I'll never forget you throwing that hand away as it was your first live (non online) game and thinking, that's the kind of thing I might do too. (were I on TV)
Phil buys in for the smallest as he possibly can, And people want to see him, not because of his play, to see him blow up, He should be banned from playing on tv, period
I remember watching this back in the day. There was no feelings of "this guy is nervous" or "what a nit". I didn't even remember that you mucked half the pot. All I remember was being inspired that a 22-year-old self-made guy could be playing for hundreds of thousands vs legends. That was mind-boggling to me at the time. Guys like yourself and Dwan undoubtedly inspired a generation of future professional poker players. You guys are legends!
it is very good to see people we admire showing moments that did not go exactly as expected, life is like that for everyone, sometimes we forget that when all people share are the moments that everything went well.
Myself and all my poker mates have always thought you were a superstar anyway Phil. I'm talking all the way back to those early online days too. You were who we wanted to play like
The fact that Dwan felt you were a good enough person (personality/integrity/skill-wise) to be your friend back then and still be your friend today... just shows how great of a person you are and how great of a friend you are. Thanks for being vulnerable in this episode.
There's nothing wrong with how he played those first few hands. You play to win, not to feed into this reality TV poker atmosphere that involves entertaining the viewers by donking.
@@RobbieStacks90 except if you want to keep getting invites to juicy tv games or these days juicy streamed games you should to some degree play to be entertaining and gamble more than you would otherwise. phil fully acknowlegedes this and says he didn't get it at the time. put it this way you make way more playing decent while you're gambling and being entertaining over a lot of sessions than you would by being anti social boring to watch and playing great poker for one session to never be invited back again.
Exactly the kind of content I was hoping for! Insights into the old days, background knowledge on poker pros, etc. Love it man. Thanks for the video, keep up the good work.
I heard about this back when it happened, but because of your really great story telling, it felt like I was learning about it for the first time. Love seeing you in the poker content streets.
What an amazing reflection of your experience at the table. You got some real courage to open up to the public and share your thoughts on what happened. 99% of us would have done no better than you with such a line up and in front of the cameras. Mad respect for this video bro
Ivey famously mucked a winning hand in a high-leverage moment. Everyone makes mistakes. More impressed by the fact that you were on a show like this at a time when most people are getting their first job.
Kudos to you for making this video. I always felt that you were among the most admirable poker pros and the humility with which you approach a postmortem like this is also admirable.
LOL walking on set with that jug of water it looks like they just went outside and flagged down a cab driver to come sit in... great video man you're the best
I remember you being on the show and was very empathetic. You were considered one of the best players in my mind at the time and I thought you were going to school them on HSP. The cards don’t always fall our way and it was a letdown…but such is life. Great to look back at a time when Poker was at such heights. Miss those lucrative poker days. Edit: just fyi, you’re just a good dude Phil. I like and respect you even more today than I did back then. It’s obvious why everyone trusts you as a person.
Defiantly can see Galfond's PLO play style in this episode. All poker derivatives have a certain style that needs to be played to optimize RoI. Everyone has a their comfort level of risk too.
It was a "poker show" indeed. I remember even Dwan was very silent and he was just sitting there, playing his game. What worked for dwan was his insane play style that put everyone on their toes. He was raising like crazy (which is pretty common in modern poker today) and bluffing like a boss. I like your insight, it came really unexpected and it changed the way I look at that show.
Hi Phil. Takes a lot of guts to share this but i am so glad you did. So many times one’s nerves get the better of themselves, especially at such a stage. Took me a while just to get the live poker, forget live poker on live television. What i take away from this is that once we sit down to play anywhere, forget the cameras and the attention and just focus on trying to play your game without worrying about looking stupid. :) i think it gets worse if we worry about it .
This explains a lot, considering some of the plays you made on season 6. I remember you tried to bluff negreanu with 10-2 saying “I was trying to impress Doyle”
I can totally understand it. If I’m any of those players I don’t want you at the table Phil, I bet you were a massive favorite against them and they knew it. It’s one of the few times being too good at your job hurts you.
@@PhilGalfond Your conclusion hit the mark. It was a TV show. They wanted "personalities". They also wanted the feel of a "home game" or of a "local game". Most of these players knew each other from Vegas and of course had three seasons behind them. So there was a bit of table banter between them. A quieter player could it in but it's a hurdle.
Bad TV or not, man, your roll and game speak for themselves. I stepped away from the game for about 10 years and still remember your name, so I guess joke's on HSP. They missed out, you're one of the greats.
Love this. I’ve watched High Stakes Poker from start to finish at least 5-6 times and have always wondered what players thought in the moment/what their experience was like. Would love other players to do this, obviously it might be hard to remember for some but would love to see Dwan to give it a go!
Thanks for being willing to share your experience and elaborate. Some of us are afraid to try anything out of shame and fear of looking foolish. You're a great ambassador man.
