Episode 105

Richard Munchkin [00:00:00]:

Every casino came up with their own version of this, and, you know, they just had no idea what they were doing.

Andrew Pace [00:00:09]:

I have to say, like, the example that you just gave, it it's really stupid.

Welcome [00:00:14]:

You're listening to Behind the Lines, a podcast presented by inplayLIVE and powered by Pinnacle, the number one sports book where winners play and never get limited. Go to pinnacle.com/inplaylive to sign up and get in the game.

Shane Mercer [00:00:44]:

Welcome in. It's behind the lines powered by Pinnacle, purifying the sports betting industry. I'm Shane. He's Pace. And coming up in just a few moments, the gambling wizard, Richard Munchkin, joins us in just a moment. But before we get to him, Pace, what a madness weekend it was. Well, since we last talked, we were talking about everything to come with the NCAA March Madness tournament. You gave out a ton of great advice on how to bet the tournament.

Shane Mercer [00:01:12]:

How did the last, how did the weekend go for you? The Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday run?

Andrew Pace [00:01:18]:

Well, I think anyone that's been oh, a lot of our viewers are obviously members of inplayLIVE. We had, we had ups and downs. I think the advice that we went through on this podcast, I don't I don't know if there's anything that was more peering into the future than talking about Clemson when they're down and the opportunity that exists and Michigan in the clutch. Like, I don't know if anything has ever come more true than the words that I said about those two teams.

Shane Mercer [00:01:42]:

That was some real crystal ball shit going on right there. Yeah.

Andrew Pace [00:01:44]:

That was crazy. Yeah. We had a tremendous week. I think we're up 10 units heading into Sunday, and then, Sunday, our our tracker took a nasty hit. We lost three units. It was one of those days that separately of March, it it really didn't matter all that much. There was, you know, bad puck luck. We you know, Tampa scoring a goal and one second left that that lost a wager for us.

Andrew Pace [00:02:07]:

And that that was a metaphor of the day itself. Tremendous week. March madness has been incredible. Just, just a couple, bad bounces on, on Sunday.

Shane Mercer [00:02:17]:

I I had a fantastic Thursday. Friday, awesome days. Saturday, a little bit tougher, still turned to positive ROI, and Sunday was was a negative ROI day, for me. You know, is there anything that you're seeing in terms of perhaps trends or or, you know, things that maybe aren't playing out the way we thought it would or or stuff that is holding true? 100%.

Andrew Pace [00:02:41]:

Okay. So, jeez, that's a loaded question. I would say that the the first thing that has been maybe a little bit of a surprise is traditionally speaking with playoff sports across the board, you have very predictable coaching tendencies. So an example of that would be in the NFL, the team that is up the up big, running the football and being respectful to their opponent. In the NBA, the team that is, you know, up 15 late, the game is over. Yeah. The losing team might be pushing a little bit, but they're good teams that know how to shorten the game. And in order to shorten the game in both the two sports I just mentioned in football, you run the ball, you keep that clock running.

Andrew Pace [00:03:33]:

In basketball, you make sure you use the whole shot clock. You still should be moving the ball around to make sure you get a good look at the end of the shot clock. But, man, these blowout games that Thursday was a lot of tight games. These blowout games that started coming in in the day two of the round of 64, they were like practices or scrimmages for a lot of these teams. Thankfully, we saw it and didn't get burned too bad. But my god, in in situations where you might think, like, this is a no brainer under opportunity, the it it really wasn't. These teams were scoring like crazy regardless of the differentials. In fact, the under opportunities seem to come a little bit better in tighter games.

Andrew Pace [00:04:16]:

But in general, unders and call and unders and Friday, Saturday, Sunday didn't fit the bill. We were down on our unders on the week. So we kinda abandoned that a little bit. Now the obvious thing that you could say is just don't bet unders for the rest of the tournament now, but I really don't think that's gonna hold true. I think that as the games do get more competitive, there's gonna be circumstances where it totally makes sense to pull the trigger on some of those still, especially team dependent stuff. You know, some of the stuff that Ryan showed us with the the trapezoid of excellence, you know, isolated a few of those slower playing teams. Not that there's a whole bunch of them left. But I'd say that would be the biggest surprise where I was just kinda looking at it, watching it go in.

Andrew Pace [00:04:57]:

Yeah. Took a lick on a few of them where I'm like, jeez. They're still not really slowing down. They're they're and and if they are, they're still scoring pretty easily. So, yeah, it it felt like a practice out there a lot of times, but, that that would be that would be the surprise on my side.

Shane Mercer [00:05:13]:

Yeah. I I think you're you kinda nailed it there where, we key to to zone in on the team and their tendencies and and what they've the way they've played, the style that they've played over the course of the season and seeing them continue to keep that going. I'm thinking about the Kentucky game from yesterday. You know, that that was a blowout game, and they just kept pushing the pace on both sides, just just kept scoring. And and I'm I'm hoping that we can, bank on that from Kentucky in the next round as well. What adjustments might you make going forward if any?

Andrew Pace [00:05:44]:

The first thing from an adjustment standpoint, specifically relating to this conversation, I I think I already made. And and that was actually just letting some of those games go by when it can be really hard to do as a sports bettor. So we always talk about the difference between the theory of something and then the x the actual execution. So it's like, oh, just pass. There's another game coming in in an hour. There's another game coming in in fifteen minutes, whatever the case may be. You know, we're getting we're into the sweet 16 here. There's there's not a lot of games left, so you can and and they're not coming through at the same volume.

Andrew Pace [00:06:16]:

Certainly not at the same volume as they were in the regular season or in the conference tournament week. So, it can be slow and you you almost feel like, oh oh my god.

Andrew Pace [00:06:24]:

It's it's March. There's definitely an opportunity here. If it's not an under, then it's gotta be an over. Right? So if they don't like the under, we'll take the over. Right? No. It's like the biggest adjustment is just picking your spots. It's, it's it's the most obvious advice ever, but it all comes down to the execution. And it can be really challenging to to pass on games sometimes, and that isn't that isn't specific to March Madness either.

Andrew Pace [00:06:47]:

So, yeah, passing on the ones that you don't have a good read on, passing on the ones where you don't have good good notes on the team based on how they've played in previous games, and, and waiting for the next opportunity where you do have those those things that you need. Yeah.

Shane Mercer [00:07:04]:

As you know, just sort of doing the math in my head here as we record this. It's Monday. We're heading into the suite 16. So that's eight games, elite eight, four games. So, you know, there's 12, then we've got two games and then one game. You know? So we only got, you know, just over a dozen games, 15 games left, 16 games left, something like that. Right? There really isn't that much more madness ahead of us. Maybe it's time to start thinking about the professional court and the NBA and and how we sort of, attack the rest of the NBA season.

