Poker players have made prop bets as long as the game has been around. In recent years they have increased in popularity with many faces in the high stakes world trying to outdo each other with the most outlandish bet.
Really, they are just a bit of harmless fun that injects a bit of much-need humour into what sometimes seems like a long grind.
Here are our top three prop bets by poker players in 2020.
#1 Mike McDonald Hits 90/100 Basketball Free Throws for Insane Prop Bet Win
When news of the coronavirus hit home properly, prop bet king Mike Timex McDonald must have been thinking about what crazy prop bet he can come up with next.
Having made more than enough money from poker and his Poker Shares venture, prop bets seem to be what keeps him going these days.
A keen basketball player, McDonald decided upon a prop bet that would test his abilities to the level of a professional. The conditions were:
- Must sink 90/100 free throws
- Unlimited amount of attempts
- Bet lasts until the end of 2020
- Even money
- Regular ball, hoop, no lane violations
This is a random sample of what’s happening, he started out shooting ~12/min at <50%, and is now doing ~9/min at >50%. He is fucking tired, out of shape quarantine life pic.twitter.com/KG1C7aQgNV
— Aaron Jones (@aejonesleggo) April 3, 2020
It didn’t start off well. McDonald clearly underestimated just how much fitness was involved to keep good form for 100 throws.
But perseverance paid off well, and he completed his challenge in good time. In total there was around $200,000 wagered which is a tidy tax free sum for his efforts.
#2 Dan Smith Bets His Condo on Daily Fantasy Sports
High-stakes legend Dan Smith hit the headlines only earlier this month after betting his Las Vegas condo as part of a daily fantasy sports bet.
The American is a huge DFS fan and has been playing a lot with Aaron Jones, another poker star. This attracted the attention of Blake Empiremaker2 Stevenson, thought to be the number one DFS player in the world who goaded Smith into upping the stakes.
Smith couldn’t resist agreeing to do so, and then upped the ante by throwing the deeds to his luxury condo into the wager.
#3 Chris ‘Big Huni’ Hunichen Oversteps the Mark with COVID-19 Deaths Bet
Another major poker star was at it with the crazy prop bets this year, but maybe this one overstepped the mark.
Chris Big Huni Hunichen was quick to jump on the COVID-19 bandwagon before we knew just how big the problem would be.
His fellow high-stakes players told him to refrain from such a crass wager but Hunichen said he only wanted to raise awareness of how serious the issue was.
He bet $10k that 100k US citizens would succumb to the coronavirus, which happened all the way back in May.
He took much criticism for publicly making this bet but pointed out that he wasn’t the only person to suggest such a wager.
Prop Bets – Honorable Mention
These three prop bets were certainly the most publicised during 2020, but an honorable mention goes to Mike McDonald for trying to agree terms to become a chess grandmaster during his lifetime.
This is insanely difficult. GM Ben Finegold even pointed out that he probably has more chance at becoming the Queen of England!
