Phil Galfond Climbs Out Of €900,000 Hole In High-Stakes Poker Challenge

For the first time since the Galfond Challenge began on Jan. 22, Phil Galfond has ended a session in the outright lead against his high-stakes cash game heads-up opponent, VeniVidi1993. On Monday, April 6 he ended the scheduled daily session up €81,064.56, having won €121,486.95 for the day after starting €40,422.39 in the hole.

“It’s exciting to be up for the first time,” Galfond said on the streaming coverage of the challenge moments after action concluded for the day.

Galfond got off to a rocky start in this first of seven scheduled heads-up challenges. The three-time World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner lost more than €900,000 over the course of the first 15 days of the high stakes heads-up showdown, which features Galfond and VeniVidi1993 playing two tables of heads-up €100-€200 pot-limit Omaha for a total of 25,000 hands.

Galfond postponed the match in early February following his initial downswing, ultimately paying $3,000 per scheduled session he missed during the second half of that month. Since play resumed on March 4, Galfond has ended 15 of the 20 sessions as a net winner. As a result, he’s steadily fought his way out of the nearly seven-figure hole he found himself in after the first 1/3 of the total hands to be played.

On Thursday, April 2 Galfond had a big session that saw him briefly take the outright lead in the challenge, before VeniVidi1993 mounted a comeback to regain the lead by the time the session ended. The moment that Galfond first took gained the advantage was captured on the live streaming coverage of the challenge presented by Run It Once Poker, Galfond’s own online poker site which is hosting all of the action throughout the challenge. The hand featured a spirited call from analyst David Tuchman.

Galfond ended up winning €113,681 on the day for that session but was still behind in the overall challenge. The two played two more sessions on Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4, with VeniVidi1993 ending up €40,422.39 overall when all was said and done.

Monday, April 6 saw the two play 751 hands over the course of more than five and a half hours. Galfond got out to a strong lead early, but VeniVidi1993 pulled withing a few thousand of event before Galfond regained control of the match. Galfond ended up €81,064.56 for the challenge with 22,097 hands played of the 25,000 that the two competitors agreed to. That means that just 2,903 hands remain for this matchup. At the conclusion of the 25,000 hands, the two will have to settle their side bet. If Galfond is ahead after the challenge ends, he will earn an additional €100,000. If he loses, he would owe €200,000 to VeniVidi1993.

Here are the details for all seven of Galfond’s challenges:

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