Entrepreneur, coach, writer, poker player and more. Phil Galfond wears many hats, and each seems to fit him perfectly. As viewers of last year’s four-part documentary Galfond will already know, however, the player once known online as ‘OMGClayAiken’ has not always had it easy.
Which is not to say that he’s never had it easy. Picking up online poker in college, after a friend suggested he’d be well-suited to the game, Galfond enjoyed success early in his career, rapidly climbing the stakes until he reached the highest available. Turning 21, he launched himself on the live poker scene, picking up the first of his three WSOP bracelets just a couple of years later.
But as a player and a businessman, Galfond has encountered obstacles that have made him question himself more than once. And as he says in the most recent edition of The Interview with Craig Tapscott, the arrival of solvers on the poker scene even made him question his ability and relevance.
“I was very much a ‘figure-outer’, rather than a studier” shares Galfond in our exclusive, extensive video interview. “As solvers were coming out, I was pretty scared about my place in poker… I assumed that the future of high-stakes poker would be the ‘best studiers’, and the ‘figure-outers’ would be left behind.”
As Galfond has proved more than once, however, he is not one to be left behind.
Watch the full interview above, or see below for links to the audio podcast.
The wisdom of 'Gandolf'
Galfond is one of the most articulate and thoughtful players and coaches around and opens up about various aspects of his life and his evolution as a poker player. Topics include:
- His initial approach to poker - rooted in the writings of David Sklansky - which he worried made him play too robotically
- The rise of solvers, and how he has adapted his own game to meet the new challenges they present
- How Tom Dwan opened his mind to new approaches
- Advice on how to best study poker and level up your game faster
- His own motivations for switching from sit & go tourneys to cash games, then MTTs
- His concept of 'Galfond-bucks', and where the idea came from
- The launch and sale of the Run It Once online poker platform
- The 'Galfond Challenge' series of online duels
As the proprietor of one of poker’s most highly respected coaching sites, Galfond also shares stories of the players, friends and coaches who helped him reach his own potential, including Tommy Angelo, who he hired as a coach early on in his career.
“Tommy didn’t teach me any of the things I wanted to learn,” says Galfond, “but he taught me everything I needed to know.”
Now you can learn everything you need to know about Phil Galfond, thanks to the latest edition of The Interview.
If you enjoy this, you can check out other episodes, including last month’s edition with Eugene Katchalov.
Listen Now! You can now experience The Interview on your Apple and Spotify podcast channels.
Read more from Phil Galfond on his blog, and at Run It Once.