Great video, Phil! Loved the insight. I remember even when I first watched this episode of HSP and I didn't know a lot about you, I thought Gabe Kaplan was being a little unfair, especially about the QQ on the Kxx diamonds board that you folded. Your play was pretty standard as you said. The commentary felt like a combination of results-oriented and narrative-driven. Easy to use it as a marker of you being just some online kid out of your element in the "big leagues" -- even though if a beloved live pro played the hand exactly the same as you the commentary would have been entirely different. I guess that's the name of the game, but it bugged me then and still a little bit now. And I think for a lot of us this video represents such a relatable feeling, whether in the world of poker or outside of it. You know you're good enough at something, maybe even far better than most, but everything just goes wrong and you end up looking bad. Good reminder that it happens to the best of us, and it's just another obstacle on the road to success!
The way I see it, Tom Dwan offered 3:1 to anyone as a side bet to play heads up. He's the GOAT. He offered it to everyone NOT named Phil Galfond....... That speaks for itself on how you are. Legendary.
Thank you for your behind-the-scenes look at HSP; one of my favourite shows. Your modesty is refreshing, and the fact that you were crushing at 22 speaks for itself!
Never thought you were "bad" for TV poker as implied. When i saw the episode aired, I found your appearance more inspirational and intriguing to me seeing a young player making it to play the best. You, dwan, elky, lex and others stuck out from the online crowd from your appearance being so young then and your names continue to be relevant today. Actually if you didnt show up to the show, you could have passed by the wind in poker like Hac Dang and others who werent fortunate enough to ever get invited.
I have to say since you bring it up in this video, that we will probably never see such masterclass/ownage again in this kind of lineup that Dwan executed in that season. Just unreal performance really.
Great video, I was always curious how these young online guys who were barely 21 felt about being on this show. My favorite part is you bringing the jug of water, as if there weren't going to be any water bottles or drinks available lol
Can totally relate.. nowhere near your stakes, but been booted from live stream games after becoming a regular for being too nitty and unentertaining. Thanks for sharing
thanks for the video. and at least you learn from the experiences. way to many online grinders still don't get it when they play live. granted playing on tv/stream is different but at the end of the day they should be fun for their customers to play with. this was a really interesting time to be in poker but a lot of the older players really didn't understand how much they actually didn't know about nl strategy. but the younger players didn't get poker is best as a social game. i also can't believe how young you look- i'm only a couple of years older than you and seeing this makes me feel old as hell!
Great comment! So true that there are so many players that just aren't fun to play with, both good and bad. It's certainly better played as a social game and a much better watch that way. We knew Sammy was a fish, but he was fun to watch! Laak was smart enough to be entertaining while he was nitting it up, making it seem like he was more action.
@@PhilGalfond It's also interesting you were nervous b/c you were on tv (which I can understand) and not bc of the stakes. I remember watching and thinking it was the money that had you nervous not knowing you played bigger online. Andrew Robl also looked super nervous playing on TV around that time and really looked like scared money. Meanwhile today he basically plays 1 car/ 2 car NL.
When you figure out that a lot of those players were not playing with their own money and that they were either being staked or bought pieces of their action, it really shed a different light into the ridiculousness of it all. At the end of the day, it made for great content.
Very cool that you can address this time so honestly and modestly.Makes me feel a lot better about some poor decisions I've made, based on lack of experience. Many Thanks. Max Credit to You!
And again, Phil ur my absolute favorite player by far. The genuinity, the ability to elaborate ur thoughts clearly and concisely, and the mind set. Fucking amazing video
Because of my enthusiasm for that series and poker in general, this is awesome insight into some of the thought processes and the behind-the-scenes production. Would love to hear more! And btw, my name is Phil too, but mine is indeed spelled n-i-t…
Love this video. Very interesting getting Phils take. There's definitely something to be said to be playing IRL vs live cash pros when you're mostly an online player. Many young players can make fun of these older players and how corny they can be, but they've been playing cards IRL for most of their lives and it does have an affect on you if you're used to playing behind a screen.
Everything works out in the end! I don't blame you for being out of your element on that show, I think it would be intimidating for the vast majority of players.
This is why there's a million and one clips of Phil Hellmuth being the heel and losing his temper. It's kept him on TV for like a decade. This was not at all the answer I would have expected clicking on the video, but a very powerful insight into the make believe of most TV shows we watch, whether it's drama, sports, or news. Cheers, Phil.
Really appreciate you sharing something like this. Sobering reminder that for every person that achieves their wildest dream, thousands just barely fall short. Luckily things didnt turn out so bad for you anyway!
I find this self reflective "behind the scenes" content very inspiring. It's not easy to share this in a world where everybody only wants to show off their best pictures. Respect and thank you for sharing this!
I remember knowing you from Tom Dwan's challenge, excluding you from it, thinking to myself what a legend this PHIL GALFOND must be, and later watched your bluefire videos with your signature soothing voice, Unfortunately things didn't go your way on high stakes poker, but happy you're a blessed man overal, 🍀
I used to hate it when people call me a nit and get after me with banter playing live cash at the casino, now I just play up to it. "Yeah I only bet Aces or Kings you're right". Then I open with a standard range and bluff the shlt out of them post flop. I can't imagine what that must have been like though playing on camera with some of these personalities who are all gobby, and who all already knew each other. Thrown into the lions den. I always wondered how you had ended up on high stakes poker as you seemed such a different profile to the others - now I know. Be proud though, you're a legend of the game and still have your self respect which is more than some. Kudos.
Personally, I think that it was the PAD PLO session where you shone in particular. I will never forget the triple all-in hand featuring you, Ivey and Antonius, ending with the "it's so sick" lline delivered by Ivey after you rivered a straight to match his. You played briliantly against them.
Appreciate the video, Phil. There is such a huge difference between the two that it's often hard, and rarely helpful for learning, to watch rich folk play poorly, win or lose. When I heard Gabe Kaplan's on air retirement announcement, I heard him exasperatingly (relatively, it was Gabe), trying to explain player's actions using poker knowledge, during play that had become inexplicable. The chasm has not faded, and I prefer a Triton Event to an HCL et al stream. I feel ya.
The funny thing about the last comment regarding +EV is that establishing yourself as a player with gamble and chutzpah (and money 😉) is itself +EV given the particular circumstance you personally were in. That would’ve kept you in the game longer, whereas being disinvited (or perceived as nitty/boring) was more -EV for you than, say, the -EV of overcalling or overbluffing, or widening raising ranges marginally. Being invited to action games is a huge benefit. That’s my humble opinion, at least. Having said that, you’re a tremendous, world class player. No one can take it away from you. Reading this specific situation as a presumably introverted 22-year old player is near impossible. And at the end of the day, the cards need to hit. Dwan played world class poker too, but he was also very very fortunate to have had a sun run during his poker debut, as well. His highly aggressive PFR/bluffing frequency also succeeded in him being invited to future games with whales.
You're very eloquent with your speech. I always remember back in the day how highly everyone, including Dwan, spoke of you and that's how I found out about you. You were the first person to really make poker interesting with your analysis.
Still people like me know you from the show, so at least there's that. Loved Gabes' commentary, that was unique for the time. There was Poker After Dark with Ali Nejad, and he was barely talking. And if he was, he was stating the obvious. Mike Sexton was competent, but really rather old-school. Gabe and HSP made me understand the basic considerations in a hand. It got me motivated to read some books and take it a bit more seriously. I always find it amazing how far professional poker has come since these days though. The wild style Gus Hansen, Eli Elezra or Sammy Farha were playing would really not be sustainable today. But it was so fun to watch. And suddenly there were folks like a Tom Dwan, on the surface playing mad like those guys, but really you could sense the game got a lot more sophisticated. I vividly remember Gabe saying "and I am not even gonna guess what Dwan is going to do" 😀
I watched it at the time. I had already heard of Galfond online as one of the most "mathematically correct" player of the new generation so i was a little surprised by the performance in the show. This makes this video reeeally cool to me to understand your state of mind then. I didn t even imagine how stressfull and heartbreaking the situation were to you. Glad you went on and kept it real untill today.
Took me a while to realize that people don't play poker on TV as they do in real life. And once I did realize it, it explained a lot of the crazy stuff you see on some of these shows.
I remember when this originally aired - there was The 2+2 Poker Cast had scheduled themselves so that they put up a show the day after each episode of HSP aired and they'd talk about it and dissect the show... originally they were pretty excited that Phil Galfond was going to be on the show, kind of like "one of their own" had made it (an online player and reg to the 2+2 forums). But that evaporated after the episode aired... even Mike and Adam had little positive to say about Phil "I Fold" Galfond's appearance on the show.
I wish HSP became available on RUclips again I watched many seasons multiple times. Both for the poker, but more so because of the amount of entertaining personalities, and of course Gabe. May he rest.
A watch a lot of RUclips Poker stuff and this was the most interesting thing I have seen in a long time. I loved your honesty and really enjoyed this. Glad you learned from it and glad you continued playing and became a great player.
Perspective is probably the same. No fun playing with a robotic nit that doesn't carry any conversation. Doesn't mean that Phil isn't one of or possibly the best in NL and PLO HU, but he just wasn't fun to play with at that time.There's a reason why it is a separate skillset utilized to get invited into certain games.
Extremely interesting insight into something I vividly remember watching. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I can't help but feel I share a mindset with you in many, many ways. I was a poker pro at the time (not at those nosebleed stake but fairly high at NL5000), and I would for sure have had the same experience and feelings about it; both then and now.
Didn’t Phil Ivey throw a WINNING FLUSH into the muck on a televised game? IDk,i could be wrong. I haven’t kept up with poker for a while but you two were/are some of the best players I remember watching. Thx for the story.
