Gossip Column: Galfond Finally Takes the Lead in HU Challenge, McDonald Accepts Basketball Prop Bet & More 

While the growing spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought all forms of outdoor activity to a halt, there are still some fun things that took place this past week.

To start off, there was some heartening news for Phil Galfond fans with the PLO legend finally managing to take the lead in his ongoing Heads-Up Challenge against his mystery online opponent’ VeniVidi1993.’ This is the first time in the challenge that Galfond finds himself ahead, though a quick comeback in the last session saw VeniVidi1993 cutting down the advantage by half to €46,484.37. With 2,311 hands left to go, it’s still pretty much anyone’s game.

Going crazy during the quarantine seems to be a trend among poker players. After Matt Glantz offered to contract the COVID-19 for $250,000, Mike ‘Timex’ McDonald has now accepted a prop bet for making 90 out of 100 free throws. Considering the man hasn’t played basketball since 2012, it will not be an easy feat to achieve.

Another ‘Mike’ who finds mention in this feature is the infamous Mike Postle. The accused cheater had another name added to his growing list of lawsuits when poker vlogger Marle Cordeiro sued him for cheating during the live-streamed cash games at Stones Gambling Hall.

Phil Galfond Finally in the Green, Takes Lead in Galfond Challenge

Well, this truly is what legends are made of! When Run It Once founder Phil Galfond had started his first Heads-Up Challenge against online phenom’ VeniVidi1993’ back in January, things had certainly not gone his way. For the first 15 sessions, Galfond was ruthlessly bested by his rival, eventually leading to him losing more than €900,000 by February 9.

The former multiple-WSOP bracelet winner decided to take a break from the challenge, and about a month later, play resumed on March 4. Since then, 20 more sessions have been played, and Galfond has come out ahead an incredible 15 times.

The 35th session of the challenge was played on April 6, and Galfond completed his phenomenal comeback by booking a profit of €121,486.95, finally getting himself in the overall lead. Despite losing the 36th session that took place on April 7, Galfond is still ahead by €46,484.37, with 22,689 hands having been played.

Challenge Results To-Date

There are 2,311 hands left to be played. April 8 was a day off for the two, and then they’ll be back to battle on Thursday, April 9, for more €100-200 Pot Limit Omaha action on Run It Once Poker. In addition to any money won on the virtual felts, Galfond has on the line €200,000 in a side bet to the €100,000 of ‘VeniVidi1993.’

Mike McDonald Accepts Prop Bet For Sinking 90 Out of 100 Free Throws

It seems like the worldwide quarantine for the COVID-19 is making people go bonkers! Why else would a man who hasn’t played basketball since 2012, accept a prop bet that he can make an incredible 90 out of 100 free throws? The man in question is 30-year-old poker pro Mike McDonald.

On April 6, he tweeted the details of the prop bet.

Alright I figured out terms:
– I must sink 90/100 free throws on an attempt. I get unlimited attempts
– regulation ball, regulation hoop, lane violations not allowed
– Even money
– Bet lasts until end of 2020

— Mike McDonald (@MikeMcDonald89) April 5, 2020

As per the terms of the bet, McDonald must make 90 out of 100 shots (a 90% clip) to win the prop bet. And going by a video tweeted by Aaron Jones, McDonald isn’t faring all that well.

This is a random sample of what’s happening, he started out shooting ~12/min at <50%, and is now doing ~9/min at >50%. He is fucking tired, out of shape quarantine life pic.twitter.com/KG1C7aQgNV

— Aaron Jones (@aejonesleggo) April 3, 2020

Going by the fact that only three players in NBA history have an above 90% career average, and even basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal is not a part of that list, this definitely is a tall task for McDonald.

However, there is a catch to this prop bet! McDonald must make 90 out of 100 free throws but has an unlimited number of tries with which to accomplish the goal before the end of the year. So, he could conceivably spend his days doing nothing other than shooting free throws until he finally hits 90 out of 100 attempts.

