Rumor has it that last weekend Phil Ivey missed out on more than the $8 million top prize. Supposedly Ivey made more than $6 million worth of side bets.
It's not all that surprising to people that are familiar with the poker world's crazy penchant for proposition bets.
In fact, Ivey's bet on his own poker skills is comparatively tame when placed alongside some of the more notorious prop bets of the last decade.
It seems that some poker pros might have a little too much time and money on their hands...
Though this prop bet took place 11 years ago, the gambling world is still talking about it. Brian Zembic earns his money wherever he can. He's made big rakes at the backgammon, blackjack and poker tables, but that hasn't stopped him from looking for other opportunities. In 1998, Zembic took one of the strangest bets ever offered. A group of gambling friends, aware of Zembic's penchant for dares, offered Zembic $100,000 to get a pair of 36C breast implants and to live with them for a year. Zembic went under the knife, won the bet, and is still shaking his money makers to this day.
Those crazy kids! In 2008, some of the Bellagio regulars—online pros Andrew Robl and Alec Trelli—bet their friend Jay Kwik that he couldn't spend 30 days living in a Bellagio bathroom. The rules were strict—no computer, no visitors, and limited cell phone usage—and to ensure that they were followed, Trelli and Robl posted a web cam outside the bathroom and offered a $500 reward to anyone that saw Kwik violate the rules. Supposedly the original bet was worth $250,000, but when Robl accused Kwik of breaking the rules at day 20, they settled the bet with a $40,000 payout (in Kwik's favor).
Popular poker forum Two Plus Two regularly attracts thousands of poker players, including a small cluster of eccentric pros, so it's no surprise that the site has spawned its own fair share of crazy prop bets. In March of 2008, a regular Two Plus Two poster revived the legendary “100 Oreos” bet. If you've never heard of it the gist is that you find some skinny but defensive girl and bet her she can't eat 100 Oreos in an hour. The results of this bet have been notoriously messy, but the Two Plus Two version had a surprise ending—she did it! Las Vegas stripper Alana saved her dignity (well some of it) and pocketed $14k in the process when she put away 100 Oreos in less than two hours. The photo evidence resulted in dozens of knockoff prop bets, but few were as inspiring as Alana's hardcore Oreo eating efforts.
Ever wished there was a way to make $10k in a few minutes? Howard Lederer and Ted Forrest earned back their Main Event entries by winning two separate WSOP side bets. Lederer made his money when fellow pro Davis Grey offered him $10,000 to break his vegetarian lifestyle by eating a hamburger. Lederer quickly took the bet, devouring the burger in seconds. Ted Forrest is no stranger to prop bets. In his scenario, Forrest bet his WSOP tablemates $10,000 that he could do a standing back flip. They took the bet, and moments later they lost their money.
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