GALFOND 02 | A Bad Day

After success in high-stakes poker, Phil Galfond took on the business world, his toughest opponent yet. Watch Phil experience something new: Failure.
🎁 Phil's free e-book & weekly poker strategy: ➡️ galfond.link/subscribe
Welcome to episode 2 of 'GALFOND', the poker docuseries!
Ambitiously combining documentary-style storytelling with reality TV elements, the series offers an unprecedented behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of poker’s power couple and covers several never-before-heard stories. Each episode reveals the raw, unfiltered reality of what it takes to stay at the top of the poker world while navigating family life and personal hardships.
Through interviews with family, friends, and Phil himself, this poker documentary series provides clarity on a variety of questions like (but not limited to); how Phil Galfond started playing poker professionally, the origin of the companies Run it Once Poker and Run it Once Training, where the Galfond Challenge came from as well as how it affected him personally, and even how Phil and Farah Galfond met.
In weekly episodes, people who know Phil personally like Andrew Robl, Jason Koon, Brian Rast, Matt Berkey, Nick Schulman, Maria Ho, Elliot Roe, Farah Galfond, David Tuchman, Joe Stapleton, Dan Quinn, Jason Senti, Joni Jouhkimainen, and Landon Tice share insights and highlights from their time spent with and around Phil through the years.
Whether it’s the reality of playing poker at the highest level against the best poker players in the world, operating a poker training / poker coaching site and an online poker site, or facing tough personal loss and finding the ability to triumph, this documentary aims to highlight the emotional roller-coaster you may be faced within a non-traditional career path like playing professional poker.
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In every poker related video on this channel, Phil Galfond is here to teach you how to think like a professional poker player.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a new or beginner poker player (or even a full time poker coach!)
Do you need the best Texas Hold ‘em poker strategy and top tier Pot Limit Omaha tips?
Do you have a high stakes poker story question that you’d like to hear from the POV of a poker professional who was THERE?
Leave a comment and your question might end up in the next one of Phil’s quick poker tips videos or inspiring one of his high stakes poker story clips!
Remember to Subscribe for more high stakes poker content and turn on notifications so you don't miss any Galfond Challenge content or other poker live streams!
Directed by: John Robinson Irwin
Produced by: Farah Galfond, Phil Galfond, John Robinson Irwin, Miikka Anttonen
Cinematography: Matti Harju, Gareth Taylor
Brand Design: Dan Deming-Henes
Creative Specialists: Quentin Cardinal-Juneau, Miikka Anttonen
Twitter: / philgalfond
Instagram: / phil.galfond
TikTok: / phil.galfond
3 Free training videos: galfond.link/Free-Poker-Training

[@what_thc9609]

Wow, this seriously can be a netlfix documentary 1000%. Well done Phill.

[@PhilGalfond]

Thank you!

[@OGRE_HATES_NERDS]

even better, its on youtube!

[@fieserbastard]

Compared to that, Netflix can't compete.

[@fieserbastard]

who the f... is netflix?

[@solomonleyva3046]

Most entertaining thing I’ve seen on you tube in months

[@busomite]

As a fellow business owner who has been in a similar though not nearly as costly position, hearing how you stood fast by your people when bailing would have saved you the most money and brought you the least stress really speaks to your character. You’re a good man, Phil.

[@PhilGalfond]

Business is hard! Thank you for the kind words. I think, though, it was the least I could do. So many from our team had been working passionately for years without seeing the comp increases they and I expected them to because of how much we continued to struggle. Losing in poker is one thing. Losing in business… you can bring so many people down with you. We were in it together.

[@cronstrubzo]

I'll tell you guys the only galfond story i personally experienced. I was railing him at HU high stakes, i think 25/50nl, and a medium stakes (5/10nl) grinder named GASSSIT sat down and started spewing hard. Looked like he was on massive lift tilt. He was losing buy in after buy in just shoving. Instead of taking advantage of this Phil stopped playing and asked in chat if he was alright and told him he should stop etc. It was that day that i knew phil was a good dude.

