Mike Matusow in $2m poker prop bet

Poker News / Matthew Pitt / 10 May 2010 / Leave a Comment

Poker players love to gamble. Be it on the colour of the next flop, what hand one of their opponents held or who will last longer in a particular tournament.

These are standard bets placed by a large percentage of the poker community but it is rare for bets to reach the magnitude of $2,000,000, which is the amount Mike Matusow sets to lose to Ted Forrest if the latter can lose 49lbs in weight before July 15.

At a public weigh-in Forrest tipped the scales at 188lbs and stands to win $2,000,000 if he can drop to 139lbs by July 15. If he fails to make the weight by that date, he has until September 15 to reach his goal, at which point Matusow would be out of pocket by "just" $1,000,000. Should Forrest fail to shed the three and a half stone by that date, he will be forced to pay Matusow, a three-time WSOP bracelet winner, $150,000.

Forrest was described as being "extremely muscular" by Justin "Boosted J" Smith, who is reported to have a large piece of the bet. Whilst losing 49lbs in weight for a potential $2,000,000 pay day may sound relatively easy, if Forrest is indeed in good shape then he will have little in the way of body fat to lose and losing almost 50lbs of muscle would be extremely difficult and maybe even potentially dangerous.

This is not the first time the two poker stars have had a big bet based on weight loss. During the 2007 WSOP, Matusow and Forrest got into a discussion about Matusow's weight, which was 241lbs at the time, where Matusow revealed he used to weigh 181lbs in his prime. Forrest then bet Matusow could not reach this weight again in time for the 2008 WSOP and put $100,000 on the line.

With a little under three weeks to go, Matusow has lost all but eight pounds but he had booked a luxury all-inclusive cruise for him and his girlfriend so he attempted to buy out of the bet for $70,000, knowing being surrounded by the best freshly prepare food would be too much for him! Forrest denied his request and Matusow went on to gain seven pounds whilst on holiday, meaning he had to lose 15lbs in just nine days!

After literally starving himself for five days and spending the best part of a week in a jacuzzi and sauna, Matusow, known as "The Mouth" for his trash talking, was a rather slender 179lbs and $100,000 richer.

Forrest, a five-time WSOP bracelet winner, is no stranger to ridiculous prop bets having won $10,000 for being able to perform a standing backflip and $7,000 for completing a marathon but he does not always win. In recent times he lost $10,000 after betting he could bench-press 225lbs fifty times in 24 hours. He not only failed in his attempt but he also permanently damaged his right arm!

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