Click to listen - Alt click to download
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - listener emails 2
We have no guest this week. Bob and Richard answer listener emails.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Peter Liston 2
Our guest this week is Peter Liston, author of Million Dollar Slots which I reviewed here. Review. Peter has made his living playing slot machines for the last 22 years. Yes, that's right, he plays slot machines with an advantage.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Ken Adams
The guest this week is Ken Adams. Ken is a prolific writer about the gambling industry. You can read his work at cdcgamingreports.com
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Bob Nersesian #16
The guest this week is Bob Nersesian. Bob is a frequent guest to the show, and always entertaining. Bob is the lawyer who advocates for the players against the casinos, and has successfully sued many Vegas casinos on the behalf of players. His new book is called The Law for Gamblers: A Player's Guide to Legal Survival in the Casino Environment. Today we discuss the Phil Ivey decision in Atlantic City and how this may effect other gamblers.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guests Anthony Curtis & Frank B.
Our guests this week are Anthony Curtis & Frank B. We talk about Caesars new move to start charging for parking, how they fared in this year's NFL contests, and football betting in general.
Click to listen Alt click to download
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest poker pro "Limon"
This week's guest is Limon. He is a Los Angeles based poker pro and one of the hosts of Live at The Bike. You can find that show at liveatthebike.com. This show was a bit unusual in that while we were recording this for Gambling With an Edge, we were broadcasting live to Limon's audience at liveatthebike.com. We did have some calls at the end of the show that were not included, mainly because Limon hung up on most of the callers for inane questions.
Click to listen Alt click to download
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest tax man Russell Fox
Our guest this week is Russell Fox. Russell is a certified tax professional who handles many professional gamblers. We talk about end of the year strategies for saving on your taxes, and analyze the winners of the final table of the WSOP to see how they did after taxes.
click to listen - alt click to download
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Captain Jack
The guest this week is Captain Jack. Captain Jack started as a card counter in 1999, and sooned moved into playing online casinos, and then ultimately to sports betting which is what we cover today. We also discuss DFS, and the possible legalization of sports betting in New Jersey.
click to listen - alt click to download
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Jimmy Jazz 6
The guest this week is Jimmy Jazz. We follow up on our conversation from 3 weeks ago, and talk more about advantage travel, and some of the best credit cards for airline mile churning.
click to listen - alt click to download
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Nick Howard
The guest this week is poker player, teacher, and computer analyst Nick Howard. Nick is one of the poker coaches at Run It Once.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - G2E 2016 and listener emails
No guest this week. Bob and Richard answer listener email questions, and discuss this year's G2E.
click to listen - alt click to download
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Jimmy Jazz 5
The guest this week is Jimmy Jazz. We talk about advantage travel, and some of the best credit cards for airline mile churning.
click to listen - alt click to download
Here are some links that Jimmy mentioned during the show.
www.millionmilesecrets.com
www.pointsguy.com
www.flyertalk.com
www.creditkarma.com
www.autoslash.com
www.onemileatatime.com
onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/value-miles-points/
www.pointsguy.com
www.flyertalk.com
www.creditkarma.com
www.autoslash.com
www.onemileatatime.com
onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/value-miles-points/
In addition Jimmy can be reached at this email. gwae_cc@aol.com
Saturday, October 8, 2016
When Vegas started changing.
I remember when I first noticed it. About 10 years ago my friend Minnie (who has lived in Las Vegas for 40 years) had a meeting at Mandalay Bay. She was running late, and pulled into valet. The valet said, "Are you staying in the hotel?"
She said, "No, just here for a meeting."
"I'm sorry but the valet is full, and we can only take hotel guests."
Minnie said, "I understand" and tried to hand him a $20. "This is for you. I'm late for a meeting."
The valet said, "I'm sorry, I can't park it if you're not staying here."
Minnie's reaction was, "Am I still in Las Vegas?"
Vegas was the town where a $20 handshake got you an upgrade to the presidential suite, or front row to see Frank Sinatra. Eating at a casino was cheaper than buying food and cooking at home. I started to look around and saw that now the buffet wasn't $4.95, it was $49.95. And it all just kept coming:
Resort Fees
Late check out fee
Early check in fee
Pay for the coffee pods in your room
This year - pay for parking
And finally - pay for drinks while you are gambling at the bar.
