Moving to Vegas to become a full time pro handicapper

Rarely read the Covers Forums. Occasionally, I check out Vanzack's recent posts because I often learn something from the discussions. That's how I stumbled upon this thread, and I'll admit I'm hooked.

Driving in the car today and noticed I was totally consumed with the CG Saga--why is this constantly on my mind? Then it hit me...It's because he does everything wrong! How many thousands has he already cost himself because of bad lines, paying full vigs, and making ridiculously high bets? These flaws are precisely why the story is so fascinating to me though.

CG is like Worm from Rounders. If the movie only contained Matt Damon playing it safe, making the percentage moves, grinding it out at the table, it would be a boring movie. Luckily for us though, Worm was there to make it interesting. Doing time, hitting strip clubs, trying to beat Blackjack, and dealing from the bottom of the deck. You knew it was going to end badly, but it was entertaining as hell to watch.

Major difference between Worm and CG however, is that Worm was mostly a likeable character. CG is not. He comes across as a "Wolf of Wallstreet" wannabe, and his douchebagerry only increases with success. The only time he comes close to being a sympathetic figure, or remotely likeable, is when he's at his lowest. Therefore, he plays the villain role perfectly, which only adds to the intrigue.

I will admit, I actively root against every single bet he makes. I almost felt bad for him after the 0-8 streak, but that quickly changed after he won a couple and then continued to whine about every single loss being a bad beat. He is a blowhard without a clue, and that is why many want him to fail.

There seems to be two camps present in the thread:

Those who treat gambling as a science, and understand the importance of numbers and vigs. They mostly seem anti-CG, because they don't respect incompetence, and don't feel his approach deserves to be successful. For them, it's like hoping the clown playing 2-7 off suit gets what's deserved and loses his stack.

The other group seems comprised of those who are very impressed with living the "lifestyle." They love the bragging about alcohol and drugs consumed, banging chicks, and kicking somebody's behind. They don't want to be concerned with the boring minutia of vig amounts, getting best number, beating closing line, and all of that BS. They love a guy who flies by the seat of his pants and "does it his own way." As VZ calls them, crystal ballers, and they just want to predict outcomes without having to do any of the meticulous stuff.

I thank CG for his transparency, though I'm not sure if all his outside gambling exploits are true, but they make for an interesting read. Like Worm though, I get the feeling that deep down he really wants to lose. In the end, Worm lost the entire bankroll they had built, and got beat up. When he couldn't pay and was out of time, he told Mike, "it's highway time." That's what I see in my crystal ball.