Galfond Challenge: 'VeniVidi1993' Wins €28,538 On Friday
Phil Galfond and ‘VeniVidi1993’ went back to the Run It Once Poker streets on Friday for more €100-200 PLO action from their ‘Galfond Challenge.’ This time, it was ‘VeniVidi1993’ winning on the session, taking €28,538.21 off Galfond to extend his lead back to €69,145.27 overall.
On Friday, the two played 632 hands to push the challenge to 20,659 hands complete. Although Galfond isn’t in the black overall, he has done well to cut his deficit down from more than €900,000. On Thursday, Galfond did have a taste of his first overall lead during the session but it didn’t last.
Now, with 4,341 hands to go in the 25,000-hand challenge, the Galfond Challenge between Galfond and ‘VeniVidi1993’ is in the home stretch and there are only a handful of sessions left to decide this epic duel.
The latest session mirrored how the overall challenge has gone so far, with ‘VeniVidi1993’ jumping out to an early lead and stretching it out before Galfond battled back in the second half of the day. ‘VeniVidi1993’ was up six figures at points in the session on Friday before Galfond pulled things back the other way. Galfond just couldn’t finish the session out with a win.
One of the pots that helped Galfond turn things around on the day was the following €40,990.34 pot.
With €17,985 in the middle on the 
board, ‘VeniVidi1993’ fired a pot-sized bet. Galfond had €11,502.67 behind and made the call.
Galfond had the 
for a six-high straight. He beat the 
that ‘VeniVidi1993’ held.
Much later in the session, Galfond was able to win another pot of €40,199 to help cut Friday’s losses even more.
After Galfond bet €395.67 into €1,199 on the 
flop, ‘VeniVidi1993’ raised to €1,888.43. Galfond reraised to €4,600 and then ‘VeniVidi1993’ made it €14,999 to go. Galfond shoved and ‘VeniVidi1993’ called off his last €4,501.
‘VeniVidi1993’ had the 
and Galfond had the 
. The turn was the 
and the river was the 
. Both kept Galfond’s hand best and he won the pot.
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 |
| Day 33 (Apr. 3) | 632 | VeniVidi1993 | €28,538.21 |
| – | – | – | – |
| Total | 20,659 | VeniVidi1993 | €69,145.27 |
What’s Next for the Galfond Challenge?
Galfond and ‘VeniVidi1993’ will be back on Saturday, April 4, 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.
