Dan Bilzerian rode a bicycle from Las Vegas to Los Angeles in under 48 hours to cash a $1.2 million prop bet against high-stakes gambler and futures trader Bill Perkins. In addition, Bilzerian did not lose his private plane to Hollywood impresario Rick Solomon in a side wager. The original prop bet by Perkins entailed Bilzerian riding a bicycle from his home in the Hollywood Hills to the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, which he had to complete the 300-mile journey in under 48 hours. Bilzerian, who was not an avid biker, trained vigorously to win the wager and even employed Lance Armstrong to advise him with training. A couple of weeks earlier, Samantha Abernathy earned $10,000 by winning a prop bet against Bilzerian for completing a similar bike ride from Vegas to L.A. in under 60 hours.
I love a good prop bet. But this Dan Bilzerian bet on his Vegas to LA bike ride is kind of crazy. On Tuesday afternoon, Bilzerian began his 300-mile journey from the Welcome to Las Vegas sign toward Los Angeles. Followed by an armada of vehicles, Bilzerian completed more than 160 miles on the opening day. By 10pm Wednesday night, Bilzerian was only 25 miles outside Los Angeles and even had an escort from LAPD to help him navigate traffic.
High-stakes poker pro and natural gas trader Bill Perkins likes putting the screws to his fellow poker players. He's the guy who got Antonio in hot water (er, warm piss) down in the Bahamas after Antonio Esfandiari got DQ'd in the PCA Main Event for urinating in a piss cup in order to win a "lunging" prop bet against Perkins. Initially, Perkins offered cash to Rick Solomon (most known for the guy with the tumescent dong in the Paris Hilton sex tape, but lesser known as one of the ex-husbands to Beverly Hills, 90210 actress Shannen Doherty) to make the journey through Bat Country. Solomon balked, but Bilzerian accepted the challenge. Of course, any strenuous activity could have killed Bilzerian, who admittedly had a weak ticker after suffering multiple heart attacks fueled by snorting way too many stiff-prick pills and way too much blow during a orgiastic, stripper-banging bender that would give Sly Stone or Charlie Sheen a run for their money.
Bilzerian and Perkins each put up $600,000 and agreed to the terms. The news of the $1.2 million prop bet sent the poker and gambling world into a tizzy. There must have been millions of dollars in side action wagered among poker pros and degen-gambling fans alike. Bilzerian was dead set on winning and heavily vested with over $125,000 spent for special equipment and supplies. Bilzerian took along several bicycles, including a special tricycle, or recumbent bike, that alleviated pain and prevented the 300-mile ride from "tearing the ass" out of him. Bilzerian knew the journey was possible, because he lost $10,000 to Samantha Abernathy after she pulled off a similar ride in under 60 hours.
Bilzerian-Perkins Prop Bet Rules
During a month of intense training leading up to the ride, Bilzerian hired Lance Armstrong to give him some training tips and pointers with climbing hills. Instead of a consulting fee, Armstrong asked Bilzerian to donate $25,000 to his child-cancer charity. Armstrong flew out to Vegas to assist with training. Watch video highlights from Armstrong's trip here.
Bilzerian's support staff included a small army of friends, family, scantily-clad eye candy, a doctor, nutritionist, chef, bike techs, and masseuses. His caravan and mini-armada of tour buses, RVs, and vans commenced the arduous journey at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign approximately 3pm local time on Tuesday. From the get go, the send off was a circus-like atmosphere.
After viewing the initial video clips from Day 1, haters were already calling out Bilzerian for angle shooting with his funny-looking recumbent bicycles, or the fact he was using a production van to draft off of. Drafting is a major element to racing (both cycling and auto racing) and Bilzerian definitely gained an advantage by riding right behind the van. He supposedly ditched the controversial van half-way, but the first day of the trip was already full of controversy.
Bill Perkins
Gambling and women are Dan Bilzerian's addictions and weaknesses.
High-stakes gambler Haralabob snarked that Bilzerian could have had an invisible fishing line attached to his bike to assist him with a treacherous hill leading out of Nevada toward the California state line.
According to Michael Kaplan from the New York Post, "Bilzerian originally planned to take a break every 50 miles, though he's occasionally made pit stops after 30. During stops, says Perkins, a paramedic weighs Bilzerian and instructs him what to eat. Bilzerian also changes clothes and bikes (he has two-wheelers designed for uphill, downhill and straightaway riding)."
Bilzerian did not pass up an opportunity to monetize this adventure. He created a new site -- 48hourbet.com -- which included both free and pay content. For the low price of $9.99, or the same price as a box of condoms, you could purchase a full access pass to view all the behind the scenes action. For a cheaper alternative, Bill Perkins posted several Periscope videos during the first day, including one of the breaks in which Bilzerian was spotted getting a deep massage.
Perkins didn't make it easy for Bilzerian with a bit of psychological warfare and something he referred to as Team Distraction. Yes, Perkins filled up an RV with three busty ladies and loads of booze. "They will be trying to seduce him," added Perkins. "He might wind up having sex with them. Gambling and women are Dan Bilzerian's addictions and weaknesses."
Perkins is already thinking about his next big prop bet. He offered Lance Armstrong to ride Vegas to LA in 15 hours and although Armstrong considered the trip...he declined. Perkins also offered Bilzerian other insane challenges like sailing from the Americas to Europe, free falling from space, or swimming in a tank full of sharks. Even though he's a few bucks richer, this is the not the last time you're going to hear about an outrageous Bilzerian prop bet. After all, this is the came guy who supposedly wagered $2.3 million on a coin flip, or raced cars for nearly $420,000 when he smoked a Ferrari with his Shelby Cobra.
"I'm on the right side of this wager whether I win or lose," Perkins told Michael Kaplan in the N.Y. Post. "If Dan wins, he deserves it. Considering the expenses and the amount of money he has, I'm amazed that Dan took this bet for $600,000!"