Benny Binion is rolling in his grave. (Bennie was the first guy to start giving away free drinks to his players.) It has gotten so bad that this was an article recently discretionary comps help casino build loyalty. Think about that. It has gotten so bad that someone thought it noteworthy to report on a casino giving out comps!
Change is inevitable. This all was brought to mind this week when I stopped by The Klondike for their $1.49 bacon and eggs. I thought, yeah, this is what it was like. But at the same time I came out reeking of cigarette smoke. Not everything about the old days was so great.
She said, "No, just here for a meeting."
"I'm sorry but the valet is full, and we can only take hotel guests."
Minnie said, "I understand" and tried to hand him a $20. "This is for you. I'm late for a meeting."
The valet said, "I'm sorry, I can't park it if you're not staying here."
Minnie's reaction was, "Am I still in Las Vegas?"
Vegas was the town where a $20 handshake got you an upgrade to the presidential suite, or front row to see Frank Sinatra. Eating at a casino was cheaper than buying food and cooking at home. I started to look around and saw that now the buffet wasn't $4.95, it was $49.95. And it all just kept coming:
Resort Fees
Late check out fee
Early check in fee
Pay for the coffee pods in your room
This year - pay for parking
And finally - pay for drinks while you are gambling at the bar.
Benny Binion is rolling in his grave. (Bennie was the first guy to start giving away free drinks to his players.) It has gotten so bad that this was an article recently discretionary comps help casino build loyalty. Think about that. It has gotten so bad that someone thought it noteworthy to report on a casino giving out comps!
Change is inevitable. This all was brought to mind this week when I stopped by The Klondike for their $1.49 bacon and eggs. I thought, yeah, this is what it was like. But at the same time I came out reeking of cigarette smoke. Not everything about the old days was so great.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - no guests this week part 2
This week we have no guests. Bob and Richard continue their discussion of how they got started on the road to gambling as professionals.
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - no guests this week part 1
This week we have no guests. Bob and Richard discuss how they got started on the road to gambling as professionals.
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Mike Caro - the "Mad Genius of Poker"
Our guest this week is Mike Caro, also known as "The Mad Genius of Poker." Mike is a poker pro, one of poker's leading theorists, and author of several classic poker books. Here is Mike's author's page.
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Jeffrey Compton
Our guest this week is Jeffrey Compton, the publisher of CDC Gaming Reports. We discuss current gambling in the news, including the Palms switch-over to a Stations property on Oct 1, Ted Forrest's bad check troubles at the Wynn, and the upcoming G2E.
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guests Frank B & Anthony Curtis - Football Season!
The guests this week are Frank B of LVA Sports, and Anthony Curtis of the Las Vegas Advisor. It's football season so we talk football, the new sports book apps available, and the weekly football contests the various casinos are holding.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest poker legend Billy Baxter #2
Our guest this week is 7 time WSOP bracelet winner Billy Baxter. Billy is one of the old-time players kicking around Vegas for 40+ years. We talk poker, sports betting, golf, pool hustling, a little bit of everything.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Terry King
The guest this week is Terry King. Terry came to Las Vegas in 1972, and became one of the first high-stakes women players in poker. She has worked as a professional player, dealer, and card room manager. She won a WSOP bracelet in 1978.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guests David Schwartz & Anthony Curtis
Our guests this week are Professor David Schwartz, and Anthony Curtis. We talk with David about his new book Tales From the Pit. The book contains interviews with about 20 different people that have worked in the casino industry, doing everything from dealing to casino management. Then we talk with Anthony about various things happening around Vegas, as well as some reminiscences about Peter Griffin.
