I've decided to preface my first blog on prop bets by ripping off the 1994 Keanu Reeves/Sandra Bullock action flick, Speed. In the movie, there's a running bit about making touch decisions in the face of dire circumstances ("There's a bomb on a bus...blah, blah). Here's the WSOP version. Enjoy!
Pop quiz, hotshot. You're trapped at the Rio for a month and a half. You have limited access to the 2007 World Series of Poker. What do you do? What do you do!
The answer's easy, make everyday life as interesting as possible. And what's the best way to do that? Prop bets!
I'm no high roller. In fact, if there's a category called "low-roller," I'm still not even that guy. But I do know some pretty big spenders, and I can be persuasive enough to get people to occasionally do things "on a discount." As a result of the WSOP media quarantine, which ranks somewhere above the people in 28 Weeks Later..., but slightly below the monkey in Outbreak, and being acquaintances with a few pro players, I've had the opportunity to witness some pretty hilarious, let's-try-to-have-some-fun-and-not-go-crazy prop bets.
The highlights include:
1. Someone snorting a salmon roe (which is sushi-lingo for "raw salmon egg," and is about the size of an Altoid). I footed the bill on this one. It cost me $50, and was completely worth it when the snorter sneezed out the egg about fifteen minutes after it had disappeared into his nasal cavity.
2. Someone chugging an entire quart of Whole Foods medium salsa. Sick, disgusting, unbelievable, and obviously out of my price range. Two pro players paid for this one, and it netted the chugger a cool $400. I know what you're thinking, and the answer is - no, the guy didn't puke. He did, however, sweat chipotle for the remainder of the evening.
3. Someone chugging TWO quarts of baby formula. You're probably wondering why we were at a party with baby formula...don't ask. Suffice to say that the stuff tastes like a combination of Pepto and melted white chocolate, and has the consistency of wet sand. The act cost $400 (paid for by the same two pros)...and this time, someone did puke (this was not Salsa-Guy).
I am in no way condoning these actions, but like I tried to express in the intro - when you're given lemons, turn that into a lemonade/clam chowder/mayonnaise concoction and pay someone to drink it.
Stay tuned for more...
Quick Note: In a previous blog I said the Rio must have been designed by the lead character from Memento; I'm changing my stance and going with the idea that the designer pitched the project as "Wes Craven's Spanish Disneyland."
