Poker Pro Mike McDonald Could Win $200K Basketball Prop Bet

Over the years, a lot of poker pros have been involved in exciting prop bets, putting a huge chunk of their bankrolls on the line.

The latest poker player to take on the challenge is Mike McDonald, who agreed to a basketball prop bet back in April, with a six-figure sum at stake.

Under the terms of the prop bet, McDonald should sink 90 out of 100 free throws before the end of the year. While doing so, he must use a regulation basketball and hoop and must not commit any lane violation. The goal is quite challenging to seasoned basketball pros and a huge task for someone who does not play basketball regularly.

When McDonald announced the crazy prop bet in April, he admitted he hadn’t played basketball since 2012, which makes everyone wonder whether he could really succeed in the challenge.

NBA star Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who’s been playing basketball for a decade, currently holds the record for the highest free-throw percentage in NBA history at 90.56%. McDonald’s prop bet demands that he comes close to Curry’s record by hitting 90% (90 out of 100 shots). Can he do it?

Closer To Victory

While things initially looked bleak for the 30-year-old considering his lack of experience in basketball, contrary to his outstanding record in poker, his latest free throw stats indicate he might actually win the bet!

Over three months since the prop bet started, McDonald’s shooting percentage has significantly improved, as shown in a recent livestream on Twitch where he was able to hit 85 out of 100 shots. After that, he made another attempt and he almost hit his goal! He sunk 84 out of his firsts 92 shots, and then eventually scored 89/100, bringing him closer to victory.

Here’s a video of the end of my 89/100 choke pic.twitter.com/KJ4SPcoGcB

— Mike McDonald (@MikeMcDonald89) August 21, 2020

McDonald still has several months left to reach that 90% percentage and if he continues to improve, he has high chances of winning the challenge and ultimately walk away with the $200,000 prize. While everyone initially doubted his free-throw shooting abilities, things have changed now and we can now bet that he’ll win the challenge

McDonald is one of the most successful poker players in the world, with more than $13,000,000 in live tournament earnings. At 18-years-old, McDonald won the European Poker Tour German Open for $1,370,161, making him the youngest winner in the tour’s history. He is currently ranked No. 6 in his home country of Canada.