Phil Galfond Ducks Out of High Stakes Challenge as Luke Schwartz Throws Shade

February 14th, 2020 | by Kaycee James

The knives are out and Luke Schwartz is wielding the sharpest blade after Phil Galfond called time on his high stakes challenge.

Phil Galfond has decided to take a break from his high stakes challenge after losing almost $1 million. (Image: Winamax)

Schwartz was quick to jab at Galfond before his heads-up challenge started and the Englishman hasn’t held back in recent days.

With Galfond putting his match against VeniVidi1993 on hold, Schwartz took aim at everyone.

Luke Schwartz Goes in Hard

In a note posted on Twitter, the outspoken pro said that Phil Galfond is no longer an elite Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) player.

“Truth is, you’re a washed up nice guy. Everyone has their time. You certainly can’t beat the top guys in PLO anymore,” Schwartz wrote on Feb. 12.

After dishing out his version of the truth to Galfond, Schwartz addressed the “fan boys.”

“Phil is getting bashed up by the unknown human robot. Time to get some new poker heroes lads,” the Brit continued.

The barbed tweet came as no surprise to Galfond. During the planning stage of his heads-up challenge, the American engaged in a war of words with his high stakes counterpart.

The pair may eventually clash at the felt. However, for now, Galfond has to decide whether he wants to continue playing against VeniVidi1993.

Phil Galfond Remains Calm Despite Losses

Galfond fell behind during an initial flurry of sessions and hasn’t recovered. With his losses now just short of $1 million, he’s decided to take a break. Making the news public via Twitter, he said a combination of bad luck, tilt and strategy missteps have led to the heavy loss.

Unfortunately, my downswing in the first #GalfondChallenge has very much continued.
I’m taking a step back to do some thinking. Here’s an update, along with some more of my thoughts: pic.twitter.com/jIcN4Bc1Jz
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) February 11, 2020

After negotiating with his opponent, Galfond has agreed to pay a $3,250/day penalty for the six sessions he plans to miss.

With an agreement in place, he’s now pondering his options. If he believes there’s a way to redress the balance, he’ll resume the match in March. However, if Phil Galfond feels there’s no way to him to win, he’ll quit.

It’s not clear whether ending the match early will incur any additional penalties. However, Galfond will drop an extra $216,0000 in side bets by virtue of losing the match.

Despite the break, Galfond has promised there will be plenty more action. Indeed, after some back-and-forth on Twitter, it seems as though Schwartz and Galfond are the best of enemies.

https://twitter.com/__fullflush1__/status/1227659703322390529

If the two can follow through on their plans, we could be set for an explosive match regardless of how Galfond fares against VeniVidi1993.