Galfond Leaves Bluefire
Phil Galfond Leaves Bluefire Poker
December 14th, 2012 By Scott Jack
On December 10th 2011, Phil Galfond made a post on his blog at Bluefire Poker (BFP) stating that he was leaving. The post was titled “Sad Day” and stated that Galfond would be leaving Bluefire Poker, but the post didn’t go into any detail. Soon after the post was made by Galfond it was deleted by the administrators at Bluefire Poker and moved to the forum (Read Here).
Phil was also locked out of his Bluefire Poker account after making the blog post. This was a strange move by BFP, as Galfond was still planning on fulfilling his contract and posting the final four videos that he’s supposed to post. Galfond made a post on the Twitter social network that stated “I’m very confused right now. The password to my Bluefire Poker account has been changed. Any posts from now on are not from me”.
Why Did Phil Galfond Leave Bluefire Poker?
The reasons why Galfond left BFP are still unclear, but the story is still developing. In Phil’s initial post titled “Sad Day”, Galfond stated that “I’m sorry that I can’t elaborate further”. Many stories have been circulating around the 2+2 Poker Forums, but for now it could just be disgruntled players/employees making some noise at an opportune time.
Did Phil Galfond Own Bluefire Poker?
A lot of poker players have been confused about the recent news that shook the online poker world. Many thought that Phil owned Bluefire Poker, but that isn’t the case. Galfond was approached in 2009 by a poker training site (BFP) that “was already forming” according to an interview with Galfond.
Galfond signed a contract with the owner of Bluefire Poker, although the details of the contract aren’t clear. Galfond’s job was to take the lead in content creation and hiring new coaches for the site. Phil also stated in an interview that he was going to have a say in the major business decisions for BFP.
We want to make it clear that at no time did Phil Galfond own all of Bluefire Poker. Many poker players and even industry affiliates were unaware of this. Lots of the subscribers at BFP joined for Galfond’s videos, but now that Phil is gone it’s going to pose numerous issues for BFP.
Who Will Take Over as the Lead Instructor at Bluefire Poker?
Now that Phil Galfond has left, Bluefire Poker needs to find a new lead instructor. Some members have come out and said that they would like to see Martin Fournier Giguere “Giggy” become the lead instructor. Giggy has been with BFP since the beginning, but he hasn’t posted any new training videos in over two months now, which is also strange.
Giggy is very popular at Bluefire Poker just like Galfond. If Giggy left BFP it would be a disaster. There has been no indication that Giggy will be leaving, but the fact he hasn’t posted any new videos in over two months is worrisome. Bluefire Poker needs to make a new signing quickly if they want to retain members.
I have no idea of who they could sign quickly, but they need to work something out. Losing Galfond is a massive blow for Bluefire Poker. It is likely that Bluefire had hurt by Black Friday as well. Many members at Bluefire Poker no longer have a reason to remain a member now that Galfond is gone, so BFP needs to find a way to retain and attract new subscribers.
Is This the End of Bluefire Poker?
I definitely want to say that Bluefire Poker could have handled this situation a lot better. Blocking Galfond out of his account was a bad decision in my opinion, as BFP didn’t even notify Galfond. There is no sign that Bluefire Poker will be closing in the future, but it wouldn’t shock me at this point. 2011 has been a crazy year and one more closure wouldn’t be out of the norm.
If Giggy doesn’t start posting new videos soon, and Bluefire Poker doesn’t sign a new “big name” instructor, they could be in more trouble than they think. Bluefire Poker is one of the most expensive poker training sites in the market. Bluefire Poker charges a $100 activation fee plus $30/month. You also can’t earn training by signing up to a poker room and earning rake like you can at most of the other leading poker training sites.
When Phil Galfond was the lead instructor Bluefire Poker could afford to charge a premium. The company will need to either sign a new instructor that is popular in the online poker world or BFP will need to do something about the pricing. In my opinion I don’t think they can survive with the way things are going right now and there will need to be some changes made.
This story is still developing and if there are any big developments in the story we will make sure to update this post. If you were thinking about joining Bluefire Poker you may want to wait a bit until the dust settles.