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Friday, August 12, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Don Johnson
The guest this week is Don Johnson. We talk to Don about his massive wins at blackjack, porn stars, horse racing, and Phil Ivey.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - DFS pro Nick Dunham aka 1ucror
The guest this week is DFS pro Nick Dunham, aka 1ucror. Nick is also the CEO or Rotowar, a company that creates tools to help players succeed at Daily Fantasy Sports.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest poker pro Mike Sexton
The guest this week is Mike Sexton. Mike is a longtime poker pro, and the cohost of the World Poker Tour. Mike has a new book out called Life's a Gamble which we discuss, as well as how he lost $500,000,000 at Party Poker.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Bob Nersesian #15
The guest this week is Bob Nersesian. Bob is a frequent guest to the show, and always entertaining. Bob is the lawyer who advocates for the players against the casinos, and has successfully sued many Vegas casinos on the behalf of players. He has a new book coming out called The Law for Gamblers: A Player's Guide to Legal Survival in the Casino Environment.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Mitchell Towner
Our guest this week is Mitchell Towner. Mitch is an assistant professor of finance at the University of Arizona, and a few weeks ago won the WSOP $1,500 buy in Monster Stack No Limit Hold’em tournament for some $1.1 million. He then flew to CA and won a major bridge tournament. Not a bad week.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Anthony Curtis
Our guest this week is Anthony Curtis, publisher of The Las Vegas Advisor, and owner of Huntington Press books. This wee we discuss the changes going on with Gambling With an Edge, and the new website GamblingWithanEdge.com. We also discuss this article on Advantage Players in the NY Times - How Advantage Players Game The System, and this article from Deadspin on sports touts.
How America’s Favorite Sports Betting Expert Turned A Sucker’s Game Into An Industry.
How America’s Favorite Sports Betting Expert Turned A Sucker’s Game Into An Industry.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest blackjack player Romes
Our guest this week is blackjack player, Romes. Romes has been playing blackjack, and carnival games for about 10 years. We talk about some of his team's exploits.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Duncan from The Pogg.com
Our guest this week is Duncan. Duncan runs a website called The Pogg.com which caters to online casino players, and helps players who have disputes with online casinos.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Adam Kucharski
Our guest this week is Adam Kucharski, author of, The Perfect Bet: How Science and Math Are Taking the Luck Out of Gambling. Adam's fascinating book is about how computers and game theory have revolutionized advantage gambling.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guests Jeffrey Compton & Steve Rowland
Our guests this week are Jeffrey Compton, the publisher of CDC Gaming Reports, and Steve Rowland, a writer, and professional poker player from the southern coast of the UK. Here is a link to Steve's article, The Secret Life of a Professional Poker Player: I'm on the Fringes of Society.
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Joseph Kerr #2
The guest on the show this week is Joseph Kerr. Joseph is an advantage player from Florida. He was on our show two year ago talking about "Advantage Cruising" and now he is back on to talk about gaining advantages on travel by credit card churning.
click to listen - alt click to download
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Blair Hull
This week we talk with former blackjack professional turned top trader, Blair Hull. Blair started in blackjack in the 70s, and connected with Al Francesco who invented the "Big Player" concept. He played with Ken Uston on that team, and then moved from blackjack into trading. He founded the Hull Trading Group which he sold to Goldman Sachs in 1999 for over $500 million. His current company is Hull Investments where he continues to trade.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Las Vegas Strip Diaries - Roger Hall
Last year my partner Minnie Madden and I decided to launch a new web series called Las Vegas Strip Diaries. The idea was we would interview interesting people in Las Vegas. Vegas has no shortage of interesting characters, and everyone has a story.
As often happens, life intrudes. We never launched the series, but we did record 4 episodes. This is one of those episodes; an interview with a wonderful musician named Roger Hall. I learned that Roger died last month at the age of 90. Roger was a saxophone player that moved to Las Vegas in 1954. He played with the "swing band" which meant that he played 6 nights a week, each night at a different casino on the strip in order to give the house band at each place a night off. When I interviewed him it was just before his 90th birthday, and he was still playing his saxophone every day. I hope you enjoy.
