Galfond Challenge: Galfond Enjoys First Overall Lead
After four days off, Phil Galfond and ‘VeniVidi1993’ got back into action in the ‘Galfond Challenge,’ playing another 664 hands of €100-200 PLO on Run It Once Poker. It was a momentous day for Galfond, who had his first taste of having an overall lead.
When the session was over, Galfond had won €113,680.87, but he was up a bit more at points in the day. So much so that he took the overall lead.
Here’s a look at the hand that gave Galfond the lead for the first time, with commentator David Tuchman on the call.
With €21,582 in the middle on the 
board, ‘VeniVidi1993’ checked and Galfond fired a pot-sized bet. ‘VeniVidi1993’ had €10,373.36 left in his stack and made the call.
‘VeniVidi1993’ showed the 
for a nine-high straight. Galfond had the 
for a ten-high straight. The pot was €42,328.72 and it went Galfond’s way to give him his first overall lead in this Galfond Challenge.
The 25,000-hand Galfond Challenge between these two is now 20,027 hands complete. Although Galfond pulled into the overall lead for a little bit, ‘VeniVidi1993’ fought back to maintain a lead of €40,607.06 overall. That’s where things stand entering the final 4,973 hands.
After the first 15 sessions, ‘VeniVidi1993’ was up more than €900,000. Since that 15th session, it’s been all Galfond in the last couple of weeks as he has stormed back in a big way.
Galfond led for the entire session on Thursday and the two will be back in action on Friday, April 3. Thursday’s session marked the sixth six-figure winning session for Galfond, all of which have come since the two took a break from February 9 to March 4.
Galfond and ‘VeniVidi1993’ have played an average of 625 hands per session, so we can expect eight more sessions to be played in order to complete the full 25,000 hands.
Challenge Results To Date
| Hands Played | Daily Winner | Amount Won | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 (Jan. 22) | 655 | VeniVidi1993 | €72,572.68 |
| Day 2 (Jan. 23) | 715 | Phil Galfond | €2,615.26 |
| Day 3 (Jan. 24) | 557 | VeniVidi1993 | €84,437.52 |
| Day 4 (Jan. 25) | 581 | VeniVidi1993 | €17,544.87 |
| Day 5 (Jan. 27) | 726 | VeniVidi1993 | €155,063.52 |
| Day 6 (Jan. 28) | 703 | VeniVidi1993 | €13.31 |
| Day 7 (Jan. 30) | 823 | VeniVidi1993 | €52,057.13 |
| Day 8 (Jan. 31) | 940 | VeniVidi1993 | €60,743.37 |
| Day 9 (Feb. 1) | 446 | VeniVidi1993 | €12,706.51 |
| Day 10 (Feb. 3) | 696 | VeniVidi1993 | €100,993.30 |
| Day 11 (Feb. 4) | 741 | VeniVidi1993 | €15,647.36 |
| Day 12 (Feb. 6) | 622 | Phil Galfond | €87,940.91 |
| Day 13 (Feb. 7) | 470 | VeniVidi1993 | €267,949.70 |
| Day 14 (Feb. 8) | 593 | VeniVidi1993 | €48,473.73 |
| Day 15 (Feb. 9) | 659 | VeniVidi1993 | €102,593.34 |
| Day 16 (Mar. 4) | 574 | Phil Galfond | €183,481.38 |
| Day 17 (Mar. 5) | 582 | VeniVidi1993 | €21,571.51 |
| Day 18 (Mar. 6) | 555 | Phil Galfond | €27,198.94 |
| Day 19 (Mar. 7) | 638 | Phil Galfond | €26,018.41 |
| Day 20 (Mar. 9) | 566 | Phil Galfond | €92,803.89 |
| Day 21 (Mar. 10) | 576 | Phil Galfond | €3,766.94 |
| Day 22 (Mar. 11) | 556 | VeniVidi1993 | €88,465.60 |
| Day 23 (Mar. 12) | 598 | Phil Galfond | €23,821.05 |
| Day 24 (Mar. 13) | 628 | Phil Galfond | €19,099.65 |
| Day 25 (Mar. 14) | 664 | Phil Galfond | €139,485.78 |
| Day 26 (Mar. 19) | 539 | Phil Galfond | €110,752.58 |
| Day 27 (Mar. 20) | 645 | VeniVidi1993 | €76,026.05 |
| Day 28 (Mar. 21) | 503 | Phil Galfond | €140,979.28 |
| Day 29 (Mar. 26) | 642 | Phil Galfond | €85,271.31 |
| Day 30 (Mar. 27) | 777 | VeniVidi1993 | €26,992.32 |
| Day 31 (Mar. 28) | 393 | Phil Galfond | €106,328.51 |
| Day 32 (Apr. 2) | 664 | Phil Galfond | €113,680.87 |
| – | – | – | – |
| Total | 20,027 | VeniVidi1993 | €40,607.06 |
What’s Next for the Galfond Challenge?
Galfond and ‘VeniVidi1993’ will be back on Friday, April 3, for more €100-200 Pot Limit Omaha on Run It Once Poker. They’re less than 5,000 hands from the finish line, so buckle up. This battle is still anyone’s to be won.
Remember, Galfond is putting up €200,000 in side action to the €100,000 of ‘VeniVidi1993.’
Be sure to stay tuned to PocketFives for more on the Galfond Challenge.
