Phil Galfond Buried Against 'Venividi1993' One Week Into "Galfond Challenge"
The Galfond Challenge could not be off to a worse start for its eponym.
After seven sessions of play, Phil Galfond is stuck €379,073.77 to online mystery grinder "Venividi1993". They've played 4,760 of a planned 25,000 hands at €100/€200 pot-limit Omaha. That means Galfond has lost at a frightening rate of nearly €80 or 0.4 big blinds per hand.
Want to know everything about the Galfond Challenge? Check out thePokerNews Galfond Challenge page for more information!
Here's a look at how things have gone so far:
Day 1
Things started promisingly enough for Galfond on Jan. 22 when the two players took seats at two tables on Run It Once Poker. The legend leaped out to an early lead as he won the first stack of the match in a four-bet pot, getting there with top pair and a flush draw against naked aces.
However, Galfond got a taste of the pain to come about half an hour later. He flopped fives full of jacks but didn't have an out in the deck as Venividi had flopped quads. He raked in Galfond's stack on the river.
About two hours in, Venividi exceeded €100,000 on one of the tables after continually siphoning chips from Galfond in pot after pot. Galfond made a bit of a comeback and they took a break then reset the stacks for a final hour.
That hour went poorly for Galfond as he lost several stacks, ending things by bluffing off a stack with a missed combo draw into Venividi's trips and straight blockers.
Hands Played: 655
Results: Venividi1993 +€72,572.68
Full session video
Day 2
Galfond began the second session by stacking Venividi again, this time turning top set of aces and holding when Venividi semi-bluffed all in with a pair and a combo draw.
After Venividi evened things out, Galfond took down the biggest pot to date in the session when he found himself with Q♦J♥J♣10♥ in a four-bet pot, 5♦9♠10♦ having flopped. Unfortunately for Galfond, he was up against 10♣6♣9♦4♦ for top two and diamonds. Galfond managed to find a Q♥ on the turn and fade the river to rake in €52K.
Venividi battled right back with a €54K pot when he sucked out on Galfond's bare aces with a flush draw, and he took command after their first break going up as high as +€40,000.
After the final break, Galfond worked his way back into the lead, jumping ahead when his aces held up against the nut wrap on a 5♣J♥4♠ flop in a four-bet pot.
However, Venividi took down the last big pot of the session when they stuck in nearly all the money preflop, Galfond's A♣9♠A♦6♦ against 10♠8♦6♠5♦. Venividi flopped a pair and a straight draw on 5♣9♥J♠ and he turned the Q♠ to secure the pot with a straight and reduce Galfond to a small win.
Hands Played: 715
Results: Galfond +€2,615.26
Full session video
Day 3
Day 3 proved a rough one for Galfond despite it being the shortest yet.
The first hour saw Galfond lose several stacks as Venividi pumped up to nearly €100,000 on one table thanks to rivering set over set and also making a boat against Galfond's aces. Galfond fought back before break when he induced with a small bet on 4♥10♥5♦Q♦2♠, calling a shove with J♠10♠Q♥9♠ after timing down. Venividi had the nut blocker and shipped over a stack before break.
Venividi was up a solid but unspectacular €23K just before the second break, but he began his surge there as he got three streets from Galfond for a €54K pot on 6♥9♣4♣A♦4♠. Galfond called pot on the river and lost to 6♣2♣6♠2♠ with an unknown hand.
He continued to run Galfond through the ringer over the final 40 minutes or so and booked a large win. Galfond attributed the loss to playing his C-game while Venividi played his A-game.
Hands Played: 557
Results: Venividi +€84,437.52
Full session video
Day 4
Day 4 began well for Galfond as he held a solid profit for most of the first hour or so. In the biggest pot the two played, Venividi had such a strong draw with J♠5♦3♦A♠ on 4♦K♠2♠Q♥ that he was even money heading to the river against Galfond's set of fours. A brick river sent a pot worth just shy of €56,000 to Galfond.
However, the two played a pot of almost €60,000 after that. Venividi check-raised nearly all of his stack holding 9♠8♥4♥6♠ on 10♦7♦Q♥6♣. Galfond held K♣Q♦6♦2♦ for queens up and the flush draw and missed. Still, he held a small lead going to break.
Venividi coolered Galfond right away after the break when he rivered a straight versus Galfond's top set of aces. However, Galfond recovered and actually moved up as high as +€53,000 after winning a four-bet pot one one table and stacking Venividi with set over set on the other.
Venividi, though, closed strong over the final 30 minutes and won a series of medium and large pots to book a win of just under a buy-in.
