Doug Polk Bets $20tournament slots0K He Can Lose 50% of His Body Fat

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Doug Polk will try to get back the $200,000 he lost in 2023 to Bill Perkins, and also get in shape, by winning a prop bet to lose 50% of his body fat by Oct. 6, 2025.

The co-owner of The Lodge Card Club in Round Rock, Texas narrowly lost a similar prop bet two years ago. He attempted to eliminate half his body fat within one year, but came up just short. This time around, he's leaner and more experienced at such a challenge. But he'll have half the time to accomplish his goal.

Prop Bet Details

Polk began the first prop bet against the University of Iowa graduate in February 2022 at just under 28% body fat. He needed to hit 13.85% body fat within 12 months, but his final dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan on February 10, 2023 clocked him in at 15.1% body fat, meaning he lost the prop bet and had to pay Perkins $200,000.

It's double or nothing now for Polk, whose body fat is currently at 22%. He must get that down to 11% at some point within the next six months or he'll be out $400,000 across two prop bets to the hedge fund manager. It should be noted, as some get confused by the difference, that Polk's weight gain or loss in this challenge is irrelevant. They are only betting on the three-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner's ability to lose half his current body fat percentage.

https://twitter.com/DougPolkVids/status/1915404793276727778

Polk told PokerNewshe's going to get cracking on reaching his goal right away. He said "I f****d myself last time by starting too slow." The Upswing Poker founder plans to stick with "roughly the same plan," which about 1800 calories per day and lifting weights five times per week.

Perkins has challenged a few other poker players to get in shape with juicy prop bets. That includes Shaun Deeb, who took on a body fat loss prop bet for $100,000 at 10:1 odds ($1 million).

Deeb, a former WSOP Player of the Year, was given little chance from the poker community to get from over 40% body fat to 17% within 14 months. Perkins, however, ended up buying out of the bet 11 months in after it became obvious Deeb was going to reach his goal. Deeb was almost unrecognizable when he showed up at the 2024 WSOP.

Polk recently concluded a Code Doug Challenge on ClubWPT Gold where he attempted to turn a $100,000 profit in a month playing online poker. He came up about $82,000 short, however.

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