Poker Prop Bet Dark Room
Poker players are known to take on some crazy prop bets to make a few bucks, but the latest reported prop bet might be one of the wildest and most dangerous of all.
One of the things that poker players often do to make things more interesting is to take part in unique prop bets that can sometime be outrageous, controversial, dangerous and extremely challenging. Poker Players Love A Insane Challenge. We list the six most craziest prop bets that poker players have engaged in during the last few years. A surprising $100,000 proposition bet (or prop bet) between high-stakes poker players Rich Alati and Rory Young over whether Alati could stand to be confined in a pitch-dark room for 30 days has come to an end early. On November 21st professional poker player Rich Alati entered a dark room at an undisclosed location somewhere in Las Vegas. He will attempt to remain without light, Twitter, and contact with the.
There’s a new prop bet that popped up in the poker world this week- an unnamed player has put his $100k up to someone else’s $100k that he can stay in a dark room for 30 days. And honestly, it seems like a home run. Professional poker players Rory Young and Rich Alati — for some reason — have entered into a wild prop bet that requires Alati to remain in a pitch dark bathroom for 30 days.
According to a Facebook post by Danielle 'DMoonGirl' Andersen — later crossposted to TwoPlusTwo by Allen Kessler — a poker player has agreed to a prop bet that calls for him to live in a dark bathroom for 30 days. The bet is to win $100,000 and the player is getting even money, meaning he'd also stand to lose $100,000 if he fails to meet the terms of the bet.
Here are the reported guidelines:
- Individual will stay in an unlit, unlocked room with no human interaction for 30 days
- A refrigerator with ample food and water will be provided, including fresh food delivery and vitamins
- He'll have toiletries, towels, a bed, a paddleball and a Rubik's cube
- No alcohol, sleep aids or other drugs
As to the identity of the brave soul, it remains a mystery as Andersen said she wasn't sure if he wanted to be publicly named.
Poker World Reacts
Prop bets, especially those on the seemingly insane side, always get a strong reaction from the poker world and this one was no different. Dozens of commenters flooded into Andersen's post and the TwoPlusTwo thread to voice their opinions, especially in response to her question as to whether the player was drawing dead to make it through the 30 days.
Nearly 80 percent of respondents to Kessler's poll said they didn't think they could accomplish the feat, and many feared for the health of the player trying to stay in the room. While physical activity will ostensibly be possible even in a relatively small space, the mental toll of long-term isolation could be gigantic.
'This is the most damaging prop bet I’ve ever come across,' wrote industry veteran Paul Oresteen.
Nolan Dalla agreed.
Poker Prop Bet Dark Rooms
'There's nothing either appealing or entertaining or intriguing about this unless one enjoys wagering on acts of torture and potential mental deformity,' he said.
Indeed, many psychologists have studied the effects of isolation on the brain and concluded that serious damage can happen even in relatively short amounts of time. A 2008 study reported on by the BBC found 'anxiety, extreme emotions, paranoia and significant deterioration in their mental functioning,' as well as hallucinations, occurred after just 48 hours.
That study was a recreation of another, which had similar results.
'The researchers had hoped to observe their subjects over several weeks, but the trial was cut short because they became too distressed to carry on,' the BBC reported. 'Few lasted beyond two days, and none as long as a week.'
While most opined they didn't think the player had much of a chance to complete the bet, there were some who thought it doable.
'I love this prop,' wrote Circuit grinder extraordinaire Josh Turner. 'Personally, I think with the provisions he gets, if his mental game is even close to semi-strong, it shouldn’t be that hard. I think people can and do endure much, much worse with no permanent side effects.'
Precedent in 2008
Back in 2008, a somewhat similar bet was undertaken by a Bellagio high-stakes regular who accepted a challenge from Andrew Robl and Alec Torelli to attempt to live in a Bellagio hotel bathroom for 30 days.
The bet, which generated over 50 pages of posts on TwoPlusTwo before thread closure, gave the individual 2-1 odds for an undisclosed sum.
The conditions, however, were far less harsh in that case. That player had limited phone access and portable DVD player, not to mention a lit room. There appeared to be some debate about the conclusion of the bet, but the individual attempting the feat was reportedly paid out if the last few pages of the thread are to be believed.