Appreciate this perspective coming from you, Phil. Nowhere near the stakes you play, but I happen to be in a “poker club” with a similar vibe. I try to entertain and be friendly to not alienate myself, but I’m not exactly the core of the club by any means and could see myself booted out if I’m not on their wavelength. Would you have any advice how to maintain a lasting relationship, if you will?
It's crazy to see how the legends look so young here and they still look great but it's crazy how I used to watch this show that didn't seem so long ago.. Thanks for sharing this Phil, stay blessed and kick a$$
I remember watching the episode back when I started out around 2011 on YT. It was cool to see you, one of the new generation of online players getting live table time on the show. I didnt expect you to be goofing like Hellmuth or schmoozing like Sammy Farha wasnt the producers had that aspect already.
Phil, I played many years online, and I remember first time playing in casino, I found it very difficult and energy consuming to count the pot on each hand, I think that online poker make it easy as all the numbers are in front of you, even raising a percentage of the pot is easy. It took me some time to really be used to live casino poker.
Well even if it didn't go as planned back then, you still had a hell of an experience that only a handful of people in the world ever got or will get, so be proud of that! And hey, from what I can tell, things didn't turn out half bad for you in your life. :) Thank you for sharing with us!
Thank you for sharing this, especially for not cutting out your errors. It's a shame they cancelled you after 1 episode. I think a lot of people enjoyed seeing a new face in high stakes poker not just the same familiar old pros. I certainly did. Plus you deserved at least the one full day to prove yourself. I don't even think your mistakes were bad especially considering the pressure of being on TV in a game every poker player dreamed of playing in. It's not like you lost a massive pot making a bad error.
Free 44-page Mindset Strategy Playbook -> philgalfond.com/mindset
I'll never forget you throwing that hand away as it was your first live (non online) game and thinking, that's the kind of thing I might do too. (were I on TV)
I think Hellmuth calling you a nit is hilarious. lol
I literally went to the comments immediately to see if someone said anything 😂😂
It's a freaking crime
Nits don’t want to play against nits
Phil buys in for the smallest as he possibly can, And people want to see him, not because of his play, to see him blow up, He should be banned from playing on tv, period
Love it!!
I remember watching this back in the day. There was no feelings of "this guy is nervous" or "what a nit". I didn't even remember that you mucked half the pot. All I remember was being inspired that a 22-year-old self-made guy could be playing for hundreds of thousands vs legends. That was mind-boggling to me at the time. Guys like yourself and Dwan undoubtedly inspired a generation of future professional poker players. You guys are legends!
Awesome to hear that!! Thank you for sharing your impression from that time. It honestly didn’t enter my mind that a viewer might see me that way.
@@PhilGalfond Yeah this was the truth. Def don't remember thinking you were a nit, as someone who has watched every episode like 10x 😂
Also prob inspired a generation of broke losers sitting in a gamblers anonymous meeting. Poker is a hard way to make an easy living.
@@gnarlymcgnarlson6952 Speak for yourself. I have been playing professionally for over a decade 👍
@@PhilGalfond I remember watching these. And all I was thinking was the rest of the players were playing super loosely and badly.
it is very good to see people we admire showing moments that did not go exactly as expected, life is like that for everyone, sometimes we forget that when all people share are the moments that everything went well.
Myself and all my poker mates have always thought you were a superstar anyway Phil. I'm talking all the way back to those early online days too. You were who we wanted to play like
You wanted to play boring poker and muck the winning hand? lol
@@JohnSmith-su3ze Calling Phil Galfond's play boring is pretty hilarious.
@@matthewwestcott9138 The producers thought he was boring, which is why they didn't invite him back
Go and take it up with them lol
@michaelhoey9001 I was about to write this myself!
@JohnSmith-su3ze Except it isn't boring play. They were in a game of whales gambling and he was card dead. So yeah, your comments retarded.
The fact that Dwan felt you were a good enough person (personality/integrity/skill-wise) to be your friend back then and still be your friend today... just shows how great of a person you are and how great of a friend you are.
Thanks for being vulnerable in this episode.
but bad for tv
It's a big club and you ain't in it.
I guess you can join Doug in the "out" crowd....ur no Berkey
LOL Tom Dwan is NOT a good person, weird comment about "great person"
@@peterlohnes1 It's a big club and Tom Dwan is in it......
This is great. I've always wanted to hear you talk more about this.
Awesome. Glad you enjoyed it!
There's nothing wrong with how he played those first few hands. You play to win, not to feed into this reality TV poker atmosphere that involves entertaining the viewers by donking.
@@RobbieStacks90 except if you want to keep getting invites to juicy tv games or these days juicy streamed games you should to some degree play to be entertaining and gamble more than you would otherwise.
phil fully acknowlegedes this and says he didn't get it at the time.
put it this way you make way more playing decent while you're gambling and being entertaining over a lot of sessions than you would by being anti social boring to watch and playing great poker for one session to never be invited back again.
