Story time from the book:

So there is a topic going around the gambling world right now that has people pretty fired up...

Big bets...are they a story or not? Should reporters report them? Do people care?

No matter what side of the counter you sit on, gambling stories are...

like fishing stories...

Most are rooted in fact, some are complete bullshit, but, in all likelihood, the best stories are embellished and have some flavor and context added.

Like a gourmet dish, a little dash of this, a sprinkle of that, and voila, you go from a nasty ass...

piece of fish to a delightful piece of healthy salmon (keep in mind, I’m limiting my red meat intake right now otherwise it would have been a steak reference)

Anyways, these stories and bets have been around since the mobs were betting on Maximus back in the empire days...

One of my favorite lines from the movie “Gladiator” is when Maximus looks up and says “Are you not entertained?”

He didn’t give a shit if you were or you weren’t. He was doing what he had to do to survive.

I’m not saying my guys reporting these stories are on that level, but..

a reporter reports...that’s what they do...it’s up to you to pick what you want to consume..

If you don’t like it, don’t read it. If you do, that’s fine too. At least you have a choice.

The people who work in the book don’t have that choice. Just like bartenders serving up...

cocktails, the book employees hear it all. When I first started as a ticket writer, I begged the book manager to supply us with boxes of Kleenex for all the crying that went on...

Everybody wants to tell you about their bets, and they loved telling the bad beat stories...

the most...hell, the SVP segment with Stanford Steve on Sportscenter is outstanding every week...

I’ve been listening to these stories for years, and I write about them here...I know from the thousands of views I get and the feedback that I receive, people want to know...

In no way am I trying to influence anyone’s bets or what you think...

I just like telling stories...

The people I have met, the things that I have seen, and the interaction with people from all walks of life is entertaining...

I’ve been lucky to be around some of the most...

charismatic people in the world, and I love listening...

Some of the best life education I ever got came from old school bookmakers and bettors...

One of them said to me once “Opinions are like assholes...everyone has one and they all stink.”

Not exactly Mark Twain, but true..

nonetheless...

We all want to be right, and we all love to tell people when we are...

As the Consig, I love listening to the stories..recently, I was trading some back and forth with an old school BM (that’s code for a bookmaker, can’t get used to the trader term, sorry) when..

he hit me with this...

“A few years ago, my youngest daughter was turning 21, and my dad footed the bill to take our whole family to the resort, 15 of us total.

While we are living the high life, lounging in the cabana by the pool, my daughter tells me her boyfriend made...

some sports bets. She wants to know what I think of them.

She tells me the plays.

I looked right at her. I tell her ‘plays like that are why grandpa can afford for the whole family to be at the resort.”

Walk off...

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk