
Discover how a seasoned sports betting expert built a game-changing algorithm to beat the odds! In this episode of the Digital Social Hour with Sean Kelly, we dive into the fascinating world of sports betting, where analytics meet strategy. Learn how...
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C Bless
Five before the tip.
Podcast Host
Damn. Just off your bet?
C Bless
I. I think it is, yeah. Because it's happening pretty much in every game and the lines will move pretty quick after I bet it, so they kind of know who's sharp and who's not. And like an NFL game, it's very tough to get a massive edge because there's so much money being bet into that market.
Podcast Host
All right, guys, got him back. He's been on a sports betting tear since we last talked. C Bless. How's it going, man?
C Bless
It's going amazing. I appreciate you having me on.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
C Bless
Love your podcast. It's awesome.
Podcast Host
You've been betting non stop since you came on.
C Bless
Every day.
Podcast Host
Pretty much.
C Bless
But I have been betting for like 10 years. But I just made content about betting more like a year and a half ago. Two years ago.
Podcast Host
So you weren't public with it until you started doing content?
C Bless
Not really, because I like to be confident and sure of what I'm doing. So if I don't have an edge, I don't want to put stuff out there. Like for cards back in the day, I've always been doing that. So I did a lot of content. It's kind of easy for me. It's natural to make stuff for betting. I wanted to prove myself and then go out there in the public.
Podcast Host
Well, that's smart because a lot of people start doing their content right when they start betting.
C Bless
Yeah, I mean, I don't have anything against anybody, but Gary Vee's an inspiration content wise. And he says he likes to study markets and then talk about them later. So I kind of took that approach.
Podcast Host
Do you feel like players can actually get an edge in sports betting?
C Bless
For sure, yeah. I mean, most people lose, I would say like the public, probably 97% of people lose. Maybe higher.
Podcast Host
Damn.
C Bless
But there's definitely edges to be had.
Podcast Host
97%, it's probably higher.
C Bless
Dude.
Podcast Host
Holy crap. So that's almost everyone betting.
C Bless
The thing is, most people have problems with like their bankroll, so they'll just bet everything on one game because they think it's a lock. But in reality, the best sports bettors, they're just trying to win like 57% of the time, which means you're going to lose 43% of the time. You're going to have a lot of losses in there.
Podcast Host
Right.
C Bless
So like, people look at my videos and they're like, oh, you lose a lot. But that's part of the game because you have to lose a lot. Just like anything in life, you have to lose a lot first before you're gonna start winning, right?
Podcast Host
Yeah. Like you said, you only need 57 out of the hundred, so you're gonna lose 43.
C Bless
And that's good, right? That'd be great.
Podcast Host
Is that the break even point? 57?
C Bless
No, I think it's like 52.
Podcast Host
Oh, 52 is okay.
C Bless
Like Billy Walters, he's the best of all time. I'm pretty sure he won at like a 60% clip.
Podcast Host
Damn.
C Bless
And he's making tens of millions.
Podcast Host
Holy crap.
C Bless
Yeah.
Podcast Host
Billy Walters. What sports does he bet on mainly?
C Bless
I think he did like NFL mainly and college stuff. But he wrote a book. He's known as the best, better of all time. He's kind of like old now. I think he's like in his 60s.
Podcast Host
Interesting.
C Bless
But he was pretty much the edges close as time goes because the sports books realize what people are doing. So back in like the 70s and 80s, when he was betting a lot, the edges were so much bigger so he would win at a higher rate. But now the books realize what people are doing, so you have to change your strategy. It's kind of like a war, the player versus the bookie. So you have to keep updating and changing your data, seeing what the books are doing in order to win.
Podcast Host
Right. And now they probably have insane AI and software, you know, detecting.
C Bless
Yeah, it's. The edges are closing every day, but then new ones open because they. A lot of markets that they didn't offer even two, three years ago, they're now offering a lot of player props, a lot of in game wagering, so you can find new edges, but you just got to be on top of your game and stay sharp.
Podcast Host
Yeah. Plus there's these new, like, online casinos. Right. So you could probably exploit some edges there.
C Bless
Exactly, yeah. Like DraftKings and FanDuel. They're massive. Now, you can't play them in Vegas, but I like to bet mostly on sides and totals pre game. But there's so many ways to bet, and I think people are making money in all different types of ways.
Podcast Host
Yeah, the Gatorade bet seemed like the easiest one to me.
C Bless
Which one?
Podcast Host
Like, you could bet on the color of the Gatorade at the Super Bowl. I just feel like that one's easy if you know some of the players.
C Bless
I mean, you could also get, like, information.
Podcast Host
That's what I mean. Like, I know it's like, illegal, but, like, I just feel like that one is like the streaking one. Which one did you see? The streaking one. So there was one bet. I forget which sporting event it was, but you could bet if someone would streak the field and the guy bet on himself.
C Bless
I remember that.
Podcast Host
He did it.
C Bless
Yeah. That's genius. He went to jail and he got bailed out and he made a ton of money because he bet like 100k on him to streak or something. Yeah, I remember that. That was.
Podcast Host
These prop bets, you could get creative. I know it's like kind of gray.
C Bless
Gray area, but that's the thing. Like, you look at the NBA. Michael Porter's brother, he should be in jail for life.
Podcast Host
Really.
C Bless
He came into a game, faked an injury. A lot of people bet his under on a player prop nerds, listeners.
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C Bless
And they all made a ton of money. And then the NBA actually realized what he did and they investigated and he was guilty.
Podcast Host
No way.
C Bless
Yeah.
Podcast Host
I didn't see this. When was that?
C Bless
It's like probably like eight months ago. It was last season.
Podcast Host
Whoa.
C Bless
He literally. People were betting as under. I'm sure this happens all the time. And also you could bet on college props too. And these kids obviously need more money than the NBA players. So if you. I don't do that, obviously. But people have inside information. They know the players and then they could literally pay them off, make a ton of money.
Podcast Host
Wow.
C Bless
It's insane.
Podcast Host
That's nuts. Yeah. Because the money's so big now in sports betting, it's almost bigger than the actual sport.
C Bless
It is. But sometimes it's tough to get money down because they'll limit you. So, like, if you're going to bet Johnte Porter, you kind of want to do it like one time and then get out. But a lot of the times it's hard to get a lot of money down, especially on markets that are smaller, more obscure. People get limited all the time. On DraftKings, all these books, they'll limit you.
Podcast Host
Have you ever gone to a casino and they're like, nah, you can't bet?
C Bless
Yeah, actually recently. Really, I was at Boyd Casino and I wanted to bet 10,000 on Boise State against Penn State a couple weeks ago. And they're like, nah, we're not gonna take your action anymore. I mean, I'd bet they're like, not that much. I like to Keep my options open and use a ton of different books. But they actually said, we don't want your action anymore. You can't bet here.
Podcast Host
Wow.
C Bless
Cause you're winning too much.
Podcast Host
That's crazy.
C Bless
It's insane.
Podcast Host
So they knew who you were.
C Bless
Yeah. And the win too. They don't really take big action.
Podcast Host
The win. That's like the best casino in Vegas.
C Bless
I mean it's the best for to stay, but to gamble. The thing is, if you're a winner in Vegas, they don't like that. They have a profile on every single person. So they look and they're like, oh, this guy has an edge here. This guy's winning. And it's not just about winning. A lot of the times it's about like beating the market. So if you consistently beat the market, they're gonna see that and that's an indication that you're a long term winner and they're gonna cut you off or they're gonna severely limit you. Damn insane.
Podcast Host
So what's like the max bet? If you haven't gone to a casino and made a sports bet before, will they cap your first bet?
C Bless
Probably not. I mean circa. That's my favorite sports book. They take the biggest bets, especially if you go over the counter. The apps, a lot of these Vegas casino have apps now. They're automatically going to limit you until they see a profile of a player. But yeah, I mean most of these books, they act like they're so big and they take all these bets. People think that they take these big bets. They really don't. And especially if you're a winner, they'll take even less. It's crazy.
