The Galfond Challenge is starting to resemble the New England Patriots’ improbable Super Bowl LI comeback. Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond wrapped up another profitable session on Thursday against his challenger, “VeniVidi1993.” He’s now somehow, someway, within striking distance of winning the competition.
In the aforementioned 2017 Super Bowl, New England trailed 28-3 in the third quarter. It’s certainly not impossible to rally from such as massive deficit. But the odds are stacked against a team trailing by 25 points at any point in the game, let alone the third quarter.
Behind Tom Brady’s brilliance, New England rallied to win 34-28, scoring 31 unanswered points. Many consider it one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. Galfond just might be a few weeks away from pulling off a comparable miracle.
Poker Site Operator Closing in on Comeback
The first Galfond Challenge between Run it Once founder Phil Galfond and online poker pro “VeniVidi1993” began Jan. 23. Both poker stars are to play 25,000 hands of Pot-Limit Omaha on Run it Once at the €100/€200 stakes. At the end, the winner is owed a six-figure side bet (Galfond’s €200,000 to “VeniVidi1993’s” €100,000).
Through 29 sessions — the most recent on Thursday — a total of 18,193 hands have been played (6,807 remain). The challenger holds a €233,624 lead, but that doesn’t tell the full story.
After session 15 — “VeniVidi1993” profited €102,593 — and Galfond trailed by €900,000. He was down and seemingly out, but the tides have since turned.
Following a month-long break, the PLO pro, formerly known as “OMGClayAiken” on Full Tilt Poker, began what just might turn out to be the greatest comeback in poker history.
Through 14 sessions this month, Galfond is up €666,616. His Thursday session, streamed live on Twitch, was yet another impressive performance. He turned a profit of €85,271 and continued his improbable run.
Still, Galfond trails by a significant margin. Despite his dominating performance this month, the PLO legend remains an underdog to win. With 6,807 hands remaining, Galfond must profit nearly €35 per hand on average the rest of the way, or he loses.
Win or lose, Galfond’s comeback has been nothing short of incredible. And by streaming each session on Run it Once, he’s giving his poker site some much-needed publicity. What better way to promote a site than by streaming a highly-publicized poker challenge?
