Mizzi Wins Dangerous Swimming Bet

Canadian native Sorel Mizzi has built a career of taking on challenges at the poker tables, both live and online. And as proof that he is not one to shy away from other bets, he accepted and completed a potentially dangerous swim off the coast of Brazil.

Earlier in May, Mizzi accepted a $10K bet at 3-to-1 odds that he can’t swim from Ipanema Beach off the cost of Rio de Janeiro to an island five kilometers away. He noted on Twitter, “I used to swim quite a bit when I was a kid but haven’t swam in a while and a bit out of shape.”

Mizzi accepted additional bets at 6-to-1, though he didn’t disclose details or bettor names.

Poker players are known to be charitable, and Mizzi is no different. He agreed to donate 10 percent of the winnings from the bets to the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI) charity, which is an NGO working to eliminate tropical diseases from sub-Saharan Africa.

With a support boat nearby, he battled the wind, strong ocean currents, and fatigue to complete the mission and win the bet. He commented that it was much tougher than he anticipated and he swallowed a good deal of salt water.

After a day or two of recovery, the winner of more than $9.6 million in live tournament earnings to date will head to Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker. A win there has eluded him thus far, though he has laid claim to several final tables. Quite possibly, his oceanic success will spur him to that long awaited WSOP victory.