Michael Kaplan - "Advantage Players"

 Bob and Richard are back to talk with Michael Kaplan about his new book, "Advantage Players."

podcast - https://www.spreaker.com/episode/kaplinbook--66463710

Show Notes

[00:00]  Introduction of Michael Kaplan, author of Advantage Players

[00:43]  Michael’s background in gambling and writing

[04:18]  Finding people to write about

[06:46]  Definition of “advantage player”

[07:21]  David Philips, the pudding guy

[09:57]  Cheating, breaking the law, and advantage play

[12:23]  Identifying interesting APs and stories

[14:02]  Bill Benter and Alan Woods

[20:59]  Phil Ivey and the benefits of humble beginnings

[25:09]  Getting backed off, betting big, staying disciplined 

[28:57]  Don Johnson’s Atlantic City play

[33:45]  Playing with James Grosjean

[36:20]  Interviewing AP royaly

[36:09]  Advantage play in adult films

[40:40]  AP skills, qualities, mindset

[43:20]  Eddie Teams

[46:40]  How to order Michael’s book, Advantage Players

Links:

https://www.advantageplayersbook.com/

Get book - https://amzn.to/4dTqk9r

Life is a Gamble - Nigel Eccles Fan Duel Co-founder

 My guest on this episode is Nigel Eccles, co-founder of Fan Duel.

podcast - https://www.spreaker.com/episode/nigel-eccles-fan-duel-co-founder--66022137

[00:00]  Introduction of Nigel Eccles, co-founder of FanDuel
[00:48]  Nigel’s background and first company 
[02:04]  Nigel’s educational background and interest in gambling, selling variance
[06:59]  Joining Flutter and prediction markets, exchange models
[10:04]  Founding FanDuel, fantasy sports, sports betting
[14:31]  Sports betting in Nevada, over-regulation and limited innovation
[18:47]  Leaving FanDuel
[20:08]  Vertical businesses, pandemic spike and whipsaw
[20:59]  Bettor are getting dumber, banning winners, and the popularity of parlays
[24:20]  Sharps, betting patterns, cat and mouse games, and taking sharp action
[27:24]  BetHog online crypto casino, innovation, and payment processing fees
[31:42]  Managing crypto volatility
[33:17]  The future of online gaming and crypto 
[36:10]  Final thoughts

X.com/nigeleccles
Bethog.com
Betdex.com
FanDuel.com

Buddy Frank 2025 - casinos using AI

Bob and I are back with an interview with Buddy Frank to talk about how casinos are now using AI to evaluate players.

podcast - https://www.spreaker.com/episode/buddyfrank2025--63421580

[00:00] Introduction of Buddy Frank [01:10] The evolutions of AI in casinos, falling costs, data analysis [03:52] Using data to assess how player ADT changes with hotel stay [08:58] Analyzing player performance [11:55] ChatGPT, large language models being used to finetune offers [15:51] Video poker products that calculate player specific player ADT [21:38] Cameras in machines, facial recognition, privacy concerns [23:43] MGM banning slot hustlers, persistence machines, must-hit-by [32:46] Some operators are 86'ing slot players [37:07] Misjudging players, challenges assessing table games players [42:48] Reno rewards program story, loopholes [44:29] Churn, tailoring offers mid-session [47:24] Sports betting data analysis [48:25] Adoption of AI over the next five years [53:53] Recommended: Blood Game by Jeffe Boats