[@JICM25]

What happened there ? Was the guy alright, did they keep playing ?

[@tommyfu9271]

Combination of a good person and also being an absolute crusher. Most players even who are super nice can't afford to give up that spot

[@JohnnieVibes]

This was an emotional watch for me. I know I’ve said this before but want to say again that I’m so sorry for your loss. Rooting for you.

[@PhilGalfond]

Thank you, Johnnie ❤ Rooting for you, too!

[@shamirbrown8160]

Took a page out of your book... where you let 'em see the game isn't all peaches & cream.

[@vader6203]

Agree… was an emotional re-telling. Losing a parent is a pivotal life event - glad you could find (and accept) help for the grief.

[@shaddow3456]

I have a newfound appreciation/respect for the struggles you’ve undergone and persevered through. Its easy to look at a guy who I’ve seen crush the highest stakes for years on end and enviously think, “What a life…”. Hardship falls on all of us, no matter how healthy, wealthy, or intelligent. Rest in peace to your father sir.

[@PhilGalfond]

Thank you so much! Nobody (that I’ve ever met) is above struggle.

[@shanepinkerton9295]

You broke me Phil. I ugly cried so hard. I lost my Dad shortly after his 60th birthday. It happened in April and I haven't let myself feel it either. I am still having to be strong for my grandmother and siblings. Thank you for sharing this part of your life. It has helped me more than you could ever know.

[@PhilGalfond]

I’m so sorry 😢 Hang in there. It gets less hard. ❤️

[@adragonro]

😢 my father is still alive beeing 72. I can hardly imagine how u felt. But knowing he will die some day and seeing your story and the comments make cry❤😢

[@CRAIG5835]

@@PhilGalfond Life gets real serious once you have kids, and once your folks or family pass away. You don't get over it you just have to adjust and run with it.

[@tommyfu9271]

​@@PhilGalfondmy dad died died 11 years ago at 54 from cancer. He was an awesome father. You're right. It's gets better.but on some level it always sucks.

[@brianrowcroft-ivy5152]

Two months ago, I didn’t know who you were - I’ve enjoyed your videos and been really impressed and appreciative of your insights and advice since then. These videos though, make me feel like I know you, and I can’t say how much respect I have developed for you as a person now. Looking forward to more, buddy.

[@PhilGalfond]

Wow, I appreciate that so much! Thank you for being here and enjoying the videos ❤️

[@cmt1919cmt]

This is shaping up to be a great series. Ive had my ups and downs in business and it can be extremely tough sometimes. After having a life and death experience 7 years ago I have a newfound appreciation for life and it takes less to make me happy. I no longer allow myself to get into stressful situations and take on too much in the pursuit of money. I heard a quote from the Dalai Lama that resonated with me, “Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.” Now I just enjoy every moment and I’m thankful for what I have. Sometimes all we need is right in front of us. Keep the great content coming Phil!

[@edwinenriquez5152]

I get frustrated when I don’t see 10k+ views in the first couple hours of a drop, this content is absurdly good.

[@PhilGalfond]

❤️ thanks for rooting for me!

[@c0l3slaw]

Damn, the humility and candor it takes to share a story like this is amazing. I am very interested to hear more. And props for taking care of the people who were involved in your business, that takes integrity.

[@demetridutch84]

Excellent series you have made here. I am glad you are finally seeing the fruits :)

[@PhilGalfond]

Glad you like them! Thank you ❤️

[@therealrobbycrash]

Phil, if you are reading this, just wanted to telll you what a great person you are...always so balanced and relaxed....looking foward to every video you put out and love to watch them...greetz from Amsterdam in The Netherlands.

[@PhilGalfond]

Thank you 🙏🏻 I appreciate it ❤️

[@leebp9106]

The quality level of this editing once again shows the consistency of this guy that whatever he does has to be as good as he can do it. What a story.

[@MaxRho]

this is truly an incredible series. so inspiring and emotional. really great job, phil and team!!!