Podcast Host
That's nuts. Are you betting on like daily games? Do you bet anything in the future? Do you do any crazy stuff like parlays or anything?
C Bless
I don't really do parlays. I'll do futures a little bit. Like last year I had the Chiefs win the super bowl preseason.
Podcast Host
Wow. And they won it. So you made a lot on that one.
C Bless
I bet 6,000 to win like 50k.
Podcast Host
Damn.
C Bless
Yeah, that was, that was like my biggest win. 50k on a future. Yeah. That's solid Chiefs preseason. But I don't really like to. The futures are tough. I'd rather just be a day to day guy, just grind. I know I have good information. So I just keep going with the process.
Podcast Host
Well, you could probably make more if you bet daily than waiting a whole year to get the money.
C Bless
Exactly. It's like if you're gonna put money up and they hold the Money you have to pay upfront. So it's not that great because you have to just give them the money. You could get returns elsewhere doing other things with that money. Sometimes 100%.
Podcast Host
You bet on any UFC? Any fights? Boxing?
C Bless
A little bit. But I'm still analyzing the data and seeing where the edges are. I know UFC is kind of new. A lot of people did well, that's the other thing. When a sport's new, there's always more edges. So with ufc, I think they've upped the limits recently in Vegas because the edges are slowly going away. But I like to bet when I have a big advantage, so I don't do that much ufc. I like to bet more on, like, college sports right now.
Podcast Host
Yeah, I noticed I saw you at Power Slap the other day.
C Bless
Yeah, that was.
Podcast Host
Were you betting on that?
C Bless
I just threw in a bet for fun.
Podcast Host
That one's, like, so unpredictable, but people.
C Bless
Probably have big edges. If you know that sport really well, you can make a lot of money there.
Podcast Host
You know some edges, because I know a couple. There's actually coaches in that sport, which is mind blowing to me. But, yeah, they definitely have some edges there.
C Bless
Power Slaps. Fun, though. I love going to the event.
Podcast Host
It's fun. I feel like that one's tough to bet on because whoever goes first has an edge. So, like, you know, they do the coin flip.
C Bless
It's all about the coin flip.
Podcast Host
Yeah. Whoever goes first wins, like, 80% of the time.
C Bless
It's crazy.
Podcast Host
I wouldn't want to bet on that.
C Bless
No. I think what I noticed is at the beginning, the fights that are not the top guys, those are ending early, but at the end, the top guys could take hits.
Podcast Host
Yeah, I know.
C Bless
So it's not about the coin toss for, like, the top of the division, but for the people who aren't that good. It was mostly a one and done.
Podcast Host
That's 100%. Yeah. The first three fights were knockouts.
C Bless
It was insane.
Podcast Host
Whoever went first, it was crazy. That was a crazy event. They're having another one in March. Shout out to Power Slap. Actually, they let me film there.
C Bless
Yeah. Power Slap. Dana's awesome. He invited me. Invited you, Obviously. I love what they're doing. They take an approach, get the influencers, get the people who have a voice in different stuff. And I think it's genius, to be honest.
Podcast Host
Absolutely. I want to talk about the college stuff because you have an interesting strategy where you're not betting on, like, the big college games. Right.
C Bless
I like to bet on the small market games because that's where the biggest edges are. It's tough to get a lot of money down. That's why I like to have a ton of different sports books. But I focus on like the lowest cap college basketball teams. I do it for football as well. A lot of the times I'll bet a game lately it's been moving a ton. So like I'll bet an over at 142, it'll move to 144, 145 before the tip.
Podcast Host
Damn. Just off your bet.
C Bless
I think it is, yeah. Because it's happening pretty much in every game and the lines will move pretty quick after I bet it. So they kind of know who's sharp and who's not. And like an NFL game, it's very tough to get a massive edge because there's so much money being bet into that market. The college basketball games, there's not a lot of money. So I like to bet wide and I'll use five, six different sportsbooks. I'll have friends put in bets and you get a big advantage there. When you have a two or three point advantage on 140 point game with an over under, that's massive. I don't think a lot of people realize how big every single point is. Like last week in the NFL for example, just so people can know, the Rams were plus six all week against the Eagles. Closer to the game it moves to plus seven. So I wanted to be on the Rams the whole time and I knew this. I thought the line would get pushed more the Eagles way. And it did. I go to the circa an hour before the game, I fire in on the Rams, they lose the game by six, the guy missed a couple extra points, they lose by six. If I bet it at six, I would have pushed, I bet it at seven and now I'm winning.
Podcast Host
Wow.
C Bless
And if it was six and a half, I'd also be winning. So all the people that bet earlier in the week on the Rams, they're not getting the value that I'm getting by getting the best price. So price is so important when you're sports betting because in the long run, if you could get a half a point, a full point advantage, that's going to make you a lot of money. Because when you see you can buy a half a point at the sportsbooks, if you want every half a point cost 10 cents. Oh wow, that's a 10% difference. So if you get a full point, that's 20%. They charge you a lot of juice when you want to buy points. For me, I'm just going out there betting and then it's moving. But people don't realize how big half a point or a full point is because over the long haul, if you're going to bet every single day, and I bet four to six games every day, it's a massive difference.
Podcast Host
Dude, that's crazy. I've never heard of that strategy. So the timing of the bet matters a lot.
C Bless
Yeah, but it's tough. I mean, if you're a square better a lot of the time, it's not going to move in your favor. It can move the other way so you lose value. But if you're a winner, you just get more value by beating the line.
Podcast Host
So are you waiting last minute a lot for the bets?
C Bless
It depends. It depends on the way I think the line's going to move.
Podcast Host
Interesting.
C Bless
For college basketball, like today I already threw in a couple bets. I like to bet far in advance because the line will move. But NFL, like that Eagles game, I knew the line was going to move that way, so then I waited.
Podcast Host
How'd you know that? It's just like a gut feeling.
C Bless
Yeah, I mean, it's not 100% of the time. It's just I'm a math guy, so if I think something is more likely to happen, I'm going to bet on what I think because I believe in myself. If it stayed at six or went to five and a half, there's a good chance I wouldn't have bet it at all. I probably would have stayed away from the game. But I like to take calculated gambles on what's going to happen, and then I'll bet based on that.
Podcast Host
Smart. So you're purely analytical with the bets. No emotion involved, no emotion.
C Bless
I used to be all emotion when I was like in college and stuff. I've been betting for 10 years. I used to be a losing better. And like anything you learn, you sharpen up. I noticed a lot of these offshore books would get rocked by people who would put a bot on the offshore and just absolutely destroy them.
Podcast Host
A bot?
C Bless
Yeah. So you know offshore betting, like the.
Podcast Host
Crypto casinos type of thing?
C Bless
Kind of, yeah. So a lot of people have like a website where you could bet against them. It's like located in Costa Rica. And then they have agents and then they get people to take action. And then pretty much the person taking the action isn't that sharp because they're just like a kid in college or a kid who doesn't really understand the betting game.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
C Bless
So a lot of syndicates and professionals would attack these people, say, oh, I want to bet. Give me higher limits. I want to do this. I want to do live betting. And they would absolutely destroy them. And then after two, three weeks, they would get kicked off. So I'm like, what's going on here? How is this possible? Doesn't make sense. Because I saw it over and over again. My friends would just get buried. They would take action and they would get killed. And I'm like, this is nuts. What's actually happening here? So I took all information that I had and I built an algorithm in order to beat the bookies. Like what these people were doing to the Offshores. So now that's the way I bet. It's all computer data, and I'm using an algorithm that beats the bookies. Just like what I saw, my friends were getting beat. So that's pretty much how I do it now. No emotion. I used to be all emotion, and now I'm just strictly by the numbers.
