Arizona's Rich Alati, most famous in the poker and gambling worlds for once taking part in a 'total darkness' prop bet, has posted perhaps the most important win of his poker career in the championship event of the just-completed WSOP Online domestic series. Alati's victory in Event #32, $1,000 NL Hold'em Online Championship, was worth $65,155.79 and was accompanied by his first career gold bracelet.
Alati, a one-time Circuit ring winner as well, has posted a handful of larger cashes, but the prestige of winning the centerpiece of the online bracelet series sets this achievement apart from the rest. Alati, playing as 'callmelater', secured the bracelet by knocking out his final opponent, 12-time Circuit ring winner Michael 'mkstr' Setera.
Setera earned $48,231.97 for the second-place run. One of the WSOP's leaders for all-time cashes in WSOP-branded events, seven-time Circuit ring winner Arkadiy 'IBackgammonU' Tsinis, finished third for $36,385.52. The event drew 362 total entries (217 original buy-ins, plus 145 reentries), and paid out a $338,470 pool to the final 48 players.
Controversial prop bet brought Alati initial fame
In late 2018, in an era when prop bets were somewhat more commonplace than they are today, Alati became involved in one of the most controversial prop bets of the time. Alati agreed to a $100,000 wager offered by Aussie pro Rory Young during a Las Vegas poker game on whether Alati could spend 30 days in total darkness and seclusion, in a specially-prepared bathroom with food delivered at random intervals.
