Gossip Column: Timex on the Verge of Winning Free-Throw Prop Bet, Holz & Ayras Top Week 1 Rankings in RIO Legends Showdown

Poker pro Mike McDonald aka ‘Timex’ had agreed to a free-throw prop bet in April. According to the bet, he had to land 90 out of 100 shots in a single session by the end of 2020. McDonald had the freedom to take as many attempts as possible but needed to make the cut in 100 consecutive throws. If McDonald`s recent tweets are anything to go by, he has managed to make 87 out of 100 shots, bringing him almost on the verge of winning what initially looked like an unwinnable bet!

With Run it Once Poker founder Phil Galfond taking some downtime on his Galfond Challenge, the RIO Legends Showdown has kept the action going for all the poker fans starving to rail high stakes heads-up matches. GGPoker Ambassador Fedor “CrownUpGuy” Holz and Pauli “Fillismies” Ayras sit at the top of the Week 1 ranking of the Legends Showdown. They were the only two players, among four others, to book a profit in the first week.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage across the globe and especially in the gambling capital, Las Vegas. A gambler was forcibly removed from the famous 4 Queens casino in Sin City on Saturday for not wearing a facemask.

Mike McDonald on the Verge of Winning Free-Throw Prop Bet

Back in April, Mike’ Timex’ McDonald had accepted a prop bet for making 90 out of 100 free throws by the end of the year. The poker pro hadn’t played basketball since 2012, so it wasn’t going to be easy to win. But lo and behold, it seems like McDonald might actually pull it off.

He showed off his newly acquired prowess on a Twitch stream on August 18.

87/100!!!

I’m feeling pretty damn pumped. Time to start filming every time I have access to a proper rim

— Mike McDonald (@MikeMcDonald89) August 17, 2020

To understand exactly how good he has gotten over the past four months, watch the following clip of how he was back in April.

This is a random sample of what’s happening, he started out shooting ~12/min at <50%, and is now doing ~9/min at >50%. He is fucking tired, out of shape quarantine life pic.twitter.com/KG1C7aQgNV

— Aaron Jones (@aejonesleggo) April 3, 2020

To win the prop bet, he needs to hit a 90% clip over a 100-shot session. He can shoot 100-free-throw sets as many times as he’d like, so long as he makes 90 out of 100 sometime before the end of the year. It’s only mid-August, and he’s already very close to that goal.

The crypto enthusiast hasn’t publicly shared the amount of the bet or who it has been made against. However, poker betting site, PokerShares, currently has the odds on him losing the free-throw shooting prop bet at 2-1. You can’t bet on him winning the bet though – which is quite a bummer.

Holz & Ayras in the Green After 1st Week of the RIO Legends Showdown

With the Galfond Challenge on the backburner for at least another few weeks, Run It Once (RIO) Poker has filled the void by launching the Legends Showdown.

Comprising an elite six-player lineup featuring Fedor “CrownUpGuy” Holz, Pauli “Fillismies” Ayras, Kevin “krab42” Rabichow, Bjorn “AsianFlushie” Li, “MakeBoifin” and Mikael “ChaoRen160” Thuritz, the challenge rings true to its name.

The challenge kicked off on August 11, and the six players compete against each other in €50/€100 heads-up no-limit hold ’em matches.

In the first round, each competitor played three 750-hand matches against other randomly selected players in the pool. The player who came out with a profit, no matter how big or small, got a win, while the other took a loss.

Those with the four best records then advance to the semi-finals, with ties broken by profit margin.

At the end of week 1, only GGPoker Ambassador Holz and fellow high-stakes pro Ayras are in profit. Let’s take a look at how things progressed throughout the week.

Bjorn “AsianFlushie” Li vs. “Makeboifin”

The first match saw Li beat online phenom “Makeboifin,” with the former booking a small win of €1,925.

Watch the highlights of the match below.

Kevin “krab42” Rabichow vs. Bjorn “AsianFlushie” Li

Next up, Li took on Rabichow; however, this time around, it did not fare well for the former. He lost the match to Rabichow, who won €36,000 in the process.

Watch the highlights of the match below.

Pauli “Fillismies” Ayras vs. Mikael “ChaoRen160″ Thuritz

The third match of the week saw a fierce clash between Ayras and Thuritz. It was the former who claimed the win.

Watch the highlights of the match below.

Fedor “CrownUpGuy” Holz vs. Kevin “krab42” Rabichow

Fresh from his victory against Li, Rabichow battled Holz in the fourth and final match of the week. Rabichow started strong, and even with 100 hands left to play, Rabichow was still maintaining a small lead against Holz. However, Holz went on a sick run to whisk the win away from Rabichow, leaving him with a deficit of €50,000.

Watch the highlights of the match below.

Week 1, wrapped up with Holz in the top seat with a profit of €49,767.10. Ayras was right behind him with a profit of €29,868.04.

The overall results for week 1 are as follows:

Week 2 is already underway since August 19, and the fifth match was played out between Ayras and “Makeboifin”.

We’re in for a treat tomorrow, as @SUPERMAKEFIN goes toe to toe with @Fiilismies08! @TuckonSports will be joined in the booth by fellow Legend, @KRabichow! Cards will be in the air at 17:00 UTC! https://t.co/VVpAfF0mLr pic.twitter.com/3xnqSzVgio

— Run It Once Poker (@RunItOncePoker) August 17, 2020

Ayras came out on top and took the pole position away from Holz.

Tonight, we saw another strong performance from @Fiilismies08, as he picked up another W and added €35k to his overall P/L. With this victory, he’s the first Legend to punch a ticket into the Semifinals! GG and WP, Pauli! pic.twitter.com/5uFX5TBzPO

— Run It Once Poker (@RunItOncePoker) August 18, 2020

Watch the highlights of the match below.

The sixth match took place between Holz and Thuritz earlier today.

The Legends Showdown coverage continues tonight with Mikael “ChaoRen160” Thuritz versus @CrownUpGuy. @henry_kilbane and @GazzyB1233 will be calling the action. Cards will be in the air at 18:00 UTC! https://t.co/VVpAfF0mLr pic.twitter.com/p1DywUeQot

— Run It Once Poker (@RunItOncePoker) August 19, 2020

Thuritz turned the table on Holz, this time, by securing a final hour victory over the German pro.

Watch the highlights of the match below.

The seventh match will be played between “Makeboifin” and Rabichow on August 20 at 5 PM (UTC).

Las Vegas Gambler Removed From 4 Queens Casinos For Not Wearing Face Mask

A Las Vegas gambler was removed from the famous 4 Queens casino in handcuffs after he went in without wearing a mask. The man was bundled out of the building and handed over to cops for flouting public safety rules on Saturday night.

A person who was taking pictures of the incident as it unfolded reported that the man was yelling for help when he was taken outside by five security guards.

The bouncers were wearing face masks; however, bystanders had their coverings pulled down around their chin.

The video of the incident was shared on YouTube, and you can watch it below.

Nevada has already crossed the 50,000-mark in positive COVID-19 cases. It is currently mandatory for all residents and tourists to wear face coverings in public and inside private businesses across Nevada.

The state of Nevada has a compulsory mask policy. Governor Steve Sisolak was at the end of June quoted saying: “For Nevada to stay safe and stay open, we must make face coverings a routine part of our daily life… I signed a directive with a new requirement for Nevadans and visitors to cover their nose and mouth with a mask or face covering, when in public space, whether publicly or privately owned. This especially applies to indoor activities in which you are near other people, including grocery stores, retail businesses, malls, and gaming properties.”