Podcast Host
Most people are. Sports bettors are all emotion.
C Bless
That's why they lose.
Podcast Host
Yeah, they bet on the team they like. You know, I'm guilty of that.
C Bless
No, I mean, if you're going to do it for fun, I think it's. It's. You just got to have fun. But if you're going to bet on a team you like and then you lose, and then you're going to look at the last game of the night in Hawaii and you want to put 5k on that because you just got buried and now you're on tilt, that's a problem. But if you're going to bet $100 on a team you like just for fun, sweat it, go to bed, wake up tomorrow, maybe do it again, that's okay. But I think a lot of people fall into the trap of betting on something they like, and then they get a little bit on tilt and then they fire in bigger. And that's going to be a problem.
Podcast Host
Yeah, yeah. The Martingale strategy, right?
C Bless
Yeah. That does keep doubling until. The thing is, people don't realize with that even in casino, they give you a max bet on blackjack and then there's a minimum bet. So they kind of counter that strategy based off that. Also, the casino has an unlimited bankroll. So if they're making the min bet 100 and the max bet 10k, it's really hard to do that strategy. But if you could find a casino that doesn't have a max, sometimes if you're a really big gambler, you could set the rules with the casino and be like, you can negotiate. I want to do this. Exactly. That's why he. He does the Martingale strategy, I think. And he does it effectively because he's telling the casino, this is the max bet I want. This is the min bet. So he's actually able to do it. But any public person going into the win any of these casinos, you don't. You can't do that because of the max and min bet. They also have an unlimited bankroll, and you don't. So it's very tough to do that strategy.
Podcast Host
Yeah. Do you do any casino games at all?
C Bless
I do it for fun, but there's not really much of an edge there.
Podcast Host
Some people claim they have one, but, yeah, it's tough.
C Bless
In slots. You can have an edge.
Podcast Host
I've heard that. Vegas Matt has told me this.
C Bless
Yeah, no, he. I saw him on your podcast. He's amazing content. I love Vegas Matt. Yeah, but you can find an edge in slots. For example, on the Buffalo machine, which I made a lot of content playing that machine. I was doing it with an edge.
Podcast Host
Really?
C Bless
I'll just tell everybody. I mean, if it says a certain number, 3,100 or higher, you play because it's profitable. You're not going to win every single time. It's the same thing as sports betting. You want to get your money in. Good. So if I don't know the other machines, there's like 10 of them where advantage players have a massive edge. But it's a lot of work and a lot of time to not make a lot of money. Sometimes you're gonna lose. I like to do betting because you could bet bigger, but in slots, you can have edges for sure.
Podcast Host
Dude. I know people that play all day just to make a thousand bucks. I'm not even kidding. They go hotel to hotel. They point out the exact machine, and they do that all day, every day.
C Bless
That's what I'm saying. There's professional groups out there that send people. One time I was playing on a machine, and I wasn't playing yet, but there was someone playing on two machines at the Red Rock. And I put my money. I was trying to sit down, and then this woman was like, get the fuck out of here. Like, what's going on? But she was playing two machines, and I'm like, how is this allowed? Yeah, but apparently it is.
Podcast Host
Really.
C Bless
It was crazy. I asked the security. I'm like, can she do this? No. Because she was, like, intimidating me because she's a professional. So I'm like, what the Fuck's going on here? Like this doesn't make any sense. But she's a professional making, that's how she makes her living.
Podcast Host
That's crazy. Yeah, I've heard that with slots and blackjack. I've heard too.
C Bless
Blackjack, it's, it's tougher I think. I mean I haven't really looked too much into it.
Podcast Host
If you count, I guess is the method.
C Bless
Yeah, you could count cards but it.
Podcast Host
Has to be double deck, no auto shuffler and you gotta count and you have to bet a certain way.
C Bless
But a lot of this, a lot of the casinos now it's mostly not hand shuffle anymore.
Podcast Host
I don't think any of them do anymore. Yeah, maybe station casinos, I don't know if they do normally they'll have like.
C Bless
One table out of like 10.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
C Bless
So it's like you can't even get on that table most of the time.
Podcast Host
Yeah, it's tough. Yeah. I think sports betting is probably the best time to money ratio, right?
C Bless
Yeah, I think so. In terms of gambling for me, I mean a lot of like my algorithm's running numbers and data when I'm sleeping. So for me it's the best return. But a lot of people don't have the computer systems to do that. But a lot of people aren't professional gamblers either.
Podcast Host
So how often do you have to tweak the algorithm? Because I'm sure stuff changes, right?
C Bless
Constantly making tweaks, gotta update it all the time depending on what's going on. As I said earlier, a lot of the edges closed, new ones open. So you gotta constantly tweak it, make sure everything's good. I'm always looking at it to make sure it's good.
Podcast Host
Does it know about like players injuries or like if someone's gonna play or not?
C Bless
Of course. Like I bet a college basketball game the other day, Cal against Florida State. I bet it at minus 2. 30 minutes before the game, Cal tweeted, these players aren't going to be playing. And I knew that way before.
Podcast Host
Oh.
C Bless
So I bet it at minus two and then the line moved to minus three and a half.
Podcast Host
Damn.
C Bless
And it actually didn't end up winning. But I would make that bet a million times over again. Because if you're going to bet it at two and it goes to three and a half and I know players are injured before that's announced. I would do that every time even though I lost. And that's the thing with sports betting. It's similar to poker. You could be all in on, on a Turn with one card to come, you're a 70% favorite and still lose. How is that possible? Because there's still a luck element involved.
Podcast Host
Right.
C Bless
You're not going to just win every time. When you're a 70% favorite, you're going to win seven out of 10. And that's the same thing with sports betting. If you consistently beat the lines by a couple points, you're not going to win every game. But you're going to win most of the games.
Podcast Host
Absolutely.
C Bless
And that's how you win long term.
Podcast Host
Like you said, 52% is all you need.
C Bless
Exactly.
Podcast Host
Do you know what your win percentage was last year?
C Bless
Last year I won 250,000 betting 3,000 a game. So I won like 83 units.
Podcast Host
Wow.
C Bless
I probably bet. Probably bet like 4 or 5 million in handle to win. Like, I honestly don't know the exact numbers. I know I won 250, but you gotta bet a lot of money to win a small amount of money. It's a lot different. Like the handle means how much you actually bet. And I bet probably 20,000 every day. So that's like 5,6 million in a year. 365 times 20. Sometimes I'll bet less, sometimes I'll bet more. But you got to bet a lot of money and get volume in because it's such a small tight margin. So you want to just keep betting with the edge. Long term, you'll win.
Podcast Host
Nice. Yeah. 250 is solid money, man. Well done.
C Bless
Yeah.
Podcast Host
For sports betting, that's like the most I've heard. Because a lot of people say their numbers, but I don't believe them. You know what I mean?
C Bless
Like people like, oh, I win 4 million, I win 10 million. It's like, yeah, nobody believes you.
Podcast Host
But 250 is like actually realistic, you know?
C Bless
Yeah. I mean, I won 250 last year. This year I'm trying to win four or five hundred. I also make money in other areas in my life, so I'm not pressing for money.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
C Bless
I'm trying to figure out the process what makes the most money in the end. And if I could win an extra 4 or 500,000 every year betting sports, I'm happy with.
Podcast Host
Absolutely. Plus it's fun. But yeah, you hear these crazy numbers, like people making millions. I'm like, dude. And then they're selling pics for 20 bucks. Like there's just something's not math in here.
C Bless
You're making millions selling picks for 20 bucks. How is that possible? Yeah, doesn't make any sense. Doesn't make sense, dude, you're starving for 20, making millions.
Podcast Host
That's crazy to me. Yeah, there's been a lot of people getting exposed in that space, but I like your numbers. They sound real to me. Poker, you mentioned that your brother's been crushing it, right?
