1. THE WEIGHT LOSS BET

Over the years, Doyle Brunson has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars on bets that he’d shed some pounds. But he made up for it in 2003 when a consortium of players offered 10/1 on a $100,000 wager that he would not be able to get below 300lb. Thanks to Weight Watchers and Atkins, Brunson shed the fat and cleared $1m in winnings. Mike ‘The Mouth’ Matusow was not so lucky. Just before the 2005 WSOP, he and fellow pro Erick Lindgren wagered $20,000 on who could lose more. ‘I dropped 17lb and still lost the bet,’ gripes Matusow.