Different Types of Bettors
By Frankie the Fan
Hi, my name is Frankie and I’m a professional gambler. I guess you could say “It’s in my blood”. I was hooked from the first time I went to the racetrack with my family, and then it progressed to OTB, to taking parlays cards in High School, betting on sports, playing poker and eventually becoming a bookie myself. I’ve learned a couple of things in my close to 40 years in this business and today we wanted to try to look at different types of gamblers and try to put them into categories if that is possible, so you can look at yourself and see what type of gambler are you. We are also going to rank the 5 categories that we came up with from worst to first so helpfully you can move up the “food chain”, and learn to be more efficient in your betting efforts, as I have been all of these types of gamblers at one point in my life.
Degenerate - This is the guy that can’t get enough action. He bets on cockroach races, if there is nothing else to bet on. He really likes to lose. Of course he can’t see this but he doesn’t feel right when he wins, as he can’t complain to his friends about the bad beat he just got, or the horse that lost by a nose, or the “pick 6” that cost him the game. He is an “addict”, and gets his fix by having action on the game and doesn’t feel O.K. unless he loses. Don’t be this guy, but if you’re a bookie these are the guys that pay the bills, and can also be used like “Eddie the Mush”; to always be on the opposite side of what he is betting.
Action Bettor - This guy is similar to the degenerate in that he always has action on the game, sort of as a type of entertainment. The difference between the 2 is that he actually cares if he wins, and when placing action on the best game, he just bets a reasonable amount to enjoy the game as opposed to betting over his head and uses a moderate amount of caution when placing any bet. He may vary his betting patterns by betting a bit more on a game that he really likes, and keeps his bets to a minimum on the games that are only being bet on cuz they’re on T.V.
Special Events - Now we are crossing the 50-yard line here and leaving the “Dark Side” and starting to “Use the Force” to our advantage. There are plenty of guys who only bet on special occasions such as the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby, March Madness, a Title Fight or place a bet or 2 on one of their favorite teams. These guys could be both large or small bettors buy most likely they won’t get over their heads and although they would like to win the bet, so they can use their winnings on something special like a hooker or something that he normally wouldn’t invest in, he expects to only risk what he can afford to lose and not feel too upset about it.
Grinder - These are the guys whether it be on the Poker Table or as a sports bettor online or in person, that are like a “Mad Scientist”. They know every stat, are sometimes usually very good at what they do but sometimes they are not. The successful Grinder sees his stack grow little by little and protects his loses and maximizes his profits. He may hedge his bet by betting both sides at a certain point and take a smaller profit, as he knows all that matters is watching his account grow, and over time possibly making a living at it.
Sharp - These are the guys who are very dangerous to Bookies. They are usually on the correct side of the game and know where the “smart money” is. They can be both small and large bettors, but most are betting substantial amounts on the games. They pick their spots very carefully and only bet on games that they feel they are going to win. They usually like looking at which direction the stupid “pubic” is betting on, and do the opposite, especially when there is divergence between “sharp” and “square” money on each side. You can make money trading commodities this way as well. I had losing customer tell me last week he needs new system and he is going to use the “George Costanza Method” from now on.
Remember in Seinfeld how George was the world’s biggest loser his whole life, till he realized that every decision that he has ever made has been wrong, so he decides to do the opposite of what he would normally do and suddenly everything gets great in his life. This is what I want you to do as well. If it’s true that most gamblers and investors are “losers” then do the opposite of what you think you should and you will win more often then not.
So I want you to take look in the mirror today and realize which category that you fit into. Maybe “Rome wasn’t built in day” and you can slowly move up from Degenerate to Sharp one step at time. But most important to remember this weekend when you’re a betting at your favorite sportsbook, is never bet over your head and try to figure out where the “Sharp money” is being bet and where the “Square money” is going. It’s not a science it an art form, but if you combine the 2 you can make a lot of money, or at least enough to pay for “HO HO HOES” at Christmas time. This is my Christmas present to you. Merry Christmas everyone.
