“[I’ll] feel like a winner even if I don’t make any more back, but man, it’s hard not to hope for the full comeback.”
Phil Galfond’s reply to a fan on Twitter summarises neatly how the man behind Run It Once is dealing with the incredible swings experienced in his mammoth opening match of his ‘Galfond Challenge’.
When Galfond put the challenge on hiatus, he was over €900,000 down at his lowest point and in danger of second-guessing himself. He put out some fantastic thoughts on Twitter detailing his honest reflections on how badly it had gone, and while many in the online poker fraternity questioned whether Galfond had it in him to come back and play VeniVidi, even encouraging him to quit while he was nearly a million Euros down, Glafond himself was resolute.
Cue much contemplation. Radio silence. Then a break in the clouds, and Galfond resurfaced after much soul-searching. An emotional message contained a link to some of the best poker clickbait seen in some time. We’ve presented it to you below so that you can enjoy it in the same manner.
“I needed some time away from the first #GalfondChallenge match more than I’d realized. After mentally resetting & a lot of careful contemplation, I was able to make a tough decision with a clear head. Thanks for your patience! Update here.”
Having announced that he was getting back on the horse (or rather, Pot Limit Omaha), Galfond took some actual time out at his desk to explain his thought processes as he prepared to try and make what would be one of the greatest poker comebacks in history.
It has been a little while and circumstances have changed. Here are some more of my thoughts on the first #GalfondChallenge match.
Back to the tables on Thursday! pic.twitter.com/FhIrzCdV19
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) March 17, 2020
On Wednesday, Galfond was dreaming of not only wiping out his losses but recording a victory. Hailed as crazy by many, his projection of success now makes inspiring reading.
While I'm trying not to get caught up in the narrative & the dream of a massive comeback, I can still see that win or lose, a cool story is unfolding with the #GalfondChallenge: Ex top player challenges world, loses $1m promptly, clearly washed up & beaten down… etc 🙂(1/3) https://t.co/oEP80cWZaC
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) March 18, 2020
After some stunning victories in just a handful of days, Galfond was back to just over €300,000 of loss, rather than close to a million. Fans were absolutely loving the comeback on social media:
I wanna know what happened on that break! Did he sacrifice a goat? Did Phil join the Illuminati? I need to know!
— Michael Trivett (@mtrivettpoker) March 19, 2020
Those poker fans weren’t just regular aspiring Joe’s, either. Joey Ingram, winner of two Global Poker Awards just the other week, has been similarly inspired by Galfond’s ballsy bounce off the canvas.
https://twitter.com/Joeingram1/status/1240735542410502145
The action itself in the last few days has been just as off-the-chart fun as the comeback, with the denouement in the detail:
TFW you’re about to be put to the test but you river the answer key. https://t.co/X06LbxEsXY
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) March 21, 2020
Galfond was clearly passionate about the comeback and the challenge itself and in these trying times spoke of the importance of entertainment as a means of escape.
I've gotten a few comments like this. I almost didn't tweet for this reason, but while there are obviously more important things going on (& I said exactly that), I think entertainment is as needed as ever now & there are fewer sports/competitive events going on than ever. 1/4 https://t.co/Ldig7wkzpU
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) March 18, 2020
If you want to check out the very latest status of the Galfond Challenge, then you can visit the dedicated page on the Run It Once site. It should be an incredible final 7,000 hands of the challenge.