C Bless
Yeah. He had a big year. About 5 million in cashes and tournaments.
Podcast Host
He's pretty good, which for poker is crazy. 5 million?
C Bless
He's playing with the top in the world. He plays 100,000 buy ins, 250 buy ins. I think he played a million dollar buy in this year.
Podcast Host
Geez.
C Bless
But he's, he's been one of the best poker players in the world for a long time. I don't really play much. I play for fun. Yeah, he's, he has the algorithm that I have for sports in his brain for poker. And I think he's the best PLO player in the world. I'm not just saying that because he's my brother. A lot of people would say that out there if they follow poker, but he's, he's on another level with poker.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
C Bless
You play poker?
Podcast Host
Nah. I respect poker players though. That's a tough life.
C Bless
A lot of poker players do sports too. They're coming into the industry.
Podcast Host
Sean Perry.
C Bless
Yeah, he does sports, he does poker. But I, I think there's a crossover, but I don't really get involved much in poker because I just like to do whatever I have an advantage in.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
C Bless
And that's sports betting.
Podcast Host
It's tough to have an advantage in poker.
C Bless
You got to be really sharp, you.
Podcast Host
Got to be super sharp and you.
C Bless
Got to play a ton of hands. It's all about like seeing the situation over and over again. A lot of people do game theory now where they study how to play a certain way. But I think a lot of the poker players are all playing the same way. And when you do that, you're just gonna lose long term because you have to change it up if you're gonna win. It's like in anything, if everyone's doing the same thing, it doesn't work. You gotta find a way to beat what they're doing.
Podcast Host
Right.
C Bless
And I think that's kind of what my brother does. Well, he knows the theories that they're doing, but he knows how to combat that, which is why he could win a lot of money.
Podcast Host
Makes sense. Who do you have as the goat of poker? Texas hold'em.
C Bless
That's a great question. I probably say, I'd probably say Phil Ivey.
Podcast Host
Same.
C Bless
You like him? Yeah, he's just A killer. I think he's kind of like a Kobe, Jordan type guy. I like the guys who have the killer instinct where they just look at you and you get scared. Because he's really good at like the instincts, the feel of the game. Like he could. He might say the math is this way, but I'm thinking this. And then he goes with his gut instinct and he's going to be right more of the time. And I really respect people who do that. They go by feel.
Podcast Host
Yeah, yeah. He's one of those guys when he's at your table, you're like fearful of him.
C Bless
That's what I'm saying. It's crazy.
Podcast Host
Yeah. He's got that Jordan energy. That's always the thing with Jordan and LeBron. And I know we went viral last time for the. You said LeBron, right?
C Bless
Yeah.
Podcast Host
But I will say this. LeBron didn't have that fear that Jordan.
C Bless
He didn't. I think LeBron's a better player, but I think Jordan is more of a. He has the killer instinct.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
C Bless
Which I do respect a lot. I try to emulate Kobe in the way that he thinks about it. Mamba mentality. I wasn't really alive to see Jordan play. I don't think you were either, obviously. But Kobe's kind of the guy we grew up on with the killer instinct. I think LeBron's the most talented in terms of everything for a basketball player, but he doesn't have that killer instinct. I think if he did, he would have won a lot more championships.
Podcast Host
Yeah. You've been following the NBA this season much?
C Bless
Yeah, I mean, it's not as good as it's been when we were growing up. It's kind of fallen off, in my opinion.
Podcast Host
Well, it's not just your opinion. The ratings are at an all time low this year.
C Bless
It's crazy. And I think it's because the players don't really give a fuck anymore. It's like if you're making 50, 60 million and you get that money guaranteed if you play or don't play or care or don't care, why would you care? It used to be all about winning and now it's just about personal growth and social media clips and money. And it's like. I think that's why the Europeans are now better at basketball than the Americans. Because when you go to the youth basketball in Europe, they're teaching players to be great. Look at Wemby. Look at what he says when he's in an interview. I want to be the best player of all time. I want to be amazing. He's not saying things that ja saying Anthony Edwards. Anthony Edwards just cares about the brand deals. He cares about the money, he cares about the stats, the highlights. And that's not going to get you to be a winning basketball player.
Podcast Host
Yeah, I agree. You see SGA's post game interview clips. They get more views than his highlight reel.
C Bless
It's insane.
Podcast Host
It's nuts.
C Bless
And he's Canadian too. A lot of people don't realize that he's not even American. The top five players, Giannis, Jokic, Luka, Shai, they're all European and Canadian. None of them are American anymore. Yeah, it's insane.
Podcast Host
Yeah, the money's gotten so big. It's like, why would you care? Like, why would you want to put your body on the line and get injured?
C Bless
And also like the nil and the fact that players in high school and college can make money now, I think that changes it too, because before you get into the league, you could be worth 10 million. Your head gets all fucked up. You don't realize that you want to be great at something and have a future. You're like, oh, I'm making all this money as a 17 year old. So it actually fucks your head up so bad. And that's why I think a lot of the players coming in, I think this problem is going to get worse. It's an epidemic. It's like, it doesn't make sense to me. People are looking at like Lamelo and his brother's rapping and he's doing all this fashion stuff and it's like they want to follow in their footsteps. And I think that's a recipe for disaster.
Podcast Host
Yeah, that's a good point. One of the side effects of the nil, actually. I remember a lot of people pushed for it. They wanted college and high schoolers to make money. And it sounded great on paper, especially as an athlete, but now you're kind of seeing the consequences of it.
C Bless
And also there's no market cap or salary cap. So these. It's just like it's, it's a race to the bottom opposite a race to the top. They're just going to keep getting paid more and more. Like Ohio State just won the national championship in football. They have the biggest payroll. $20 million they paid to their team. Geez, that's more than some baseball teams pay to their pros.
Podcast Host
Holy crap.
C Bless
It's insane.
Podcast Host
20 million.
C Bless
They paid 20 million to their team.
Podcast Host
Oh my gosh.
C Bless
It's ins. I mean, other schools are probably Paying close to that. But now, people, if you're a booster at an SEC team like Alabama or Georgia, you're just going to keep paying more so your team can win. There's billionaires that support these schools. They're just going to keep paying more and more so their players could be better and they think they could win the title. But I think there's got to be some type of salary cap on this because you're going to see a massive gap between the top teams and the bottom teams. It's already been like that in college, but it's going to get even wider.
Podcast Host
So it's almost like sports are becoming pay to play. It's like, who has the most money.
C Bless
Exactly. And I think that's. I mean, people think it's good because you pay the players, and I'm all for that, but I just think it needs to be regulated a little bit more.
Podcast Host
Yeah, because in the NBA it's regulated, right? There's a cap and then a luxury tax.
C Bless
Exactly.
Podcast Host
But some teams will go over that just so they have a higher chance of winning.
C Bless
They do. But, like, the Thunder are infamous for not paying Harden. Remember back in the day, they kept Ibaka because he was going to be cheaper than Harden and it fucked him. They ended up not winning anything.
Podcast Host
They would have won. I think if they kept them, they.
C Bless
Definitely would have won. I mean, they played the Heat in the finals when Everybody was like 22, 23. I think they lost in five. But they chose Ibaka over Harden because they're a small market team and they don't want to pay the luxury tax. So it actually ended up fucking them because they didn't win. But if you look at the warriors, they. They pay a massive luxury tax now, which is not actually advantageous because Draymond and they had to get rid of Clay. They're not as good.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
C Bless
But in the moment, they were winning. So they're fine to pay the luxury tax. It's kind of like the Dodgers in baseball. There's no cap, but they paid. They paid Ohtani 700 million because they know the revenue that he's going to generate. Jersey sales, ticket sales, food at the stadium. It's all Japanese stuff. I went there, they changed everything.
Podcast Host
Oh, wow.
C Bless
Yeah. Like, they have sushi, they have ramen.
