Why Poker Players Love Prop Bets
A prop bet, or proposition bet, is a side wager on a specific event or performance that isn't the main outcome of the game—an extra challenge beyond the standard score. In poker, this term often refers to bets away from the table, where players challenge each other to do something faster, better, or under certain conditions—and these are often the most exciting.
Prop bets are popular in the poker community for a simple reason: players are naturally competitive, love action, and even more so, the stories that spread through casinos faster than a bad beat. Additionally, when you're cycling between tournament rooms, hotels, and evening cash games all day, a side bet is the perfect way to spice things up.
Famous Prop Bets: Huck Seed and Other Action Heroes
If there's a royal discipline in prop bets, Huck Seed is its historic legend. His stories feel like a mix of sports challenges, betting madness, and pure ego—the exact cocktail poker players adore. He once faced Phil Hellmuth in the absurd challenge of 'surviving neck-deep in water' for a $50,000 wager. Another time, he learned to do a backflip for $10,000, or he braved a desert heat golf massacre—18 holes under 100 strokes, four times a day, with just three clubs and no cart.
Poker has a gallery of cult prop bets: Ted Forrest once won a weight-loss bet worth $2,000,000, Antonio Esfandiari made headlines with his 'lunge' bet where as a fitness penalty he had to walk through the casino this way, while Bill Perkins and Shaun Deeb tackled a body-fat challenge for $1,000,000. And then there’s Brian Zembic—the man who made a lifelong mark from a bet by agreeing to breast implants for $100,000 (a story that lives on as the ultimate proof that prop bets know no bounds).
Ryan Riess's Bowling Tale
Now to the latest 'bowling bet' that once again highlighted why prop bets are such a phenomenon in poker. WSOP Main Event champion Ryan Riess—a man who once handled the world's biggest pressure to win the title in 2013 and took home $8,361,570—this time took center stage in a completely different arena: the bowling lanes in Las Vegas.
In a trio alongside high stakes pro Jesse Lonis and WPT World Championship winner Dan Sepiol, a friendly evening turned into a betting showdown. It all culminated in the ultimate version of the bet—if Riess bowled a perfect game, meaning a clean 300 points, Lonis would pay him $5,000.
Riess mirrored his legendary WSOP Main Event run, throwing strike after strike and by the end of nine frames already had 270 points. He needed three more strikes to win—any mistake would mean instant loss. Lonis was on the rail, filming and commentating the final throws: first strike, second strike... and finally the third—that meant victory.
The main event champ! Bowls a 300! Enjoy the video. That’s $5,000 I’ll never see again! 💵💵💵 @RyanRiess1 pic.twitter.com/KFxzTK6ItB
— Jesse Lonis (@JesseLonis) February 24, 2026
A perfect game, a burst of enthusiasm in the hall, and a $5,000 'side prize' that may taste different than a tournament win but serve as a powerful reminder of why poker players love prop bets: they're a pure duel of ego, nerves, and the ability to see things through.
Sources – X, WSOP, PokerNews, SCMP