Andrew Pace [00:07:37]:

Well, there's a lot going on in the NBA right now that could be up for change, I would say. The way they're the way teams are tanking, is is presents some great betting opportunities. Ensure some of these teams have won. That that happens. Players wanna win games.

Shane Mercer [00:07:52]:

Yeah. The Raptors winning way too many games.

Andrew Pace [00:07:54]:

Yeah. There you go. Right? They're a team that doesn't seem to care too much. But, like, the the motivational angle of the 70 sixers losing just makes so much sense right now, and, they have been. You know, they'll they'll probably win a couple games, but they have been. So, you know, there's some opportunities that show that show face based on, you know, certain circumstances. Like, maybe the Sixers wanna prove to themselves that they can win a game and and, you know, they get out there and they they get up quite a bit, and then you see whomever they're playing start storming back on them and can get some great opportunities. But, separately of that, as we head into the NBA playoffs, We're in a situation with that league where when you look at the teams that are in a play in game, there are some that may accept that, but no one truly wants it.

Andrew Pace [00:08:43]:

That's number one. Number two is the teams that are below the play in and slightly above the play in, they could be in a situation where they either find themselves getting into a play in game or falling into a play in game. So games like that where I guess there's a little bit of a playoff sort of aura or intensity surrounding them, there there can be some great ways to to profit from, because typically speaking, in those spots, we're gonna see high defensive intensity that you don't necessarily see a lot in the regular season. Maybe you see it towards the end of the fourth quarters. But in a lot of these games, it's like shoot and score, and and there's no there there's really no stopping anyone. Sometimes it can look a little bit like a an all star game or a Harlem Globe Trotters game out there watching the NBA these days. So, I try to look for those games as much as I possibly can because that's a really good segue into the playoffs themselves. Because, the playoffs, there's no motivational discrepancies.

Andrew Pace [00:09:44]:

Everyone everyone's there to win, and everyone's playing to win. So, yeah, definitely, definitely looking forward to the latter you know, the tail end of the season and, obviously, end of the playoffs should be good.

Shane Mercer [00:09:53]:

Yeah. Me me too. It's a wonderful time of year last year, and I'm looking forward to to hitting that, hitting that good this year. Alright. Before we bring in our guest, just, for all of you out there listening, I know, we brought up, the inplayLIVE bracket challenge last week. We entered in a a promo bracket. We will take a look and see how that bracket is doing at the end of the show.

Andrew Pace [00:10:14]:

How is it doing? Okay. We'll wait. We'll wait. I had no idea.

Shane Mercer [00:10:16]:

I don't know either. We're gonna get ready to take a look together at the end of the show. We'll have a look, see where it's at, who's doing what, who in the inplayLIVE community is looking, really good and and perhaps who isn't. And, a a little, refresher on, the pinnacle contest as well and how the behind the lines promo bracket fits into it. Alright. But we'll we'll bring that up at the end of the show. For now, let's bring in our guest.

Shane Mercer [00:10:44]:

Richard Munchkin is a professional gambler and is the author of Gambling Wizards, Conversations with the world's greatest gamblers. He has also worked in Hollywood as a writer, producer, director. Richard, thanks for joining us. How are you?

Richard Munchkin [00:11:00]:

Good. Good. I'm I'm I'm well. Thanks.

Shane Mercer [00:11:02]:

Well, thanks so much for coming on the show. Really excited to have you. I gotta ask you off the top here after I just did that intro. What's a bigger risk? Taking on Hollywood or taking on Vegas?

Richard Munchkin [00:11:13]:

Oh, Hollywood for sure.

Richard Munchkin [00:11:16]:

I mean, you know, in in professional gambling, you are in control of your future. You work as much as you wanna work or as little and, you know, it's all on you. Whereas in Hollywood, you're at the mercy of gatekeepers that allow you to work or don't. So or you could raise money and make your own films, and and that is a much bigger risk than than, any gambling I've done.

Shane Mercer [00:11:47]:

Well, that's actually kind of what you set out to do from what I understand. As you when you were much, much younger, you tried to go to Vegas, create a stack of cash that you would then use to to make movies. Am I right?

Richard Munchkin [00:11:59]:

Yep. Well yeah. Originally, the idea was for me to be in movies. Right. I trained as an actor, and that was the plan. And I realized, once I got there that acting in film and television was very different than theater, which was my background, and did not wanna do it anymore and fortunately was able to transition over into directing and writing and producing.

Shane Mercer [00:12:25]:

Right. And then how long did you do that for before you sort of returned, to the gambling world?

Richard Munchkin [00:12:31]:

About about ten or fifteen years.

Shane Mercer [00:12:35]:

Wow. It's a good run.

Richard Munchkin [00:12:37]:

Yeah. Yeah. It was.

Shane Mercer [00:12:39]:

Okay. Let let's talk about the the gambling side of things, though. I know, it's like from poker to backgammon to blackjack, you know, and and many more table games, in between. You know, you've played probably just about any every game imaginable for money. Where where have you found your biggest edges?

Richard Munchkin [00:13:00]:

There are some games that, I'm I'm trying to think about what I can talk about and what I can't. Sure.

Richard Munchkin [00:13:07]:

Because the the biggest edges are things that people don't know about. Which is why the edges are so huge.

Shane Mercer [00:13:14]:

Yeah. Makes sense.

Richard Munchkin [00:13:16]:

But

Richard Munchkin [00:13:19]:

Yeah. I think I'd have to leave it at that.

Shane Mercer [00:13:21]:

What what are maybe some of the biggest ones that you can talk about?

Andrew Pace [00:13:27]:

Rich, we want we want, like, an old school baccarat gamblers card edging story here. Like, we want something that's that's come and gone. Yeah. We we want something that, you know, can give us a taste of of what some of your past maybe look like, you know, where you crushed a casino or or something similar.

Richard Munchkin [00:13:44]:

Well, you know, the thing is that, the idea of come and gone is everything old is new again. And, you know, the the thing that Phil Ivey did, you know, that's a hundred years old. That's, you know, you know, basically, we had stopped doing it before he started doing it.

Andrew Pace [00:14:05]:

Makes sense.

Richard Munchkin [00:14:06]:

And, you know, but that was something with a with a very huge edge. You know, the the biggest edges are usually in a spot where the casino has made a big mistake, where they think, that they've done something smart and they didn't really understand what they're doing. So just for example, you know, there was an I can talk about this because there was an article about it in the New York Times Magazine. You know, Oklahoma, when they opened, was not able to deal craps using dice. So they all came up with these We used them. Methods of of cards. Right? So they would, just in one of the most egregious examples that, you know, almost anybody can understand, and everybody was doing it differently. Right? So in one particular place, they had a single deck that was, just ace through six, and they had, I believe, eight copies of each.

