Kim had won a quick US$1,000, at least on paper; like many proposition bets, this one was added to a running tab between the bettors. Gamblers bet so frequently among one another that money changes hands only when one party requests a payout, and then often in the form of chips or a transfer between online poker accounts.
Collecting on a bet is not always a given. Gavin Smith, who earns his living playing poker tournaments, remembers wagering a wealthy Californian who, with US$100,000 on the line, said he could jump from an automobile roof to a hotel awning. The Californian failed to make it, came close to injuring himself in the process and has yet to pay it all off, Smith said.
Considering Las Vegas’ many world-class golf courses, it is not surprising that gamblers extend their wagering to the links. There, between standard bets on rounds of golf, proposition bets on making specific putts or, in one case, catching drives as if they’re fly balls in centerfield, are an additive to most outings.
“Golf betting is the funnest thing in the world,” said Negreanu, whose game is raggedy at best and whose financial results reflect it. An unlucky card “can kill you at poker,” he said, but golf is only “2 percent luck.”
In the past, he has found himself in the hole for more than US$1 million in golf bets. Nonetheless, he remains surprisingly sanguine about it all. Recently he coolly came back from a deficit of US$160,000 on the front-nine of a golf match against the poker pro Patrik Antonius. They were playing for US$20,000 a hole. Negreanu wound up ahead by US$20,000 after the 18th.
Antonius said he has US$400,000 riding on planned golf and tennis games in the near future. “Having money at risk motivates me to get better and beat the other guy,” said Antonius, a fitness fanatic. “It’s nice to wake up in the morning and know what you need to work on.”
Clearly, though, golf is not for everyone. Matusow, he of the US$100,000 weight bet, said that he avoids taking up the game for a simple reason: “I’d go broke. Those other guys would win all of my money.”
And what came of Matusow’s weight wager? On the seven-day cruise with his girlfriend, Matusow gained 3kg, which left him needing to lose 7kg in nine days. “I didn’t eat for the last five days, did a master cleanse and spent time in the Jacuzzi,” he said by telephone. “It was sheer torture. But I did it. I got down to 179” (pounds) [81kg].
Soon after Matusow made weight, he said, Forrest paid up, with US$60,000 in poker chips (after accounting for US$40,000 Matusow owed from a previous debt). Forrest did not return several messages seeking comment.
As for Matusow, his weight began climbing almost immediately. “Right now I am eating a 20-piece Chicken McNugget meal,” he said by telephone. “And guess what? It’s gooood!”
Days later, after collecting US$675,924 in tournament winnings, Matusow reported that he had bet Erick Lindgren, another poker pro, that he, Matusow, would weigh less than 200 pounds (91kg) on Jan. 15, 2009. “Right now,” Matusow said, “Erick is looking pretty good.”
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