As often happens, life intrudes. We never launched the series, but we did record 4 episodes. This is one of those episodes; an interview with a wonderful musician named Roger Hall. I learned that Roger died last month at the age of 90. Roger was a saxophone player that moved to Las Vegas in 1954. He played with the "swing band" which meant that he played 6 nights a week, each night at a different casino on the strip in order to give the house band at each place a night off. When I interviewed him it was just before his 90th birthday, and he was still playing his saxophone every day. I hope you enjoy.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guests Matt Kaufman & Rob Stan WSOP 2016
Our guests this week are Matt Kaufman and Rob Stan, two poker professionals that are on to talk about the upcoming world Series of Poker 2016. Matt Kaufman is a mixed game specialist, and a gaming consultant and general manager of a group of affiliate websites. Rob Stan in addition to being a cash game pro, blogs, and coaches through crushlivepoker.com.
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Monday, May 16, 2016
loaning money, and a couple jokes
One of the blogs I skim is that of Paul Harris. Paul is a radio personality, blogger, and serious poker player. He had a brief blog post today entitled Poker Loans. He started the post with this:
"If you lend a poker player $20,000, you will always get your money back.
But if you lend him $20, you'll never see it again."
It got me to thinking about it, and my experience is that it is the guy, not the amount. The same guy who won't pay back the 20k is the one who won't pay back the 20 bucks. And vice versa. Paul concludes with the following joke, which I particularly enjoy since I am a theater person:
A homeless guy walks up to a man on the street and asks if he can spare a few dollars. The man rebuffs him, saying, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be. That's Shakespeare." To which the homeless guy replies, "Oh, yeah? Fuck you! That's David Mamet!"
and that reminded me of one of my favorite gambling jokes.
Bob gets hit up by his friend Jimmy, who says, "Hey, can you help me out. My rent is past due, and I really need some money for food." Before he can respond a third guy walks up and says, "Hey Jimmy, there is a really soft $2-$5 game at my house tonight. The buy in is $1,000." Jimmy says, "I'll be there." Bob says, "What the hell? You just told me your rent is past due and you need money for food." Jimmy says, "Yeah, that's right, but I have money for a game."
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Russell Fox #2
This week we talk with tax professional Russell Fox. Russell is based in Las Vegas and handles many professional gamblers. We discuss things like - how teams handle W2Gs, 1099s, and K1s. We talk about how to be smart about having residences in 2 states, and some tips on an HSA.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest card counter SmallCap
Our guest on the show this week is a very successful card counter we call SmallCap. SmallCap was on our show in June of 2015, and we continue to get comments on how well people liked that episode. He graciously consented to come back. In the past year he has focused more on foreign travel.
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - no guest this week
This week Bob and I discuss how technology has influenced cheating, and a case of a top bicyclist caught with a hidden motor inside the frame of her bike. We also discuss a book, Molly's Game - soon to be a movie, about high stakes poker in Hollywood with some top actors.
click to listen - alt click to download
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Jimmy Jazz 4
The guest on the show this week is Jimmy Jazz. Jimmy talks about lessons learned from his years of play, and tells some amazing stories of his gambling exploits.
click to listen - alt click to download
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest author David Schwartz
Our guest this week is Professor David Schwartz. We talk about his new book Boardwalk Playground, which is a history of Atlantic City.
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Max Coins
Our guest this week is Max Coins. We talk about managing risk, and how to analyze certain gambling situations.
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Dink - Alan Denkenson
Our guest this week is sports bettor Alan Denkenson, aka Dink. Dink was a character in Beth Raymer's book, Lay the Favorite, and was portrayed by Bruce Willis in the movie made from the book. We talk to Dink about his specialty - hockey betting.
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guests Jeffrey Compton & Anthony Curtis
Our guests this week are Jeffrey Compton, the publisher of CDC Gaming Reports, and Anthony Curtis, publisher of The Las Vegas Advisor, and Huntington Press Books. We talk about current events in Las Vegas and other gambling news.
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Charlie Davis #2
Our guest this week is Charlie Davis. Charlie makes his living betting horses, and this week we discuss horse racing contests or tournaments.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Monday, March 14, 2016
The Perfect Bet: How Science and Math Are Taking the Luck Out of Gambling
The Perfect Bet: How Science and Math Are Taking the Luck Out of Gambling by Adam Kucharski could well be titled, a brief history of advantage gambling. More specifically, how computers and game theory have revolutionized advantage gambling.
