Stunning comeback captivates poker world

Phil Galfond has starred in poker’s version of a sports movie over the past few weeks.

The three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner completed a comeback Sunday, after being poised to lose 1.1 million euros at one point, to prevail in a challenge match that has captivated the poker world.

“It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen,” said Joey Ingram, a prominent poker podcaster and YouTube personality who provided commentary on the live stream of the match’s final session.

Galfond, 35, took on VeniVidi1993, the screen name for a European poker pro who has remained anonymous. They agreed to play 25,000 hands of heads-up (one-on-one) Pot-limit Omaha at stakes of 100-200 euros with a 20,000 euro buy-in. In addition to any money won during the match, the losing player would also pay out a side bet. Galfond laid 2-1 on that bet, his 200,000 euros to VeniVidi1993’s 100,000.

The match started Jan. 22 on the online poker site Run It Once, which is owned by Galfond. VeniVidi1993 won 72,527 euros in the first session and never looked back in winning more than 900,000 euros over the next few weeks, prompting Galfond to take a break in the match Feb. 11.

“I’ve been seriously considering throwing in the towel on this first challenge, accepting defeat,” he wrote in a note posted on Twitter. “… The idea feels awful to me, but so does continuing to play poorly against a really good opponent.”

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

Ingram said the sentiment in the poker world was that Galfond “appeared to be severely outmatched,” that despite his success in high-stakes poker for more than a decade, he could perhaps no longer keep up with top competition.

“Everyone was saying he should quit,” Ingram said.

If Galfond had quit then, he would have lost more than 1.1 million euros between the money lost in the game and the side bet. But he stood to potentially lose even more if he kept playing.

He announced Feb. 26 that he planned to resume the match, and play began again March 4. By March 14, Galfond cut the deficit to less than 500,000 euros. As the comeback continued, VeniVidi1993 decided to take a couple of breaks to regroup.

Galfond finally broke through April 2, taking the overall lead for the first time in the match, but he couldn’t rest easy, as there were still more than 5,000 hands left to play.

And for a moment Sunday, it seemed the match might end like the original “Rocky.” Galfond was on the verge of losing a tight decision in the final round.

Instead, he rivered a higher full house in a pot of more than 20,000 euros with only 75 hands left. That gave Galfond enough cushion to fold all the remaining hands and still prevail.

The final showdown that secured the victory for @PhilGalfond. 🏆#GalfondChallenge pic.twitter.com/0kIBHo75kL

— Run It Once Poker (@RunItOncePoker) April 12, 2020

After 25,000 hands, Galfond won 1,472.08 euros, plus the 100,000 euro side bet.

He posted on Twitter after the match: “Over the past 15 years, I’ve played poker in a number of high-pressure situations. Nothing came close to feeling as intense as today did. I’m overwhelmed, exhausted, and most of all, grateful.”

Over the past 15 years, I’ve played poker in a number of high-pressure situations. Nothing came close to feeling as intense as today did.

I’m overwhelmed, exhausted, and most of all, grateful.

There are so many people to thank that I don’t know where to begin.

— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) April 12, 2020

Galfond turned down an interview request Monday. He was preparing for his next challenge match, against businessman Bill Perkins, which starts Tuesday.

Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.