Richard Munchkin [00:15:21]:

So 48 cards. Right? So they would shuffle the deck, and then they would turn over the cards. Two cards. And that was your role. Right? Six one.

Shane Mercer [00:15:32]:

Okay.

Richard Munchkin [00:15:33]:

Right? Winner seven. Okay? And then they would put those cards aside and deal the next two cards.

Andrew Pace [00:15:41]:

Hold on. I get where you're going with they put those cards aside and then deal the next two cards, but isn't the probability of those cards be is the probability of those cards being flipped the same as rolling, like, a seven? Is the seven the same one?

Richard Munchkin [00:15:55]:

No. They're not. They're not. And and and they are dealing farther into the deck. So, let's say the next card next hand is six six, and they put those cards aside. There are now three sixes gone from that deck, right? Right. So, the chances of rolling a 12 or an 11 are greatly reduced.

Andrew Pace [00:16:20]:

Pummeled down, yeah.

Richard Munchkin [00:16:22]:

Yeah. So, anyway, that's just one example. But as I say, every casino came up with their own version of this, and, you know, they just had no idea what they were doing.

Andrew Pace [00:16:35]:

I have to say, like, the example that you just gave, it it's really stupid.

Richard Munchkin [00:16:40]:

Yes. Yes. Because so the thing is, people who work in casinos really do not understand the games. They do not- What? I'm telling you, like, I was a dealer before I became a player, right? When I first got to Las Vegas, I didn't have a bankroll, and I wanted to be a card counter, and I thought, I'll get a job as a blackjack dealer, and that way I can practice counting cards eight hours a day while I'm working. Right? And there were guys the people working in the pits who'd been doing it for thirty years did not have a clue. Like one out of 50 or something. You know when I first started dealing blackjack, I was I was dealing and the boss, this was common, common. Every boss would say this when a player had a blackjack and the dealer had an ace up, and they would ask, should I take insurance? And the bosses would always say, it's the only sure bet in blackjack, Right? You should always insure a blackjack.

Richard Munchkin [00:17:51]:

And, you know, you're giving up like 8% when you take insurance on a blackjack. Yes, you get paid even money, but you shouldn't be getting paid more than that. Right? So I started asking the bosses, like, do you do you think that's right? Like that, mathematically, you make more money by taking insurance on a blackjack? And they all told me, yes. Yes. For sure. One boss said to me, Well, you're probably not, but you should do it anyway. And, and then I had, I found one boss. This was at the Golden Nugget where I broke in.

Richard Munchkin [00:18:29]:

There was one boss who went, Well, let's see. You have one ten. That means there's 15 left in the deck, in a single deck. And, you know, and he literally just did the math in his head and came up with, yeah, it's about, you're giving up about 8%. I was like, oh my God, there's like one guy here who understands math. But, you know, the rest of them just had no clue. They would make fun of a player who, you know, who bet in the field on the crap table, but thought it was fine to bet the hard eight. You know, I mean, they as I say, they just don't have a clue.

Richard Munchkin [00:19:08]:

And now it's even worse because now the bosses are pit clerks. And if you play a carnival game, one of these games like, Ultimate Texas Hold'em or something like that, and you hit some hand like a full house, they have to come over to the table and read the layout to see what the payoffs are supposed to be. So, yeah, as I say, they just they don't understand the games that they're doing.

Andrew Pace [00:19:35]:

You know what's interesting about what you just said? There's like a human psychology experiment where you give someone $500 with a one in 10 probability of it becoming $10,000, or you just give them $9,500, and you have to pick which of the two you're gonna you're gonna take. And, of course, everyone takes the $9,500. But then you take the inverse of the situation where it would be a loss. So you either have stand to potentially lose 10,000 or you just lose 500 and you get to keep 9,500, everyone takes the 9,500 in both circumstances despite the and it's the exact same question just right? Yes. But everyone takes the $9,500 in both circumstances, and they're com they're comfortable with the $500 loss instead of the $9,500 loss in the loss side of it, and they take the $9,500 instead of the more statistically probable outcome Yeah. Of the risk associated with the the 10 x and a 20 x scenario. It's really interesting.

Richard Munchkin [00:20:42]:

So there's a casino consultant, a guy named Bill Zender, and he has been a casino manager. He started as a dealer. He worked for the gaming control, board in Nevada. Sharp guy really understands things. He and so he's a consultant to the casinos. Now the casinos forever have tracked how they are doing by what they call the casino hold. And the hold is not the edge on the game. The hold is for every dollar that went down into the box on the table, how much of that did they keep? Okay? And in the old days, a blackjack game would hold 12 or 13% of the money that people used to buy in.

Richard Munchkin [00:21:30]:

Anyway, so he's consulting, at this place, and he's sitting with the table games manager and the casino manager. And he said to them, would you rather hold 10% of $2,000,000 or 15% of let me think. So 10 per yeah. 15% of wait. What? Well, hold on.

Andrew Pace [00:22:02]:

10% of 2,000,000. We got 200,000 on that side. Yeah. And 15% of

Richard Munchkin [00:22:07]:

15% of $1,000,000.

Shane Mercer [00:22:09]:

Okay. 150,000. Right.

Richard Munchkin [00:22:11]:

Right. And he said and the table games manager said absolutely 15% of $1,000,000. And he goes, don't you understand that that's half a million dollars less in profit? And the table games manager said, oh, I understand that completely, but if I only hold 10%, he is going to be all over my ass. And the senior manager then said, oh, that's right. Right. Like, all they care about is the number, not the profit.

Shane Mercer [00:22:41]:

Not the profit. Right.

Andrew Pace [00:22:42]:

That's like teaching your staff at McDonald's not to upsell the fries and the Coke because there's a higher margin on the hamburger, but the fries and the Coke are like it's like, if you buy the fries and the Coke off the menu, it might cost you $8 independently. Right?

Andrew Pace [00:23:00]:

But you add them onto your drink, it might only cost you $3. And, of course, the reason why the fast food joints upsell you into these products is because they've already hit you for the high margin, and now we just tack on a little extra profit, right, to to to get more dollars through the door. The net profit may have gone down on those particular items, but the the, sorry, the profit percentage may have gone down on those particular items, but the overall profit is still profitable. That's like saying as a sports bettolr. I love this EV on this 15% ROI opportunity that's coming down the pipeline. But because of that, I'm gonna pass on this one that's 6% expected value. Yeah. And it's like, no.

Andrew Pace [00:23:46]:

You want both. Right. Right. They're both profitable. If you have to choose between the two, of course, you're gonna pick the one that has the higher ROI.

Richard Munchkin [00:23:59]:

Depending on how much you're allowed to bet on each one.

Shane Mercer [00:24:01]:

Yeah.

Andrew Pace [00:24:02]:

Well said. Yes. Yes. All all other things constant. Yeah. Anyways, can we go back to that baccarat thing? Like, you just baccarat. I never know how to pronounce it. I don't I don't actually don't think I've ever played a hand of it.