In the 1500s there was a brilliant guy named Gerolamo Cardano who blew through all his inheritance. He decided he would become a professional gambler. What could go wrong? But he is the first guy we know of to analyze basic probability. He worked out the 36 combinations of two dice, and even worked out how to deal with multiple random events using "Cardano's Formula." He wrote the first book on probability in 1564, Book on Games of Chance, but it wasn't published until 100 years later.
Zoom through the next 500 years, and we get a bit about Fermat, and Pascal, and the beginnings of game theory, and John von Neumann. But this is not a dry history text. Because we quickly get to the computer age, and Ed Thorpe inventing card counting, and then trying to beat roulette. We get the story of Packard and Farmer using hidden roulette computers in the Eudaemonic Pie. We get the story of Bill Benter revolutionizing horse race betting in Hong Kong with computer assisted wagering. The MIT students that crushed the Massachusetts lottery, and much more.
When my kids were growing up I kept telling them, "Math is where the money is." I can't think of a better book to illustrate my point. I give it: 4 aces
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Olaf Vancura
Our guest this week is Olaf Vancura, author of Knock-Out Blackjack The Easiest Card Counting System Ever Devised. The book was recently updated and rereleased with two added chapters.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Bob Nersesian #14
The guest this week is Bob Nersesian. Bob is a frequent guest to the show, and always entertaining. Bob is the lawyer who advocates for the players against the casinos, and has successfully sued many Vegas casinos on the behalf of players. He has a new book coming out called The Law for Gamblers: A Player's Guide to Legal Survival in the Casino Environment
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Bill Ordine
Our guest this week Bill Ordine author of Fantasy Sports Real Money. We speak with Bill about his book, the potential for advantage play, and the future of fantasy sports
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guests Jeffrey Compton & Darryl McEwen
Our guests this week are Jeffrey Compton, the publisher of CDC Gaming Reports, and Darryl McEwen of the Seven Stars Insider. We talk with Jeffrey about current news topics in the gambling world, and we talk to Darryl about changes for 2016 in the Total Rewards program.
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - Blackjack Ball 2016
This week we discuss the Blackjack Ball 2016. Every year Max Rubin holds a party for the best, and biggest blackjack players, and some of the most successful gamblers in other gambling endeavors as well. Our guests this week are Max Rubin, the host of the ball, Bill Benter, this years inductee into the Blackjack Hall of Fame, and Lee Jenson, the winner of this year's skills competition.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guests Frank B & Mike Shackleford - Super Bowl 2016 edition
The guests this week are Mike Shackleford of wizardofodds.com, and Frank B of LVA Sports. We talk about Super Bowl prop bets, and current gambling news.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - Guest Joe Navarro
Our guest this week is Joe Navarro, author of Read 'Em and Reap, 200 Poker Tells, and several other books on reading body language. For 25 years, Joe Navarro worked as an FBI special agent in the area of counterintelligence and behavioral assessment. Today he is one of the world's leading experts on nonverbal communications and lectures and consults with major corporations worldwide. He is an adjunct professor at Saint Leo University and frequently lectures at the Harvard Business School.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - Guest Barry Meadow
Our guest this week is Barry Meadow, author of Money Secrets at the Racetrack, which we discuss today. This is not a handicapping book, but more about the thinking behind deciding which horse to bet, and how much.
Click to listen - Alt click to download
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest blackjack player Steve Waugh
Our guest this week is blackjack player Steve Waugh. We talk to Steve about how he went from engineer to professional blackjack player, and discuss some of the crazy things that have happened to him in casinos. Think that card counters can't be barred in Atlantic City? Don't throw your water bottle in the trash too hard.
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Gambling With an Edge - guest Jeffrey Compton publisher of CDC Gaming Reports
Our guest this week is Jeffrey Compton, the publisher of CDC Gaming Reports. We discuss the takeover of the Review Journal by Sheldon Adelson, and Jeffrey's new book which looks at how slot clubs work, and how they have changed over the last 20 years.
Click to listen. Alt click to download
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)