Today I speak with Norm Beck, a professional bridge player, magician, and friend about a bet he won, that turned out to be a big loser.

Show Notes

[00:00] Introduction of Norm Beck, bridge player and magician
[00:37]  Norm’s biggest gamble
[06:40]  Clever pre-surgery research strategy
[13:07]  Hiring another doctor to translate information to family
[14:49]  Getting into the gambling business
[20:30]  Booking action on random events
[23:28]  A billion dollar bet
[31:23]  $500k bet on changing a tire 
[33:45]  “Win Your Line of Credit” blackjack tournament
[41:21]  How to contact the show

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

Jon Rogers was an old-school bookie.  He started booking baseball with his classmates in 6th grade, graduated to parlay cards in high school, and went pro after high school.  He lived, and booked through a seismic change in the bookmaking industry.  He went from the old days of taking bets over the phone, writing on slips of paper, to moving offshore, and the rise of internet betting.

Show Notes


[00:00]  Introduction of bookmaker Jon Rogers of Carib Sports
[00:59]  Jon’s childhood and early gambling experiences
[03:52]  Booking parlays in high school and lottery numbers
[08:46]  State lotteries broadcast drawings
[11:11]  Kickbacks and paying for protection
[13:06]  Super Bowl 1990 FBI raid
[16:52]  Charges, recordings, taxes, and going to Vegas
[21:37]  Antigua tax laws, bookmaking on paper, then with software
[29:28]  1990 case ends
[32:32]  Continuing operations in Antigua, accepting credit cards, betting volume, and margins.
[35:02]  2003 raid, The Patriot Act
[46:42]  The SAFE Port Act and closing down
[48:44]  Life after bookmaking, settling the case, and living happily ever after

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

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 thoughts

X.com/nigeleccles
Bethog.com
Betdex.com
FanDuel.com

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 [email protected], 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

Billy Baxter is a legend in the gambling world. Today we focus on his time as a boxing manager, and some very high stakes golf games.

You can reach me at [email protected], 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.

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 [email protected], 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. In part 1 we covered Joseph moving 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 2 of 2, in which we cover Joseph's move from Las Vegas to LA, and his pursuit of the movie business.

You can reach me at [email protected], 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 [email protected], 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.