Andrew Pace [00:24:13]:

You said by the time Phil Ivey had done it, we had stopped. So you are saying you were directly involved with, like, card edging in baccarat?

Richard Munchkin [00:24:23]:

Not in baccarat. Other games.

Andrew Pace [00:24:26]:

Okay. So when that happened, was it standard practice for that type of deck to be used at casinos and they just didn't know?

Richard Munchkin [00:24:37]:

Yeah. They had no clue.

Shane Mercer [00:24:38]:

They had no clue.

Shane Mercer [00:24:40]:

Unbelievable. We never we never

Richard Munchkin [00:24:43]:

We never got picked off by a casino. Wow. They never understood, and we never lost.

Andrew Pace [00:24:52]:

Wow. So they couldn't figure out why you're winning. Whereas, like, the Oklahoma thing is like, hey, guys. Like, that's like driving down the wrong side of the road. Like, somethings wrong here.

Richard Munchkin [00:25:03]:

No. In Oklahoma, you know, in that single deck game, eventually, they started dealing less cards out of the deck. And then, eventually, they just changed to a whole different card system, which was also beatable. You know?

Shane Mercer [00:25:20]:

Right.

Andrew Pace [00:25:21]:

So you don't live in Oklahoma, but you traveled for this to be a part of the action?

Richard Munchkin [00:25:28]:

What about Oklahoma? I'm sorry.

Andrew Pace [00:25:30]:

You don't live there, but you traveled there to be a part of the action.

Richard Munchkin [00:25:33]:

I've traveled all over the world.

Shane Mercer [00:25:34]:

Yeah. That's what I was gonna say. You you traveled, like, everywhere to exploit casinos. Right? Like, with this with the sole objective of targeting a not even a casino, but targeting a game at a particular casino. Right?

Andrew Pace [00:25:48]:

Unbelievable.

Richard Munchkin [00:25:51]:

My team and I had an apartment in Korea for three and a half years. We were flying back and forth to Korea constantly playing there, in the eighties. I mean, yeah, I've I've I've played all over.

Shane Mercer [00:26:05]:

How do you learn that that there is a, there is something to exploit?

Richard Munchkin [00:26:15]:

You know? I mean, some of it, one of the best things about gambling is when you're sitting in a room with a bunch of other sharp people, just relaxing and talking about games. And, and, you know, somebody says something about, you know, what if we tried this? Or somebody says, you know, I tried this, but I couldn't get it to work. And suddenly, people are collaborating and and you come up with ideas. And not all of them work, but but when they do, it's like it's like magic sometimes. And and so and just as in sports betting, you know, one of the most important things is your network of people. Right? You know, I I I know nothing about sports and I'm not a quant, so I can't build a model. But I have a large network of people that I've known for decades and, you know, this guy has a way to beat hockey, and this guy has a way to beat tennis, and, you know, so you you you learn from your partners.

Shane Mercer [00:27:29]:

You you weren't betting on sports until until recently, as I mentioned. What got you into betting on sports, and and what are you looking at in the sports world now?

Richard Munchkin [00:27:37]:

You know, I had retired. I've retired, you know, six or eight times. It's easy. And, I've I've played with one particular partner for, like, forty years. And he called me about a year and a half ago, and he was like, hey. You know, we gotta we gotta get into this sports. You know? And this is something I had always avoided just because I was never into sports and I thought that you had to know something about sports to to, to be able to beat it. And, you know, he he said, you know, it's booming and there's a lot of money to be made and we should get into this.

Richard Munchkin [00:28:17]:

And so I I I said okay, and I thought, you know, well, it it'll be fun because I'll be learning something new. And, yeah. So he kinda dragged me into it, and and that's how it all started.

Shane Mercer [00:28:31]:

Right. Okay. So so you had a long time partner. He brought you into it. And and, how are you guys finding it? Is there any sports specifically that you're looking at? Are you looking at everything? What what are you, you know, do you have something that's a favorite that that you just are passionate about?

Richard Munchkin [00:28:46]:

No I'm passionate about whatever has the biggest edge. Love it. But, you know, we are not originators. We are movers. Okay. So we move for other people.

Shane Mercer [00:28:58]:

Gotcha.

Richard Munchkin [00:28:59]:

And, you know, and it it I'll tell you, it's a big change because in sports, you really never know what your edge is. And you can have an edge at something that's good for a season, and then you come back the next season and it's not there anymore.

Shane Mercer [00:29:18]:

Oh, yeah.

Richard Munchkin [00:29:20]:

So yeah. So it's difficult. It's it's a difficult transition to kind of deal with all that stuff. But, I'll tell you what I don't like is, I don't like, you know, people who, they originate something and they send it out to a lot of different people and if you don't bet it within one minute, it's gone. And if you do bet it, you're probably gonna lose your account. So, you know, what I like are, you know, things where you can take your time and get the money and slowly and and, you know, and and try to maintain your accounts and things.

Shane Mercer [00:30:04]:

Yeah. You know, there's there's so much of that out there. Right? These town services, they put out a pick, you know, and and this is really sort of pregame focus. They put out a pick to thousands of subscribers, and it's always at one specific book. You know? It has to be bet at at either FanDuel or DraftKings. Right? And and then, you know, you got a thousand people rushing to that book to go bet a line and either the line is hammered, like, hammered into oblivion by the time you get there. Right? Or, you know, if you do get the good line, chances are you're getting grouped in with a whole bunch of other people, you know, and and like you said, you're gonna get cooked real fast. Yep.

Shane Mercer [00:30:40]:

Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's it's kind of a big, you know, a big issue out there. Okay. I I'd be remiss to not bring up your book in this interview, because you talked, to some, you know, big time sports bettors for for this not just sports bettors, but gamblers. The Gambling Wizard, is is the name of the book. You talked to, Billy Walters, Doyle Brunson, Alan Woods. Talk to us about going through the process of researching and and writing that book.

Richard Munchkin [00:31:08]:

Alan Woods was actually the the person that made me my transition from amateur learning low stakes blackjack player to professional. Okay. So, what happened was, I was I was going I was on a flight to Hong Kong, and I was reading a book, called Market Wizards, and it was interviews with commodities and futures traders. And it's a very famous business book, very well known book, and there was a sequel to it. And I read this book and I'm thinking, man, you know, gamblers are way more interesting than these people are. And, so when I when I got to Hong Kong, I went to, a friend of mine who is one of the most successful gamblers in history and invented use using computerized trading for horse racing. And, his name is Bill Benter. And I went to Bill and I said, hey, would you do an interview? I got an idea to do this book called Gambling Wizards.

Richard Munchkin [00:32:31]:

And, Bill says, I don't want the notoriety, but Alan will do it. Because Bill and Alan had been partners in the horse racing operation, and they had split up. And, and Bill is American and Alan was Australian. And so Bill didn't want the heat. And so he said, Alan will do it. So I called Alan. I was like, hey, will you do this? And he said, oh, yeah. Sure.

Richard Munchkin [00:32:56]:

And so I bought a tape recorder and and started recording him while I was there in Hong Kong. And that's how it started. And and I realized from the beginning that I wanted to cover different areas of professional gambling. So, yeah. So I I knew I wanted sports betting, you know, I so I was able to get Billy Walters, which at that time, Billy Walters did not talk to anybody. And so I was very lucky to get him to agree to do the book. Stan Thompson, I sort of had connections to through bank backgammon. Although with Stan Thompson Thompson, he's one of the founders of Pinnacle.

Richard Munchkin [00:33:42]:

And, we, unfortunately, weren't able to talk about Pinnacle because, you know, he he didn't want the heat, you know, because he lived in The US. And so we were only talking about his betting career and stuff. But, yeah. So anyway, I, most of the people in the book I knew personally, so it was easy to get them, and that's kind of how it came about.

Shane Mercer [00:34:10]:

First, shout out to Dan Thompson and Pinnacle, sponsor of our show. Thanks, you know, thanks for giving us that opportunity. But, you know, what did you learn along the way while you were doing this? Like, what are some of the important lessons or insights you gained from writing the book?

Richard Munchkin [00:34:24]:

As I've mentioned that your your network is everything. And and, you know, the two most important things that you can have as a bettor are a network and a reputation. You know? I I I can't tell you how stupid the people who have stolen money from me would have made so much more money if they had been honest. It's it's it's just crazy. But, you know, it's a very small community, and once you get a reputation as not knowing how to count the money right, you're cooked.

Shane Mercer [00:35:00]:

Who stole from you and how much?

Richard Munchkin [00:35:03]:

Oh, over the years, you know, I'd like I'd love I'd love to have half the money back. I'd I'd be really well off if I had half the money back that's been stolen from me. Yeah. You know, here here's just one example. Right? We had a called big players. You know, I guess in the sports betting world, they're they're whales that you have bet for you. Right? So we use them in the casinos. And some of the best people to have are, Asians who will have a foreign passport.

Richard Munchkin [00:35:44]:

So we we we tended to use a lot of Japanese for our big players. Anyway, so we were up in Lake Tahoe, and we are in a room at Caesar's, and we're gonna be playing a game next door at Harris. And so the big player, a Japanese guy, we give him $20,000, and we tell him, okay. You know? I'm gonna be on this table over at Harris. Come over in about fifteen minutes. Find my table. Sit at that table. So we go.

Richard Munchkin [00:36:17]:

We set up, and the guy never shows up. And we're like, what happened to him? And we go and we check the room and he's not there. And, you know, we I think we called the hospital to see if, you know, he had had a heart attack or something. The guy had taken the $20,000 and gone to the airport and just flown home. You know? I mean, so yeah. I mean, but usually usually they try to be a little subtle, but, you know, you just you're always gonna get caught. Yeah. I mean, you're just it's gonna happen.

Richard Munchkin [00:36:52]:

And and as I say, that guy would have made so much more money if he had just been honest.

Shane Mercer [00:36:57]:

And if he had just, you know, stuck with you guys and perhaps built a network of of his own and created a relationship with you. Right?

Richard Munchkin [00:37:04]:

Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.

Andrew Pace [00:37:05]:

Yeah. Not to mention, though, when you're in this arena, that guy also might just be looking over his shoulder a lot too. Yeah. You know? And and the last thing I'm doing is accusing anyone of being someone that could get violent. But if I stole $20,000 from someone, I would kinda be like, jeez. Like, is that guy gonna show up at my doorstep one day?

Richard Munchkin [00:37:25]:

Yeah. Yeah.

Shane Mercer [00:37:26]:

Yeah. It's a big time, negative EV move, not from just the standpoint of of of the money you could have won by by sticking with this with this group, but the the constant, concern and worry that that you're gonna have to live with. I mean, it's just what's what's the point? And and you could like you said, you could have made you could have made, a lot more money. Okay. What advice would you give to people who are just kind of entering the space? You've spent your entire career now, you know, kind of engaging and finding edges whether it's a casino floor or, you know, now sportsbooks, online. You kind of have I've seen it all from that perspective. What advice would you give to people out there who are just kind of entering the space now, about what it takes to be successful?

Richard Munchkin [00:38:11]:

Well, first of all, not everybody is cut out for it because you have to be, you have to be emotionally able to handle the swings. Because no matter what you're in, you're you're gonna have you're gonna have variance. Right? And some people are just not cut out for it. So that's the first thing is figure out if you're okay with that. And then, you know, the most important thing to do is get into the community of whatever it is you're trying to do. Right? So if you're getting into sports, there are a number of Discord channels. And and, you know, you do have to take your time because a big majority of the people that you're gonna run into don't know what they're doing, right, but or will act like they know a lot about what they're doing. So you just have to kind of take your time and figure out, oh, this guy's sharp and this guy's not.

Richard Munchkin [00:39:12]:

And so get into the community and start making friends, whether it's, you know, a lot of people are entering the gambling space now playing slot machines professionally because it's very low hanging fruit. You don't, you know, somebody just tells you, oh, play this machine when this number is at 35. You know, that's all you need to know. But you need to know people who are gonna tell you, play this machine when the number's thirty five. Right? So, and the the way you learn that is either you're very good at math or you get into the community and and, start talking to people. So, you know, there are communities on Discord, on Twitter, you know. So that's and then, the other thing I would say is read every book you can find. People don't seem to wanna read these days, but, you know, I would I would say read every book you can find.

Andrew Pace [00:40:08]:

I love the, the slot machine analogy there because you just made it sound so simple. Play this machine when it's at 35. Well, that ignores a lot of things. You gotta find the machine. You gotta get to where that machine is. You gotta have money to play. You gotta make sure that you're the first person on the machine provided it's in that situation. How many other people are tracking that same machine.

Andrew Pace [00:40:31]:

Right? Like, it can always be a little bit trickier than you than than it sounds. What what do you do when you're in for x amount and it hasn't you know, the jackpot or the payout hasn't hit yet, when you had to fully expected it to already. Right?

Richard Munchkin [00:40:44]:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Same thing with sports. Right? They they tell you, oh, well, you know, you can just just go, arbitrage. Right? Just go go wait till the line is, you know, minus $1.35, plus one thirty seven, you know, and bet both sides. And, you know, but as you say, things are always a little more complicated.

Shane Mercer [00:41:06]:

Yeah.

Shane Mercer [00:41:08]:

Yeah. They don't they don't tell you that, oh, that could cook your account real fast, and then you're gonna have to go searching for more outs.

