Phil Galfond: PLO challenge updates!

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Shells said:
That's awesome he will resume his challenge! (he just needed to regroup - I guess he's human after all! 🙂)

I don't think there are as many haters as you may have stated though - sometimes it's easier for some to be a bit more critical than Phil's diehard fans and some words can hurt. Try to be objective and know some days are just better than others therefore jumping on criticism may sound like hate, but in fact, it's not.

Eventually, those who are 'haters' quit hating because the cream rises to the top, right?! - given there is just not as much to hate on. 🙂
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Yep, Agree.
 
Vilgeoforc said:
I think this is a consequence of the fact that Galfond did not play for a long time, and VeniVidi is a player equal to him in strength. If it's really downswing, then the situation should level out, and the game will go with varying success.[/QUOTE

This was probably the biggest problem I thought Phil faced going into this challenge. Phil, in his prime, was known to be able to adapt and exploit opponents in heads-up matches particularly. (Remember Durr's challenge?? The only person he refused to play was Phil )

Anyway, VeniVedi was a very active and very good player, Phil had not played seriously for the 4 years they were putting together Run it Once Poker. In almost every activity, a period of inaction is always a huge negative.

I am impressed by Phil's ability to hang in there, and let's see what happens
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That was the first session where Veni Vidi not just looked vulnerable but he patently played badly in the key hands.

The hands shown in the highlights upload reveal Veni Vidi seemed to be stuck on some kind of ego trip where he could not believe Galfond could be running well. Potentially nutted hands were plain to see but Veni Vidi appeared to believe the second nuts (or less) would be good enough.The first such 50K hand is forgivable, the second one debatable...but by the time you hit that third and forth and you are not picking upon the fact today might not be your day...well, that was a peculiar level of stubbornness.

That was embarrassing on his behalf (in fact I would peg it as the single most embarrassing day so far for either party) so its going to be interesting to see how he regroups.
 
Well another two days completed with Veni Vidi righting the ship after a disastrous recommencement, making a small gain with Galfond making a similar gain back today.

Watching the highlights is not that great (I am not watching the live streams) as the view you get is distorted. They just show a very compressed version (16 minutes or so of several hours) of only the biggest pots played and nothing else. Hundreds of hands are played in a modest manner but all you see are large gambles and many are debatable (as in the first stretch of play). They need to extend the highlights to show some less frenetic hands.


Also the David Tuchman commentary is cringeworthy - he admitted he is unfamiliar with PLO so was repeatedly calling hands incorrectly. Why was he hired? Some of the first sessions commentary was lacking but this is truly amateurish.
 
March 19th 2020 Just a quick update Session 26 Phil wins over 110,752 this brings the total to PLUS -383,848.66 Euros for VeniVedi Phil making a great comeback!!!


Phil proved me wrong so far, I thought it might be better to pay this one off and move on to next challenge. I guess that is why Phil is definitely one of the GOATS of high stakes and I am a micro-stakes grinder 😀

Keep it going Phil.

31920 Phil G
 
Lost a slight amount back today, but overall what a comeback! Rooting for Phil.
 
ETlP1O-XkAQLWgS
 
Surprised

Wow I’m surprised galfond getting handled like that but opponent must be really solid
 
Galfond has made a great comeback since the break and its now looking (with only 25% of the hands still to play) that he could balance out things by the time the challenge ends.

However, a few issues have been underlined along the way. The first being never enter a challenge unprepared.

The second issue is length of challenge, 25,000 hands. Ironically this could work out all to Galfond's benefit after the disastrous start. However from a spectators point of view (the challenge predicated on getting eyes/play on the Run It Once site) it would appear long to the point of tedium, with only approximately 1,000 watching the live streams. Which is a shame.

I tend to agree with others who have said, the tournaments/challenges should have been held between (a prepared) Galfond and poker players with a higher profile/celebrity. They could be held over a Friday, Saturday and Sunday to be quick exciting hits - much like watching an EPT or wsop tourney play out. A succession of such /players weekends might have been more engaging.

When the challenge is 25,00 hands, whatever the outcome it is inevitably becomes a grind from many perspectives.
 
