Phil Galfond Poker Training

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Phil Galfond Poker Training

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Summary:In this episode, Phil Galfond talks about The Phil Galfond Challenge, his series of challenges playing high-stakes PLO against some of the world's best. He shares how the challenge came about, why he created it, and what he has been doing to prepare. Elliot and Phil discuss the mindset shifts that Phil has undergone, and he opens up about the hidden fear that has kept him from studying.
Listen in to hear Phil share what makes Run It Once different– and learn why he won't need a vacation after these challenges are completed.
Time Stamped Show Notes:[01:30] – The Phil Galfond Challenge
Phil Galfond reviews his previous poker omaha hand history and spots Online Poker (PLO) mistakes at different stakes. For more poker training/strategy videos. The battle between Phil Galfond and Chance Kornuth at $100/$200 pot-limit Omaha for the Galfond Challenge has been a swingy one thus far, and the latest swing appears to be going in Galfond's.
02:25 – Elliot's course and discussions inspired some of Phil's big moves and made the challenge possible
03:15 – The challenge idea came about because his video views were going down; he still has more guidance and wants to teach people
04:05 – He challenged any other training site coach to a match; 50,000 hands with 3:1 odds
04:20 – He's playing on Run It Once since he's outside of the U.S.; it's a big promotion for Run It Once poker
04:50 – They opened it up to not just coaches to make sure they had a match
05:05 – He's excited to play high-stakes poker for a length of time; he'll brush up on his game and get better
[06:00] – On opponents and game structures
06:05 – As of the recording, he has matches set up with some of the best in the world and other matches still need details to be discussed
08:20 – He's planning on playing for four months in Vancouver, but he'll likely have to play beyond that
09:00 – With the Thirst Lounge 10, Phil won't know who he's playing; he won't enjoy that because he won't be able to study tells and leaks
[10:10] – The streaming rules
10:15 – He'll stream cards up with anyone else who'll do the same; challenges will have commentators and PLO analysts on Run It Once's Twitch
[11:20] – What's different about Run It Once
11:35 – He didn't like what he was seeing on other poker sites, so he was inspired to be a player supporting the longevity of online poker
12:10 – The three challenges facing online poker: Bots, regulation, and the loss of the casual player
13:10 – When players lose more slowly, there are more of them playing at a time; if they lose quickly, they leave the pool
14:35 – Phil believes it's possible to have people winning and people losing that still enjoy the game
15:40 – The table alias system anonymizes you; HUDs aren't allowed but they have dynamic avatars
16:20 – The stats are easy to understand for all players; they also have a 'splashed pot' and legends
18:05 – It has been tough to make changes because they don't know how the community will react; outreach and being in touch with players has been important
[19:15] – On the role of mindset in Phil's challenges for him and his opponents
19:20 – He doesn't think most people will be impacted by the fact that they'll be streamed on Twitch; the schedule will be the toughest part
19:40 – There are financial penalties if players in the challenge take time off, so he won't be able to break when he normally would
20:20 – His biggest challenge will be dealing with the negative swings and errors without taking breaks
[20:40] – On others not wanting to play long sessions
21:00 – He only has one person, Chance, who wants to play the long sessions (as of this recording)
[21:10] – Something Phil picked up from the mindset course that'll help him in the challenge
21:15 – He's moving past his fear of studying; he was always successful at poker without having to try too hard and now he's learning that he needs to study
22:20 – He's realizing that he doesn't want to find out that he's not as smart as he thinks he is; he finds it easier now to work through worst and best-case scenarios
22:35 – He's starting to build up his ability to study
[23:15] – More information on the challenges
23:30 – They'll be broadcasted on twitch.tv/runitoncepoker
23:45 – They play 5x/week with Sundays and Wednesdays off; they have a page where you can see the matches
24:50 – He hopes that the challenges will help Run It Once grow and get more attention
[25:20] – Phil's post-challenge treat
25:40 – He sees this challenge as being the treat; he's getting a vacation from full-time work on the site
3 Key PointsChallenges are learning opportunities.
Set the ego aside and study so you can get even better!
If you love what you do, doing it feels like vacation!
Contact/Resources
A-Game Poker Masterclass – Website
Stream the Phil Galfond Challenge here
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OutstandingPoker.com Review - Best at Developing Consistent, Mid-Stakes WinnersOutstandingPoker.com takes a different approach to poker training - they attempt to turn their students into consistent winners at the low-mid stakes, instead of spending all their time teaching ultra-high stakes strategies.
PokerOffice 5 Review - Improve Your Game and Find Flaws in Your Opponents' Games

CardRunners.com was the first major online poker training site, and to this day they have maintained their edge on the competition with over 32,000 blog posts, over 2,000 strategy videos, and the top instructors in the game.
DeucesCracked.com Review - Best for NL Cash Game Players, 1,500+ VideosDeucesCracked.com is a poker training and coaching site that was opened by a group of highly successful online poker players. The site offers over 1,500 top-notch poker training videos and tutorials.
DragtheBar.com Review - New Training Site but Already an Impressive Coaching LineupDragTheBar.com is a relatively new poker training site that has quickly made a name in the poker training market. It was started in 2009 by several successful high stakes professionals, including Dusty 'Leatherass' Schmidt. 
Holdem Manager Review - In Depth Statistics to Help You Find Leaks in Your GameThe purpose of Holdem Manager is to save and record your online poker hand histories and then provide you with in-depth statistics about your own play and that of your opponents.
HUSNG.com Review - Only Training Site Dedicated to Heads Up SNGsHUSNG.com is the only poker training site I've found that offers videos specifically for heads up sit and go players. This site is by far the best resource online for learning HU SNGs, but it certainly isn't cheap.
OutstandingPoker.com Review - Best at Developing Consistent, Mid-Stakes WinnersOutstandingPoker.com takes a different approach to poker training - they attempt to turn their students into consistent winners at the low-mid stakes, instead of spending all their time teaching ultra-high stakes strategies.
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Phil Galfond Poker Training VideosPokerXFactor.com Review - Established Training Site, Best MTT Strategy Videos OnlinePhil Galfond Poker Training VideosPokerXFactor is the best training site out there if you are a hardcore MTT player. There isn't much cash game strategy here, but the NLH MTT strategy section is huge and extremely advanced/useful.
RealPokerTraining.com Review - Decent Content, but Small and InactiveRealPokerTraining.com has a few things going for it - namely, some big name instructors and unique Five Card Draw content. However, the site doesn't live up to the expectations of most online poker players.
More Poker Training Site Reviews:Phil Galfond Poker Training SiteIf you would like to read reviews of even more training sites, as well as read additional reviews of the above training sites, check out my friend's poker websites resource which offers more poker training information.