As for the current reported bet, Andersen wrote that the individual 'started a few days ago' and she'd post updates if she heard of any.
Poker Prop Bet Dark Room Games
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A report released on Thursday revealed that 2 poker players were engaged in a bet worth $100,000 to see whether one of them could remain for 30 days inside a pitch-black bathroom in complete isolation.
Pro poker player Rory Young bet fellow player Rich Alati that Alati could not spend the full 30 days inside a perfectly dark hotel bathroom for a month.
Conditions of the Bet
There were a number of conditions to the bet. Alati would not have access to television, radio or phone during his time in the bathroom. He would be delivered food from a local restaurant at random time intervals so that he could not keep track of time. Alati’s family would also be able to monitor his son through a video feed, aside from when Alati was in the shower or in the toilet cubicle. If the father came to the decision that his son needed to leave the bathroom at any time, he would be able to get him out. Alati would also have a yoga mat and a massage ball in the bathroom with him.
The bet took place at an undisclosed location inside a Las Vegas casino hotel room.
If Alati were to leave the bathroom before the 30 days had expired, Young would pocket the $100,000. If Alati completed the 30 days in isolation, he would get the $100,000.
Background
Young said of the prop bet,
“One day, there was this young dude sitting at an empty table with like $40,000 in front of him and I sat down and we started playing heads up. We started getting along okay and then over the next couple of days we were talking at the table and stuff. I play a lot of Lodden Thinks and this is one of my go-to questions, ‘How long do you think you could last in a dark room, with no human interaction?'”
Young was of the belief that others often overstate how long they would be able to last. People usually respond by saying they could last 20-25 days, but Alati reportedly responded that he could make it 30 days.
Young said,
“I was like, ‘Oh, that’s interesting – would you ever consider putting money on it?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, but it would have to be a large amount to make it worthwhile.’ Young ultimately found out that meant somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000. Young said they discussed it further and ultimately agreed on $100,000.
Alati was given 6 months to complete the feat. If one of them backed out ahead of time, they would owe the other $10,000.
Young said, “The conditions are complete darkness, so no electronics, no light-emitting devices, no drugs of any kind. He is allowed any type of food that he wants. He has a bed in there, he has a shower and a bathtub. He has pretty lavish toiletries like Epsom salts, sugar scrubs, that kind of stuff.”
In the bathroom, Alati had food from a local Las Vegas restaurant called Flower Child, as well as sliced fruits, cereal, Pop Tarts and almond milk in a refrigerator.
Young added,
“Food is delivered every 3 to 6 days and we’ve randomized what days it’ll be delivered and we’ll drop off 6 days worth of food so he doesn’t know how long it’s been. It could be 3 days, it could be 6 days. He’ll have no idea of how long it’s been, so no watches or clocks or things like that.”
“There were no odds with the bet, it was just a straight-up prop. When the bet was finalized, Young included a clause that meant Alati had to undergo a cavity search prior to entering the bathroom in order to ensure that he did not smuggle anything illegal inside. Alati also had to supply urine samples throughout the 30-day period in order to make sure he did not test positive for any foreign substances.”
Did Alati Complete the Feat?
After 10 days, Young was worried that he would lose the bet. Alati was reportedly showing no signs of faltering, and he reportedly used his background in yoga and meditation to help him get through it.
Psychologists were worried that Alati spending such a long period of time isolated in complete darkness would be troublesome for his mental health.
On day 15, worried he would lose the entire $100,000, Young decided to make Alati a $50,000 offer to leave the bathroom at the halfway point. Alati declined, despite the fact that he had begun to experience hallucinations and several moments of despair.
On day 20, Young offered Alati $62,400 to leave early. Alati did accept this offer, and he ultimately emerged from the bathroom. Both participants later said that they were pleased with the results and happy to have engaged in the bet.
Young told the Guardian,
“I think it is a good story of when two people want to test whether they can do something, they do it in a fair environment and can work together, and even though one of us lost a sizable chunk of money, we both feel great about it.”
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