5) Better Life Analogies in Sports Betting…


“Take on for the Team”, sure sounds alot better than, “river one for mama” doesn’t it? “Bottom of the ninth, bases loaded” when in a pressure situation sure come across nicer than “I need a one outer” … “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” vs … I don’t know what actually fits here… You get my point.


4) Make your bet and go do something productive…


Well, I’m not going to lie, I usually NEVER actually follow this advice, as I’m pretty much watching whatever game on my laptop, with whatever other game on my tv in the background (right in front of me)… But at least in theory I can do and walk the dog, play with my kid, or read a book (well… I could) … When I played poker online, particularly tournaments, you couldn’t exactly get up to do much but go to the bathroom. Even then, sometimes you had to take the laptop in with you… Also really hard to have any meaningful conversation, read a book, or blink too much when you are 12 tabling…


3) Sports is conversational, anytime, anywhere…


“Did you see that late homerun/goal/TD/3 pointer last night” (That incidentally cost me a huge bet) at work the next day sure sounds better than chatting someone up about “the smelly old guy who sat in the 3 seat and stared at me all night chewing a toothpick.”


2) There are NO friends in poker….


As much as I love the social atmosphere, in particular of live poker, with players from all parts of the world, challenging each other in the spirit of competition, regardless of the colour of their skin, or who’s god they choose to follow, ultimately we all have one ultimate goal - To make the other person go BROKE, or moreso, to make the other person go to the ATM after they go BROKE, and make sure they goes BROKE again… Talk about capitalism at its finest!


In Sports Betting, If I give you good information that I believe will be beneficial in making a particular wager, you, me, and the girl next door (Hopefully she’s good looking) will make money against the evil bookmaker… We ALL WIN… Of course when we are on opposite sides, my bet is more important than your bet… But you’re an idiot for betting the wrong side anyways so I really don’t care.


1) The Bad Beat Stories


“Getting sucked out on my the only deuce left in the deck” has become so old, I have made sure that I limit poker bad beat stories from my friends to 15 seconds or less. EVERY bad beat story is essentially the same in poker… Some Donkey sucked out on you, or didn’t and was ahead the whole time, and I COULDN’T suck out for anything. That’s it, EVERY bad beat story in a nutshell… Is there EVER a better time for a bad beat, well yes, when I didn’t play the hand, in which I will tell you about it as well because HAD I played my 9-4 off suit to 3 raises, I would have taken your whole stack - NO ONE CARES BRO!


In Sports, At least that Home Run that No one cares about that crushed your bankroll in the bottom of the ninth with 2 out, and 2 strikes is marginally INTERESTING… Maybe not to EVERYONE (my wife for example), but to ANY sports fan, particularly those who are on the same side, that last second shot to save us, or bury us, is still worthy to talk about years later, even if we forget what side we actually had.