Life is a Gamble

My guest today is Andrew Wimhurst, author of the new book, "Thieving Bastards True Confessions of the World’s Greatest Cheats." Show Notes[00:00] Introduction of Andrew Wimhurst, author of Thieving Bastards: True Confessions of the World’s Greatest Cheats[00:57] Thirty years of book planning, interviews, and similar books[07:32] Transcribing and editing interviews[11:42] Changes in the cheating landscape[13:33] Cheating in poker, the NBA poker scandal, and the x-ray table[17:44] Andrew’s ideas sequels or future books about cheating [19:38] The card mechanic “Bobby Machines”[23:48] Cheats who get out of the lifestyle [28:46] Road hustlers from the 1940s to 1970s[33:55] Running Razzle at a casino in Cuba[38:47] Financial reporting laws and the digital trail for modern cheats[40:17] Cheaters problems with discipline and greed[41:42] Andrew’s background in magic, card mechanics, and dice moves[45:53] Andrew’s contact infoAndrew's Links;thecolddeckcompany.cominstagram.com/thecolddeckcompanyBooks Referenced;Thieving Bastards: by Andrew Wimhurst - https://amzn.to/4dS2s8xGambling Wizards by Richard Munchkin - https://amzn.to/4tLX7nBRoad Hustler by Robert C. Prus - out of printGambling Scams by Darwin Ortiz - https://amzn.to/4cchtkkHavana Nocturne by T.J. English - https://amzn.to/4cfsy2w

Buzz Marconi moved to Las Vegas in the 1960s, and somehow transformed from an Italian kid from the south side of Chicago into Cowboy Buzz. It's a wild story. Check it out.Show Notes[00:00] Introduction on of Cowboy Buzz[02:07] Moving to Las Vegas, working at The Stardust[20:53] Brilliant mob casino strategies[23;10] Tony Spilotro and Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal[27:19] Becoming a shift boss Foxy's Firehouse[29:28] Did certain dealers cheat players?[31:06] A wild craps swing on credit and Milton Jaffe[35:20] Milton Jaffe magic trick[37:06] Opening a restaurant in Las Vegas[41:09] Stories about dealers, cheating, and work ethic[46:59] Cowboy Buzz's juice is revealed[48:51] Naked women tanning at The Tropicana pool[55:53] Becoming "Cowboy Buzz"[1:02:07] Playing rugby age 73[1:04:51] Meeting Max Rubin[1:09:05] The first Blackjack Ball[1:10:30] Being a clown diver at Caesars Palace

Mac King has been performing his comedy magic in Las Vegas for 25 years. His show is hilarious, and thoroughly entertaining.[00:00] Introduction of magician Mac King[00:50] What’s the first magic trick that Mac remembers?[04:39] When did Mac start doing magic?[06:06] Mac’s paid performance[08:19] Mac’s career plans after high school[12:36] Working with Lance Burton[14:47] “It’s Magic” in Los Angeles[16:38] Life after college, comedy clubs[18:51] Intersection of gambling, magic, and card cheating[21:06] Mac King’s Excalibur show[22:58] Performing with a bloody thumb[34:06] Houdini's naked rope escape[37:47] Future plans and why Mac still loves performing[39:58] Life outside of magic

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

Nicholas Forte is the corporate pastry chef for Tao Group - west coast. What drew me to Nick's story is that straight out of pastry school he went to the only 3-Michelin-star restaurant in the state of Nevada, and said, "I want to work here." He got the job at Joel Robuchon. You can see examples of Nick's work on his Instagram account. https://www.instagram.com/fortenj/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.

My guest this week is Joseph Merhi. Joseph moved to Florida from a small town in Syria when he was 18 years old. He spoke no English, but through grit and perseverance he went on to produce over 100 movies. This is part 1 of 2.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.

My guest this week is Ed Miller. Ed is on to talk about his new book, "Interception" which he co-authored with Matt Davidow.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.Podcast - https://www.spreaker.com/user/7418966/edmillerepisode10Books by Ed Miller & Matt DavidowThe Logic of Sports Betting https://amzn.to/3QlG3EcInterception https://amzn.to/46Abjoz

Bob Dancer is the world's best known authority on Video Poker, having written many books, and countless articles on the subject. He of course was my cohost and founder of Gambling With an Edge for 12 years. But in this episode we are going back to when he was trying to be a professional backgammon player in the 1970s in Los Angeles, where cheating was a very real danger. 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.Linkshttp://bobdancer.comhttp://gamblingwithanedge.com

This is a brief episode with our favorite gambling attorney Bob Nersesian. Bob is on with breaking news for professional gamblers regarding the trespass statute in Nevada.

Blair Hull was known as the first "BP" or "Big Player". Ken Uston wrote a book called, "The Big Player" after he replaced Blair in that role. Taking what he learned from counting cards Blair moved to a much bigger casino with higher stakes, the options exchange.We discuss three big gambles in Blair's life. In 1987 the markets were all crashing, and Blair walked onto the exchange floor saying to himself that his job was to make a price on both buy or sell. There were only people wanting to sell, and like it or not he had to give them a price, and buy what they were unloading. Second we talk about his decision to run for US Senate, and was beat in the primary by a young organizer named Barak Obama. Last we talk about how Blair came out of retirement when he saw that people were buying options as if they were lottery tickets.You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21 or @lifeisagamblepod on Threads. 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.LinksHull Tactical Asset Allocation http://www.hulltactical.com/Twitter - @blairhull

AP White dropped out of college 3 times before finally graduating, and getting that 6-figure per year job. But once he started working he found he hated the job. He decided to quit, and go on the road as a professional advantage player.You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21 or @lifeisagamblepod on Threads. 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.