Podcast Host
What? At the Dodgers game?
C Bless
They have everything Japanese now to cater to the Japanese people. Because a lot of Japanese people live in la and it's not even that far. It's like an eight hour flight from Japan to la. So they're catering to the Japanese people. And now they got Yamamoto, they got Sataki or Sasaki from. From Japan. So now they're actually making way more money off the field because of these guys. So they could. They're profiting so much, they could keep paying more and more money. And I think baseball should have a salary cap, too, because you got teams like the Pittsburgh pirates, they're paying 30, 40 million to their entire team, and Ohtani is making double that.
Podcast Host
Holy crap.
C Bless
It's insane.
Podcast Host
That is nuts. That makes sense why the Lakers signed Bronny then? Because they must have saw it from a business point of view, Right?
C Bless
Exactly. Bronny's going to bring eyeballs, he's going to bring jersey sales, he's going to bring the whole younger generation to the Lakers in terms of a fan perspective. So it's not always about, like, the level of play. I think it's changing now to where people want eyeballs, jersey sales. And Ohtani was a great example of that.
Podcast Host
Yeah. It's almost like sports are becoming entertainment.
C Bless
I mean, it is. The NFL is an entertainment league.
Podcast Host
NFL, yeah.
C Bless
It's like, if you look at the bylaws, it says it's an entertainment league. And a lot of people think it's rigged and corrupt because of that. But you look at the wwe, which I don't. I'm not obsessed with it, but I used to watch when it was good early 2000s, they just admit that it's rigged. I mean, they say it's scripted. Everyone knows that. I think so wwe, they're far ahead of it. All these sports, I think a lot of people are thinking they're rigged, but it's kind of tough to tell.
Podcast Host
I mean, there's always going to be that question with referees in any sport. Right. That natural bias.
C Bless
I think the refs could be in on it, but I don't think the players are in on it. Really, because the refs, they have earpieces in their headset. They could be talking to someone. But the NFL players, they need to feed their families and make money and go for that next paycheck. So if they're going to be in on the rigging, they must be getting paid a ton of money on the side, which I don't think is going on yet.
Podcast Host
But as the sports betting market gets bigger and bigger, that could be a possibility, right?
C Bless
Definitely could. Just like the Jontay Porter situation.
Podcast Host
Yeah. And like you said, college athletes probably need the money more, and you could.
C Bless
Bet on player props in those markets. So it's all crazy. There's so much money involved in sports betting now, you don't know what's happening.
Podcast Host
Yes. Have you ever bet on high school or any weird, like obscure sport, ping pong or something?
C Bless
Nah. I think people who say they bet on that stuff are just losing betters. It's like, unless you have really good information. Yeah, I mean, that to me is just crazy.
Podcast Host
You're super disciplined.
C Bless
Like a guy like freezer tarps. I don't know if you know him.
Podcast Host
I don't know.
C Bless
He's a pretty big influencer. He's getting into sports betting and I think he's fucking hilarious. But he bets and then he lost and then he's like, oh, I'm gonna bet 2am Ping pong and I'm just gonna fire it in. It's like, dude, tell me you're a loser without telling me you're a loser.
Podcast Host
Yeah, you need to get with Steve will do it.
C Bless
I actually saw him at the Red Rock.
Podcast Host
Oh, you did?
C Bless
Yeah, he's. He's. He's probably the biggest gambling influencer in terms of casino. I mean, I just kind of like do my own thing and stay in my own lane and like, whatever. But I saw him at the sportsbook. He knew about my stuff.
Podcast Host
Nice.
C Bless
It was the Packers, Lions, Thursday Night football game. And he was taking the Lions, I was taking the Packers. And I think we actually both won because he always bets the money line and I take the spread. So they were plus three and a half and they actually ended up losing by three. So he won and I won, which was great.
Podcast Host
Wow. I see him post on Twitter all the time, like, I need good sports betters. I'll give you like a piece if you get me good information. Information.
C Bless
Oh, he does.
Podcast Host
That's why I mentioned that maybe I'll reach out. I would. Yeah.
C Bless
He loves betting on the Lions. He's been betting on the Lions for like, I think two years.
Podcast Host
So he just bets on purely lines.
C Bless
I mean, he bets on other things. I think he does a lot of prize picks, which is like player props. But he loves betting on the Lions because they made him a ton of money, which. Which does make sense. I mean, they went what, I think 13 and four this year or something like that.
Podcast Host
I think 15. Two. Right.
C Bless
Or 15 and two. Yeah.
Podcast Host
But then they lost. He might have lost on the playoff game.
C Bless
I actually. I had the Commander's money line in that.
Podcast Host
You had that? Wow. They were heavy. Underdog. Right.
C Bless
It was plus 400.
Podcast Host
Holy crap.
C Bless
The thing is, I knew Jaden Daniels, he's not rated where he should be because he's a rookie. And the Lions defense was so banged up. And I knew that they wouldn't be able to stop Jayden Daniels, especially in the conditions with the Dome. So I'm like, this is a great opportunity to bet on the Commander's money line because Vegas, everybody's betting on the Lions. Everyone thought the Lions were going to make the Super Bowl. Everyone thinks the Bills are going to make the Super Bowl. So I don't solely based opposite of what people think, but it's definitely a factor. When everybody's betting the Lions, I like to stray away from the public and what they're doing. I thought the value was too good to pass up on the Commanders. I threw in a nice bet, paid off.
Podcast Host
Well done. If Mahomes wins this year, do you.
C Bless
Have him over Brady even without it? I think Mahomes is the best quarterback of all time.
Podcast Host
Wow.
C Bless
I mean, you look at the results. He's been to four Super Bowls, he's won three Super Bowls. He's been to the conference championship game every time. I think he has two league MVPs, three Super Bowl MVPs. If you stack up Mahomes first six, seven years to Brady, it's not even close. At the beginning of Brady's career, he was completely carried by the defense. And I like to compare it like that. You can't look at Brady's 20 years compared to Mahomes six. I want to compare Brady's first six to Mahomes first six. Yeah. Brady's amazing on longevity. He's played 20 years. He won with the Bucks without Belichick. But a lot of these arguments I think are not valid because he went 10 years in the middle of his career. He didn't win a thing. So if Mahomes were to quit today and put up the results that he's put up, would you say that Brady's better than him? To me, there's no way. Because it's like in the NBA, you look at Luka, what he's doing in his first six, seven years is greater than what a lot of players have done. It didn't take. It took Jordan seven years to win a championship. It took LeBron seven years to win a championship. But people are so quick to judge all these players at the beginning, and I think that's just stupid. But if you look at Mahomes, he's not putting up the numbers anymore because he doesn't have to. He's just winning his first year he threw 50 touchdowns and he won the MVP. He had Tyreek Hill, he had a lot of different players on his team. Now he just does whatever's necessary to win the game. And that's what the, that's, that's what people have mistaken. It's not about the stats, it's not about the accolades. It's about winning the football game. And that's what the Chiefs and Mahomes do better than anyone else.
Podcast Host
Absolutely. Do you think if Saquon gets a ring this year, he's in the conversation for greatest running back?
C Bless
I already have him there.
Podcast Host
You already have him there?
C Bless
Yeah.
Podcast Host
Wow.
C Bless
Because he was on the Giants with a shitty offensive line, still putting up good numbers. You put him on the Eagles with a good offensive line, he's going to put up video game like numbers every season. I do. I mean, I wouldn't put him as number one. I think he's definitely top five best running back of all time. But I've been watching him since he went to Penn State. I actually went to Penn State also and I was there around the same time as him. What he does on these long runs is insane. Like against the rams he had three 50 plus yard runs. Nobody does that. Jameer Gibbs, he's pretty good too. But Saquon, what he does is just insane. The Rams knew that they were running at the end of the game and he still takes it for 70 and gets a touchdown. Yeah, it's like when he's in open space, you can't tackle him.