Hands Played: 581
Results: Venividi +€17,544.87
Full session video
Day 5
A nightmare session unfolded for Galfond on Day 5 as he nearly doubled his losses despite being substantially stuck already.
Things got off to a rough start for Galfond as he lost several stacks early before the stream cut out, most notably hitting the nut flush on the turn only to have Venividi pick up top boat. Galfond potted the river with A♣J♣J♠2♠ on K♣K♠3♣6♣2♦ and then called off getting a large price only to be shown K♦6♦9♠2♣.
About two hours in, Galfond lost several stacks in quick session. First, he bluffed off into Venividi's top set on the river, with Venividi picking him off while also holding a blocker to the nut straight. Then, Galfond turned a full house with A♣3♣Q♠6♠ on A♦9♥6♣6♦. Venividi had J♥J♠9♣9♠ for a better boat and stacked his foe again. Galfond found himself in a €200,000 hole.
Galfond mounted a comeback after the break as he collected several stacks of his own. One swingy hand saw Galfond flop top two and a straight draw with K♥9♥8♠6♥ on 9♣7♠K♣. Venividi held A♣J♣J♠7♥ for bottom pair and the nut draw. He got there with an A♦ turn for higher two pair, but Galfond made his straight on the 5♠ river.
However, he faded a bit to the finish once again and wound up staring at nearly eight buy-ins of red ink.
Hands Played: 726
Results: Venividi +€155,063.52
Full session video
Check Out Run It Once Poker Here!
Day 6
Day 6 saw Galfond take the first huge pot, worth $56,664. The two players had massive hands on the 2♦10♠Q♦J♠ board. Galfond had A♦5♦K♠Q♠ for both flush draws and the nuts, while Venividi had A♣10♦9♣2♣ for two pair and a combo draw. A 6♥ rolled off to keep Galfond best.
Venividi stacked Galfond right back in a four-bet pot when his aces held against Galfond's queens with a gutter, and Venividi worked his way into a decent lead around €50,000 before the two played an enormous pot about three hours in.
Both players started with more than €40,000 in a three-bet pot as 3♥10♣J♦ hit the board. Galfond led small with a quarter-pot bet and Venividi called. On the 4♦ turn, Galfond bet small again with €1,350 into €5,400. Venividi raised to €9,448 and Galfond called, checking the 7♣. Venividi bet about half pot with €12,390 and Galfond shoved. Venividi called with J♠J♣6♦5♥ for top set and the second nuts on the river, but Galfond had Q♠Q♦9♦8♦ for the nuts. He dragged just under €82K.
The lead swung back to Venividi heading into the final stretch, but this time it was Galfond finishing strong. He held with the nut straight on the turn against top two and a flush draw then coolered Venividi with top set against second set.
After dragging the final pot, a four-bet affair, Galfond wound up even on the day.
Hands Played: 703
Results: Venividi +€13.31
Full session video
Day 7
The longest session yet played came on Thursday, as the two crushers battled across 823 hands.
About an hour in, the two players were close to even when Venividi collected stacks on each table. On one, Galfond bluffed all in on the river with a missed straight draw and a single heart blocker. Venividi picked him off with a ten-high flush. On the other, stacks went in on 10♦7♥5♦ in a single-raised pot. Each player had a huge hand, but Venividi's 9♥6♥8♦7♦ got there against top set.
Galfond then dropped another stack in a four-bet pot when his K♣10♣J♠9♣ couldn't hold on 3♣9♦8♦ against K♠7♠J♦6♦, with Venividi locked it up with a turned flush.
Venividi pushed his edge up to €110K heading into the second break. Galfond would slowly recover some in the following hands, but he was unable to land a killshot for a huge swing as Venividi opted to break the tables any time the players hit 200 big blinds effective.
Galfond hit a high point of -€42K but had to settle for medium-sized loss a bit deeper.
Hands Played: 823
Results: Venividi +€52,057.13
Full session video
Outlook After First Seven Days
Despite the horrid results, Galfond remained at least a little upbeat.
"Even if I'm significant underdog, it's a pretty improbable run," he said after the sixth session. "I shouldn't be losing that much per hand even if I'm outclassed badly."
He reported on Twitter the chances of such a rough run are in the ballpark of 5% likelihood, showing a graph of the damage thus far:
In another tweet, he acknowledged victory is unlikely despite the challenge being less than 20% finished. He said his new goal is simply to win the hands going forward:
Keep track of the Galfond Challenge here. The next session is scheduled for Friday.