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chattydb4567 said:
Wow I’m surprised galfond getting handled like that but opponent must be really solid
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I am wondering if you are just hearing about this?? Phil was down 900,000 Euros at the start of the challenge. He has mounted a pretty incredible come-back .. Keep on rolling Phil!!!!!
 
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March 22, 2020 - Update from Phil G. on Twitter. VeniVedi is taking a page out of Phil's playbook. He is taking a few days off from the challenge to regroup. Same rules apply VeniVedi pays Phil $3000 euros per day missed . Keep it going Phil !!


Phil G update 1
 
This entire challenge has proven to be a bit taxing on them both, it appears.
 
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Shells said:
This entire challenge has proven to be a bit taxing on them both, it appears.
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At those stakes i would be having my 3rd nervous breakdown :driver:
 
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Shells said:
This entire challenge has proven to be a bit taxing on them both, it appears.
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That sums things up in a nutshell, Shells.

There is the argument 25,000 hands can be insufficient in terms of variance and proving definitively who is the better player. I used to subscribe to this to a degree, but now I do not. It is valid in theory but not so much in practice. Both players have been under stress and at times patently not making optimal decisions.

Imagine playing golf, tennis or chess (whatever) at the highest level day after day for a month or two against one opponent. It would wear thin. What I would argue now is a challenge of shorter length would ensure players could bring their A game with greater regularity.
 
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DS3 said:
That sums things up in a nutshell, Shells.

There is the argument 25,000 hands can be insufficient in terms of variance and proving definitively who is the better player. I used to subscribe to this to a degree, but now I do not. It is valid in theory but not so much in practice. Both players have been under stress and at times patently not making optimal decisions.

Imagine playing golf, tennis or chess (whatever) at the highest level day after day for a month or two against one opponent. It would wear thin. What I would argue now is a challenge of shorter length would ensure players could bring their A game with greater regularity.
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I hear what you are saying, BUT on the flip side, one of the things about a heads up poker "match" that makes it different from playing full ring, is it is a battle of wills. 2 players battling each other, who can focus the best for the longest. "We" already see the new school players playing much shorter sessions. I think this shows that players need to put more energy into each hand.

Reducing 'time" played even farther, reduces the idea of this being a contest between 2 humans, who suffer from fatigue, lack of focus and all of the beautifully imperfect elements of being human. What you suggest is almost like 2 machines playing, we cannot allow anything else into the game, in my opinion you would like the human element totally removed.

Just my thoughts, maybe you are 100% right. I love the idea of players getting tired and frustrated, making wrong moves and the opponent being able to gain an advantage because of it.
 
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Phil is the G.O.A.T.

I’ve really enjoyed watching this battle play out as Vini has a very solver based approach to the game where as Phil hadn’t really used solvers much until studying during the run up to the challenge. While the number of hands is insignificant in my opinion to show who really is the best player, I think Phil has already shown that a deep understanding of the game can offset someone with a deep understanding of solver outputs
 
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EarnDAStack said:
Phil is the G.O.A.T.

I’ve really enjoyed watching this battle play out as Vini has a very solver based approach to the game where as Phil hadn’t really used solvers much until studying during the run up to the challenge. While the number of hands is insignificant in my opinion to show who really is the best player, I think Phil has already shown that a deep understanding of the game can offset someone with a deep understanding of solver outputs
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I like the way you phrase the strengths of both players, Phil has always been a guy who attempts to "figure out" a player and respond. On the subject of 25000 hands. To put that into perspective, if you ever tried to get a staking deal or financial backing to play online poker and you attempted to prove you are profitable by submitting a 25000 hand sample you would get rejected. People expect to see a bare minimum of 50000 but preferably much more than that.
 
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jsnake716 said:
March 22, 2020 - Update from Phil G. on Twitter. VeniVedi is taking a page out of Phil's playbook. He is taking a few days off from the challenge to regroup. Same rules apply VeniVedi pays Phil $3000 euros per day missed . Keep it going Phil !!


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Wow! I did really think this was all over a couple of weeks ago, but you have got to admire what Phil has managed to achieve here. It will be exciting to see how VeniVedi responds once the challenge resumes, as I am sure it will this time.
 
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Galfond is doing great. Hopefully he can continue the comeback and win the sidebet. What a turnaround that would be.
 
Galfond won three WSOP bracelets........So im sure he is able to come back....
 
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