Max Silver lost the bet but gained motivation
High stakes poker pro Max Silver has lost his $25,000 prop bet with John Juanda. Silver was supposed to do 20 chin-ups and he had more than a year to prepare but didn’t manage to do it in time.
John Juanda and Max Silver agreed on the bet during the World Series of Poker 2019.
One year ago, Max Silver was at a fairly low level of fitness. He was ~230 pounds and had a body fat percentage of 30%. However, it was not the only bet he accepted back then.
I book another $10k fat loss bet with someone else who has to go 16>12, I have to get sub 20% by end of 2019.
I eat (mostly) good and workout a lot with both cardio and weights. The weight and fat falls off. I still cannot do an unassisted pullup.
I reach 19.8% late november. pic.twitter.com/Q0n9VRzERt
— Max Silver (@max_silver) July 2, 2020
Later that year, he also accepted another bet that involved him to get to 20% body fat by the end of the year.
A lower body fat percentage would have obviously been beneficial for his bet against John Juanda as well, so it probably seemed like a decent deal back then.
Silver had another $10,000 on the line in this bet and therefore must have had additional pressure and motivation. However, he was still struggling and could not accomplish a single chin-up in 2019.
Jan 2020, I realize I better get my shit together after a bad xmas, I finally achieve my first pullup, the form is terrible but I’m counting it!
I’m still training aimlessly, doing my own thing without any real direction or focus on my workouts!
I hit 3 (bad) reps 19th feb pic.twitter.com/072yCkzpmj
— Max Silver (@max_silver) July 2, 2020
Nevertheless, he kept working and manage to perform his first chin up in January 2020. It was still a very long way to go and there were roughly six months left for his bet against Juanda.
Several Twitter users shared their opinions on this remarkable bet and the camps were divided.
Every pound you lose is 20lbs you won’t have to lift. Get lean and you’re good. Gl
— Dan O'Brien (@DanOBrienPoker) July 22, 2019
While some users recommended him to keep working and losing weight to achieve the goal, others were heavily doubting that he would be able to do 20 chin-ups.
For a cut of the winnings Dan will call you every day and yell at you over what you ate the day before.
— Joe Stapleton (Stapes.eth gm, gm fine!) (@Stapes) July 22, 2019
Joe Stapleton even offered him to call and yell at Silver every day if he would provide him with a share of the potential winnings.
Lacking commitment?
While Silver kept posting updates regarding his current progress it still felt like he was lacking some motivation.
During the first six months of the bet, he was able to do three reps but just a couple weeks later the global pandemic happened.
The shutdown basically stopped regular life. Max had therefore plenty of time to work on his level of fitness.
Within the next couple of weeks, he made impressive progress and managed to achieve a total of 17 reps.
18 reps to close out the day and the year long bet. @LuckBoxJuanda is an amazing human being and will be giving the $25k to charity.
This was a pb set, I feel like I fucked it up a bit and 20 was reachable given perfect execution but not today.
1/3 pic.twitter.com/xuY5FnMr8V
— Max Silver (@max_silver) July 4, 2020
However, it was too little, too late. The bet ended in early June 2020 and Silver could only do 18 chin-ups.
Regardless of him falling short of his goal, he congratulated John Juanda and announced that he would be giving the $25,000 to charity.
I’m immensely proud of my bud @max_silver ! Tbh, in the beginning I thought u were massive dog (u started out from 0 for fuck sake!:) but tru your amazing dedication and hard work you were soooo close in the end (1/2) https://t.co/3L6iI3lWYp
— John Juanda (@LuckBoxJuanda) July 5, 2020
Juanda was heavily impressed but Silver’s effort and mentioned that he initially thought that he was a huge underdog when the bet started.
Silver certainly gained plenty of motivation and will hopefully keep improving his level of fitness and health.
Regardless of the outcome being bittersweet, the whole point of the bet was to motivate myself to get fit for the first time in my life, I achieved that and then some.
Get to turn 30 in a few days and be proud of my fitness and health. pic.twitter.com/2qNKi8UG6R
— Max Silver (@max_silver) July 4, 2020
Even though he lost the bet he is definitely not too unhappy with the outcome and spending a large amount to charity is a great gesture as well.
If you are interested in further updates, make sure to check our poker news. We are publishing news and updates every day!
Earn up to 60% partypoker rakeback when signing up through us!
When signing up through VIP-Grinders.com on partypoker, you can now earn up to 60% cashback on partypoker plus take part in the following exclusive VIP-Grinders Promotions with massive extra value:
- $30 Welcome Bonus in SPINS Tickets
- Up to 60% Cashback via the Diamond Elite Club
- 4 x $250 Private Poker Freeroll per month
- Exclusive Party & Bwin Chase
Terms and conditions apply. New customer offer and 18+ only. Should you require help regarding your betting pattern, please visit www.begambleaware.org
