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BetRivers Poker ambassadors Phil Hellmuth and Phil Galfond squared off against each other on March 2 in a $25/$50 cash game on the Pennsylvanian platform. With stacks of $5,000, the format was a heads-up cash game freezeout—no add-ons, no topping up—and two matches were set to go down. In the end, it was Hellmuth who emerged victorious, winning both matches in a clean sweep.

Before the cameras rolled, there was some back-and-forth behind the scenes about which game to play. During his stream, Galfond, a world-renowned heads-up Pot-Limit Omaha specialist, admitted that he had convinced Hellmuth to stick to No-limit Hold’em for the event. Hellmuth was open to playing both formats, but Galfond pushed for Hold’em to create a more accessible live-stream experience for viewers.

Hellmuth, the all-time WSOP bracelet leader, is no stranger to heads-up poker. He’s built an impressive reputation, winning the 2005 National Heads-Up Poker Championship. He boasts a 9-2 record on PokerGO’s High Stakes Duel, with whitewashes over Antonio Esfandiari and Daniel Negreanu, along with wins against sports broadcaster Nick Wright, Tom Dwan, and Scott Seiver.

As for Galfond, his reputation is built on his expertise in PLO, and he is often regarded as one of the best heads-up PLO players of all time. His most famous feat came during his comeback against “Venividi1993” in the Galfond Challenge. After being down over €900,000, Galfond staged an epic turnaround, securing one of the most talked-about comebacks in poker history.

Hellmuth Strikes First Blood

The first match started as a relatively even battle for the first 70 minutes before a brutal cooler put Galfond on the ropes. At the time, Galfond held a slight lead with $5,217 to Hellmuth’s $4,738 when the two played the biggest pot of the opening round.

Galfond, holding K*♥2♥, raised to $125 from the button and called when Hellmuth, with K♣8♥, three-bet to $375 from the big blind. The flop came K♦Q♣8♣*, giving Hellmuth two pair and Galfond top pair. Hellmuth fired a bet of $499.17 into $749.50, and Galfond called. The 2♠ landed on the turn, improving Galfond to an inferior two pair. Sensing an opportunity, Hellmuth checked, allowing Galfond to bet $582.03 with the second-best hand. Hellmuth then check-raised all-in for $3,864.02, and Galfond made the call. The river failed to bring in a queen or a deuce, and Hellmuth jumped into a massive lead.

That hand left Galfond with fewer than ten big blinds, but he battled back, scoring doubles with king-seven against king-jack and pocket jacks against pocket fours. However, Hellmuth steadily chipped him back down, even making quad eights at one point. More pots went Hellmuth’s way, and the final hand saw his ace-jack hold against Galfond’s four-three suited for his last $500, sealing the first match.

Another Cooler for Galfond

Hellmuth took control early in the second match, building a lead of around $1,800 before dishing out yet another brutal cooler to his namesake.

The Poker Brat, sitting on the button with 5*♠5♣, limped in. Holding 3♥2♠* with $3,000 behind, Galfond checked his option. The J*♠5♥2♣* flop was a dream for Hellmuth, giving him middle set while Galfond picked up bottom pair. Both players opted to check.

The 3*♣* on the turn was a disaster for Galfond, improving him to two pair—again the second-best hand. Looking to extract value, he bet $66.27, only for Hellmuth to min-raise. Galfond, sensing no immediate danger, called.

Then came the 3*♦* on the river, delivering both players a full house but locking up the checkmark for Hellmuth with fives-full-of-threes. Galfond checked, and Hellmuth tossed in a bet of $121.41. Galfond responded with a raise to $928.81, before Hellmuth came back over the top with a three-bet to $2,693.34.

“I’m just thinking through it if I face a THAT,” Galfond mused aloud. “Five-three doesn’t make a ton of sense, a checked-back set doesn’t make sense because why would he min-raise the turn?”

After a pause, he made his decision. “I’m going to call. He doesn’t bluff like this very often, but at the same time, how does he have me beat?… I guess I’ll find out.”

Hellmuth wasted no time scooping up the last few blinds Galfond had and ended the session with a 2-0 triumph and $10,000 winning session.

Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

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