Phil Galfond Falls Behind as Chance Kornuth Makes Spectacular Comeback

October 23rd, 2020 | by Greg Shaun

Phil Galfond has fallen behind in his high stakes heads-up match after Chance Kornuth booked two significant wins this week.

Phil Galfond has fallen behind in his high stakes PLO match after three strong performances from Chance Kornuth. (Image: Run It Once)

The tide initially started to turn last week when Kornuth closed the deficit by $78,000. He’s since managed to use that momentum to pull ahead.

The tipping point came on Tuesday when the American booked a $150,000 win. That session took Kornuth out of the hole and into the lead by just over $30,000.

Phil Galfond Under Pressure Again

Tuesday’s session might have given Galfond reason to reconsider his strategy but there was no stopping Kornuth. He parlayed his positive run into another winning session the following day. Now, he’s leading the match by $289,000.

That’s almost an identical lead to the one Galfond opened open during the first few sessions and shows how swingy Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) can be. With the blinds at $100/$200 and the stacks deep at all times, anything can happen.

Galfond knows that better than anyone. In his first challenge match against Venividi1993. A rough ride in the opening stages of that showdown left him facing a deficit of almost $1 million.

Given the lead Venividi1993 had, Galfond was forced to take a break and consider his position. Although his skills were never in doubt, discretion was almost the better part of valor. However, after a two-week hiatus, he decided to continue playing and duly reversed the deficit.

Chance Kornuth Takes His Chances

He now finds himself in a similar position against Kornuth. Although the deficit isn’t as great and there are more than 25,000 hands left to play, poker is often a game of swings and momentum.

Three winning sessions in a row has given Kornuth the edge both financially and mentally. It’s now up to Galfond to dig deep and restore the balance.

Whatever happens, the latest turn of events has made the match much more interesting. Watching someone get steamrolled is entertaining to a point but a comeback always provides a better overall story.

If Chance Kornuth maintains his lead until 35,000 hands have been play, he’ll not only bank whatever money he makes at the tables but an extra $1 million. Phil Galfond will win $250,000 from his opponent and any additional in-game profit if he can perform another comeback.

The game, as they say, is well and truly on and railbirds can look forward to more intense sessions in the coming days and weeks.