[@michaelnash1090]

Phil , all I can say is , your a man of you the highest integrity & and the level of dedication and devotion you have put towards this endeavor is unfathomable and without a doubt this will at some point in the near future reward you a hundred fold!!! Phil you are the MAN ! Don’t ever forget it !

[@Alex-Bunin]

Sorry for your loss Phil. And mad props for sharing this out there like this. Can't imagine what that's like. Respect.

[@tubingyouallday]

Absolutely loving this series of videos. Unbelievably good!

[@PhilGalfond]

Awesome. Thank you! The most ambitious work we’ve ever done on the channel so I’m glad they’re being so well-received.

[@SuperSissen]

This is the best start of a poker-documentary type thing I've seen since Nosebleed. Keep it up, can't wait for the next episodes.

[@teambaspoker]

Incredible first couple of episodes. Look forward to watching the rest. Thank you for sharing

[@aceofcubs]

Absolutely fascinating to watch! Incredibly honest and raw

[@garfield2193]

Thank you for this vid, I really enjoyed it - honest, heartfelt & informative, with no BS whatsoever. A great watch.

[@dustinstaats3372]

Commenting for the algorithm because this is good stuff. Just got back into poker and Phil is quickly becoming one of my favorite players!

[@dd3161]

What a struggle. And this episode is just called "a bad day". Great mindset and appreciaton for life! Thank you for sharing.

[@slivy4402]

Always enjoy listening to mr galfond. I have been a rio member for years. I find watching people play helps me alot. I can be the opposite of him in that i get emotional. Everytime i see mr galfond i just wish i could be as calm and repectful as he is. Wishing u and your family the best. Enjoy everything u do.and sorry to hear about your dad.❤

[@jeremychoong5792]

Congratulations bro for the wonderful story. Netflix should buy the whole series.

[@fhsambuichi]

This content is absolutely fantastic. Feels wrong that I'm watching this for free!!

[@davidabdala4126]

Phil, you are one of the gratest minds of this generation. Congratulations for all your achievements and enjoy life!!

[@hellocyrax]

Amazing story

[@jorgevidaurre3762]

This was a great documentary to watch. It shows a lot about how someone can push through in even worse times. Appreciate you letting us into your life. Good luck in the main event.

[@PhilGalfond]

Thank you!

[@kennygpokerstrategy4917]

These are so incredible. I can't wait for episode 3

[@MaxwellSmart086]

Great insights into the behind the scenes of the most genuine and likeable human in poker. Kudos to all involved! thoroughly enjoying watching this in tandem with some WSOP from New Zealand! cheers, Max

[@KingsCrosss]

This is one of the best documentarys i have seen lately ❤ keep it up

[@Callmeakshaykapoor]

OMG Phil, This is so relatable and I can't imagine how much courage it took you to absorb everything that you went through and then open up infront of the world. Loving the series and love every bit of your personality I got to see through your videos. Wishing you nothing but the success :)

[@LogozRR]

Such a heavy Episode. Extremely well told and produced. Can't wait to see more!

[@PhilGalfond]

Thank you!

[@Dzijeve.avanture]

Woooow. This is such a high production quality and story is great. Well done! Since I am pro for many years and follow you since forever I remember being super excited when you announced Run it Once room. I knew it will be super fair with normal rake and normal rakeback and no super users or other scams. I actually tried to play there for some time but there was no fish on the site. Only other fellow pros so I quit. I am sorry that business gave you so much headache it would have been a dream situation if you and other guys could get wider player pool it would have been a best room and now we are still stuck with scumbags from GG and Stars raising the rake and destroying rakeback constantly :(

[@jaew000]

Loving the series so far!

[@DPearls24]

Powerful story. Thanks for sharing.

[@paytonfanning3934]

Unbelievable production. Thanks Phil

[@naswiipp]

Always great content!!