Andrew Pace [00:41:15]:

They don't train you when you're doing it live that all of a sudden the goal got scored when one side got spun in and you're stuck. Yeah. That 2¢ that 2¢ RB, you have to make up 50 times because you just took a full full unit loss on on the on the on the one side you didn't spin in. Right?

Richard Munchkin [00:41:31]:

Yep. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah.

Shane Mercer [00:41:33]:

Well well, Richard, what's next for you? What what are you gonna be up to over the over the coming, months and and years? What what sort of, you know, what kind of plan do you have? I know you're focused on sports betting with, with with your partner there. Is that kind of of it for now? What what what are you working on next?

Richard Munchkin [00:41:49]:

Actually, less gambling and more sort of traveling and, and I'd also like to maybe, do some shows here in Las Vegas. Like, I go audition for plays now and then, when there's a a role that I thought think I'd be right for. So, you know, I'd like to do some more of that.

Andrew Pace [00:42:11]:

Are you a triple threat actor or is it

Richard Munchkin [00:42:13]:

No. I can't sing or dance.

Andrew Pace [00:42:15]:

Oh, I was really hoping for I was really hoping for a show tune here.

Shane Mercer [00:42:19]:

Pace wanted a song to dance.

Richard Munchkin [00:42:22]:

But I can write and direct.

Richard Munchkin [00:42:25]:

So I'm a triple threat that way.

Andrew Pace [00:42:26]:

That's a that's a really valuable triple threat. But I was gonna say if if you do land something, we'll we'll we'll come see you for sure because we, we frequent Vegas, obviously. But I don't think we frequent it with an edge in mind. It's the the edge's leisure for us when it comes to Vegas. Yeah. But, I mean, we we do a lot of live bedding, and, I mean, there's certainly some angles on some of those kiosks, from the standpoint of it being somewhat anonymous. But getting down can be really tricky. Tough.

Andrew Pace [00:42:55]:

Yeah. Getting down can be really tricky.

Richard Munchkin [00:42:58]:

They finally, approved Kambi, for Nevada, but, they're not here yet. But, but they're coming.

Shane Mercer [00:43:05]:

Wow. Cha-ching!

Andrew Pace [00:43:08]:

If you play live on Cambie, it's kind of like maybe one hour to one day of just printing money.

Shane Mercer [00:43:16]:

Yeah.

Andrew Pace [00:43:16]:

And and then and then it it the well dries up pretty quickly. I remember so you talk about your your back your baccarat story there. I remember getting down $10,000 on Cambie on fourth and '6 from their own 44, when the ball was already in the air thinking to myself, well, they're no they're never gonna pay this. And that quickly turned into and, I mean, that's just, like, an egregious example of, a bad line. But they used to have stuff live, like, teams to get a first down in the NFL at, like, plus 300, would just be posted because they were an eight point underdog. And it's like, they don't just go three and out all game. Like, we would just crush their lines. But it quickly turned into they did they did, I guess, sharpen up a bit.

Andrew Pace [00:44:07]:

I'd say they're they're as as soft as it probably gets in in the industry, but the the the real the real downfall with them became how they, I guess, number one, limited their players. But secondly, was just if if you had an account where, you know, it it had been well established, primed up, buttered, whatever you wanna call it, yeah, it was really too bad. They, they would they'd they'd clip you almost instantly for betting on things that that didn't have an edge. So they got to the point where I I think a lot of sportsbooks have actually done this. They've gotten too defensive, and they're lumping in players that they actually shouldn't be clipping because they're so afraid of the bottom line that they're missing constantly.

Richard Munchkin [00:44:54]:

It happens in Casinos all the time too. They just they throw out players who are not winning players, but the guy maybe got lucky or you know? And and yeah. It's Yeah.

Andrew Pace [00:45:07]:

So so with Kambi specifically, hopefully, Nevada is a big freaking deal for them, so they'll be competitive when they enter. And by competitive, I mean, give players a decent leash. I don't know that there's a better sportsbook for live betting that, from from, like, a a beatability standpoint. They're they're just as soft as it gets. It's it's crazy. So much so that we almost laugh when a line pops up. Now we just will all laugh on our live streams and, like, kinda have a chuckle and say, well, if you got it, guys, good luck with you. You know? Have fun making your hundred bucks today.

Andrew Pace [00:45:38]:

And and, you know, it is yeah. They've changed a lot. But that'll be great for you, hopefully, Rich. That'll be a great great out.

Richard Munchkin [00:45:46]:

So you're, let me ask you. You're in play. Are you any particular sports that you really focus on?

Andrew Pace [00:45:58]:

Shane, why don't you add to that? Because Shane actually Shane's background is kinda cool. He he became a member of inplayLIVE and just kinda worked his way up as a bettor who who had, you know, a few bucks to to a lot of a lot of money now.

Shane Mercer [00:46:10]:

To answer the question there, you know, we focus on on a lot of stuff at inplayLIVE. A lot of the main, the main sports, you know, basketball, big time right now. College hoops is is a main focus right now. And and we've got some great live strategies for for college hoops. Puck, hockey, lots of hockey, lots of football, of course, both, college football and NFL. And, and and NBA tend to focus a little more NBA late season, the community as a whole anyway. Through the summer months, CFL, so you might not be too familiar with it.

Richard Munchkin [00:46:42]:

Well, you've I'm sure you've got a lot of money down on that.

Shane Mercer [00:46:45]:

Well, it's hard to get a lot of money down necessarily on on the CFL, and it's a bit tricky in that sense. But, we we've done really well with CFL, and so that that'll kick off in May. And that's a great sort of way to kinda, cruise through the summer. And, of course, we do we do some baseball, you know, one of the one of the big popular markets out there, of course, that that everybody kinda knows about but perhaps isn't necessarily exploiting, the way they should be is, the year fee, nerfy market. So we had some pretty significant success with that last season. I know it's kind of the what we'd like most about that too is that, that market in particular is a great one because, we've been able to find some edges on it, but I think the sportsbooks tend to look at it as a square market. And so it kind of allows you to to make a little bit of money through the summer while, you know, in in kind of the the general off season, so to speak.

Richard Munchkin [00:47:34]:

I don't even know what that is. What is YRFI or NRFI?

Shane Mercer [00:47:36]:

YRFI, NRFI. So yes. Run first inning or no run first inning. And and it's, it's something like that that's kind of, you know, it's it's out there and a lot of people are kinda looking at it and tackling it, which is kinda great because it's it's sort of one of these, markets that, you know, you might consider, like, a a micro market, you know, that would typically get you cooked at a sports book pretty quickly if you were beating it on on a regular basis. But because of the interest in it, it's I think I think it's viewed more as a a Square market. And so, it kinda helps with, you know, keeping accounts alive a little bit longer and that kind of thing. But, you know, just to answer your question in short, I think football's always been the biggest thing within the inplayLIVE community. Both college football and NFL sort of founded on the backs of of football.

Shane Mercer [00:48:26]:

And then, you know, great strategies developed for hockey, and and, basketball as well. So those are kinda the the bread and butter, I would say. Yeah. Why are you interested? You wanna learn to bet live with us?

Richard Munchkin [00:48:40]:

I am interested. Yeah. Absolutely. Actually, what I should say is my partner, it's very hard for me to bet live because I'm in Nevada.

Shane Mercer [00:48:48]:

Oh, that's very tough.

Richard Munchkin [00:48:49]:

And we don't have Kambi yet.

Richard Munchkin [00:48:51]:

But my partner is in Colorado Oh. And spends a lot of time at kiosks. Gotcha. And, so, yeah, he'd be very interested in in that.

Shane Mercer [00:49:05]:

Well, we would love to to have him, you know, come explore the community and then join us and and, get to know us, and we can get to know him and, you know, grow grow our networks together.

Richard Munchkin [00:49:15]:

Yeah. That that sounds great. Cool. Well That sounds great.

Shane Mercer [00:49:18]:

Richard, how can people connect with you if they wanna reach out? Is is there a way that they can, that they can chat with you or pick your brain a little bit?

Richard Munchkin [00:49:25]:

The easiest is probably Twitter. I'm on Twitter @rwm21. That's probably the, the easiest.

Shane Mercer [00:49:34]:

Okay. So they can hit you up there. And, and you do a podcast as well.

Richard Munchkin [00:49:39]:

I do 2, but, they are so the the main podcast is called Gambling with an Edge. We did it for twelve years, fifty two weeks a year, and it got to be just way too much of a grind, because it was one hour every week, finding guests, you know. Anyway, so, we're still doing an occasional episode when we run into somebody and the spirit moves us, we'll do an episode of, Gambling with an Edge. And, and we have over 600 episodes of people wanna go explore, and we have talked about beating every game you can possibly imagine, including the lottery. We've had more than one guest, who beat the lottery. And then my other podcast is also a very occasional thing and it's called Life is a Gamble. And that's a podcast where I I can talk about things that are not just, gambling related, more about sort of the gambles you take in your life. So it's mainly people with interesting stories that, you know, that I that I talk to.

Shane Mercer [00:50:56]:

Love that. Love that idea. And and gambling with an edge is is fascinating too for any game you're looking at. I've I've checked out a few episodes and and, pretty cool stuff over there. Well, Richard, it's been great having you on the show. Thanks so much for joining us and, good luck with all of your sports betting.

Richard Munchkin [00:51:12]:

Thank you. Thank you much.

Shane Mercer [00:51:20]:

Alright. That was Richard Munchkin. Pace, I think we only were able to get a little fraction of his lifetime story in gambling and and what he's doing now in sports betting. For anybody out there who wants to learn more about him, go check him out, look him up, check out his book. You could tell that this is a guy who's who's, you know, got a lot of wisdom to share. Okay. Let's bring everybody up to speed back on the March Madness side of things and, the inplayLIVE bracket. I am going to, pull it up right now and we can, take a look here to see how the behind the lines promo bracket is doing.

Shane Mercer [00:51:57]:

For everybody out there who who doesn't remember what we did here is, on last week's episode, we entered a bracket, a promo bracket into the inplayLIVE bracket challenge. And if this bracket wins, the money would then go into the pinnacle contest that we have been running, for the last oh, basically, this entire year so far. And, that involves a thousand USD getting deposited into one of your pinnacle accounts. For all of you out there listening, all you have to do is make a $10 wager, send it, to Raj, Mark Rodman, and, you would be entered into the pinnacle contest that will see one lucky person get a thousand USD deposited into their account every quarter throughout this year. The first quarter of the year is coming to an end, in just about a week or so. So that money will be going out. We'll be giving that away, here on the show. Really looking forward to to giving somebody at least a thousand dollars.

Shane Mercer [00:52:57]:

But but if this behind the lines promo bracket wins, that money will be getting increased, pretty significantly. I think we had I I think we got about close to $5 in this prize pool. eh Pace, something like that?

Andrew Pace [00:53:08]:

I have no idea. I I I think I think maybe closer to 4,000. And by the way, you were talking about last year. I think you're referencing survivor pool because this I checked the pool last year. It's, like, $2,100.

Shane Mercer [00:53:20]:

Oh, maybe that's what it was. Yeah. Oh, maybe maybe a survivor that I get by.

Andrew Pace [00:53:24]:

It's bigger this year, and I'm seeing Hiddle at the top there. And it's Yeah.

Andrew Pace [00:53:28]:

Colorado State. What a gut punch where Maryland who got buzzer beater four games in a row, it got buzzer basically buzzer beater again by Colorado State and then returned the favor there. Yeah. Crazy. Okay, Shane. How's how's, how's the line lines bracket doing? Because I don't see you in the top there.

Shane Mercer [00:53:43]:

No. We're we're definitely not at the top. You're not up here either. I'm not in this in this top ranking here. We've got a few people, you know, Jay Mori in second sit over there in third. A couple entries from Taco doing well. We're, we're at tenth.

Shane Mercer [00:54:00]:

Okay. We're in the top 10. Okay. Find the lines promo in the top 10, maybe some life. Although

Andrew Pace [00:54:04]:

And Zag is Zaga is bounced. Okay. The bonus team is gone.

Shane Mercer [00:54:08]:

Bonus team is out. So I think I think that's gonna that's gonna cause some problems for us. And, knowing that that it's Florida Duke, we've got, you know, our final four. Maybe if we get the full final four, we might be able to pull it out. I don't know. It's gonna be tight. It's gonna be close. Where am I? Let's see.

Shane Mercer [00:54:24]:

Oh, I'm down here in sixteenth. Okay. You're dead. I'm I'm dead. My guide Gonzaga in the final four, that's out. I'm definitely gonna lose to the behind the lines promo bracket anyway because, Florida duked there. So I think I'm dead. I'm out.

Shane Mercer [00:54:36]:

And, Pace, I'm I'm I'm looking for you. PACE, I'm still be at the very bottom. PACE. And by the way there you are. There you are.

Andrew Pace [00:54:45]:

You remember how I made fun of myself, Shane, about, my my, bracket last year? I did an all SEC bracket. That's right. Why didn't I repeat? Yeah. Why didn't I repeat? I know I I Texas A and M lost to Michigan, but I'm trying to think. Ole Miss thumped Iowa State. Iowa State did a lot of a lot of hype. I should've kept the all SEC thing going. Arkansas.

Shane Mercer [00:55:11]:

You probably should've. Yeah. Arkansas going through bad. They're they might be the Cinderella team that, that everybody starts to, cheer for.

