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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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.