The Sharp Square

Mike and Jeff are discussing Super Contest strategy, where players must pick 5 games, against the spread, every week of the season. To add some fun to the gamble, the guys have decided to choose categories, based on a lifetime of betting theories they have concocted over the years. Some are sharp, some are square, some are outright dumb. Enjoy!

Mike and Jeff are back to rank and grade all 32 starting quarterbacks for the upcoming NFL season. Jeff believes that if you are able to properly evaluate the worth of QB's, you can handicap pro football. Get the quarterback right and get less bets wrong.

Jeff is talking about the legacy of sports bettor Steve Fezzik who is the only two time winner of the Westgate Super Contest. When it comes to handicapping contests that judge bettors ability to navigate the NFL point spread, many consider the super contest format one of the most demanding tests. The episode goes into tout services and the emergence of media focus on point spreads.

Jeff is talking about the move offshore and the revolution created by online sportsbooks. The episode goes into the the legislation that aimed to stop the growth of sports betting in the 1990's and early 2000's and the pioneers who found a way to expand the outs for those willing to seek the best point spread digitally.

Jeff talks about the legacy of Jimmy Vaccaro. Vaccaro has been around the evolution of the point spread and derivative betting throughout his career. He has mentored and advised some of the great bookmakers of the industry today and came up under the tutelage of many legends that preceded him.

Jeff talks about the legacy of Billy Walters who is considered amongst many prevalent handicappers as the best sports bettor of all time. The episode goes into how professionals gather unique information and manipulate lines to get the best value on every point spread they bet.

Jeff explores the legacy of Roxy Roxborough, a highly successful bettor who provided information services to various Las Vegas sportsbooks. Roxborough was a pioneer in using computer models to fine tune point spreads and was at the forefront for today's application of analytics.

Jeff is talking about the legacy of Scotty Schettler, who oversaw the sportsbook at the Stardust in the 1980's and introduced the infamous lottery. The line at the Stardust was the most sought after opening number and led to bettors doing whatever they could to get first crack at the purest point spreads in the desert.

Jeff talks about the legacy of "Lefty" Rosenthal. The U.S. government implemented numerous tactics to stop organized crime. Many of which aimed at gambling. In the 1970's when an excessive tax on sports betting in Las Vegas was greatly reduced, Lefty was at the forefront of bringing the sportsbooks inside the casinos and creating a gambling haven for bettors at the infamous Stardus

Jeff explores the legacy of Jimmy "the Greek" who became the most well known sports handicapper in the country. His notoriety led him to a spot on the NFL Today pre-game show, decades before networks and sports channels ever thought about talking point spreads as part of game analysis.