as Venividi made a sick river call with kings and a club blocker on a board containing three clubs and a pair of nines. However, Galfond got it right back when he got there with K9104 against bottom set on JQ3, running out a diamond flush. He ended the long session stuck three buy-ins.
Hands Played: 940
Results: Venividi1993 +€60,743.37
Full Session video: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/544647055?filter=archives&sort=time
Day 9
This is one of the shorter sessions that transpired which saw Galfond on the lead about 30 minutes in when he coolered Venividi who flopped bottom set of threes in a three-bet pot against Galfond's set of aces. Galfond raised by betting flop and turn small, and Venividi couldn't find a fold against Galfond's three-bet shove, surrendering a €46K pot.
Two hours into the game, they played a pot worth €52K. Venividi bet half pot on the flop and then potted turn for €7,200 on 45KQ. Galfond set him in for about €15K more and Venividi called with KK86. Galfond was drawing with Q4107, but he lost this one as he did not find a spade on the river.
Venividi was able to get ahead once more when Galfond went for three streets of value, shoving river with A7J9 on 67AK2. Unfortunately for him, Venividi had turned top two with AK8Q.
Galfond was able to get a couple of stacks back, but was unable to get ahead of his opponent.
Hands Played: 446
Results: Venividi1993 +€12,706.51
Full Session video: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/545196899?filter=archives&sort=time
Day 10
Galfond got stacked immediately in a 4-bet pot when he flopped top pair with KQJ5 on 8J2 but could not improve against dry aces. Galfond got two stacks back by cracking aces with a flopped set and flopped bottom two, but he gave a heap back, losing a €54K pot when he called pot on the river but could not beat a set of queens on Q824A.
A little under three hours in, Galfond was down less than a buy-in but dropped a €53K four-bet pot. Stacks went in on 686 with Galfond's A4KJ merely ahead against Q7109. Venividi made a straight when a ten appeared on the river.
Venividi was unstoppable after that. Venividi called with a jack-high flush when Galfond bluffed off a stack with a queen-high nut blocker, then Galfond check-raised for €14K on a completed, paired board and folded to a shove. He suddenly was down €130,000+ when they returned from break.
For the next 45 minutes, Venividi kept winning as he racked up €170,000 in winnings. Then, Galfond managed to hit the river with KKQ8 on a board of 2445K. He check-raised all in and a pot-stuck Venividi called off the last few thousand with the nut straight.
Galfond got lucky with top and bottom two pair against middle set, but he suffered another six-figure loss to clock out down more than €550,000.
Hands Played: 696
Results: Venividi1993 +€100,993.30
Full Session video: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/546233892?filter=archives&sort=time
Day 11
Right away Galfond netted a stack when he flopped a set against an overpair and a gutshot and held up. After giving one back when a pair and the nut flush draw could not beat flopped trip threes, he went into the first break down just slightly.
Three hours in, Galfond lost another stack in a 4-bet pot. Against the top two of Venividi, he flopped top pair and a flush draw, and he ran out a backdoor flush to boot to rake in €44K.
Down almost €50,000 again, Galfond recovered a stack when he potted 9A27 with aces and sevens, and Venividi shoved with A642. A brick river sent the pot to Galfond.
After the break, in a 4-bet pot, Galfond potted for most of his chips on 458 with JJ43. Venividi went with his 10964 and found an offsuit seven on the river, much to the fans' dismay.
A bit later, Galfond four-bet J786 and called a five-bet then put the rest in on a jack-high flop. Venividi had aces and the board paired on the turn, so Venividi stacked Galfond once more.
Galfond would rally over the final 30 minutes and close out down less than a buy-in. Afterward, he admitted the results have him not having as much fun as he hoped.
Hands Played: 741
Results: Venividi1993 +€15,647.36
Full Session video: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/546722318
The Galfond Challenge with Venividi continues Thursday, with session No. 12.
Every session of The Galfond Challenge presented by Run It Once Poker will be live-streamed on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/RunItOncePoker
Note: For Galfond Challenge matches only, rake will be 1% up to a cap of €1.
Source:
https://www.pokernews.com/news/2020/02/galfond-challenge-phil-galfond-stuck-another-200k-36546.htm