Poker and prop bets are like two peas in a pod. As long as there has been poker, players have been making outrageous side bets, either to settle an argument or to simply generate action.
The following are the best poker prop bets that cropped up during 2021.
#1 Jason Koon to Run 100m in Sub 11 seconds
Jason Koon is one of the high-stakes crowd famed for taking his physical conditioning extremely seriously.
Once a star athlete in his younger years, the live tournament legend found himself embroiled in an argument over how many NFL players can run a sub 11 second 100m.
The conversation quickly escalated before Koon offered to escrow $2 million, saying he could do it himself within a year.
I will bet you $2,000,000 I can do it in a year if you can actually escrow. I assume you will be crickets after this. https://t.co/ziv8JouPUI
— Jason Koon (@JasonKoon) May 10, 2021
After the guy who started the argument appeared to back out, Bill Perkins then stepped in to offer Koon a $100,000 freeroll to do it by February 2022. We look forward to seeing if he makes it.
#2 Can Phil Hellmuth Beat Aria $25,000 High Roller Tournaments
Phil Hellmuth constantly takes flak from the poker community over what exactly is the level of his play in the modern era. Earlier this year, Daniel Negreanu actually managed to get Hellmuth to agree a bet on proving this.
After Phil Hellmuth criticised Daniel Negreanu for his performance in his match against Doug Polk, the pair opened hostilities on social media, culminating in a $400,000 bet that Hellmuth cannot beat $25,000 Aria events over a sample of 50.
Bet offered and accepted:
I’m laying $400k to @phil_hellmuth $200k that over 50 $25k buy in @AriaLV tournaments that Hellmuth will end up in the red.
If he shows a $1 profit he wins the bet.
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) March 2, 2021
#3 Landon Tice – 8:1 to Win a Bracelet at First WSOP
After the public embarrassment of being forced to withdraw from his match against Bill Perkins earlier this year, Tice should have thought longer and harder about agreeing more terms with the hedge fund manager.
But he soon jumped straight in and took 8:1 odds on whether or not he could win a WSOP gold bracelet at his first attempt.
I have a bet with @bp22 to win a Live WSOP Bracelet at 8:1 at my first series.
NLHE Events Only.
Thoughts?
— Landon (@LandonTice) July 21, 2021
After facing criticism for agreeing such a poor deal, Tice actually came close to pulling it off with a runner up finish in a $1,000 WSOP Online for US players only.
Better luck next time for the enthusiastic youngster.
#4 Tony Miles and Deeb Fall Out Over Ninja Warrior Bet
When Tony Miles booked a 15:1 prop bet on being able to advance one round on the TV show American Ninja Warrior, he set off and trained his heart out.
Deeb’s $75,000 to his $5,000 was a good deal. So you can imagine his disappointment when after advancing a round, Deeb insisted that the bet was to complete the course and hit the buzzer, not to go through by other means.
With social media clearly on Miles’s side, he incredibly offered to hand over his $5,000 in the name of keeping the peace and so nobody could ever accuse him of unethical behaviour. Proper gentleman.
— shaun deeb (@shaundeeb) June 23, 2021
#5 Dutch Boyd Claims Victory in 10-Year Prop Bet
This has to be one of the strangest prop bets cropping up during 2021. It was the culmination of a 10-year wager agreed back in 2006.
Dutch Boyd and Joe Bartholdi bet on who would win the most WSOP bracelets with the former collecting three and Bartholdi none.
After Bartholdi was slow to cough up, Boyd took the case to a Nevada court this year, where he was given the usual short shrift about verbal bets not being legally binding in the state.
Bartholdi, for his part, claimed he was just being slow and had every intention of settling up.
We wonder how many other similar bets were agreed during the golden era.
- Get the best rakeback
- View all poker strategy articles
- View the latest poker news
- Watch more poker videos
- Get the biggest poker bonus
- Watch the best Twitch Poker streamers
Terms and conditions apply. New customer offer and 18+ only. Should you require help regarding your betting pattern, please visit www.begambleaware.org