From million‑dollar self‑belief at the WSOP to a human vs AI grudge match, this year’s prop bet suggestions had it all.
In 2025, three outrageous props cut through the noise — a Main Event shot for an extra million, a poker legend defending his legacy with seven figures, and the first serious human vs AI challenge of the new era.
Talk is cheap
If someone actually believes that I am a losing player in cash games (I have won over $3M since 2014 in cash games and have tax records to prove it), then will they put their money where their mouth is?
My critic and I will post $500,000 each, and that critic can…
— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) September 13, 2025
Phil Hellmuth’s $1,000,000 “I’m Not A Loser” Challenge
Phil Hellmuth has spent decades telling anyone who will listen that he’s the greatest of all time, and 2025 was the year he finally slapped a seven‑figure price tag on that claim.
Tired of being called a losing cash game player in tough high‑stakes lineups, the Poker Brat publicly offered a massive prop bet to his critics.
He tweeted that he even had the tax records to prove that he has won $3 million in the last decade.
So the bet is simple: Phil Hellmuth and whoever accepts the challenge will escrow $500,000 each and then they book Hellmuth “dollar for dollar” whenever he appears on televised cash games.
For the old school fans who are confused at the thought that 17-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth could be a losing player in any poker game, the explanation is straightforward.
While he has never received the same plaudits in cash game poker, today this centers around his refusal to get with the modern game and embrace GTO strategy.
Hellmuth insists that his way is still good enough to compete against the best.
This would be a great prop bet to follow for the fans. No excuses and Phil Hellmuth could at least get some peace on this matter for a while.
I booked a bet $2,000 at 500/1 to win the @WSOP main event. Payout would be $1,000,000. How could I say no! If I lose 2k I won’t remember in a couple of days. If I win the bet I’ll remember the rest of my life. Mikita Badziakouski is the one that booked the bet. Legend 🦍😂
— Jesse Lonis (@JesseLonis) July 8, 2025
Jesse Lonis’ $1,000,000 WSOP Main Event Shot
Jesse Lonis turned the 2025 WSOP Main Event from a dream into a literal $1,000,000 side sweat before the cards were even in the air.
While playing a non-descript $15,000 event in the PokerGO studio, he booked a $2,000 wager at 500–1 with high‑roller beast Mikita Badziakouski that he would win the WSOP 2025 Main Event outright.
Somehow, 500-1 for the showpiece event of the calendar is both insane and reasonable. Badziakouski is a legend of the game and won’t have his life changed by the loss of a million dollars, but nor will he care much about winning $2,000.
What this prop bet does have, though, is plenty of flex. This is what the fans want to see, and wouldn’t it have been sick if Lonis had actually pulled it off.
Phil Galfond vs Grok: $1,000,000 PLO Man vs Machine
Phil Galfond vs Grok: $1,000,000 PLO Man vs MachineThe sickest bet of 2025 might not even have been accepted yet, but the terms alone are wild enough to make the list and they have given plenty of food for thought.
When Elon Musk’s xAI bot Grok started talking trash about its edge in heads‑up PLO, Phil Galfond stepped up as the obvious human end boss.
A short conversation with the bot later, and we were suddenly staring at the impossible challenge — a human player seemingly contemplating a challenge against the silicon beast.
50,000 hands of PLO heads-up at stakes of $100/$200 and with $1,000,000 on the line.
Now, before you get too excited, nobody in their right mind would consider this match on equal terms, but what about doing it with a head start?
Grok claimed a 10bb/100 edge so we have some kind of starting point. The Libratus/Pluribus matches were also kind of anonymous. Here we could have some star names and big money on offer to see who comes up best against the machine.
And don’t assume that all poker-playing-AI are equal. In October nine LLM machines competed in the PokerBattle.ai project where Grok 4 placed third with $28,796 profit over 3,799 from a starting bankroll of $100,000.
Meta LLAMA 4 actually ended up broke after 3,501 hands, so these programs are not all infallible.
Lots of possibilities for some interesting prop bets along these lines if Phil Galfond and Elon Musk’s Grok can’t come up with something suitable.