This could turn out to be one helluva grind for Timex!

Marle Cordeiro Sues Mike Postle For Cheating on the Stones Live Streams

Mike Postle’s legal troubles just keep mounting it seems. A former dealer and supervisor at St. Croix Casino in Wisconsin, Postle was accused of cheating during the live-streamed cash games at Stones Gambling Hall by Veronica Brill in October 2019. This revelation blew out to astronomical proportions quickly spiraling into the most talked about story of the year. Postle’s unconventional gameplay was analyzed by several poker experts, including poker vlogger Joey Ingram.

Eventually, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Postle with Stones being named as one of the defendants. In late-March, the Stones Gambling Hall filed a motion seeking a dismissal of the charges against it. Soon after that, Postle also filed a motion seeking the dismissal of the lawsuit against him.

The latest news in this scandal came on April 6, when TMZ reported that poker vlogger Marle Cordeiro had filed a lawsuit against Postle. According to PokerNews, who claim to have a copy of the Complaint and Demand for Trial by Jury petition submitted by Cordeiro, she is seeking $250,000 in punitive damages as well as any other relief as may be just and proper. She has also requested a trial by jury.

Cordeiro is being represented by noted gaming attorney, Maurice ‘Mac’ VerStandig, who is also spearheading a separate, high profile class action lawsuit against Postle and Stone’s Gambling Hall. Talking about the case, VerStandig said, “The actions of Mike Postle offend not merely the standards of honor and decency that have long guided the poker world but, too, the law. We look forward to pursuing Ms. Cordeiro’s case in court and have faith in the judicial system.”

This latest complaint that was filed in the United States District Court District of Nevada states many of the allegations laid out in the class action suit, namely that someone sent Postle information regarding the competition’s hole cards during live-streamed cash games, which Postle viewed on a cell phone placed on his lap.

“To carry out this pattern and practice, Mr. Postle was aided by one or more confederates – defendants who will be joined in this litigation once their identities are learned through discovery – who furnished him with this information, for purposes of carrying out fraud, through one or more concealed communicative mechanisms,” the lawsuit stated.

“Mr. Postle’s winnings on the Stones Live Poker broadcast, and his correlative play of poker, were so exceptionally outstanding as to lead the games’ commentators to note his seemingly mystical abilities on numerous occasions and to lead Stones Live Poker to produce various graphics portraying Mr. Postle as a deity-like individual imbued with omniscient powers (with one such graphic conflating an image of Mr. Postle and an image of Jesus Christ),” the lawsuit further argued.

“This optimal decision making was so precise as to allow Mr. Postle to record net winnings in more than ninety-four percent (94%) of the Stones Live Poker games in which he played from July 18, 2018, onward, even though such games are of fixed duration and elevated variance (relative to “normal” poker games); such a winning percentage, under these confined circumstances in a streamed environment, is not known to have ever been achieved by any other poker player – professional or amateur – over such a significant period of time,” stated the complaint, explaining the concept of ‘God Mode.’

Explaining Cordeiro’s part in the whole complaint, the lawsuit contends, “Ms. Cordeiro makes her allegation of Mr. Postle systematically, habitually and regularly cheating at Stones Live Poker games based not on a hunch or suspicion but, rather, based on a statistical analysis of his results, analytical review of the manner in which he played, and extensive footage of his placing his cellular telephone between his legs and thereafter gazing at it when needing to make certain game-optimal decisions.”

“In a vacuum, this could be attributed to the Defendant having a conservative demeanor, having a quality ‘read’ on Ms. Cordeiro, or being exhausted at the end of a long night of poker; in the context of his fraudulent cheating operation, and realizing he was playing with the illicit advantage of knowing Ms. Cordeiro’s Hole Cards, this is only attributable to his tortious conduct.”

Will Postle be able to come out of this lawsuit unscathed? Only time will tell.