Podcast Host
Yeah, he's different.
C Bless
He's amazing.
Podcast Host
I got AP at number one.
C Bless
Ap, He's, I mean, he's a physical specimen.
Podcast Host
Yeah. To come back from those injuries too.
C Bless
Yeah. The ACL and stuff.
Podcast Host
People thought he was done after that one.
C Bless
I mean, AP is definitely up there in the top five conversation. I think Barry Sanders is up there. But what Saquon's doing. The Eagles might win a Super bowl off Saquon's back.
Podcast Host
Right.
C Bless
I don't think that's ever been done before with a running back.
Podcast Host
That's a good point. Yeah. Because a lot of running backs, like the great ones, never like were the full on leader of the team. Right.
C Bless
I saw a stat when Jalen hurts, throws for less than 150 yards. The Eagles are 3 and oh. In the playoffs when he throws for more, they're like, oh, and two.
Podcast Host
What they.
C Bless
It's insane.
Podcast Host
Wow. So that's how important he is on.
C Bless
They just want to run the football as much as they possibly can. And the other Teams know that and they still can't.
Podcast Host
That's crazy.
C Bless
It's insane. A.J. brown hasn't done anything in the playoffs and they're still winning.
Podcast Host
Facts. Bill Belichick or Andy Reid?
C Bless
Right now, I think Belichick's the best of all time. I mean, a lot of people don't think that since Brady left and won a championship, but in my opinion, Bill Belichick completely made Brady into the player that he is. I think Belichick's the best of all time, in my opinion. They change rules because of this guy. If you remember in the playoffs against the Ravens, they did a punt once. I forget exactly what happened. They changed the rule because of Belichick. He's the most genius minded special teams coach I've ever seen. Defensive coach I've ever seen. I just feel like he gives you the biggest edge. Preparation. I don't know what the Patriots did Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, but it seems like his players are more prepared to play than any other team I've ever seen. But I do think Andy Reid is the best coach right now. The Chiefs are just the smartest team. Everything they do, clock management wise, game management wise, they're just levels above. And a lot of these coaches are so stupid. You look at like Raheem Morris Falcons were playing the Commanders, I think, and they just couldn't get. They didn't even use their timeout. The Lions against the Bears on Thanksgiving, they had a timeout with 23 seconds and the game ended with a timeout. They don't. It's absolutely ridiculous behavior what these coaches are doing.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
C Bless
It's like, how dumb can you be? And you also have an analytics guy on the sideline telling you what to do. It just blows my mind how dumb some of these coaches are.
Podcast Host
Yeah. Each team has like a full analytics team now. I heard, right?
C Bless
Yeah. That's what I'm talking about. It's like. But the coaches probably want to like listen to themselves over the analytics people because they're so dumb. If you notice, a lot of these coaches are like old football players.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
C Bless
Those usually aren't the guys that are sharp. You want like a 35 year old boy genius, like a McVeigh, like a Matt LaFleur, like a Kyle Shanahan, Ben Johnson who just got hired by the Bears. These are the guys that give you the best advantage to win in football. Because in my opinion, those are the smartest guys in football.
Podcast Host
Yeah. Notre Dame coach is pretty young.
C Bless
Marcus Freeman, he's like 36 years old. He's A genius. Notre Dame has been a shitty program in terms of playing at the top level. Now they come in, they win three playoff games, they go to Ohio State, give them a run for their money. And I think Marcus Freeman is the difference in terms of why they were able to play better.
Podcast Host
Yeah. Because they haven't been good since Brian Kelly. Right.
C Bless
And even when they were, they played Alabama and they got absolutely smoked.
Podcast Host
Smoked. Yeah. I think twice, too.
C Bless
Yeah, it was two times.
Podcast Host
Twice. Yeah. They always make it to the finals, and then it's not close.
C Bless
But the thing is, they set up the easy schedule for themselves. Notre Dame doesn't play in a conference, so. Because they have an NBC deal for a ton of money, so they make pretty much the same schedule every year, and it's kind of weak. So every year they're gonna. They're gonna go 10 and 2, 11 and 1, something like that. I think they're going to make the playoff probably every year with Marcus Freeman because of their scheduling. And they also want Notre Dame in the playoff because of their name, because of their. The money they can bring and generate. So I think Notre Dame might have a long run of doing well right now.
Podcast Host
Yeah. Phil Jackson or Greg Popovich?
C Bless
That's tough because I didn't see much of Pop. I mean, Phil Jackson. What do you think on that one?
Podcast Host
I'm going Phil, just because I liked how he played. The mental game, too. It wasn't just coaching.
C Bless
He coached Jordan and Kobe. Right.
Podcast Host
And Shaq and Rodman. He had to manage all those guys.
C Bless
Didn't he say, like, it was about managing personalities and not so much about X's and o's? Right.
Podcast Host
Yeah. 11 rings.
C Bless
I mean, the thing is, I'm a Knicks fan. He came to the Knicks and he did nothing. We had to drive him out of there.
Podcast Host
I think he was washed by then. He was so old by then, dude. He didn't think about it. When you're that old and that rich.
C Bless
The thing about Popovich that I don't like, he gets so involved in politics. Just like Steve Kerr.
Podcast Host
Yeah. He hates Trump.
C Bless
Yeah. It's like, dude, like, shut the fuck up. It's like Popovich and Steve Kerr, they're so involved in this stuff. It's like, we're all American citizens. We have rights to our own opinion. You don't have to shove it in our face.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
C Bless
And that's something that I hate with all sports right now. It's so much politics in your face. It's like, I want to watch sports to get away from my stress. I mean, as a professional gambler, it's different. But for most people, we want to get rid of our stress. We want to, like, watch something and enjoy. And they take the fun out of that by bringing all this politics and all that stuff. And I think it honestly, that's something that's hurt the NBA tremendously, 100%. They're so involved in the left, and it's like you're just alienating anyone who has a differing view. And I think it's so dumb.
Podcast Host
That's part of the reason LeBron gives a lot of hate.
C Bless
Yeah, he's a left. He's on the left.
Podcast Host
Well, not just that. He's just, like, vocal about it. Like, Jordan never talked politics.
C Bless
He wants to win.
Podcast Host
I just saw Pippen on Patrick Bet David show, and he was talking about this. They don't talk anymore. Pippin and Jordan, by the way.
C Bless
Really?
Podcast Host
Yeah. They got some beef, but didn't like.
C Bless
Pippen's ex wife, like, date Jordan's son.
Podcast Host
But he said they were. He said they were never close off the court, which is wild.
C Bless
That's the thing. Like, people, it's like a business relationship with Pippen and Jordan.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
C Bless
It's like, we're going to do what it takes on the court. Doesn't mean you have to be friends off the court.
Podcast Host
But now everyone is friends with each other.
C Bless
Yeah, LeBron changed that. He's like, oh, I want to be friends with Durant, Dwayne Wade, I'll join forces. It's like, that shit is so dumb to me. It's like, stay with your team your whole career. Find a way to make it work. I'm more old school mentality with a lot of stuff. I don't believe you should be friends with your opponent because you want to get any edge you can over them. And part of it's mental and part of it's in the summer. You don't want them to train with you so they can see what you're doing. You want to keep the people who do the best in the world at whatever they do, they keep it quiet. They don't tell anybody because they're making a lot of money. So it's like, why would Jordan. Why would LeBron tell Durant what he's doing in the off season? Doesn't make any sense to me.
Podcast Host
I got to ask, since you brought up Durant, how do you feel about Draymond Green? Because obviously he brought four rings, but he also drove Durant and he drove Jordan Poole out of the Organization.
