Gambling With an Edge

Our guest today is Jake Jacobs, on to talk about his new book, "Have Bets Will Travel." The book is an autobiography focused on his 40+ years as a professional gambler.Show Notes[00:00] Introduction of Jake Jacobs, author of Have Bets, Will Travel[00:53] How did Jake start gambling? [05:02] Writing about gambling adjacent experiences[07:56] Deciding on the title of Have Bets, Will Travel [09:29] Jake's gambling post-1992 and horseracing stories[14:02] Legally using computers in Atlantic City [17:53] Playing a blackjack memory game with Bill Benter[31:05] Taking a lie detector tie after theft allegations [38:52] Tropicana boss asks Jake if he is a card counter[42:55] Wearing disguises[44:09] A Korean bar girl goes to the wrong room [47:05] Favorite restaurant in Las Vegas that is not in a casino?Links: Get the book - https://amzn.to/4otrFct http://Lasvegasadvisor.com/gambling-with-an-edge http://Lotusofsiamlv.com

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

Bob and I sit down at the end of 2024, and talk about what we have been doing gambling wise for the last year. Both of us seem to be working harder than ever.[00:00] Introduction[00:42] Is Richard still retired?[05:19] The U.S. sports betting market[07:52] Betting partnership dynamics[10:39] Successful bettors making fundamental gambling mistakes[12:33] Bob’s sports betting[17:58] Bob’s slot experience[26:58] Slot hustling, getting information, solving games[34:52] How many hours a day is Bob working?[38:08] Beatable slots, obsolete information, and new skins[39:12] Recommended: Erle Stanley Gardner’s Spill The Jackpot, David Baldacci books, Daniel Silva books

Bob and I are back after a long hiatus to talk about this years blackjack ball. We are joined by John Chang, former head of the MIT team, Max Rubin, the host and creator of the blackjack ball, and Rick "Night Train" Blaine who was this year's inductee into the blackjack hall of fame.

Lauri Thompson came to Las Vegas as a dancer in 1980. She went from Las Vegas strip entertainer to a top entertainment attorney, with a stop along the way as Susie Spirit on the original GLOW - Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.Here is the clip of Lauri getting her arm dislocated in an episode of GLOW.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDxYpEKotyU