American professional poker player Rich Alati is $62,400 richer after spending 20 days locked inside a pitch-dark bathroom with no contact with the outside world.
Alati went into solitary confinement in Las Vegas on Nov. 21 as part of a bet with Australian pro Rory Young. If he lasted 30 days, he would walk away with $100,000. If not, Young would pocket the money.
(Photo courtesy: Rich Alati/The Guardian)
Alati was under 24-hour surveillance for the duration of the challenge, and was served meals at irregular intervals so he wouldn't know how much time had passed. At the 15-day mark, Young told Alati over a loudspeaker that he could leave if he paid out $50,000.
"You can't be serious," Alati recalled telling Young in an interview with Kristen Doerer of the Guardian. "Dude, I just sat in here for two weeks, and you want me to hand over half my money?"
A few days later, Young offered to pay Alati $25,000 to leave. Alati considered the offer, but ultimately declined. The pair eventually settled on $62,400.
Alati admitted to feeling "a bit of a culture shock" after emerging from the room. He said he's happy he did it, though, as it taught him the value of patience and not to take things for granted.
"We truly go about our day to day and put up these blinders because there's so much distraction, but if you just look at the world with a different perspective and just see it, this is something," Alati said. "This is really something."