C Bless
I think Draymond is. He's great, but I think he's overrated, and I think he's way too cocky. It's like, if you were on any other team, you would have been out of the league within five years. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson made you into who you are. So I think Draymond needs to be humbled a little bit, because he's not really a good offensive player. He's a good playmaker, but you need weapons to be able to play. Make four. If you put him on the Charlotte Hornets, he'd be nothing. He made so much money. He. He became such a big name, in my opinion, completely because of Steph Curry. And it's like, dude, you gotta recognize that, and you gotta take a step back. I don't know the whole story with the Jordan Poole stuff. And honestly, I wouldn't have paid Draymond anything. Like, I would've said, I believe in loyalty, but I also believe in doing what's best for business. And when Draymond's not that great of a player anymore, if you pay him and give him a contract, it's gonna. It's going to fuck you in the future, paying other players. So personally, I get it. Draymond did a lot for that franchise, but I don't think the warriors should have paid him because he's nowhere near the level of player that he used to be.
Podcast Host
Yeah, I really wanted to see Clay end his career there.
C Bless
You know, I mean, I. I do, too. But what are you going to do when he's not performing at the level the warriors are? They're in a lot of trouble right now because they're paying so much money and they're not a good team. When you have a team like the Thunder who's not paying that much money, and they have a great team and a ton of assets.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
C Bless
So it's all about the future. And when you. Like, if they were going to keep Clay and Draymond, it just would hurt them.
Podcast Host
That's a good point. Father Time's undefeated, right?
C Bless
Exactly.
Podcast Host
Besides Brady facts, are you on the LaMelo Ball bandwagon?
C Bless
I think he's a great player, but I don't think he cares enough about winning. I do love the ball family. I love LiAngelo, and I think Lonzo is a great player. And I think it's pretty cool how lavar said he talked all his shit and it ended up coming true pretty much that his sons were great players. But I think you got to care about basketball, number one. To be great because everybody's chasing greatness. Everybody wants to be great. And if you don't care as much as the next guy, it's going to hurt you.
Podcast Host
Do you think Jokic has a shot of becoming the best center of all time?
C Bless
I think he does, personally, but I don't think he'll ever be considered that because I don't think it's all about what the media pushes. Right. So even to this day, Jokic doesn't get near the push that he deserves. So I don't think it's like the Brady argument. Personally, I don't believe he's the goat, but the media brainwashes everyone to think he's the goat. So they're just going to say he's the goat because 90% of people follow whatever the media says, right? So they're never going to say Jokic is the best center of all time because they're going to say, guys that they want to push the narrative, like Shaq or Duncan or players like that, they're going to always say Shaq is better because he's in the media. He's on tnt, he loves the NBA, he still wants to be involved. Jokic doesn't care about basketball as much as Shaq. When the season's over, he goes home to his horses, and that's what he cares about more. So I don't think the media is really going to push him, to propel him for people to think he's the best. But for me, I don't follow what other people say. I think whatever. I think, and I think he definitely could be considered one of the greatest of all time at the center position, for sure.
Podcast Host
I think part of it also is he's not marketable.
C Bless
Exactly.
Podcast Host
Personality.
C Bless
He's not on Instagram.
Podcast Host
Yeah. They can't make money off him.
C Bless
Exactly. So why would they care if they can't make money off him?
Podcast Host
100%. Yeah. From a business point of view, I get it.
C Bless
Do you think he's one of the best centers, though?
Podcast Host
Oh, yeah. I mean, how many MVPs already? Three or four?
C Bless
I think so.
Podcast Host
And he's still kind of in his prime right now.
C Bless
Yeah, he's young. He came in in 15, 16, and Europeans usually come in young. He's probably only 29 right now. I don't know.
Podcast Host
And he got snubbed on one of them by Embiid. I remember, too.
C Bless
So I think that was last year.
Podcast Host
Was it last year? Yeah, because they didn't want him winning three in a row. It would have looked bad.
C Bless
Exactly. Because the media votes for mvp, so they want to change the narrative and control it. And it's like that stuff is just. I don't like. I just don't respect it.
Podcast Host
MVP is so like, subjective.
C Bless
Exactly. I mean, this year I think it's going to be Shea for sure. I saw it was like minus 600 to get MVP, but they just want to. Usually what the NBA does is they give it to the youngest player who's never won it and is on the come up. And Shay does fit that bill right now. So I think that's another added reason why he's going to win it. But if you look at history, it's always a young guy coming up who's never won it. They love to give it to.
Podcast Host
Yeah. What do you think of Rudy Gobert having four defensive players of the year?
C Bless
I think he's the most overrated player of all time. Especially. Especially as time goes on. If you look at Minnesota in the playoffs last year, he's a complete liability on offense. It's like you could play 4 on 5 in the other way. So they had to take him out of the game and put in Nas Reed because he does nothing on offense. The game has evolved and changed so much. You see centers shooting threes if they don't and if they can't score outside the paint, it's kind of tough to keep them in the game. And another thing with the free throws, you just foul them. You foul them when you're in the penalty early.
Podcast Host
Pack a shack.
C Bless
Exactly. It's just these guys. You have to be able to score offensively now as a center.
Podcast Host
Yeah, yeah. Can't be like Rodman anymore. We get 20 rebounds.
C Bless
Yeah. That doesn't exist because it's just the game's so much different now.
Podcast Host
Absolutely. Where do you rank Steph Curry in the point guard goat debate?
C Bless
He's probably the best. I think there's only a certain handful of players that revolutionize the game. And I think Steph Curry in the modern day, he's revolutionized the game even more than Kobe, more than LeBron. Everybody's shooting threes. If you look at the way the game is played today versus 10 years ago, they're shooting so many more threes and it's all because of Steph Curry. The warriors figured out that three points is better than two. But what I'm saying now is it's only better if you have a good percentage three point shooter. A lot of these teams, they're taking guys that are shooting 32%. And they're just chucking up threes. And they don't realize that you want to drive in order to get the three. You want to play inside out. And that still applies to today. You want to. Like last year, a lot of the three point shots were created off drives to the paint. If you touch the paint first, make the defense collapse, it's a lot easier to get a wide open three. And I think Steph Curry completely. He changed the game completely. And I respect that a lot. When you look at youth basketball, a kid goes to the gym, what are they doing? They're shooting threes right away. They used to take four footers, six footers. You see the same thing, right? Everyone's shooting threes now.
Podcast Host
Yeah, I play in the lifetime leagues in Vegas. It's all threes.
C Bless
It's insane.
Podcast Host
Like if you don't have a sniper on your team, you're not making it in the playoffs.
C Bless
And Steph Curry is the complete reason why.
Podcast Host
Yeah, I agree. If you played an average WNBA player one on one to 11 points, do you think you would win?
C Bless
That's a great question. I mean, I think so. Just based on the physicality advantage. I mean, you would have a massive height advantage against any player. So I think that would help you a lot.
Podcast Host
I think I would win. Yeah.
C Bless
I think, yeah. You.
Podcast Host
What are you, 6, 8, 6, 7? Yeah. So I think that helped. Cause the average WNB player, probably 5, 10 or something.
C Bless
Yeah. You would be able to just back him down and just score.
Podcast Host
Yeah.
C Bless
But then it would look bad because you're like using physicality.
Podcast Host
Yeah, Yeah. I wouldn't care though.
C Bless
Put some money on the line and then you wouldn't care.
Podcast Host
I mean, they're already talking about how they could be NBA players, so.
C Bless
Really?
Podcast Host
Yeah. You haven't seen this?
C Bless
No.
Podcast Host
Adrian Wilson, she said she could beat the guy on the Knicks, Josh Hart.
C Bless
Really?
Podcast Host
One on one.
C Bless
I mean, she's.
Podcast Host
She's one of the best. That's a bad example. But I'm saying average WNBA player, I think I could beat.
C Bless
You definitely could be. I mean, for me, I think it would be dependent on if I'm hitting my jumper. I mean, I'm a pretty good shooter, but I like to just shoot threes. And if I could hit him, I think I would win. But it'd probably be like an even matchup, honestly.
