[stevenash]

Ya, good point. Not a full-on money making conspiracy, but more like—“we owe it to the man for all he’s done.” It only takes a couple calls, especially at the beginning of the game.

I cut my teeth in this industry working for a Boston indie 'office' run by a old time book named "Buzzy"
I was 19 (first year in college) and this was 30 years ago, Buzzy got his education in the 30's and 40's from Bugsy's circle.

I did the lesion work for "Buzzy" you know, deliver the envelopes to the winners on Tuesday's, answered phones (pre offshore online days by five years) on busy weekends when needed, you know low level work.

Buzzy taught me so much shit you can't learn from a text book.
For instance, he taught me how to profile, betting tendencies in his customers, he knew what most of his clients were going to bet the second he picked up the phone.

We had one client who religiously would bet Ron Darling at home in Shea Stadium.
Clockwork, it was an auto-play for him.
18 home Darling starts a year, 18 bets. Auto-play.

If the line was Mets -160 with Darling, he's offer -170 and he'd still bet it.
I said to Buzzy one day "isn't that a little, you know, umm"...
Buzz gives me that look with the cigar in his mouth and says "Billy, he don't have to bet the -170 with me"
A few years later when offshore was blooming (I said blooming) one small timer calls the office tells Buzzy he wants Rams, Buzzy says minus 3, kid says I can get 2.5 offshore trying to be bigshot and all, Buzz the local says "THEN BET IT FUKKING OFFSHORE, SEE IF I GIVE A SHIT"

Which brings me to your point Wrongside that I highlighted in bold.

We're watching a Big East critical game right before tourney time.
It was Boston College (when BC was running hot in the Big East) vs. Providence.
BC at that time (still does to a lesser extent) had a gigantic fan base and a ton of bettors backing them.

Line was like BC -4.5 or something, Buzzy needs Providence in the worst way, he's got like 3/4 of the money bet on BC, and they curb stomped Providence by like 14 at the end of the first half. Looks like the squares are in for a big pay day.

Second half tips, follow along here...
Second half tips, I look at Buzzy's face, and I asked him point blank "aren't you concerned"
He say to me "nope, watch the next five minutes"

Sure as shit, BC called for two AWAY FROM THE BALL touch fouls .
By away from the ball I mean a touch foul on an inbound that was committed off camera.
The TV viewers didn't see the touch foul, and at the start of the 2H it was nothing, an afterthought, the announced barely said a thing about those two calls.

All this is happening AFTER the boss of the office "Buzzy" says to me "watch what happens in the next five minutes or so"

Let's wrap this up and you know where this trip down memory lane is heading away.

BC has racked up six personal team fouls in the first seven minutes of the 2H, four of the calls nonsense of the ticky-tack variety, and the final ten minutes of the game PC is parading to the free throw line like it was a conga dance.

That 14 point BC lead is gone at the free throw line with a minute left.
Boston College wins scoring the last bucket by two.

Sucks to be you if you laid the 4.5

Amazing how I still remember all this.
Adderall is a beautiful thing.