
Poker player bets $100k he can last 30 days in pitch black solitary confinement - ganonm
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jan/10/rich-alati-poker-player-bet-dark-room-isolation
======
getpost
Dark retreat is a traditional practice in Tibetan Buddhism and Bön[0]. The
usual guidance is that a dark retreat should be done only when the meditator
has attained stability in the Natural State. Not many Westerners are in this
zone, but seem able to benefit nonetheless [1],[2]. There are mental health
risks[3], as in any other meditation practice. One claim is that sustained
darkness stimulates the production of endogenous DMT.[4]

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_retreat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_retreat)

[1] 3-week Darkness Retreat in Guatemala.
[https://imcb.dharmaseed.org/teacher/424/talk/51886/](https://imcb.dharmaseed.org/teacher/424/talk/51886/)

[2] Dawning of Clear Light: A Western Approach to Tibetan Dark Retreat
Meditation (2003) [https://www.amazon.com/Dawning-Clear-Light-Approach-
Meditati...](https://www.amazon.com/Dawning-Clear-Light-Approach-
Meditation/dp/1571743758/)

[3] [https://www.mindful.org/willoughby-britton-the-messy-
truth-a...](https://www.mindful.org/willoughby-britton-the-messy-truth-about-
mindfulness/)

[4] [https://www.universal-
tao.com/dark_room/enlightenment.html](https://www.universal-
tao.com/dark_room/enlightenment.html)

~~~
smileypete
Reminds me of this recent post to HN, about the unexpected risks of long term
meditation.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18792327](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18792327)

~~~
ptah
traditionally, there are separate practices for laymen/householders and
monks/ascetics. it looks like translating to modern western society is losing
the distinction and is causing problems

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SpikeDad
Reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode in a gentlemen's club where a member
bets one annoying member can't go a year without speaking.

Guess I won't spoiler it but the guy has to make a pretty big decision in
order to complete the bet - here -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silence_(The_Twilight_Zone...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silence_\(The_Twilight_Zone\))

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joezydeco
Gamblers do all kinds of wacky bets like this. If you are into these kinds of
stories, get "The Man With the $100,000 Breasts: And Other Gambling Stories"
by Michael Konick

[https://www.amazon.com/Man-100-000-Breasts-
Gambling/dp/07679...](https://www.amazon.com/Man-100-000-Breasts-
Gambling/dp/0767904451/)

Here's a short article about Brian Zembic and his $100,000 breasts as
mentioned in the title:

[https://www.maxim.com/entertainment/man-100000-breasts-
and-o...](https://www.maxim.com/entertainment/man-100000-breasts-and-other-
bets-gone-wild-2015-11)

Brian also performed a bet where he tried to stay locked in a bathroom for 30
days to win $14,000.

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netcan
If I were to guess, my guess would be that preparation could make a big
difference. Experience being alone. Experience with darkness/blindness. Good
meditation "shape."

I'd take this bet.

~~~
FlyMoreRockets
For a $100k paycheck, I'd very quickly find a 30 day opening in my schedule. A
month long retreat sounds pretty nice, actually. Preparation is definitely key
to this challenge, though. You also weigh the possibility of damage to your
psyche with this challenge, and there is a high likelihood of permanent
changes to your personality. Then again, the sudden acquisition of $100k could
also do damage/change.

~~~
jjeaff
I would take that bet in almost all cases. The only people I would consider
even remotely able to accomplish 30 days in solitary darkness would be someone
who has thoroughly prepared and practiced for decades.

~~~
FlyMoreRockets
How much can you actually cover? I've done solitary stretches over 30 days
more than once and while I don't like confinement, it's tolerable. That much
darkness is a big unknown, but I've always rather enjoyed the darkness.
Perhaps the stint as an astronomer sufficiently prepared me for this
challenge.

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m_developer
I once went on a tour through a lava tunnel in Iceland. Part of the tour was
where the guide dimmed all the lights. The feeling of total darkness was quite
strange. The guide said that if we would stay in this darkness for a month our
eye muscles would atrophy and we would become blind.

I would expect Alati to at least feel a little physical effect from his stay
in darkness.

~~~
dajohnson89
Muscles atrophy but not that quickly?

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joeblau
This reminds me of the Peter Tripp stunt where he stayed awake for 8 days
straight[1]. It sounds like a great idea but you never know what the side
effects will be. I was in a sensory deprivation tank for an hour and I started
seeing crazy things.

