Gambling Guide
Millions of questions, millions of dollars: The mad bomber bettor is at it again
Jan 25, 2018, 8:54 pm
Nick Foles and the Eagles will be carrying a $3 million monkey on their backs. Philadelphiaeagles.com
The morning of Nov. 1, baseball enthusiasts and fans woke up with the anxiety of a World Series game seven matchup. One game for all the marbles, in a series many were saying was the best in history.
In the gambling universe, many bettors scrambled to get their wagers in for the biggest baseball game of the season. A sense of excitement and anxiety was also being felt, as gambling degenerates waited to catch wind of what the "Let it ride " World Series gambler was going to bet in the final game.
A perfect 6 for 6, after game 6 was his record in the World Series. The devilish things the unknown gambler did to casinos was sinister. Rolling over his winnings game after game and being on the correct side left the mystery man with 14 million questions prior to Game 7. His wager on game six was said to be 8 million making his bankroll somewhere around 14 million.
With the betting world waiting to hear his next move, millions of questions were still yet to be answered. What did we know about the mysterious gambler?
European
Had to spread out bets in different casinos
Under 30 years old
Experienced UFC bettor (some say he was undefeated)
With the casinos preparing for the massive wave of action that would at some point be hitting the line, suspense grew. After an eternity of waiting, finally, it was time, and the verdict was in. The Million Dollar "Let It Ride" bettor made his best bet yet, and chose to walk away. He took his winnings and wandered off leaving us in bewilderment. Now, what were we to do, make a bet on our own?
Let's fast forward
Known to be an elite UFC bettor, the enigmatic figure has resurfaced. In anticipation of UFC 220 last week, RJ Bell was the first to confirm that one of his trusted sources said they took a 100k bet on Francis Ngannou to win the heavyweight title. Things didn't go so well as the inexperienced Ngannou gassed early and the sportsbooks finally were able to claim a victory against the European conqueror known as the "Let it Ride" bettor.
The talk thus far leading up to the Super Bowl is the "Million Dollar Bet" that was placed on the Eagles. By now you may have caught word of the "Big Bet" placed on Philidelphia to win the Super Bowl. Several different stories are going around as sources are not giving out names or the bet amount. We heard it first from Jay Rood before it happened on The Numbers Game on VSiN Live. He stated that he was anticipating what could be his biggest bet in SuperB owl history, which was $2 million on the Colts in 2010. The Final score Saints 31- Colts 17 and the books cashed the enormous ticket.
On Wednesday morning, the MGM casino confirmed that a "multi-million" bet had been placed on the Eagles. They failed to specify if it was money line or on the spread and what the actual amount was. What we do know is on Wednesday afternoon, the line dropped from New England -5.5 to- 4.5. The money line odds at MGM properties also dropped from +180 to +170. As we discussed previously, the objective of the book is to generate action on both sides. With so much money coming in on one side the spread had to be adjusted accordingly in hope of welcoming Patriot backers.
Every day more information is surfacing and according to RJ Bell, the bet he placed was 3 million, which would break the all-time record. Not only that, but many are saying he is looking to get more action with other sportsbooks before the big game kicks off Next Sunday.
Stay tuned for another chapter as we take a ride on the wild side.
For any questions or comments follow me on twitter at @JerryBoKnowz
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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