Three poker players walk into a bowling alley. Of course, there will be gambling.
Ryan Riess cemented his place in poker history when he won the World Series of Poker main event in 2013 for $8.3 million at just 23 years old. Since then, he’s proven his chops on the felt. But apparently he’s a pretty good bowler too.
High-stakes tournament pro Jesse Lonis tweeted a video Monday night of the Michigan native capping off a perfect game. The nearly two-minute video showed Riess’ final three strikes.
“Here’s the scoop. If Ryan Riess bowls a 300, I lose $5,000,” said Lonis in the video. “So, he needs three strikes in a row. Here we go.”
At a few points in the video, Lonis zooms in on the digital scorecard above the lane. It showed Riess, Lonis, and World Poker Tour champ Dan Sepiol were all bowling together.
The main event champ! Bowls a 300! Enjoy the video. That’s $5,000 I’ll never see again!💸💸💸 @RyanRiess1 pic.twitter.com/KFxzTK6ItB
— Jesse Lonis (@JesseLonis) February 24, 2026
Friendly $5,000 Bet In Las Vegas Bowling League
According to a report from The Detroit News, the three poker pros joined a bowling league earlier in the year at the South Point Casino & Hotel. When they joined the league, Riess and Lonis agreed to pay $5,000 to the first one to bowl a perfect game.
Prior to Monday’s league match, Riess carried and 198 average and had a personal best score of 280. The 35-year-old said he didn’t feel any nerves until the bitter end.
“I got nervous on my second ball in the 10th,” Riess told The Detroit News. “[I] was pretty fine before that.”
It’s a rare loss for Lonis, who has been on a tear in the high roller events over the last few years. He has more than $28.2 million in career tournament earnings, including a career-best $3.44 million score from a victory in the $100,000 no-limit hold’em event at the Triton Poker Series in Montenegro last May.
Those results catapulted him to a Card Player Player of the Year title last year.
Between all three players on the team, the trio combined for nearly $56 million in tournament earnings.
