People News: Tony G leaves politics, returns to poker; Galfond Challenge Update; Marle Cordeiro has Covid and likes to share; Madanzhiev vs Salas HU for WSOP championship?

In this column we deliver you the latest and most interesting news and gossip from our favourite poker people.

Tony G leaves politics, returns to poker

Antanas “Tony G” Guoga had been a colourful character at the poker tables until he focused on a political career in his home country Lithuania in 2014. He wasn’t completely gone from the poker world, but many poker fans did miss his antics on TV shows and the like.

During his political career he managed to follow his plans to stir up European politics, but failed to get re-elected in 2019. He remained in the parliament but it seems he had some issues with fellow party members which ultimately led to him to consider leaving politics.

“I’m leaving, first of all, because I don’t want to mislead these people. I feel a great responsibility toward them, but at the same time, I see that with the Labor Party it is impossible to deliver what they were promised before the election,” he is quoted in the Baltic Times. “There are decent, smart and energetic people in the Labor Party. However, they are all held hostage by one individual today,” referring to the party’s chairman MEP Viktor Uspaskich.

Tony G announced on Twitter that he is going to focus more on business and also poker, much to the delight of his fans.

Yesterday, I decided to resign from the Lithuanian Parliament for a number of important reasons – I don’t think I can exact the change desperately needed in national politics. I now focus on business – maybe I may have some more time to play some poker! 🚴 https://t.co/QhrEJ8rtWL

— Tony G (@TonyGuoga) January 13, 2021

Be prepared for some Tony G outbursts at high stakes poker shows in the near future – well, as soon as live poker will be running more smoothly again.

Galfond Challenge Update

Phil Galfond keeps crushing Chance Kornuth in the Galfond Challenge, where the pair is playing a total of 35k hands of $100/$200 PLO heads-up on WSOP.com. After almost 25k hands Galfond’s lead has extended to $550k.

Pot-limit Omaha, however, is an unpredictable beast, and although Galfond’s lead is substantial, it is not all lost for Kornuth.

But even if Kornuth will be able to close the gap somewhat, or even if he can get down to only $1 in losses, he will still have to pay $250k to Galfond as part of the side bet the two agreed on. If Galfond loses, he has to pay $1 million to Kornuth. But at this point, this does look unlikely to happen.

You can follow regular updates on the Run It Once YouTube channel.

Marle Cordeiro has Covid and likes to share

Poker player and YouTuber Marle Cordeiro is back in Vegas after spending some time with her new fiancé Spraggy in Europe. Now she shared on Twitter that she had a mild case of Covid.

That in itself isn’t a problem. Drama ensued when she also posted that she spent some time by the pool in her apartment complex while still showing symptoms of this virus that’s holding our whole planet in a tight grip for a year now.

Many Twitter followers were outraged about her willingness to share not just the information of her being sick, but also sharing the sickness itself.

Please dont purposefully go into public areas where people could walk near you and get covid. Just stay home until you are better.

— Doug “Truck Driver” Polk (@DougPolkVids) January 15, 2021

It is likely that she caught the virus while playing poker at the Venetian as one of her other tweets read:

“If you go to Venetian poker room and come out alive, you’re a god. Place is crawling with covid. Also just being there makes you wanna shoot yourself in the face. Either way, you’re a goner.”

Marle has since then deleted the original tweet, but unfortunately not the deed.

Stoyan Madanzhiev vs Damian Salas HU for WSOP championship?

The discussions have been long and exhausting: Who is the actual 2020 WSOP Main Event champion? Bulgarian player Stoyan Madanzhiev who won the GGPoker Online WSOP Main Event or the Argentinian Damian Salas who took down the hybrid GGPoker + live in Rozvadov + live in Vegas Main Event?

For many this is a clear answer, but the poker world has been outraged about all this for months now until finally British pro Max Silver suggested a cage match between the two.

Cage or not if Damian wants to show up for some HU action I am down to discuss a stake and bet 🙂

— Stoyan Madanzhiev (@Stoyan_Mad) January 5, 2021

Stoyan replied that he was up for a HU match with or without a cage. So far there has not been a reply by Damian Salas to accept or decline the match. Instead, heated arguments ensued on poker Twitter. What else do you expect?

The strangest response came from WSOP commentator Norman Chad who compared Stoyan’s bitterness about not being the official champion to Donald Trump’s non-acceptance of having lost the election.

Uh, @Stoyan_Mad, it’s as if you’ve become the Trump of the poker world, trying to reverse results.

You impressively won the 5k WSOP online Main.

That is NOT the WSOP Main Event.

You are comparing apples and oranges; actually, you are comparing apples to cans of chicken soup. https://t.co/AhL7XgTjvE

— Norman Chad (@NormanChad) January 5, 2021

Whatever the outcome may be, 2020 will always be remembered for not having had a real WSOP, so therefore also a real champion stays debatable and poker Twitter is eating this up, naturally.