Exactly the kind of content I was hoping for! Insights into the old days, background knowledge on poker pros, etc. Love it man. Thanks for the video, keep up the good work.
Awesome! Love to hear when I hit the mark. Thank you.
It's more riveting than HSP itself. They should get every pro to relive their moments.
Always keepin it real, this is why you’re a role model to so many of us young grinders
Relax you're 49 years old and not considered young
@@ParissaKhoury I'm 27 lmao
I heard about this back when it happened, but because of your really great story telling, it felt like I was learning about it for the first time. Love seeing you in the poker content streets.
Awesome, man. Thanks so much ♥️
What an amazing reflection of your experience at the table. You got some real courage to open up to the public and share your thoughts on what happened.
99% of us would have done no better than you with such a line up and in front of the cameras.
Mad respect for this video bro
This is great content, Phil. Keep it up! You are currently one of my favorite content creators.
Ivey famously mucked a winning hand in a high-leverage moment. Everyone makes mistakes. More impressed by the fact that you were on a show like this at a time when most people are getting their first job.
I remember this well. Was (and still am) a big fan of yours and it was sad to see the heat you took!
❤
@@PhilGalfondKeep up the good work Champ🎉
Kudos to you for making this video. I always felt that you were among the most admirable poker pros and the humility with which you approach a postmortem like this is also admirable.
Thank you so much 😊
I liked how friendly Jamie was there, right at the start. Probably had no idea that Phil was 100 times better than him, but he was 100% cordial.
sammy farha my favorite player back then, true legend
Mine too!
Huge fish he was
Galfond got that drip. Cargo shorts, scuffed up dad shoes, water jug.. Swag 😎
😂
Phil galfond has a channel, just wow. You are one of the most gifted poker players I've ever seen.
LOL walking on set with that jug of water it looks like they just went outside and flagged down a cab driver to come sit in... great video man you're the best
haha everyone is like "is this guy here to work on the electrical outlets or something???"
I remember you being on the show and was very empathetic. You were considered one of the best players in my mind at the time and I thought you were going to school them on HSP. The cards don’t always fall our way and it was a letdown…but such is life. Great to look back at a time when Poker was at such heights. Miss those lucrative poker days.
Edit: just fyi, you’re just a good dude Phil. I like and respect you even more today than I did back then. It’s obvious why everyone trusts you as a person.
Defiantly can see Galfond's PLO play style in this episode. All poker derivatives have a certain style that needs to be played to optimize RoI. Everyone has a their comfort level of risk too.
It was a "poker show" indeed. I remember even Dwan was very silent and he was just sitting there, playing his game. What worked for dwan was his insane play style that put everyone on their toes. He was raising like crazy (which is pretty common in modern poker today) and bluffing like a boss. I like your insight, it came really unexpected and it changed the way I look at that show.
Hi Phil. Takes a lot of guts to share this but i am so glad you did. So many times one’s nerves get the better of themselves, especially at such a stage. Took me a while just to get the live poker, forget live poker on live television. What i take away from this is that once we sit down to play anywhere, forget the cameras and the attention and just focus on trying to play your game without worrying about looking stupid. :) i think it gets worse if we worry about it .
This explains a lot, considering some of the plays you made on season 6. I remember you tried to bluff negreanu with 10-2 saying “I was trying to impress Doyle”
I can totally understand it. If I’m any of those players I don’t want you at the table Phil, I bet you were a massive favorite against them and they knew it. It’s one of the few times being too good at your job hurts you.
Yeah, I completely understand it as well. I didn't know enough at the time.
@@PhilGalfond Your conclusion hit the mark. It was a TV show. They wanted "personalities".
They also wanted the feel of a "home game" or of a "local game". Most of these players knew each other from Vegas and of course had three seasons behind them. So there was a bit of table banter between them. A quieter player could it in but it's a hurdle.
There is no way a single one of those other players considered themselves to not be the favourite.
@@jakecooper5855 BS
Actually, it's not true. Due to the dynamics of the table playing GTO; or A.B.C poker is probably minus E.V.
Bad TV or not, man, your roll and game speak for themselves. I stepped away from the game for about 10 years and still remember your name, so I guess joke's on HSP. They missed out, you're one of the greats.
Love this. I’ve watched High Stakes Poker from start to finish at least 5-6 times and have always wondered what players thought in the moment/what their experience was like.
Would love other players to do this, obviously it might be hard to remember for some but would love to see Dwan to give it a go!
Thanks for being willing to share your experience and elaborate. Some of us are afraid to try anything out of shame and fear of looking foolish. You're a great ambassador man.
Phil Ivey mucked a winning pocket 8s in the WSOP main event one year. It's been aired multiple times. You're in good company brother.
Great video, Phil! Loved the insight.
