“Angola State Penitentiary’s Wild Rodeo: Convict Poker and Guts & Glory”

A rodeo a little out of the ordinary was held this weekend in the USA.

Within the walls of Louisiana’s state penitentiary, known as Angola Penitentiary, inmates compete against professional cowboys once a year.

While thousands of spectators watch, so do the prison guards. On its website, the prison describes the annual event as “The wildest show in the South”.

In addition to classic “rodeo exercises”, such as clinging to a running horse for as long as possible, the event has some unique variations.

As pictured above: “Convict Poker”. There, four inmates sit around a table, while a wild bull is let loose. The person who stays seated the longest around the table wins.

The highlight, according to the organizer himself, comes at the very end. Then the stage is set for “Guts & Glory”.

A poker chip is attached to the “meanest and toughest” bull available. The goal: Get close enough to intercept the chip.

The rodeo was held for the first time in 1965, in what is America’s largest maximum security prison.

Part of the money the spectators pay to see the event goes to a support program for the inmates.

By participating, prisoners can earn money to spend in prison.

Kilder: The Telegraph, Angola Rodeo.