The New Year is usually the time when people set fresh goals to help them stay focused and motivated for the next twelve months. But, in doing so, it’s always a good idea to look back at some of the defining moments from the past and see how they have shaped your life and career, which is exactly what BetRivers Poker did in the latest edition of its new Between Two Phils series.
After two of the site’s most prominent ambassadors introduced the series last month, talking about what areas of their game still require work, Galfond and Hellmuth returned to answer a big question: what was one win in their careers that changed everything?
Despite the video being under one minute, it’s a fun throwback, as two of the game’s greats take a quick trip down memory lane, and you can hear and feel the excitement in their voices as they remember their big, career-shaping moments.
Hellmuth’s Tale: The 1989 Main Event Win
Even without watching the video, most long-time poker fans could easily guess that Phil would pick his 1989 Main Event victory as one of the biggest moments of his career.
It was, truly, a moment that changed everything for the Poker Brat. He didn’t just win his first bracelet. With that win, he really put his name on the map and set himself on a success trajectory that he’s been braving for nearly four decades.
In case you’ve somehow not familiar with the details after all these years, Hellmuth outlasted the field of 178 players in that tournament and faced off against the legend that is Johnny Chan in the final skirmish.
In addition to fame, recognition, and a WSOP bracelet, that win also made Hellmuth $755,000 richer, which was quite a chunk of cash for the 24-year-old up-and-comer at that point in his career.
Since then, Phil has accumulated close to $31,000,000 in live tournament winnings and has added a further 16 WSOP bracelets to his resume, making him an absolute record-holder. Although he hasn’t been able to replicate his success in the summer edition of the Main, Hellmuth did manage to capture a victory in the 2012 WSOP Europe Main Event.
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Galfond vs. ‘Venividi’
While Hellmuth’s career-defining moment was a rather flashy occurrence, Galfond’s pick may come as a surprise to some. While one of the best PLO players alive has had numerous successes over the years, he says that it was his triumph in the online match against ‘Venividi1993’ that really stuck with him.
For those who don’t know, the challenge took place back in 2020, and it was a sort of Galfond’s comeback to the game. At that time, Phil issued the challenge to the poker world, taking on several players at €100/€200 PLO tables at Run It Once Poker.
Dirk “Venividi1993” Gerrits, a high-stakes crusher, was one of those who answered Phil’s call, and that particular match has garnered a lot of attention from the poker public. It was a proper rollercoaster, which saw Galfond struggle at various points, being stuck as much as €900,000.
The match came down to a final session, and even in that session, Phil was just one pot away from being locked into a certain loss. However, he managed to keep his cool and find some assistance from the poker gods to get ahead over €12,000 with 75 hands to go, which meant he could comfortably fold his way to victory and lock up €100,000 in side bet money.
As Galfond points out, it wasn’t the victory itself that was so important, as it was really so close, and things could have gone either way. It was more the fact that this was his comeback to the felt. He had to re-learn the game to a large degree, and he proved to himself (and the world) he still had what it takes to sit down with the best and beat them.