Andrew Pace [00:55:20]:

Star-Kansas.

Shane Mercer [00:55:23]:

Yeah. Pretty pretty special run that that, that that, you know, that that we could see from them. Yeah. Well, this is this is where we're at. Yeah, Pace. It's probably because, you know, last year burned you so bad that that you didn't bother going that route.

Andrew Pace [00:55:39]:

Big time. Big time. I was like, this this SEC conference is overrated, and, that is not the case. They're they're they look unbelievable out there no matter who they seem to be playing against. And now, you know, obviously, a lot of these tight and SEC teams are gonna be locking in on the sweet 16 against each other. So I think, is it Kentucky, Tennessee? My god. It's gonna be good.

Shane Mercer [00:56:00]:

That that should be great. Yeah. Look at looking forward to that. A couple of other great matchups, and I love the way Florida's playing. I I have to say. I picked them to win. I I still think that they're gonna win. Although Duke does look fantastic.

Shane Mercer [00:56:12]:

I mean, man, they look strong.

Andrew Pace [00:56:14]:

Yeah. Which they are.

Andrew Pace [00:56:16]:

All the 1 seeds are still sitting there. Right? So, it's gonna be an exciting sweet 16. And one of the big trends this time of year is the hundred dollar bet on every underdog. I have not seen how that is done, but I just have to make the assumption that, underdog betting this year has gone really poorly. Underdog, March madness.

Andrew Pace [00:56:38]:

I'm gonna search that, Shane, while you, but you know what I'm talking about. Right?

Shane Mercer [00:56:44]:

I don't know the trend. I mean, I know that in the past people talk about, oh, bet every underdog and you'll come out ahead because, you know, the you get these huge plus odds and blah blah blah. I've seen that in the past. I didn't I haven't been following it so much this year, online. I haven't seen a lot of it, to be honest with you. I I kinda feel like perhaps a lot or maybe it's just the people I'm following on on social media, but I'm I'm starting to think that that people are getting a little bit wiser out there, and that, you know, shows like this and and others are are helping with that. But I think I think, generally, you know, people who are betting consistently on a regular basis are getting, a little bit sharper out there, which is which is nice to see. But Okay.

Shane Mercer [00:57:22]:

With that being said, I haven't seen it. So I don't know have people been on this trend.

Andrew Pace [00:57:26]:

It's this big trend. It's been around for years, and it's really picked up steam. And, essentially, it's a very recreational approach. But at the same time, when it's returned, you know, positive results with teams like Saint Peters and McNeese was the hopeful this year, which obviously didn't last too long, you know, you'll track 10 plus unit gains at the end of the tournament by just taking every underdog blind. They are getting crushed.

Shane Mercer [00:57:56]:

I was gonna say, I can't be going well.

Andrew Pace [00:57:58]:

They are getting absolutely crushed. Okay. Are you ready for this?

Shane Mercer [00:58:04]:

Uh-oh.

Andrew Pace [00:58:06]:

52 total bets, 12 wins, 40 losses. If you are a $100 bettor, you've staked $5,200 k. And lost 24.13 units.

Shane Mercer [00:58:26]:

Oh, so lost like, we're just calling a hundred dollars a unit, so they've lost 24 units?

Andrew Pace [00:58:31]:

Down $2,413. It is the single worst year on record of favorites taking care of the dogs. Now I don't think you can get that back. If you stick to your guns on this this year, I don't think that you can get that back.

Shane Mercer [00:58:48]:

Oh, just to continue betting dogs here through the through the, sweet sixteen and and elite eight and through the rest of the tournament?

Andrew Pace [00:58:55]:

Like, the oh, well, the people that commit to doing it, I'm sure a ton of people have stopped, but I don't think you can get that money back.

Shane Mercer [00:59:01]:

I don't think so either. I think I think that money's lost. And I think if you chase that or you you you keep going, you're probably just gonna lose more. I don't know. Not only will you not get it back, you you probably will lose more.

Andrew Pace [00:59:09]:

So that's the price of, like, a couple of full year subscription to inplayLIVE, the people that are out there doing this. And I'm not trying to sell our product, but what an absolute dumpster fire versus investing and learning how to bet properly. That is that is I I'm shocked. I knew it was bad. I didn't think it was that bad.

Shane Mercer [00:59:35]:

God. I I, I mean, I thought like I said, maybe it's the people I'm following on on social media. You know, I'm not seeing a ton of that kind of stuff, but, obviously, it exists. It's out there and you know?

Andrew Pace [00:59:44]:

These aren't people I'm following, Shane.

Shane Mercer [00:59:48]:

Oh.

Andrew Pace [00:59:49]:

This is like a big trend this time of year. Major, major accounts like b r b r betting or Bleacher Report or whatever, they all track all this and and they have guys doing it, barstool, etcetera. They're you know? So, anyways, it's it's been a bad year for them.

Shane Mercer [01:00:04]:

That's that's terrible. Terrible. And, yeah, you're not gonna get that back. Very unlikely. I would I would abandon that now and, yeah, you could take that money and invest it in learning how to actually, make money off of betting on sports. Lots of lots of, positive EV investments out there you could make with that money. Alright. Well, it's been, it was it was a fun, weekend of March madness.

Shane Mercer [01:00:27]:

I look forward to to the next, the next rounds of the tournament, and, we'll keep an eye on that bracket. And, of course, we are giving away minimum a thousand USD. Hopefully, the behind the lines promo can knock off Hiddle. I don't know if it can do that. It's gonna be tough, but, that would be awesome, and we would be able to add a lot more money to that pool. But right now, a thousand USD getting given out in, just over a week from now. Right, PACE?

Andrew Pace [01:00:49]:

We're gonna do it on the show next week. Next week. This time at the end of the episode, we'll be announcing who won the $1,000 USD, and then, we'll we'll make sure that they get those funds added to their account. So really exciting stuff.

Shane Mercer [01:01:02]:

And that means there is still time to get in. All you gotta do is go make a $10 wager at Pinnacle. If you haven't signed up, pinnacle.com/inplaylive. That's how you sign up. Make your $10 bet, and you could have the thousand USD put into your account. All you gotta do is send that $10 wager over to Raj and you're entered in. Pretty simple stuff. Alright, guys? Looking forward to giving away that, that thousand USD next week.

Shane Mercer [01:01:25]:

Alright, Pace. Till then. And to everybody out there betting on sports, betting on March Madness, whatever you're betting on, till next week. Keep beating those books. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of behind the lines. Remember to like, download, and subscribe. We are on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, and everywhere you get your podcasts. Have a betting story or wanna be featured on our podcast? Drop a note in the comments below.

Shane Mercer [01:01:48]:

And if you wanna join inplayLIVE, use promo code BEHINDTHELINES