I remember even when I first watched this episode of HSP and I didn't know a lot about you, I thought Gabe Kaplan was being a little unfair, especially about the QQ on the Kxx diamonds board that you folded. Your play was pretty standard as you said. The commentary felt like a combination of results-oriented and narrative-driven. Easy to use it as a marker of you being just some online kid out of your element in the "big leagues" -- even though if a beloved live pro played the hand exactly the same as you the commentary would have been entirely different. I guess that's the name of the game, but it bugged me then and still a little bit now.
And I think for a lot of us this video represents such a relatable feeling, whether in the world of poker or outside of it. You know you're good enough at something, maybe even far better than most, but everything just goes wrong and you end up looking bad. Good reminder that it happens to the best of us, and it's just another obstacle on the road to success!
Phil, you may not have known you were famous, but even back then you had a following. Thanks for so many years of great grinding and content.
The way I see it, Tom Dwan offered 3:1 to anyone as a side bet to play heads up. He's the GOAT. He offered it to everyone NOT named Phil Galfond.......
That speaks for itself on how you are. Legendary.
Thank you for your behind-the-scenes look at HSP; one of my favourite shows. Your modesty is refreshing, and the fact that you were crushing at 22 speaks for itself!
Never thought you were "bad" for TV poker as implied. When i saw the episode aired, I found your appearance more inspirational and intriguing to me seeing a young player making it to play the best. You, dwan, elky, lex and others stuck out from the online crowd from your appearance being so young then and your names continue to be relevant today. Actually if you didnt show up to the show, you could have passed by the wind in poker like Hac Dang and others who werent fortunate enough to ever get invited.
I have to say since you bring it up in this video, that we will probably never see such masterclass/ownage again in this kind of lineup that Dwan executed in that season. Just unreal performance really.
Great video, I was always curious how these young online guys who were barely 21 felt about being on this show.
My favorite part is you bringing the jug of water, as if there weren't going to be any water bottles or drinks available lol
Can totally relate.. nowhere near your stakes, but been booted from live stream games after becoming a regular for being too nitty and unentertaining. Thanks for sharing
My pleasure. Thanks for commenting!
You're a superstar to me. Your posts on 2+2 were so important for my growth and eventual slowdown in poker.
I am very impressed by this video. Very real and I connected. Thanks for putting yourself out there.
thanks for the video. and at least you learn from the experiences. way to many online grinders still don't get it when they play live. granted playing on tv/stream is different but at the end of the day they should be fun for their customers to play with.
this was a really interesting time to be in poker but a lot of the older players really didn't understand how much they actually didn't know about nl strategy. but the younger players didn't get poker is best as a social game.
i also can't believe how young you look- i'm only a couple of years older than you and seeing this makes me feel old as hell!
Well put about how each side didn't understand the other at that time (and about how young I look!)
Great comment! So true that there are so many players that just aren't fun to play with, both good and bad. It's certainly better played as a social game and a much better watch that way. We knew Sammy was a fish, but he was fun to watch! Laak was smart enough to be entertaining while he was nitting it up, making it seem like he was more action.
@@PhilGalfond It's also interesting you were nervous b/c you were on tv (which I can understand) and not bc of the stakes. I remember watching and thinking it was the money that had you nervous not knowing you played bigger online.
Andrew Robl also looked super nervous playing on TV around that time and really looked like scared money. Meanwhile today he basically plays 1 car/ 2 car NL.
You are good TV now ❤️ and you have always been very good for poker overall ❤️❤️
Thank you very much. Means a lot coming from you!
When you figure out that a lot of those players were not playing with their own money and that they were either being staked or bought pieces of their action, it really shed a different light into the ridiculousness of it all. At the end of the day, it made for great content.
Very cool that you can address this time so honestly and modestly.Makes me feel a lot better about some poor decisions I've made, based on lack of experience. Many Thanks. Max Credit to You!
Thank you so much!
And again, Phil ur my absolute favorite player by far. The genuinity, the ability to elaborate ur thoughts clearly and concisely, and the mind set. Fucking amazing video
Because of my enthusiasm for that series and poker in general, this is awesome insight into some of the thought processes and the behind-the-scenes production. Would love to hear more!
And btw, my name is Phil too, but mine is indeed spelled n-i-t…
Awesome. Thanks, Phil!
What aspects would you like to hear more about? Just more stories of my career experiences and what it was like for me?
I'm really impressed by the thoughtfulness in Galfond's commentary. Had no idea he was like this.
Phil Galfond always has been a class act. I enjoyed watching you play on high stakes poker :)
Love this video. Very interesting getting Phils take. There's definitely something to be said to be playing IRL vs live cash pros when you're mostly an online player. Many young players can make fun of these older players and how corny they can be, but they've been playing cards IRL for most of their lives and it does have an affect on you if you're used to playing behind a screen.
Everything works out in the end! I don't blame you for being out of your element on that show, I think it would be intimidating for the vast majority of players.
Yes! I was upset for a while, but I came to understand it later. It's all good and everything has worked out!
This is why there's a million and one clips of Phil Hellmuth being the heel and losing his temper. It's kept him on TV for like a decade. This was not at all the answer I would have expected clicking on the video, but a very powerful insight into the make believe of most TV shows we watch, whether it's drama, sports, or news. Cheers, Phil.
Much respect! Thank you for sharing.
Much appreciated! You're very welcome.
Really appreciate you sharing something like this. Sobering reminder that for every person that achieves their wildest dream, thousands just barely fall short. Luckily things didnt turn out so bad for you anyway!
I find this self reflective "behind the scenes" content very inspiring. It's not easy to share this in a world where everybody only wants to show off their best pictures. Respect and thank you for sharing this!
Wow those announcers were brutal. So tough to call anything with a monotone board and an over.
Phil, you’re a poker superstar to me, and to many. You were my idol growing up from 18-21, and you still are my idol now! Thanks for all you do!
I remember knowing you from Tom Dwan's challenge, excluding you from it, thinking to myself what a legend this PHIL GALFOND must be, and later watched your bluefire videos with your signature soothing voice,
Unfortunately things didn't go your way on high stakes poker, but happy you're a blessed man overal,
🍀
Thank you so much! Yep, I'm very lucky in life. This was a valuable lesson for me. No complaints.
A v open, honest & humble assessment of your younger self there Phil. I enjoyed watching the vid, you're obviously a refreshingly genuine person
I love how you just brought a whole gallon jug of water like you just got it at the grocery store.
I used to hate it when people call me a nit and get after me with banter playing live cash at the casino, now I just play up to it. "Yeah I only bet Aces or Kings you're right". Then I open with a standard range and bluff the shlt out of them post flop.
I can't imagine what that must have been like though playing on camera with some of these personalities who are all gobby, and who all already knew each other. Thrown into the lions den.
I always wondered how you had ended up on high stakes poker as you seemed such a different profile to the others - now I know.
Be proud though, you're a legend of the game and still have your self respect which is more than some. Kudos.
Personally, I think that it was the PAD PLO session where you shone in particular. I will never forget the triple all-in hand featuring you, Ivey and Antonius, ending with the "it's so sick" lline delivered by Ivey after you rivered a straight to match his. You played briliantly against them.
More content please Phil. Love the honesty. Thank you.
You got it
Appreciate the video, Phil.
There is such a huge difference between the two that it's often hard, and rarely helpful for learning, to watch rich folk play poorly, win or lose. When I heard Gabe Kaplan's on air retirement announcement, I heard him exasperatingly (relatively, it was Gabe), trying to explain player's actions using poker knowledge, during play that had become inexplicable. The chasm has not faded, and I prefer a Triton Event to an HCL et al stream. I feel ya.
The funny thing about the last comment regarding +EV is that establishing yourself as a player with gamble and chutzpah (and money 😉) is itself +EV given the particular circumstance you personally were in. That would’ve kept you in the game longer, whereas being disinvited (or perceived as nitty/boring) was more -EV for you than, say, the -EV of overcalling or overbluffing, or widening raising ranges marginally. Being invited to action games is a huge benefit. That’s my humble opinion, at least.
Having said that, you’re a tremendous, world class player. No one can take it away from you. Reading this specific situation as a presumably introverted 22-year old player is near impossible. And at the end of the day, the cards need to hit. Dwan played world class poker too, but he was also very very fortunate to have had a sun run during his poker debut, as well. His highly aggressive PFR/bluffing frequency also succeeded in him being invited to future games with whales.
Your honesty and sincerity really shine through in your content. Keep up the great work.
You're very eloquent with your speech. I always remember back in the day how highly everyone, including Dwan, spoke of you and that's how I found out about you. You were the first person to really make poker interesting with your analysis.
Still people like me know you from the show, so at least there's that. Loved Gabes' commentary, that was unique for the time. There was Poker After Dark with Ali Nejad, and he was barely talking. And if he was, he was stating the obvious. Mike Sexton was competent, but really rather old-school. Gabe and HSP made me understand the basic considerations in a hand. It got me motivated to read some books and take it a bit more seriously. I always find it amazing how far professional poker has come since these days though. The wild style Gus Hansen, Eli Elezra or Sammy Farha were playing would really not be sustainable today. But it was so fun to watch. And suddenly there were folks like a Tom Dwan, on the surface playing mad like those guys, but really you could sense the game got a lot more sophisticated. I vividly remember Gabe saying "and I am not even gonna guess what Dwan is going to do" 😀
Thanks for sharing. The worlds only honest poker player.
The Durrr montage was so sick!
I watched it at the time. I had already heard of Galfond online as one of the most "mathematically correct" player of the new generation so i was a little surprised by the performance in the show.
This makes this video reeeally cool to me to understand your state of mind then. I didn t even imagine how stressfull and heartbreaking the situation were to you.
Glad you went on and kept it real untill today.
The computer would’ve split the pot for him😭😭
Took me a while to realize that people don't play poker on TV as they do in real life. And once I did realize it, it explained a lot of the crazy stuff you see on some of these shows.
