Gambling With an Edge

This is an episode that originally aired in 2013. It has been reedited. They were Christians. They counted cards. And they took millions from casinos. Colin Jones co-founded the Church Team — the blackjack team featured in the documentary Holy Rollers — and went on to found BlackjackApprenticeship.com, where he's trained a generation of card counters. In this episode: the disguises (including Hollywood makeup tricks), how the team tested new players, card-counting training and apps, and what life looked like after the documentary.Show Notes[00:00] Notes on editing[00:45] Playing in disguise[08:38] Introduction of Colin Jones from blackjackapprenticeship.com[09:10] More on playing in disguise, using makeup, accessories, mannerisms, etc[14:14] Blackjack apprenticeship.com content, training, and forum[19:52] Does Colin still play blackjack?[21:20] Can people make a living counting cards?[23:55] Casino 411, a Yelp for card counters[29:53] Developing a Google Glass app[34:01] Blackjack bootcampsLinks:blackjackapprenticeship.comlasvegasadvisor.com/gambling-with-an-edge

Bob is off playing the secret game, so I get together with Max Rubin, and Colin Jones to discuss the 2025 Blackjack Ball.Show Notes[00:00] Introduction of Max Rubin and Colin Jones to discuss The Blackjack Ball[00:45] Colin’s induction into The Blackjack Hall of Fame[01:26] Changes to voting for The Hall of Fame and BJ Traveler discussion[06:55] Costume party and best costume [13:20] Ed Thorp[14:49] UCLA Gambling Studies Program [20:13] Card counting competition[24:49] Quiz and final table games (cutting and sequencing) [36:03] Evolution of The Blackjack Ball[40:23] Other highlights from this year’s Blackjack Ball Links:Interview with BJ Traveller https://youtu.be/mnQmlrxApcEUCLA Gambling Studies Program https://uclagamblingprogram.org

Our guest this week is Anthony Curtis. We discuss the upcoming football contests, the big Vegas downturn, and upcoming books.Show Notes[00:00] Introduction of Anthony Curtis, owner of The Las Vegas Advisor and Huntington Press[01:12] NCAAF and NFL football contests[04:04] Grandissimo[06:03] Did tax law changes affect participations in football contests?[08:15] Contest pricing and strategies for additional entries[10:51] The value of football knowledge versus contest theory[13:27] Huntington Press’ upcoming books on sports betting, slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and another book by James Grosjean[19:57] Las Vegas tourism, waived resort fees, and other deals.[27:33] Struggles Foubtainebleau, Resorts World, and The Downtown Grand

Our guest this week is tax expert Russell Fox. We talk about the terrible new taxes on gamblers in the big beautiful bill. What's a gambler to do? Is Richard going to retire.... again?[00:00] Introduction of gambling tax expert Russell Fox [00:48] How does the tax bill affect gamblers?[02:25] Session method logging[03:56] Sports betting logs and session definition[09:14] Advantage slot play and session definition[13:08] Will this law be overturned?[17:08] 1099 changes, W2G backup withholding[20:16] CTRs[20:51] 90% maximum deduction of losses and business expenses[23:06] Long term impact on high limit rooms, DraftKings, FanDuel, and offshore books[28:02] U.S. citizens, permanent residents, non-resident aliens, withholding[30:46] Worldwide income, renouncing U.S. citizenship, and exit tax[34:17] Favorable comfortable structures, tax advantages of C-corp[34:55] IRS job cuts and audit probability[38:29] Recreational gamblers and W2Gs[40:33] Will this tax law increase tax fraud?[41:18] Contacting Russell FoxLinks:Claytontax.comTaxabletalk.com

My guest on this episode is Nigel Eccles, co-founder of Fan Duel.[00:00] Introduction of Nigel Eccles, co-founder of FanDuel[00:48] Nigel’s background and first company [02:04] Nigel’s educational background and interest in gambling, selling variance[06:59] Joining Flutter and prediction markets, exchange models[10:04] Founding FanDuel, fantasy sports, sports betting[14:31] Sports betting in Nevada, over-regulation and limited innovation[18:47] Leaving FanDuel[20:08] Vertical businesses, pandemic spike and whipsaw[20:59] Bettor are getting dumber, banning winners, and the popularity of parlays[24:20] Sharps, betting patterns, cat and mouse games, and taking sharp action[27:24] BetHog online crypto casino, innovation, and payment processing fees[31:42] Managing crypto volatility[33:17] The future of online gaming and crypto [36:10] Final thoughtsX.com/nigelecclesBethog.comBetdex.comFanDuel.com