The Strangest Bets Ever Made in History

Bets come in different forms. Some come from games like slots, roulette, and craps.

Others come from the outcome of sporting events such as secondary school championship games to the final standings of professional leagues. Some bet on horse racing and others on fast cars. Others make odd bets on just about anything. In this article, we shall take a look at the strangest in the world of betting.

$100,000 For Man-Boobs

Toronto-based Brian Zembic is known for making outlandish bets. One of the strangest he made was accepting a $100,000 wager that he would not undergo breast implants and keep them for a year. He not only won the wager by having implants and followed them for a year, he decided to keep the man boobs permanently. Zembic became extremely popular by bragging about his bet and flaunting his man boobs which gave him more than the initial $100k over the years.

A tasing defeat

When their favourite American football teams faced off against each other, John Grant and his wife Nicole wagered that if the team they were rooting for lost the winner could shock the loser with a taser for three seconds.

John was cheering for the Chicago Bears while Nicole rooted for the Green Bay Packers. The couple watched the game in a bar at a local bowling alley. John’s team won over the Packers 27-20. At that point, John decided to make good on the water and immediately shocked Nicole with a taser gun.

Nicole called the police afterwards saying that John had tased her twice. Police arrested John on weapons charges. Police noticed that both John and Nicole exceeded the legal limit for being considered drunk.

All-In For Double or Nothing

Ashley Revell was an English gambler who decided to sell his possessions as well as his clothes. He took the proceeds and gambled on a single spin of the roulette. He was able to raise US$135,000 and in 2004 played roulette at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and wagered all in on red. The white ball landed on seven red and Revell won $270,000, double the amount of his proceeds.

My House For A Win

Every man considers his home as a castle. For Ugandan Henry Dhabasani, he wagered his house against his neighbour Rashid Yiga, for an Arsenal win against Manchester United. On the other hand, Yiga offered his Toyota Premio and his wife. The neighbours took the bet to the next level by putting it down in writing witnessed by tribal elders.

Dhabasani reportedly fainted at the final whistle with Manchester winning by one goal scored by former Arsenal player Van Persie. The following day, he was evicted from his house together with his three wives and five children.

A $100K Trip To The Loo

Two poker professionals made one of the strangest bets ever made in the game of poker. Rich Alati and Rory Young both wagered US$100,000 that one of them couldn’t survive for 30 days completely isolated in a dark room without human interaction with only a paddle ball and Rubik’s cube for entertainment.

Alati accepted the challenge and locked himself in the bathroom of a Las Vegas hotel wanting to prove that he could last one whole month by his lonesome. Twenty days into the wager, Rory realized that Alati was a man of his word and would survive the 30-day challenge, so he decided to cut his losses. The two worked on an agreement, and Alati won the bet receiving a handsome payment of $62,400.

50-Famous Words

In 1960, Random House co-founder Bennet Cerf made a small wager with a man named Theodor Geisel. Confident that he would surely win in the wager, Cerf bet that he wouldn’t be able to write a book using no more than 50 individual words.

Geisel did not only win the wager as he also emerged as the author of one of the most famous children’s books ever written. Theodor Geisel becomes world-renowned as Dr Seuss and his 50-word books were Green Eggs and Ham.

Gone in Flames 

In an attempt to prove that alcohol and gambling don’t mix, William Bonner of Augusta, Georgia bet that pouring a shot of Bacardi 151 over his head and exposed it to a flame, and it would light his head on fire.

Everyone was unsure where the idea for this bet came from, but Bonner was right as his head did indeed catch fire after dousing himself in pure alcohol and ignited it. No one was sure about the exact amount that was wagered or if Bonner got paid. For his feat, he earned the nickname “Ghost Rider,” after the comic book character with a flaming skull.

Earl and The Fat Man

In the 18th century, a butcher named Mr Bullock challenged Earl of Barrymore to a footrace with the winner taking home a sizable amount of money. Earl found the challenge hard to resist because Mr Bullock was fat and unhealthy compared to his being physically fit.

Mr Bullock, however, had two conditions. First, he was to be given a 35-meter head start and second that he be allowed to choose the course of the race. Being a good sportsman as he is, Earl agreed to the demands, and the date for the race was duly set.

The butcher had a very well-laid plan. He set the race at the Black Lion Lane—one of the narrowest streets in Britain. On race day, the butcher was given a head start. In no time, the Earl of Barrymore caught up with the butcher.

However, the narrow streets of the course made it impossible for the Earl to overtake the butcher. Realizing that he couldn’t pass Mr Bullock, the Earl settled for second place and the butcher winning for himself a hefty payout.

These are just 8 of the strangest bets ever made in history. They all come to prove that man is willing to give up anything for money.