Crazy Prop-Better Bill Perkins Does it Again

When it comes to prop bets, there is no-one in the poker world more likely to be involved than billionaire businessman Bill Perkins. This year saw him lose a $600,000 bet with Dan Bilzerian, the King of Instagramtaking down the huge pot when he managed to cycle from his home in LA to the Las Vegas state border in under 48 hours.

This time Perkins, who busted out of the $300k buy-in Super High Roller Bowl in 13th spot recently, is offering $50,000 to Byron Kaverman if he can complete an Ironman event in less than 13 hours. Given that he will have six months to prepare and even official Ironman events have a 17 hour time limit, Kaverman has to be a slight favorite to win.

The prop bet will see Kaverman swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles, and then running 26.2 miles –and he will have to do it in the average time that actual Ironman competitors do it in, which is just under 13 hours.

As with Bilzerian’s cycling bet with Perkins, which saw ‘Blitz’ enlisting the help of Lance Armstrong to prepare, Kaverman will doubtless put his six months grace to good use.

Perkins’ prop bet shenanigans are legendary in the poker world. Antonio ‘the Magician’ Esfandiari being the player most often baited into his wild schemes. Recently, Esfandiari was kicked out of the Main Event at the PCA in the Bahamas as a result of a Perkins prop bet.

His ‘lunging’ for 48 hours to win the reported $50,000 bet against Perkins had left him in so much pain that going to the bathroom to relieve his bladder was too much to contemplate. So he used a bottle under the table instead! Needless to say, the PCA organizers were less than amused by this ‘party trick’ and Esfandiari was out on his ear in embarrassing fashion.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Esfandiari was also involved in a ‘no sex for a year’ challenge from the financial expert-turned-playboy/philanthropist/part-time poker pro. “Big bet again..... Antonio Esfandiari no sex no release of any kind for one year...can he make it?” tweeted Perkins at the time.

The ‘multi-millionaire hedge fund manager and recreational high-stakes poker player’ won this particular bet when Esfandiari bought himself out of the bet barely two weeks into it! Hardly surprising as ‘self-release’ was also banned for the duration!

For those who haven’t heard of him, Bill Perkins is a man of considerable wealth, able to indulge his fantasies and whims in poker, gambling, and a wider field of interests. Specific numbers are hard to come by naturally, but given his background, we are talking about multi-multi-millionaire status, and this allows him to mix with the best in the high-stakes poker scene.

He founded the firm Small Ventures USA back in 1997 and went on to trade in energy derivatives, working for some of the biggest companies in the US. Senior positions and directorships gained him huge respect for his knowledge of the industry and how to effectively trade in such high-risk commodities.

As if he hadn’t accomplished enough in his career and outside interests, Perkins also started up his own film production company, Lleju Productions and Films, and actively participates in the Save the Children charitable organisation. In addition, he found the time to get married and has three children.