Shaun Deeb has accepted an $800,000 buyout from Bill Perkins on his $1 million body fat bet. [Image: Flickr.com / World Poker Tour]
Deeb accepts the takeover
Three weeks ago we all saw the selfie and I swooned like a southern belle. Shaun Deeb was on the right track and looked great in the final four months of his $1 million bet with Bill Perkins. The six-time bracelet winner and former WSOP Player of the Year didn’t just post a thirst trap. He also shared a dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan that showed a body fat percentage of 23.9%.
When he took part in the challenge, he weighed 306 pounds and had a body fat percentage of around 40%.
In March 2023, Deeb bet $100,000 at 10:1 odds that he could reduce his body fat percentage to just 17% by the start of the 2024 WSOP. When he took part in the challenge, he weighed 306 pounds and had a body fat percentage of around 40%. Perkins’ $1 million was obviously a huge incentive, but it was still a tall order and most people gave him little to no chance of getting there.
According to Deeb, he and Perkins agreed to an $800,000 buyout last night. The bet is officially over, but Deeb is still determined to achieve his goal. He has even offered to take bets on himself if anyone doubts his convictions. It would be a brave person to bet against a man who will surely go down in history as one of the great prop bettors.
Poker players love weight loss and body fat props
These types of weight or body fat bets have been all the rage in poker for several decades. In 2010, six-time bracelet winner Ted Forrest bet Mike Matusow that we could go from 188 pounds to under 138 pounds in just two months. With $2 million at stake, Forrest eventually managed to make the weight, although the bet was never resolved.
In 2017, Matt and Jaime Staples won $150,000 from Bill Perkins after making a very creative bet at generous 50:1 odds. The brothers were given a year to weigh less than a pound of each other. At the start, Matt weighed 70kg and Jaime weighed 150kg, but on March 25, 2018 they both weighed exactly 70kg.
In 2022, Doug Polk bet $200,000 against Perkins that he could reduce his body fat percentage from 27.7% to 13.85% in 12 months. On February 10, 2023, Polk suffered a loss after losing just 15.1% body fat.
An escape hatch
After beating Polk, Perkins must have assumed he would receive another six-figure sum from a poker pro after making the bet with Deeb. Body fat betting is notoriously more difficult as you have to pay careful attention to the type of diet you eat and the type of exercises you do. You need to cut back on carbs but still eat healthy fats and plenty of protein. Cardio training is not as effective as strength training.
from 306 pounds to 221 pounds, losing well over half of his body fat
However, Deeb knew what was needed and hired a team that knew how to get him there. On January 25, he posted a topless photo and scan that showed he had gained weight from 306 pounds to 221 pounds while losing well over half of his body fat. Three weeks later, both numbers have continued to decline, prompting Perkins to seek a way out.
Yesterday, Deeb tweeted the result of some negotiations he concluded with Perkins on Friday, February 16th. He said:
“Last night, after a discussion with my wife Ashley, we decided to accept the acquisition from Bill Perkins for $800,000. I can’t thank him and Charlie enough for the bet they offered – it gave me the motivation to prove everyone wrong. I’m still working on my goal of 17%. I will go there to show my children that if I can do this, they can do many things that people say are too hard or impossible. I initially thought about not announcing the takeover because I am determined to achieve the goal, but too many people have side deals not to let them know that Bill has taken over and at what percentage.”
Determination was always his secret weapon
Deeb was understandably in a triumphant mood and still optimistic about his chances of reaching the goal.
“If anyone doubts that I can still do it,” he said, “I’m willing to bet a lot more on myself.”
I only speak with VSO news Just moments after the announcement, Deeb added: “If I want to do something, I will do it. From day one I was very committed. I was actually ready to start Ozempic before the bet was offered, so let’s just say I had already made up my mind.”
It’s clear that Deeb’s determination was his secret weapon from the start. I asked him about difficult days on the road, but he immediately downplayed it and said:
I knew the long-term EV, so I had the goal in mind the whole time.”
“No, it was never too hard. My trainer, my nutritionist, my doctor and my massage therapist kept me at peak performance throughout. Having been an MTT professional for 20 years, I knew the long-term EV, so I had the goal in mind the whole time. Honestly, I had very few cravings, which made it easy for me. I cheated less than ten times, and when I cheated, I only took a minimal amount of the snack.”
Deeb ended his statement with an offer to help others in the community: “Anyone who needs advice about their own goals, please feel free to reach out – if I can’t help, I can direct you to someone who can.”
He turns 38 in just ten days and is acutely aware of the fact that he has transformed his health at a crucial point in his life. He also wants to be a role model for his children, so it is important for him to achieve that goal of 17% body fat, over and above any further bets that might be booked from now on.