[@Larxy_]

damn man, didnt know it got that low. this documentary is really interesting man im glad ur uploading this

[@andrewpayette621]

Thank you. This is a breath of fresh air in the poker community in regards to quality, honesty, and transparency. You have my support for life ❤

[@PhilGalfond]

❤️

[@Roversfan95]

Phil Galfond is not only an awesome poker player but he's also a fantastic human being exhibiting empathy, humility and dedication to all around him. Major respect to Farah for her support and strength during what must have been extremely difficult times. Much love to all the Galfonds.

[@TakePoker]

Amazing video Phil and team! Inspiring!

[@youngminkim923]

Thank you for great content!

[@ruanoosthuysen5002]

Awesome mate, all love and GL to you and your fam, from South Africa!

[@richiekemp6986]

Outstanding story. Hope there’s more to come.

[@Fiftytwouts]

Good stuff. Can’t wait to see part 47 :)

[@1vienigs]

holly sheats ... this is why we need these docomentarys!!!

[@evanthomsen3724]

Another great episode. You could feel the weight of what you all went through. Can’t wait for the next episode (hope it’s a little happier 😂).

[@dwarner9158]

Well done. This was amazing!

[@Eric-tj3tg]

Could've been a "60 Minute" segment, or a Netflix Series. Glad you came through feeling stronger, and glad it "worked out." These are really interesting and well-produced!

[@PhilGalfond]

Thank you so much!

[@mu_draconis]

This is well done. Two thumbs up.

[@Antimatter.G]

Loved it!

[@ZalexMusic]

wow that was heavy, compelling, and really well put together. you're a good human, mr. galfond.

[@D3cast]

Its really nice to see into the deep details of your story. Its so relatable. Thanks for making this.

[@PhilGalfond]

My pleasure. We’re all human, and we all struggle sometimes. No reason not to share the struggles.

[@ryanburt7319]

Very well done with the production and editing on this.

[@_antwonTT6]

This is simply beautiful... That's all I can say til I process this episode.

[@EngleFolk]

Man this gave me the feels. You already had my respect, now you have even more of it. So glad you're in a better place now.

[@josefreitas192]

Amazing!!!!

[@richardsoto5408]

Watched you for years, watched the million dollar come back HU Prays to you and your family! You are right, in passing your dad is teaching you the most important things in life! Money and Poker will come and go! Thank You for being so open, you are teaching us! Always a fan!

[@bullyboy131]

Hope you're still crushing the Main Event!

[@aikenpublishing]

Quality and integrity will get you a long way in this world, especially in the growing poker stratosphere. Authenticity, honesty, character are more than just buzz words. Such traits are necessary for our survival. You appear to have those traits in spades. Congratulations on what I know will be a massive comeback.

[@abshire04]

The story resonates with me on a deep level. The specifics are much different but the lived experience of business/poker/family balance mixed with having so much and losing huge portion of net worth (for a while my self worth with it). Thanks for sharing the story with us.

[@reysawareness]

Wild story. Blessings to yall

[@AThoughtExperiment01]

This was amazing. Thank you for sharing this personal experience with us.

[@PhilGalfond]

You’re very welcome.

[@Soberman13]

Impressive! Short, but enough to let us a good idea in the end.

[@Cote_IR]

Amazing content. Congrats!!

[@karenrutherford1041]

Well done. Total class act.

[@vaibsss1]

Top notch !! This teaches so much about burn rate during the acquisition which very few management schools can.

[@martinkradlak3757]

This is incredibly inspiring, I have nothing but respect and admiration for you. Wish you all the best in this story. Btw I love how calm you always speak, this video gives us value, thank you.

[@vortexsurfer2078]

Wow...this was so empathetic. Thank you, Phil.

[@be4stable]

Awesome videos sir! Amazing content, thank you for putting the time and effort into making these vids happen. Keep up the good work looking to hear more of the story unfold. cheers :)

[@PhilGalfond]

Thank you very much!

[@adragonro]

I love the series and how it touches me.❤ I cannot possibly imagine how hard it can be to produce such a product. What is so expensive about it? And with that the unexpected loss of your father. May you and your families and friends strength be much greater going through this!🙏♥️

[@izz_to_the_wizz]

All the messages in chat are positive and wholesome, just like you. The world needs more Phils. Very touching video, and really pleased you found a way to succeed when it looked like all was lost. On a lighter note I remember when you had a slide in your apartment ha, every big kids dream 🤣

[@Declan4253]

Thanks for this, Phil.

