Paid $15,000 to leave Des Moines

How the bet started

In the 1990s, John Hennigan was a poker player in his twenties and the picture of the stereotype: he played at night and wanted more action the moment he left the table. One day at a poker table, players started quizzing each other on state capitals, and Des Moines came up. Hennigan announced that he could totally live there.

The others told him there was no way. Des Moines had a sleepy reputation, about as far from Las Vegas as a city could get. Hennigan saw it differently: he never saw the sun, a month away could detox him from Vegas, and poker players bet on golf constantly, so he could work on his game with no poker to distract him.

The terms

They negotiated a bet on the spot. He would move to Des Moines for 30 days and stay on a single street, with one hotel, one restaurant, no bars, and no nightlife. His one exception was a specific golf course where he could practice during the day. The stake was $30,000, his if he lasted the month and theirs if he came home early.

How it ended

He moved the next day. Two days later he called the group, sure the bet was already his, and told them they could pay him $15,000 to settle and spare themselves the misery of losing the full $30,000. They told him to stay put. A week later he was back in Las Vegas, and he had paid the group $15,000 for the privilege.