Phil Galfond Down But Not Out as VeniVidi1993 Dominates Challenge

January 29th, 2020 | by Greg Shaun

Phil Galfond is in good spirits despite being in the hole for more than $300,000 after six match-ups with VeniVidi1993.

Phil Galfond has suffered more heavy losses in his high stakes poker challenge against VeniVidi1993. (Image: Twitter/Phil Galfond)

Tweeting his reaction to the latest round of action, Galfond said he was pleased with his focus.

However, despite playing well, he feels that the poker gods are currently conspiring against him.

Phil Galfond Getting Hammered

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

With six sessions played since Jan. 22, the Run It Once owner is down €327,016/$359,810. If the challenge was to end like this, Galfond would owe VeniVidi1993 an additional $220,000.

Fortunately for the high stakes pro, there’s a long way to go. According to the terms agreed, the match will last 25,000 hands. As of Jan. 28, the two had played 3,937.

Reviewing the recent stats, session five caused the biggest dent in Galfond’s bankroll. After 726 hands, VeniVidi1993 was up by more than $170,000. A lesser player may have buckled but Galfond rallied on Jan. 28 and enjoyed what was basically a breakeven session.

Galfond made a final push at the end of the day to finish $14.64 behind his opponent. Looking at a K♦8♠8♣ flop and $11,881 in the pot, Galfond checked. VeniVidi1993 followed suit, allowing Galfond to fire a pot-sized bet when the 9d landed on the turn.

VeniVidi1993 folded after a brief pause, meaning the final hand of the session went to Galfond. With that, he managed to avoid another hefty defeat and live to fight another day.

Nothing New for Phil Galfond

Being behind in a poker match is nothing new for Galfond. He’s suffered multiple five and six-figure losses in his career, most notably during his appearances on High Stakes Poker (see video above).

However, with the challenge also featuring a 2:1 side bet, he stands to lose an additional $220,000 if VeniVidi1993 wins. Of course, if he can reverse the deficit, he’ll pocket $110,000 on top of what he wins at the felt.

The danger for fans is that Galfond falls so far behind that he can’t recover. When Daniel Cates took part in Tom Dwan’s Durrrr challenge, he raced to an almost insurmountable lead. The blistering start put Dwan on the backfoot and, ultimately, caused the challenge to end prematurely.

Those invested in the latest high stakes poker challenge will remember this all too well. At this stage, Galfond is intent on seeing out the match, whatever the outcome.

Indeed, if he’s correct that bad luck is hampering his performance, we could see a dramatic comeback when the action resumes.