You are a natural in front of a camera Phil. Only just discovered this channel, and I'll be checking your content regularly.
Respect for posting this Phil. I would love to see the current version of you at that table. In the end it just comes down to experience.
the 2+2 thread about this was amazing
"People were calling down when someones entire range is ahead of their hand. I almost had a b**** about it." lmaoooo
Galfond walking into the studio with a gallon of water made my day 😆
I remember when this originally aired - there was The 2+2 Poker Cast had scheduled themselves so that they put up a show the day after each episode of HSP aired and they'd talk about it and dissect the show... originally they were pretty excited that Phil Galfond was going to be on the show, kind of like "one of their own" had made it (an online player and reg to the 2+2 forums).
But that evaporated after the episode aired... even Mike and Adam had little positive to say about Phil "I Fold" Galfond's appearance on the show.
I wish HSP became available on RUclips again
I watched many seasons multiple times. Both for the poker, but more so because of the amount of entertaining personalities, and of course Gabe. May he rest.
A watch a lot of RUclips Poker stuff and this was the most interesting thing I have seen in a long time. I loved your honesty and really enjoyed this. Glad you learned from it and glad you continued playing and became a great player.
Nice video. You should make a follow up on how you got invited back for the last season at the Bellagio. The hand vs. Bill Klein was a doozy!!
Would love to hear the perspective from some of the others at that game, given that you are one of the greats now and respected for your play.
Perspective is probably the same. No fun playing with a robotic nit that doesn't carry any conversation. Doesn't mean that Phil isn't one of or possibly the best in NL and PLO HU, but he just wasn't fun to play with at that time.There's a reason why it is a separate skillset utilized to get invited into certain games.
Very well said. We were all doing the best we could, in that moment, with the awareness we had at that time.
Extremely interesting insight into something I vividly remember watching. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I can't help but feel I share a mindset with you in many, many ways. I was a poker pro at the time (not at those nosebleed stake but fairly high at NL5000), and I would for sure have had the same experience and feelings about it; both then and now.
5k NL was not much easier than the nosebleeds in those days!
Thank you 😊
Didn’t Phil Ivey throw a WINNING FLUSH into the muck on a televised game? IDk,i could be wrong. I haven’t kept up with poker for a while but you two were/are some of the best players I remember watching. Thx for the story.
Yeah I think he did. You’re very welcome!
Appreciate this perspective coming from you, Phil.
Nowhere near the stakes you play, but I happen to be in a “poker club” with a similar vibe. I try to entertain and be friendly to not alienate myself, but I’m not exactly the core of the club by any means and could see myself booted out if I’m not on their wavelength. Would you have any advice how to maintain a lasting relationship, if you will?
He’s not disappointed, yet he’s making a video nearly 20 years later and his body language suggests differently.
I was disappointed, but I don’t blame anyone other than myself.
Gandalf the great outfit was what would have put you on the poker tv map 🗺
Well done, Great insight! Good to hear your thought process
Thank you so much!
It's crazy to see how the legends look so young here and they still look great but it's crazy how I used to watch this show that didn't seem so long ago.. Thanks for sharing this Phil, stay blessed and kick a$$
Well at least Tom killed it! He was my biggest poker inspiration, had me punting to recs in low buyin cash games and tournaments :D
I remember watching the episode back when I started out around 2011 on YT.
It was cool to see you, one of the new generation of online players getting live table time on the show.
I didnt expect you to be goofing like Hellmuth or schmoozing like Sammy Farha wasnt the producers had that aspect already.
Phil, I played many years online, and I remember first time playing in casino, I found it very difficult and energy consuming to count the pot on each hand, I think that online poker make it easy as all the numbers are in front of you, even raising a percentage of the pot is easy. It took me some time to really be used to live casino poker.
you had a cool experience and became part of a legendary show, now is the time to enjoy the fame without regrets :)
Thank you for this behind the scenes, Phil!
Kudos to you bro, Takes a man to just be as honest, and comfortable in himself.
Was then, and still is, one of the best players HSP would ever see.
😊♥️
Well even if it didn't go as planned back then, you still had a hell of an experience that only a handful of people in the world ever got or will get, so be proud of that! And hey, from what I can tell, things didn't turn out half bad for you in your life. :)
Thank you for sharing with us!
You’re very welcome!
Tom totally got it. Went in there and threw chips around, made big bets and big bluffs. Different personality types, I guess.
Thank you for sharing this, especially for not cutting out your errors. It's a shame they cancelled you after 1 episode. I think a lot of people enjoyed seeing a new face in high stakes poker not just the same familiar old pros. I certainly did. Plus you deserved at least the one full day to prove yourself. I don't even think your mistakes were bad especially considering the pressure of being on TV in a game every poker player dreamed of playing in. It's not like you lost a massive pot making a bad error.
I love the transformation. Look at you now, man! No comparison to the shy kid coming to the show like a lamb joining the lions. Now you're the lion.