[1] -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Tripp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Tripp)

~~~
chupasaurus
No, it doesn't, because it would deal irreversible damage for adults after 6
days of sleep deprivation.

~~~
seibelj
One time I went through an extremely stressful period and didn’t sleep more
than an hour a night for 7 days until a doctor had mercy and gave me
lorazepam. My muscles and joints started to degrade

~~~
chupasaurus
My record was 242 hours without sleep when I was 12, me and my best friend
challenged who could last longer, ended up in a draw. Last 3 days were in slow
zombie mod, I couldn't walk more than 20 meters without taking a break.

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creaghpatr
That was a really interesting story. At first I thought it would be tampering
to have a voice come through a loudspeaker after 2 weeks of silent darkness
with an offer cave, but I'm glad they resolved the bet without anyone getting
hurt (you should read the article I don't want to spoil the end).

I'd watch the documentary they will make too.

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nnd
If someone wants to experience something similar, sensory deprivation tanks
could be an interesting option. I'd argue that the lack of tactile deprivation
in the experiment made a huge difference.

~~~
anotheryou
I only did the floating tank thing once and have to say: lack of distractions
and ensured lack of disturbance is nice, but it doesn't change meditating
much.

(and I actually might prefer distant street noise over salt crystallizing on
your face and condensation running down your face)

edit: and I don't like the dark for it, because I immediately see or imagine
shapes. but they are also just a mere distraction.

------
southphillyman
After reading about solitary confinement I wanted to test myself by staying in
the bathroom in my finished basement for a weekend. I'd have sunlight through
a small window, a toilet, sink, and would have my wife bring me meals 2-3
times a day. I figured this was pretty similar to real solitary confinement
with the main differences being I'd be sleeping on the floor and could leave
at any time. Unfortunately she refused to participate so I never did it, but
I'd like to think I could have easily competed it.

~~~
lgeorget
I think I've already done it as a student in my 9-square-meter room. Haha just
kidding.

The truth is, spending a couple of days without hearing anyone's voice makes
you feel out of place and depressed quite quickly, even though I don't mind
being alone usually.

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grizzles
For me, the craziest prop bet in recent memory was a $2M weight loss bet Ted
Forrest won in ~2010 to go from 188 to 138 lbs in 2 months. It's been almost a
decade so some of the most dramatic pics are hard to find but here's one of
the ones I found: [http://www.flushdraw.net/wp-
content/uploads/2014/09/forrest-...](http://www.flushdraw.net/wp-
content/uploads/2014/09/forrest-282x300.jpg)

------
gringoDan
This is fascinating. As a novice meditator, I lasted three days on a silent
meditation retreat and it was perhaps the most psychologically taxing
experience of my life. I can't imagine the mental strength this guy had and
years of mental preparation necessary in order to make it through.

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vivekd
What fascinates me about stuff like this is how troubling our own inner
thoughts can be when we're left alone with them. In this case Alati talked
about the importance of controlling his thoughts and preventing himself from
spiraling into negativity. It's amazing how our own thoughts can take a toll
on us and drive us insane when we're left alone with them with nothing to
distract us. It makes me wonder how much they affect us in our day to day
interactions.

It almost seems like a sign that something is wrong on a species wide scale
when we need to constantly distract ourselves from our own thoughts to prevent
being driven mad.

~~~
cheez
Could also be an evolutionary way to keep on our toes. "What's around the
corner"

------
karmakaze
I find it hard to imagine going 30 days without tripping bad, at which point
any normal person would say stop. I bet against.

To me it's like giving away 100k and taking bath salts. Reminds me of the
movie "Altered States".

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SilasX
Heh, I've noticed that I seem to be more resistant to the the usual effects of
solitary confinement and wondered if I could exploit that "superpower" to make
money.

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goldenkey
Am I correct in that he wipes his arse in pitch darkness? That would be my
main concern, not getting shit on myself. But I guess he had the bath to take
care of that..

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dsfyu404ed
This reminds me of the water torture myth-busters episode where Adam's ability
to withstand it was only limited by the capacity of his bladder. It's not so
much the confinement or the water that makes you go crazy, it's everything
else.

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coldcode
He might be alive but I imagine he might no longer be sane.

~~~
theqult
Thanks to my highly privileged information source, VSauce :D, I know that you
start to have brain damage after 3 days

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Aaargh20318
Sounds great, unfortunately I can't afford the $100k.

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Ascetik
This sounds like something Dan Blizerian would do.

