While poker itself is a mix of luck and strategy, it is still gambling. There is a certain thrill to making a bet. So it is no surprise that quite a few poker players have a habit of making prop bets. These prop bets take place every year and get stranger with every passing year and 2017 was no different. Some of these prop bets are just plain weird, while a few prop bets have a lot of meaning to them. We take a look at some of the top prop bets in 2017.
First, there's the million dollar weight loss bet. Walter Fisher was a pro poker player looking for a way to hit the jackpot. He was also facing a health crisis – his doctor had told him that he really needed to lose weight. As a way to get himself motivated, he decided to bet a million dollars that he would be able to lower his body fat to less than 10% within six months. The bet was more than twice his total lifetime gambling earnings. Dan Bilzerian and Bill Perkins made the opposing bet. With the help of a professional trainer and a daily workout regimen, Fisher managed to reduce his original BMI of 33% to 8.8%. He won the prop bet and got healthy in the process.
Not everyone has success with their prop bets. Poker professional Mike Noori made a bet with Matt Savage that he would be able to eat $1,000 worth of McDonald's within 36 hours. The bookmakers gave him 5-1 odds. That meant he would have won $200,000, if he won. Unfortunately, eating all of that fast food was pretty much impossible. He didn't get beyond the $100 mark, giving up at $95. The prop bet did succeed in raising a lot of money for charity.
The third prop bet to feature on our 2017 list, also focuses on eating. This time, the Staples brothers were challenged by Bill Perkins to get their weight within a pound of each other within a 12 month period. The brothers, a popular pair of Twitch poker streamers have a noticeable weight difference. Jaime was at 305 pounds and Matt at 134 pounds when the bet was accepted. The bet is still on-going, with a final check scheduled in March 2018.
Finally, there's the interesting prop bet made by Mikita Anttonen. He wagered that he can turn an initial €500 bet into €10,000. The increase must be all done via online poker and in just 120 days. If he fails, he will quit poker forever. He has till early 2018 to turn his €500 bet into €10,000.
