Got into the game while stationed in Fla, bet 20.00 a game with a guy that hung at a local joint right out side the gate, drank beer from iced "schooners" about twice the size of today's mugs. He taught me so much...the look on a guys face when he was chasing on a monday nighter, always said "no matter how you are going your luck will change" helluva guy that would cut his left nut off before he ever failed to pay a player.
sitting on the stool i'm thinking that was 20 years ago....WOW!! 2 years ago i'm sitting with another poster here and we got 2 dimes on the yankees @-240 on a sunday nighter and were down going into the 8th or 9th, got lucky and pulled it out but i got the same thrill out of the twenty dollar bet from twenty years ago......
Started off chasing those high school parlay football cards..Lucky if the guy paid you...I onced grabbed a bunch of those cards and booked a bunch of guy`s bets myself..Damn right some SOB hit for 500.00 and I did not have a pot ta piss in..Payed him off in weed..
Onced booked my own SOB brother`s card too..Funny thing is he found the stub wrinkled up in the garbage Mon morning and never played again
Onced booked my own SOB brother`s card too..Funny thing is he found the stub wrinkled up in the garbage Mon morning and never played again
I have always enjoyed Wil's stories, he can paint a nice picture when he wants to.
Wil in his heydey as a poster (before being a mod) was an excellent read.it's a shame he's tied up with some of the head mod duties and doesn't have the free time to just post, he is easily one of the more knowledgeable sports guys, I don't think a lot of the newer guys realize this.
A lot of you misfits may think that Wil is
but he's seen pretty much everything on both sides of the counter & has a ton of knowledge that none of the young pups have any idea about.
He's seen & heard it all before, and has more war stories(booking, and real war) than most of us will ever see in our lifetimes.
Sit back & learn...and don't make him get out the club!
Back in the day a guy named Buzzy or Red took you wagers in the corner by the right field foul pole.
And he recorded your wager on a scratch pad with a pencil, before "Roxy" took the industry to the computer.
Back in the day you wagered what was in your pocket.
Back in the day the NFL spread was a spread.
A typical spread would be Green Bay -7/Detroit 4 1/2 and if the game fell inbetween the books collected both sides thus the word 'spread'
Even though it's a 'line' now, not a 'spread', it's still referred to as a 'spread' and that is incorrect.
Mr. Nolan Definitely would have been affected by Katrina if you get my drift.
I recall a funny story one morning I was sitting in the Stardust waiting for numbers to be hung and two oldtimers were a few rows in front of me shootin the breeze but the place was rather quiet and I could overhear their conversation. One of the guys who was not a real gambler says to the other (who was a well known baseball better who moved numbers everywehre when he played a side or total) "You know I really like San Diego" to which the sharp player says "really" - the no clue guy says yeah it's beautiful year round and has beautiful beaches and golf courses to which the sharpie says "well me I like San Diego also but only the over". True story, the player's name was Sam if I remember right and had a nickname to go with it but the memory fades....
wil.
Ah yes, I always enjoy these threads that draw some posts from the rx bookmaking oldtimers. Guys like Wilheim, DPO, CapnC, Judge and usually Horseshoe drops in with some old school wisdom.
My favorite gambling memory is the first time an old bookmaker "similar to what dpo is posting about" paid me my weekly winnings via a cigar box with the loot inside.
Im probably too young to yearn for the good ol' days, but Im closer to 40 than 30 now, and in gambling years I feel closer to 50 than 40.
:drink:
My favorite gambling memory is the first time an old bookmaker "similar to what dpo is posting about" paid me my weekly winnings via a cigar box with the loot inside.
Im probably too young to yearn for the good ol' days, but Im closer to 40 than 30 now, and in gambling years I feel closer to 50 than 40.
:drink:
My father was a book for 50 years. In Fenway park in the old days all gamblers would meet in the bleachers and bet all game long (live betting)..with plenty of bookies, room to feel comfortable and loads of action. They were there every single game. You would just go and make yourself at home in the same area all the time.
I recall dong plenty of that type of betting in my younger days, betting on things like what individual batters will do and even what will happen on the next pitch. An oldtime bookie taught me an easy way to make money off greenhorns who wanted action. You offerd to bet after a count goes to 3 and 2, then bet that the next pitch will result in a foul ball. Believe me it happens a lot, next time you watch a game keep track of the stat. You could even offer odds like your $3 to their $2 and still make money with that one.
Logically it makes sense because you have a pitcher who is trying hard to be around the plate and a hitter who is trying equally hard to protect that same plate.
wil.
Plus when you are 15 or 16 that was real money in the early 60s. Many kids bet nickels, dimes, and quarters but the men bet higher, usually kept running tabs with the main book in the section who was taking all kinds of action. Venturing off on your own to find your own "pidgeon" was another matter and cash usually changed hands after every bet.
wil..
