Back in April, poker pro Mike McDonald entered into a prop bet believing that he could sink 90 out of 100 free throws by the end of the year. The poker community wasn’t confident he could win the basketball prop bet for valid reasons.
For one, McDonald doesn’t play basketball as much as he plays poker. He’s not in very good shape to accomplish the goal, and he needs to shoot as good as Stephen Curry from the Golden State Warriors, which many believed was an impossible feat. But McDonald ultimately proved his doubters wrong.
On August 21, McDonald posted a video of his free throw session, showing him draining 89 out of 100 shots. It came as a surprise to everyone as it’s barely four months since the prop bet started and the poker pro was already on course to win the challenge. Four days later, the poker community woke up to the news that the 30-year-old managed to sink 90/100 free throw shots at an organized basketball gym three hours away from his home.
McDonald was happy he eventually conquered the challenge but he felt compelled to repeat it after some members of the poker community put his victory into question because he took a break midway through the session. American poker pro Nick Schulman, in particular, disputed the win, saying taking a break in the middle of a set was unfair. The three-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner was among players who placed a bet against McDonald.
Is It A Valid Win?
Throughout the challenge, McDonald had to travel 3 long hours to a community gym in Canada where he would do his regular free throw session. He also had limited access to the hoop to give way for other players waiting in line to play.
During his Aug 25 session, McDonald had to cut his play after his time on the court was already consumed. But the Canadian poker pro got off to a great start, draining 56 out of 61 shots, meaning he could just afford to miss 5 of the remaining shots and he’d walk away victorious. McDonald returned to the gym about 30 minutes later and right then and there, he was unstoppable. He succeeded in the challenge after draining 90 out of 100 shots.
Nick Schulman Disputes Win
But the fact that he took a break before completing the challenge made his win controversial. Schulman tweeted McDonald should have not taken a break and should have proceeded shooting the required number in a single session. Other poker fans also believed the break allowed McDonald to get some rest which somehow gave him an edge, though some also argued taking breaks actually changes a player’s shooting rhythm.
While McDonald assured everyone he’s willing to do the challenge again to prove that he can sink free throws at a 90% clip without breaks, he still believes he deserves the win and claims he’s allowed to take breaks within a set as part of the prop bet terms.
Schulman eventually conceded and gave his $15K to McDonald, saying he doesn’t want to look “scummy”. He reiterated that if someone agrees to a free-throw bet, he must complete the challenge in one session and not take a break
New Record for McDonald
There are only three players in NBA history to have achieved a 90% free throw percentage: Curry, Steve Nash, and Mark Price. McDonald’s victory means he’s a better free throw shooter than most of the famous basketball players, though it can be argued that the setting, pressure, and noise of the audience play a factor.
However, if we take into account McDonald’s lack of basketball experience, we can say that he won the bet in epic fashion, within such a short period no one could have imagined. He adds another record to his name – the youngest winner of the European Poker Tour and the Epic Poker League, and now the best free-throw shooter in the world of poker.