Landon Tice Sensationally Quits Heads-up Challenge Match with Bill Perkins

The highstakes heads-up match between Landon Tice and Bill Perkins has ended prematurely with the young pro sensationally quitting with barely a quarter of the match gone, claiming it was a team decision, though one that will cost more than $380k...

Tice had given his older, more experienced - but still amateur - opponent Perkins odds of 9bb/100, which effectively meant he had to win the 20,000-hand match at stakes of $200/$400 by a massive $720,000 just to break even.

As we reported last week, Tice’s early lead had been pegged back by Perkins, back-to-back winning sessions for the businessman leaving the standings after session 12 as below, in Tice’s favour:

Total Results: +$63,720.4
Hands Played: 4907
BB/100: 3.25

Taking into account the $720,000 “headstart”, however, Tice was left well off the pace he’d need to turn a profit, requiring 11bb/100 over the remaining 15k hands, something he and his team evidently felt was unattainable.

The exact reasons for Tice throwing in the towel are still a bit unclear – many poker fans on Twitter reading the “team” in Tice’s tweet to mean his backers had lost faith in him, two-time WSOP bracelet winner Kevin MacPhee among them....

The cost to Tice and his backers – the 22-year old having been clear from the very start that he did not have the bankroll himself for such a challenge – was revealed in a subsequent tweet.

Landon’s mother, Marni Tice, also had words of support for her son’s decision, posting on Twitter: “In the world we are living in, many people have a hard time admitting they may have made the wrong call.

She continued: “However, Landon Tice, I’m proud of you for recognising when things aren’t going your way and you consider those around you, those backing you and not just in it for yourself.”

Mrs Tice added: “I’m proud of the young man you have become and to be 22 and take a chance with a billionaire was bold. Keep on being you, stay humble. I love you. Forever in your corner.”

Many others also supported Tice’s decision to re-evaluate things when it became clear that Perkins wasn’t the whale that many had imagined he would be in such a match.

Perkins himself stated: “Thanks for the competition. It was a great spot to force an old dog to learn new tricks. The team @PokerHybrid took a complete fish & turned me into a strong player in 3 months so I have to thank them & @larasebastian for giving me time to study.”

He finished with a kind word or two for his young opponent: “@LandonTice will crush the future”.