Shaun Deeb, a six-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner and perennial Player of the Year contender, embarked on a remarkable journey of physical transformation, fueled by a high-stakes prop bet with hedge fund manager Bill Perkins. This wasn't just about the money; it was a testament to Deeb's relentless determination, his ability to assemble a top-notch team, and his desire to prove that seemingly impossible goals can be achieved.
The Stakes: A $1 Million Weight Loss Prop Bet
Nearly 12 months prior to early 2024, Deeb and Perkins agreed to an unconventional fitness prop bet. Deeb wagered $100,000 at 10:1 odds that he could reduce his body fat from over 40% to 17% by the start of the 2024 WSOP. If successful, Deeb stood to win a staggering $1 million. The poker community met the proposition with skepticism, with most observers predicting Deeb would fail.
The Unrestricted Challenge and Initial Hurdles
Deeb had the freedom to use any method to shed the weight. In March 2023, shortly after agreeing to the terms with Perkins, Deeb weighed 306 pounds and had a body fat percentage of 40.2%. He immediately hired a massage therapist and trainer. Chance Kornuth directed him to a nutritionist. Early gym sessions were grueling, but his determination remained steadfast.
Progress and a Buyout Offer
By January 2024, Deeb’s efforts were paying off. A DEXA scan revealed his body fat had dropped to 23.9%, down from over 40%. With just over three months remaining before the WSOP, Perkins offered Deeb an $800,000 buyout, recognizing Deeb's determination and the likelihood of reaching the 17% goal.
"(Perkins) knew I was ahead of pace, knew my trainers were doing everything right." Deeb credits assembling a top-notch fitness team-trainer, nutritionist, and massage therapist-within 48 hours of accepting the bet. “Knowing what I know a year later, I had the ideal team,” he reflected.
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Commitment Beyond the Buyout
Despite the financial disengagement, Deeb expressed his dedication to reaching the initial goal out of respect for those with side bets. Quitting abruptly could leave bettors in a challenging position. Deeb suggested settling bets at a similar percentage as Perkins, emphasizing his ongoing effort. Even after accepting the buyout, Deeb remained laser-focused. “I didn’t celebrate, didn’t have pizza, didn’t cheat on meals, didn’t delete my meal plans," he stated. "I am committed to proving to people it's possible."
Following the announcement that he accepted the buyout, Deeb told his followers that he's still committed to reaching 17% body fat composition by the start of the WSOP, which begins May 28 at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. "I didn't celebrate, didn't have pizza, didn't cheat on meals, didn't delete my meal plans," Deeb mentioned, speaking about his continued commitment to fitness. "I am committed to proving to people it's possible."
The Journey: Diet, Exercise, and a Strong Support System
Deeb's road to both a big payday and better health was far from easy. As the months went on, he realized his fitness team had the right plan in place to get him down to 17% body fat. The poker pro has spent countless hours the past year in the gym, and he's eating a healthier diet.
To minimize the risk of injury, his trainer adjusted workouts whenever Deeb experienced discomfort. “My trainer would back off for fear of injury on days I had even the slightest hint of pain,” he explained. Throughout the journey, Deeb stayed disciplined, rarely deviating from his plan. “Last week, there were cookies on the counter, and I broke off one little corner and ate it."
Deeb mentioned that he only cheated on his diet about 10 times since the challenge began, and "last week, there were cookies on the corner, and I broke off one little corner and ate it." "The only challenge that I had was just balancing the home life and the kids, and giving my wife a break, or trying to do that and not completely neglecting them," he explained.
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In his first DEXA exam last March, soon after agreeing to terms with Perkins, Deeb began the challenge weighing 306 pounds, and in his first DEXA test a few weeks later, he had a body fat percentage of 40.2% though he'd already dropped the first ten pounds of the challenge. Last month, despite what he termed as "sporadic" updates, Deeb posted the results of his third DEXA test. He'd reduced his BFP to 23.9 percent, less than seven percent away from his goal, while checking in at 223 pounds, a loss of 83 pounds from just 10 months earlier. The January test results likely made him a favorite to win the wager, prompting the buyout offer from Perkins. By February, his body fat composition had further decreased to 22.0%.
Perkins' Perspective and the Bigger Picture
For Perkins, the bet wasn't entirely about the money; it was also about encouraging and inspiring others to pursue their own health goals. Speaking on Perkins' motivations, Deeb said, "I think he's very happy with the work I've put in. He knows that this has made the changes that he was hoping for and, even more so, it inspired thousands of people in this community and outside this community. That was his goal. You can tell Bill: if he could give me a million dollars and, you know, a million pounds would be lost by the community--he will pay that all day, every day." Perkins, who himself once won a six-figure, weight-loss prop bet, was quick to congratulate Deeb on his achievement. "The beast showed up!" he posted in response to Deeb's announcement.
