Rich Alati Agrees $100k Dark Room Prop Bet

Prop betting is ingrained within the very core of poker culture, with players willing to do almost anything to prove their resilience while making a quick buck. Nevertheless, the latest bet agreed between two poker pros, USA’s Rich Alati and Australia’s Rory Young, may be one of the most torturous, not to mention dangerous, challenges ever undertaken.

According to the terms of their agreement, Rich Alati has now locked himself up inside a dark bathroom, where he intends to stay for the next 30 days. If he succeeds in his endeavor, he will then win a $100,000 lump sum from his poker pal.

This prop bet is not without its risks, though. A lack of sunlight could potentially prove hazardous to Alati’s health by stopping his body from producing vitamin D, with corresponding low calcium levels leading to spasms, or even “suffocation”. Fortunately, Alati is currently being monitored by five night-vision cameras around the clock in order to ensure his safety during the high stakes challenge.

Origin Of Bet

Rich Alati has $333,661 in tournament earnings to his name, while Rory Young has a total of $521,145 in winnings to his credit. Both are also accomplished cash game players, and remembering their first encounter, Young said that he saw some young dude sitting at an empty poker table with around $40,000 in front of him, and decided to join him for some heads-up action.

Over the next couple of days, Alati and Young got along well and before long the conversation turned towards the inevitable subject of prop bets, with Young subsequently asking Alati:

“How long do you think you could last in a dark room, with no human interaction?”

Young said that most people tend to overestimate their own abilities, so that when Alati said he could last 30 days in the dark, he jumped at the opportunity to lay a wager. It would appear that the minimum amount Alati would be prepared to accept to make it worth his while was $100,000, though. No problem. One hour later, and the prop bet had been agreed.

Terms Of Prop Bet

On November 21st, Rich Alati then entered a dark room at an unknown location in Las Vegas. As part of the challenge, he was also prevented from carrying any light-emitting devices, electronics, or time telling pieces throughout his month long solitary incarceration.

However, Alati’s room does have a fridge containing an assortment of food, with regular deliveries scheduled to be made every three to six days. However,  no alcohol, sleep aids or drugs are allowed. His room also contains a bed, shower and bathtub, complete with toiletries and scrubs.

Young Getting Best Of It

Young believes that at even money he has been gifted a huge bargain on the bizarre prop bet. According to the Aussie pro, the odds should really have been closer to between 5 and 10-to-1, but apparently Alati was so keen to take the bet that he didn’t even try negotiating a better deal. Moreover, Alati just decided to dive into the challenge without undertaking any kind of training or preparation.

Poker Community Reacts

Most extreme prop bets attract a great deal of interest from the poker community, and this one is no exception. Almost 80 percent of those people responding to an Alan Kessler poll said that they didn’t believe they could pull off such a feat. Many even went so far as to suggest that this could be the most “damaging prop bet” yet agreed, including poker industry veterans Paul Oresteen and Nolan Dalla.

It wasn’t all just incredulity from the poker world, though. Josh Turner, for instance, believes Alati will be able to accomplish the task without too much difficulty, stating:

“I love this prop. 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.”