[@CrimeScene2Courtroom]

Utterly amazing

[@PhilGalfond]

Thank you so much!

[@matiou6723]

GG for these videos

[@floppedya9582]

What a banger!!

[@user-qu3xw1cj7g]

How emotional, I cried a lot. Thank you for such a frank story.❤

[@johnristheanswer]

Cried ? Really ?

[@cowardlederer1]

Thanks for leaving around the spare change Phil

[@jiamonx2]

I think this was well produced like the last one. It's awesome to see & hear "behind the scenes" content. I felt a stone on my chest for a few minutes watching 14 minutes in. It's insane how much was put on you Phil. Thank you Phil and Run It Once for trying. Can't wait for the next episode :)

[@PhilGalfond]

❤️

[@zamanski7094]

This was great! Really liked it. You really find who you are and what your made of when you get stomped into the mud. Just gotta get up clean yourself off and keep pushing forward. Also hope there’s gonna be more of these

[@PhilGalfond]

We’ve got two more on the way. Thank you!

[@lorenzobosforo6697]

Great story! Hard work always pays off!

[@askforalawyer7181]

Great production/editing/structure, this is truly great work. Sidenote, the poker industry is filled with leeches and scammers, and even if I never met him, Phil always felt like the one guy you could always trust no matter what (a feeling that is shared by most of the HS community). I send you support and love through the internet Phil!

[@dbergstrom]

Great video!

[@ian_poker4709]

Phil Galfond, the legend ! Got no words to describe the feeling watching the documentary.

[@jamienicholl9412]

Incredible content! It was so inspiring, emotional, and genuinely informative. Truly impactful, stand up guy, I appreciate your candour, respect!

[@PhilGalfond]

Thank you 😊

[@kathiereynolds6501]

I started watching this because I love Farrah but now I’m hooked. This needs to be on Netflix!!!!

[@ji3817]

Thank you for showing us this

[@PhilGalfond]

You’re welcome!

[@777Poker_]

Y'all are amazing. Thanks for sharing

[@PhilGalfond]

Thanks for watching!

[@jaysmith7810]

Happy for you that it worked out in the end. You kept yourself together even through the loss of your father. Well done Phil one of the gentlemen poker and thank you for everything you do for the poker community.

[@BrettMcNary]

Soooo heavy. I really feel for you. I'm in a similar situation in the sense of having a 4 year project where many things have gone wrong, and I've sank every resource I have into it. I'm in the same position of not knowing what is going to happen, and that I could lose everything. Having a family to support makes everything that much more difficult to navigate. I really can empathize with your story. I hope you're in a much better place now. Thanks for the edit.

[@Saskabreeze]

Not going to lie... I'm loving this series. Was always a Phil fan, but I'm all-in on this series.

[@PhilGalfond]

Thank you 😊

[@keva3563]

Didn't know about this. You're the man @PhilGalfond!

[@captainmarshalliii3304]

Great story telling

[@suldailha]

you are best phil! keep grinding

[@nikitakucherov5028]

That was VERY WELL DONE. Anyone who is an entrepreneur will really relate.

[@anka042]

I've been following you for so long now. What a nice series this is. You being honest like always. I also lost my father a couple of years ago. It has been so hard and it is forever a journey to accept and deal with. Cheers from Sweden

[@PhilGalfond]

I’m so sorry for your loss ❤️

[@liamwilson5199]

Amazing video and production. Sorry for your loss Phil. Everyone associated at RIO and spouses etc are clearly just really good people. Good on you for sticking it out and maintaining who you are, despite the challenges grief and loss give you.

[@PhilGalfond]

I’m lucky to have such great people around me. Thank you!

[@Michael-hw1gp]

Such a humble and genuinely nice human being - and I have never even met you - that’s just my instinct- love the galfond !