Gossip Column: Negreanu & Galfond Make a Small Comeback in Their Respective Challenges

Gossip Column - Daniel Negreanu vs Doug Polk, Phil Galfond vs Chance Kornuth
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  • Attreyee Khasnabis December 3, 2020
  • 5 Minutes Read

Multiple WSOP bracelet winners Daniel Negreanu and Phil Galfond returned from the Thanksgiving break in winning form.

The GGPoker Ambassador won two back-to-back sessions to bring his net deficit against Doug Polk down to $565,417.57.

The battle of the poker coaches in the Galfond Challenge saw Galfond win the 31st session to register a profit of $28,000. He now trails Chance Kornuth by $64,000.

 

Grudge Match: Daniel Negreanu Wins Back-to-Back Sessions, Trails Doug Polk by $565K After 14 Sessions

The epic High Stakes Feud, better known as the “Grudge Match” of the century, between Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk has been a swingy battle right from the start. Before breaking off for Thanksgiving, Upswing Poker founder Polk had taken a commanding lead against his rival for $264,019.75. He extended his lead further in the 12th session, pulling ahead for almost $600,000.

Daniel Negreanu & Doug Polk

Being the fighter that he is, Negreanu has bounced back. The 13th and 14th sessions witnessed ‘Kid Poker’ come out on top, cutting Polk’s lead down to $565,417.57.

 

Day 12 Recap

After a three day break to celebrate Thanksgiving, Negreanu and Polk returned to play the 12th session on November 29. The Canadian pro was trailing Polk by $264,019.75 before the session began. 684 hands were played, and Polk took down the session for a profit of $332,178.14.

At the end of session 12, the duo had played 5,751 hands, with Polk sitting with an overall lead of $596,197.89.

 

Watch the highlights of the session below.

Day 13 Recap

Session 13 took place on December 1, with Polk and Negreanu playing 476 hands. After three back-to-back losing sessions, Negreanu finally bounced back in this session, booking a profit of $17,780.32. With 6,227 hands having been played, Negreanu was still staring at a $578,417.57 deficit.

 

Watch the highlights of the session below.

Day 14 Recap

After a break of another two days, session 14 took place on December 3. Negreanu continued his winning spree, and after 788 hands, he cut down his losses for another $13,000.

A total of 7,015 hands has now been played, and Polk still dominates the challenge with an overall lead of $565,417.57.

Even if the duo decides to call off the challenge at 12,500 hands, they have another 5,485 hands to play. However, looking at how the challenge is going so far, this could easily extend to 25,000 hands.

 

Watch the highlights of the session below.

With 14 sessions now in the books, here is how the Grudge Match has gone thus far.

SessionLive/OnlineNo. of Hands PlayedWon ByProfitOverall Lead
1Live200Daniel Negreanu$116,000Daniel Negreanu - $116,000
2Online424Doug Polk$218,292.78Doug Polk - $101,792.78
3Online382Doug Polk$166,239.03Doug Polk - $268,031.82
4Online366Daniel Negreanu$87,166Doug Polk - $181,365
5Online365Daniel Negreanu$207,281Daniel Negreanu - $25,916
6Online637Doug Polk$93,542.68Doug Polk - $67,625.81
7Online591Daniel Negreanu$222,832.70Daniel Negreanu - $155,206.89
8Online457Daniel Negreanu$23,000Daniel Negreanu - $179,000
9Online377Doug Polk$205,521.74 Doug Polk - $26,371.78
10Online852Doug Polk$117,624.38 Doug Polk - $143,996.16
11Online416Doug Polk$120,023.59Doug Polk - $264,019.75
12Online684Doug Polk$332,178.14Doug Polk - $596,197.89
13Online476Daniel Negreanu$17,780.32Daniel Negreanu - $578,417.57
14Online788Daniel Negreanu$13,000Daniel Negreanu - $565,417.57

Galfond Challenge: Phil Galfond Wins Session 31 for $28K, Chance Kornuth Still in the lead For $64K

Just like Negreanu and Polk, even Phil Galfond and Chance Kornuth had taken a break from their heads-up challenge to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families. The break seems to have worked in the Run It Once founder’s favor as he booked a $28,000 profit immediately on return. However, he is still in the red for $64,000.

Phil Galfond and Chance Kornuth
Phil Galfond & Chance Kornuth

 

Session 31

On Wednesday, the 31st session of the contest, Galfond booked a $28,000 win, a bit more than a full buy-in. It wasn’t a huge victory, given they played for over five hours, two tables at a time. But he chipped a bit more into Kornuth’s lead, which once was almost touching $350,000. The Run it Once Poker founder now trails Kornuth by just $64,000.

 

Watch the highlights of the session below.

Thus far, Galfond and Kornuth have played more than 16,500 hands, just a shade under the challenge’s midway point.

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