Gambler’s Unconventional Bets Including Breast Implants
Posted: July 20, 2023
Updated: July 20, 2023
Not all bets go through official channels like sportsbooks or casinos. Many gamblers like to wager on anything that springs to mind. Or any event, no matter how big or small. Just as long as there's a clear winner, then the bets are on. As you can imagine, over the years there have been many famous yet unconventional bets. Today we list some of these, including the man who lost a bet and had to get breast implants as a result.
Not all bets go through official channels like sportsbooks or casinos. Many gamblers like to wager on anything that springs to mind. Or any event, no matter how big or small. Just as long as there’s a clear winner, then the bets are on. As you can imagine, over the years there have been many famous yet unconventional bets. Today we list some of these, including the man who lost a bet and had to get breast implants as a result.
High-Stakes Gambler’s Unconventional Bets Including Breast Implants
There are bets and then there are the truly unconventional bets. For example, in 1996, Las Vegas gambler and magician Brian “The Wiz” Zembic accepted an unusual challenge proposed by a well-off backgammon player. The dare involved getting breast implants. Zembic agreed to do it in exchange for a substantial sum of $100,000.
After undergoing the breast augmentation, which was first reported by Maxim in 1998, Zembic was required to keep the implants for a whole year to win the bet. Surprisingly, he discovered that he actually liked the augmented appearance. So he decided to keep them for the long term. Even after 19 years, he proudly states that they remain unchanged.
Although Zembic admits that he initially got the breast implants for the sake of the bet, he has grown accustomed to them over time. He attributes his attachment to the implants partly to his busy gambling lifestyle. He emphasizes that he had to cover the cost of the implants himself. However, a favourable arrangement with the surgeon allowed him to get the surgery in exchange for settling a backgammon debt. “I got lazy, I was busy gambling, and, honestly, they grew on me,” says Zembic. “Plus it hasn’t hurt my ability to get girls,”
Yet More Unconventional Bets
Despite his unique experiences with prop bets, Zembic is no stranger to bizarre wagers. For instance, in the 1990s, he earned $5,000 by spending a night under New York’s 59th Street Bridge. Here he was alongside vagrants, with $10,000 strapped to his leg. More recently, he made a bet involving his nine-year-old daughter. Betting that she could learn to play George Winston songs on the piano better than the New Age pianist himself within three years. And this was despite her lack of prior musical experience.
Winston himself confirmed and Zembic won $75,000 as a result. Subsequently, he made a bet that his daughter would have the opportunity to open a concert for Winston, and she did! The younger Zembic and Winston performed in Zembic’s home, attracting an audience of fifty people who paid to see them play together.
Later, Zembic took on another unusual wager. This time he challenged a contestant on America’s Got Talent to a hand shadow competition. He diligently practised with 40 flashlights, and a top-hand shadow expert verified that he was indeed better. Zembic’s motivation for these bets partly stems from wanting to use the winnings to pay off a gambling debt.
Betting Against Sex
Zembic is not the only one making eccentric wagers. Renowned poker player Antonio Esfandiari once bet $500,000 on his ability to abstain from any form of sexual release for a year, inspired by a Buddhist friend’s quest for enlightenment.
We should point out that you might struggle to find such bets online. Even our favourite online casino, Marathonbet Casino, doesn’t offer bets on sex, or rather, lack of it. However, after just one week, he decided to buy out of the bet by paying a significant amount to his opponent, who was none other than Bill Perkins, an oil and gas trader and high-stakes poker player.
Although the sum he paid was substantial, it was a price Esfandiari was willing to bear to avoid losing the bet. He humorously remarked that if the cost of engaging in any sexual activity was $500,000, he would have remained celibate throughout the year.
Unconventional Bets On Losing Weight
Prop bets have a rich history within the realm of poker players and gambling enthusiasts. They serve various purposes. Sometimes acting as financial incentives for personal improvement. Several decades ago, sports bettor Billy Baxter found himself incarcerated for bookmaking in Georgia. During his time behind bars, he made a daring $10,000 wager with poker legends Doyle Brunson and Jack Binion.
The bet was centred on his ability to shed weight from 204 to below 165 pounds. Upon release, he immediately went to Binion’s Horseshoe in Las Vegas, weighing an impressive 162 pounds, and collected his winnings. As he said, “As soon as I got out, I went right to Binion’s Horseshoe and they put me on the meat scale. I weighed 162, collected my money, and moved to Las Vegas permanently.”
Credit Card Roulette
At other times, these bets are used to prove a point. For example, during a poker game, Esfandiari engaged in a debate with another player over the legality of smoking E-cigarettes on Southwest Airlines flights. Esfandiari believed it was prohibited, while the other player thought otherwise.
A quick phone call confirmed that the airline had indeed banned E-cigarettes months earlier, settling the dispute. These prop bets often revolve around making money, as serious gamblers often settle dinner expenses through credit card roulette. However, besides the financial aspect, the intellectual challenge also attracts individuals to these bets.
According to Esfandiari, these situations usually involve participants who are unfamiliar with the circumstances, making it intriguing to observe how they gather information on the spot and analyze it. Furthermore, prop bets offer a unique opportunity for forced change. For instance, poker player Jeff Gross made a bet that he could go a year and a half without checking luggage. As a result, he transformed his travel habits, becoming more efficient and travelling far lighter than ever before.
Unconventional Bets – Swimming Across A Shark Tank
At times, daring challenges present themselves, involving potential pain and suffering. One such occasion took place during a poker tournament at Atlantis Resort & Casino in the Bahamas. A group of bored poker pros decided to wager on a guy swimming across a shark tank.
Online poker legend Ilari “Zigmund” Shamies snorted lines of salt, while Alec Torelli, another skilled poker player, stripped to his skivvies, swam across the water surrounding the Mirage’s famous volcano, and then climbed the volcano. Torelli ended up earning $1,000 but also lost some pride and sustained a foot injury.
On another occasion, the physically fit Torelli made a bet with poker player Ashton Griffin. They wagered $200,000 on a triathlon, with the winner taking the money. However, Griffin’s poker downswing led him to lose interest in the bet and he bought out for $100,000, leaving Torelli with an easy payday. If you’re the same type of mad poker player, then check out our list of the best online poker in the UK.
Shoot Me!
However, not all daring actions revolve around money. Magician Antonio Esfandiari recalls attending a dinner party at Dan Bilzerian‘s Las Vegas home, known for his fascination with firearms. Bilzerian wanted to demonstrate the effectiveness of a bulletproof vest, but Esfandiari saw an opportunity for a more thrilling experience.
He put on the vest and allowed Bilzerian to shoot at him, seeking the rush of the moment, which he found more valuable than any amount of money he could have gained from such an endeavour. “I decided that I wanted the max rush of experiencing it. So I put the vest on and let Dan shoot at me. I got my max rush. In that instance, the experience was worth more than any money I could have gotten for agreeing to be shot at.”
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