How did Bill Thompson turn $100 into $6,000 betting on Justin Gaethje?

Bill Thompson told Joe Rogan he does not gamble, but in Las Vegas he turned about $100 into roughly $1,000 at a three-card poker table. He and a friend, Tyler from Archery Country, each put $500 on Justin Gaethje as the underdog against Paddy Pimblett, and Thompson's share grew to about $1,500. He then put it all on Gaethje again for the White House fight against Ilia Topuria, where Gaethje was again the underdog, and ended with about $6,000. Thompson says he spent it on flooring for his house and will never do it again.

• Thompson watched the White House card alone at his father's North Dakota cabin, which he bought back and rebuilt.
• Rogan says he backed Gaethje's chances because of his durability and his long wars with Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway.
• Thompson values his time at about $100 an hour, which he says makes gambling feel like throwing hours away.

▸In their words

“I turned from $100 into like $6,000.” Bill Thompson · at 2:08:13 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Joe Rogan Experience (2026-10-21). Read the whole episode summary →

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