Galfond Challenge: ‘ActionFreak’ Takes €11,162 Lead
On Monday, the ‘Galfond Challenge‘ between Phil Galfond and ‘ActionFreak‘ kicked off. The first session was ultimately cut short after just 145 hands were played, but there was still some big action to report as ‘ActionFreak’ jumped out to an early €11,162.32 lead.
Galfond and ‘ActionFreak’ are scheduled to play 15,000 hands of €150-300 PLO on Run It Once Poker. The two put up an equal side bet of €150,000 each that will go to the match winner in addition to any money won on the virtual felt.
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Shortly into the first session, Galfond jumped out to the lead. He was up about €20,000 before he gave some back, but then Galfond was able to pick up a chunk of chips off ‘ActionFreak’ in the following pot.
On the 
board, there was €1,799 in the middle. After ‘ActionFreak’ checked, Galfond bet €899.50. ‘ActionFreak’ fired back with a raise to €4,497.50, but Galfond was strong to the test and made the call.
‘ActionFreak’ showed the 
for just a pair of tens. Galfond had the 
for two pair, jacks and fours, and he won the pot.
READ: Galfond’s Five Biggest Pots Between Against ‘VeniVidi1993’
The first all-in pot of the session came in the form of a €59,999 pot that ended up being chopped between the two.
On the 
flop, there was €5,399 in the middle and ActionFreak’ fired a pot-sized bet. Galfond raised to €21,596 and ‘ActionFreak’ went all in for €27,300 total. Galfond called.
Galfond had the 
and ‘ActionFreak’ had the 
. The turn was the and the river was the 
and the players chopped up the pot.
A big pot that helped ‘ActionFreak’ finish up on the session was one in which he made a hero call against Galfond to scoop a pot worth €59,999.
With €26,887.02 in the middle on the 
board, Galfond bet all in for €16,555.99. After some thought, ‘ActionFreak’ made the call with the 
. His pair of kings was good against the 
of Galfond and ‘ActionFreak’ pulled in the pot.
Challenge Results To Date
| Hands Played | Daily Winner | Amount Won | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 (Apr. 27) | 145 | ActionFreak | €11,162.32 |
| – | – | – | – |
| Total | 145 | ActionFreak | €11,162.32 |
What’s Next for the Galfond Challenge?
Galfond and ‘ActionFreak’ plan to resume action with another session on Tuesday, April 28.
Right now, Galfond is currently playing two challenges. He has this one that kicked off against ‘ActionFreak’ and he’s also playing the one against Bill Perkins. The match against ‘ActionFreak’ will be played more regularly with sessions against Perkins worked in here and there. For details on all of the matches, check out PocketFives’ dedicated Galfond Challenge hub.