This isn't Perkins' first weight-loss-bet-rodeo. In 2018, brothers Matt and Jaime Staples won $150,000 off him by erasing the 170-pound deficit between the two of them. More recently, in 2023, Doug Polk fell just short in his attempt to shed 50% of his body fat and paid Perkins $200,000 for his shortcomings--a steep cost to get in shape, but the results show.
Deeb's Motivations: More Than Just Money
The money Deeb stands to win if victorious certainly plays a role in his motivations, but winning isn't as lucrative as it seems at first glance. "Obviously the money is sweet, but the money really just ends up offsetting the costs I've spent on this bet. I live in New York, I pay super-high taxes. If I win this bet, I'm paying $400,000-$500,000 with the taxes. It's not a 10:1 proposition, it's really even money," Deeb told us.
Another deciding factor in Deeb's motivations are the opinions of those in the community--more specifically, those that doubted him when the idea of the bet first arose. Deeb relishes the idea of proving people wrong, saying "The publicity of this bet is extra motivation. I've always been a vanity person on accolades and different things in poker. So, as soon as the bet was super publicized, that motivates me even more. I laugh, you know, people said I was drawing dead, I could never do this, I would never be motivated enough.
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Deeb explained that his trainer would "back off for fear of injury" on days he had even the slightest hint of pain.
Teamwork and Support
To his credit, Deeb recognizes the importance of the team undertaking this journey alongside him. Winning the bet clearly requires immense willpower and mental fortitude from Deeb, but in the background, a team of key players aids him every step of the way--plus, the crucial support from his wife Ashley: "She has had to do more for this bet than I could ever have imagined."
In all fairness, there's no other way to approach something like this, to go at it solo would spell almost-certain disaster. Deeb told us, "It's truly a group commitment. Everyone on my team, between my trainer, nutritionist, massage therapist--we all talk all the time, they all talk to each other. It's really a community effort. And you know, I was talking earlier about the motivation: I have to say, for my team, if I fail this, they're all gonna feel like shit--like they failed in some way. But really, they've given me all the outs to succeed. So, I just have to put in the work at the gym and be strict on the diet, and I will win. That's what I've been doing for 10 months now.
Deeb's Poker Career and Future Hall of Fame Potential
Deeb learned cards from his grandmother and began running poker tournaments at his house when he was 16. He captured his first bracelet, which are awarded to tournament winners, in 2015 in the $10,000 buy-in Pot-limit Hold’em event and is one of 20 players with six career bracelets. His most recent victory was in the $1,500 buy-in Eight-Game Mix Six-Handed on June 13 for $198,854. Close friend Josh Arieh earned his fifth career WSOP bracelet days prior, and Deeb threatened to retire if Arieh reached No.
Deeb finished in second place in this summer's WSOP POY race, but also has four other wins in 2023, putting him in the top 20 of the year-long POY race as well. In the live arena, Deeb has done most of his damage at the World Series of Poker. Not only is he in an elite group of just 22 players with at least six bracelets, but he is consistently one of the best performers each summer in the WSOP Player of the Year race. In fact since 2015, Deeb has finished in sixth place or better six times! In total, he has racked up more than $13.5 million in live tournament earnings during his career, to go along with millions more won online.
The 37-year-old has done it while also working on a weight-loss prop bet with Bill Perkins that will earn him a seven-figure payout if he can get down to 17 percent body fat by next summer's series. Deeb, 37, has a strong case for induction into the Poker Hall of Fame once he is eligible in three years. “I am very opinionated. I am very loud,” Deeb said. “There’s so many great things about poker that I love.
The Poker Community's Reaction
The poker community, familiar with Deeb's dedication to poker and now fitness, witnessed a unique chapter in prop betting history. Deeb's transformative journey highlights the unpredictable yet fascinating nature of prop bets within the poker world.
Lessons Learned and Future Outlook
Deeb's weight transformation has been quite surprising to many. Losing weight and getting into shape isn't always easy, especially for those who love to eat and don't care much for exercise. But Deeb is a gambler at heart, and he stood to win a ton of money if he could reach his goal. It's hard to argue that point given the results.
Then there's the question of what happens after the bet: will the healthy lifestyle stick? It's one thing to shed the weight, but a completely different story when it comes to keeping it off. Deeb sums it up as, "What I decide to do after is really dependent on how I feel mentally and physically at the end of the bet. Obviously, I'll never push myself as hard as I'm doing right now ever again. There's just no incentive. And it's just miserable. I haven't been able to enjoy myself being healthier just because of how hard I'm working and how little energy I have. So, it'll be very different, just maintaining and however I feel is what I'll do. My goal is to continue to be happy in life and successful in poker and whatever else I do, so I don't want this to ever affect that, like it has."
"I’m going to get there to show my kids that if I can do this, they can do plenty of things people say are too hard or impossible.