Podcast Host
Yeah, I feel that. And you don't play that much?
C Bless
I haven't been playing much. You play a lot, right?
Podcast Host
Yeah, I do. I play twice a week. You should play.
C Bless
You're in a lifetime league.
Podcast Host
Yeah, but they do runs there too.
C Bless
I should. I mean, the Summerlin one or. Which one?
Podcast Host
Yes, I live by Summerlin.
C Bless
I'm a member. I should probably.
Podcast Host
Oh, you are? Dude, every night at six.
C Bless
They go there a lot.
Podcast Host
Yeah, pull up Monday night. Yeah, I'll text you. Well, dude, it's been cool. I don't know if you're selling any pics yet or anything, but where can people find find out more about you?
C Bless
Just check me out on Twitter, Instagram. It's blez betts on Twitter. C bless on Instagram. I do sell pics if you guys want, but I just like to have a good time, have fun, make good content.
Digital Social Hour Episode Summary: "How I Built a Sports Betting Algorithm | Chad Bleznick DSH #1148"
Release Date: January 29, 2025
In this episode of Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly sits down with Chad Bleznick, a seasoned sports bettor and content creator who has carved out a niche in the competitive world of sports betting. With over a decade of experience, Chad shares his journey from being a recreational bettor to developing a sophisticated sports betting algorithm that consistently beats the sportsbooks.
Chad begins by recounting his initial foray into sports betting, highlighting a decade-long passion that only became public through his content creation efforts about a year and a half ago. He emphasizes the importance of confidence and having an edge before sharing his strategies publicly:
Chad Bleznick [01:49]: "Not really, because I like to be confident and sure of what I'm doing. So if I don't have an edge, I don't want to put stuff out there."
This disciplined approach sets Chad apart from many who start sharing their betting experiences without substantial backing, often leading to unreliable or unverified claims.
A central theme of the conversation revolves around whether bettors can indeed gain an edge in sports betting. Chad confidently asserts that while the vast majority of bettors (~97%) lose, there are opportunities for the sharp and disciplined:
Chad Bleznick [02:25]: "For sure, yeah. I mean, most people lose, I would say like the public, probably 97% of people lose. Maybe higher."
Chad elaborates on the nature of sports betting, explaining that successful bettors focus on consistency rather than seeking "locks." He likens the process to maintaining a win rate of around 52-57%, where occasional losses are part of the strategy but long-term profitability is achievable through disciplined betting:
Chad Bleznick [03:21]: "The best sports bettors, they're just trying to win like 57% of the time, which means you're going to lose 43% of the time."
Chad delves into the creation of his sports betting algorithm, a response to witnessing friends lose against offshore sportsbooks. Dissatisfied with the inefficiencies and uncompetitiveness of these platforms, he decided to harness computer data to systematically outperform the sportsbooks:
Chad Bleznick [17:21]: "I took all information that I had and I built an algorithm in order to beat the bookies."
This algorithm-driven approach allows Chad to eliminate emotional biases, relying instead on data-driven decisions to place bets strategically. He emphasizes the necessity of continuous refinement of the algorithm to adapt to the evolving betting landscape:
Chad Bleznick [23:20]: "Constantly making tweaks, gotta update it all the time depending on what's going on. I'm always looking at it to make sure it's good."
Chad shares his nuanced understanding of different sports markets, favoring college sports over the NFL due to lower betting volumes and greater potential edges. He explains how sportsbooks quickly adjust lines in high-volume markets like the NFL, making it harder to find profitable opportunities:
Chad Bleznick [13:15]: "I like to bet on the small market games because that's where the biggest edges are."
He highlights the importance of timing in placing bets, waiting for lines to shift based on his analysis and market movements to maximize value. For instance, Chad recounts a recent NFL bet where he capitalized on a line movement just before kickoff:
Chad Bleznick [14:23]: "I knew the line was going to move that way, so then I waited... I bet it at seven and now I'm winning."
Chad also touches on the significance of understanding player injuries and other insider information to anticipate line movements, further enhancing his algorithm's effectiveness:
Chad Bleznick [23:37]: "I knew players are injured before that's announced. I would do that every time even though I lost."
Chad recounts his experiences interacting with various sportsbooks and casinos, particularly instances where his successful betting led to limitations or bans:
Chad Bleznick [08:44]: "I was at Boyd Casino and I wanted to bet 10,000 on Boise State against Penn State... they said, we don't want your action anymore. You can't bet here."
He explains that consistent winners are often recognized by sportsbooks, which respond by limiting their betting capabilities to mitigate losses. This necessitates the importance of diversifying across multiple platforms to maintain betting opportunities.
Chad also discusses the challenges of large-scale betting and the constraints imposed by sportsbooks on high-stakes bettors, emphasizing the need for flexibility and multiple accounts:
Chad Bleznick [09:18]: "Most of these books, they act like they're so big and they take all these bets. People think that they take these big bets. They really don't."
While Chad primarily focuses on sports betting, he touches upon alternative gambling avenues like casinos and slot machines. He notes that although there are potential edges in slots, such as specific machines with favorable payout rates, these opportunities require significant time and effort with variable returns:
Chad Bleznick [20:31]: "But I like to do betting because you could bet bigger, but in slots, you can have edges for sure."
Chad advises that while alternative betting can be profitable, it lacks the scalability and systematic advantages that his sports betting algorithm provides.
The conversation shifts towards broader insights on the sports industry, particularly basketball. Chad critiques the decline in NBA quality, attributing it to players prioritizing personal brands and social media over team success:
Chad Bleznick [30:05]: "It's because the players don't really give a fuck anymore. It's like if you're making 50, 60 million and you get that money guaranteed if you play or don't play or care or don't care, why would you care?"
He contrasts this with European basketball programs, praising their focus on player development and commitment to greatness:
Chad Bleznick [31:00]: "Because when you go to the youth basketball in Europe, they're teaching players to be great."
Chad also discusses the impact of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals on college sports, suggesting that while they were intended to benefit athletes, they have led to financial imbalances and ethical dilemmas in betting:
Chad Bleznick [32:09]: "There's no market cap or salary cap. So... it's just like a race to the bottom opposite a race to the top."
Chad shares his opinions on coaching philosophies, praising tactical minds like Bill Belichick while critiquing others he deems ineffective. He underscores the importance of adaptability and intelligence in coaching, drawing parallels with his analytical approach to betting:
Chad Bleznick [45:56]: "Marcus Freeman is the difference in terms of why they were able to play better."
He also touches upon the role of analytics in modern sports, lamenting that some coaches prioritize personal instincts over data-driven strategies, which can hinder team performance:
Chad Bleznick [45:56]: "They're too old and that they're not smart. The coaches probably want to listen to themselves over the analytics people because they're so dumb."
As the episode wraps up, Chad emphasizes the evolving nature of sports betting and the necessity for continuous innovation to stay ahead. His algorithm represents a blend of data analysis, strategic betting, and adaptability, positioning him as a formidable player in the industry.
Chad Bleznick [23:25]: "I'm trying to figure out the process what makes the most money in the end. And if I could win an extra four or five hundred thousand every year betting sports, I'm happy with."
Chad's insights extend beyond betting, offering a critical perspective on the sports industry's current trajectory and its implications for both bettors and fans alike. His blend of analytical rigor and seasoned experience provides listeners with a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to succeed in the high-stakes world of sports betting.
For more information about Chad Bleznick and his betting strategies, listeners can follow him on Twitter and Instagram under the handles @blezbetts and @c_bless, respectively.
Notable Quotes:
Chad Bleznick's candid discussion offers a rare glimpse into the disciplined, analytical approach required to navigate and succeed in the competitive field of sports betting. His experiences and strategies provide valuable lessons for both novice and seasoned bettors aiming to refine their own practices.