Poker Pro Jeff Madsen Moves to Israel for Prop Bet

In a prop bet that many believed to be an April Fools Day joke, two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Jeff Madsen will move to Israel, temporarily of course. The bet is for $50,000 and begins on April 15th.

On March 31st, 24 hours prior to April Fools Day, Madsen alerted cyberspace via Twitter, “Just accepted a sick prop bet: I have to move to Israel until the World Series, no outside contact with friends, no cell phone, etc. 50k bet.” He’ll start his quest for $50,000 on April 15th; the 2010 WSOP does not begin until May 28th in Las Vegas. Madsen told Poker News Daily that Tel Aviv would likely be his base while in the Middle East.

In an industry inundated by prop bets, Madsen relocating to Israel is one of the more memorable ones in recent years. Madsen told Poker News Daily how his unique bet came about: “I met a guy a couple of weeks ago at a charity event. He was a rich businessman who played high stakes and we started talking about how I make crazy prop bets. One thing led to another and it came up that I needed some extra money. I agreed do a bet where I’d move to another country.” The challenger is “Manny B,” whom Madsen met at a Talk About Curing Autism fundraiser.

This won’t be Madsen’s first trip to Israel. Five years ago, he journeyed to the sovereign nation. He recalled, “There were a lot of countries for our prop bet that would have been too easy. Israel is an interesting place and I was there in 2005. This time, I’m picking Tel Aviv, but I’ll probably do a tour of the whole country.” Madsen admitted that not using a cell phone or contacting friends may be tough for Manny B to monitor, but he is on the honor system to uphold his end of the bet: “I want this $50,000. I think I’ll be okay and a month isn’t too long.”

Madsen recently came out on the losing end of a prop bet with Gavin Smith and Joe Sebok involving tattoos. In the unique L.A. Poker Classic last longer bet, Sebok was eliminated first and must now tattoo the faces of Smith and Madsen on his body. Madsen was eliminated second and must tattoo Smith’s handsome mug. Madsen burst onto the poker scene in 2006, winning two bracelets for a combined $1.3 million in prize money. He’s made five final tables during his WSOP career.

Due to the timing of the announcement that he’d be heading to Israel for a month, many in the industry perceived the bet to be nothing more than an April Fools Day ploy. Madsen noted, “It’s 50-50. A lot of people think it’s a joke and a lot of people don’t.” On TwoPlusTwo, speculation poured in from all sides. Poster “rossi094” candidly pondered, “Do they have April Fools in Israel?” Meanwhile, “UncleKraut” questioned the location: “Iraq or Iran would have been more interesting.”

Several TwoPlusTwo posters have asserted that Madsen’s Israeli prop bet is nothing more than a paid vacation for the youngster. “surgeon23” claimed, “This is definitely a vacation. I wonder if they have any places to play poker though. Well, I guess the prop bet said nothing about laptops, so it’s a cakewalk if you ask me. Way too easy.” Poker News Daily asked Madsen if he’d be playing poker while in Israel in the weeks leading up to the 2010 WSOP: “I don’t know how much poker I’ll be playing, so I’ll be focused and can take time off before the grind of the WSOP. It’ll probably be good for me.”

Madsen has been counting down the days until Israel on his Twitter account (@JeffMadsenobv). We’ll keep you posted right here on Poker News Daily.

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Poker terminology:

MARKED CARDS - Cards that have been (illegally) altered so that their value can be read from the back.
SEMI-BLUFF - To bluff with a come hand that figures to win if it hits.
PAY STATION - A player who rarely folds, thus who frequently calls better hands and loses. Almost as much fun as a LIVE ONE.
DRAWING DEAD - A draw in which it is impossible to obtain a winning hand for any of a variety of reasons: an opponent's hand is better than whatever you are drawing to, the card(s) that make your hand are out of play, or (in Hold'em) give an opponent a stronger hand even if it makes yours. Frequently used in the past tense, since one rarely knows it at the time.
OVERPAIR - In Hold'em, a pair in the hole that is larger than any community card on the board.
CARDS SPEAK - Winner(s) of the hand are determined by turning their cards face up, the best hand(s) wins (no declaration).

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