Handicappers

 Thumbnail image for Chad Millman on ESPN’s content: Sports gamblers ‘often know as much about a team as an analyst’
ESPN The Magazine

Chad Millman on ESPN’s content: Sports gamblers ‘often know as much about a team as an analyst’

May 2, 2013

Chad Millman, editor-in-chief of ESPN The Magazine and a gambling aficionado, recently sat down for an interview with Forbes Magazine.

Millman touched on a wide variety of topics, and the full interview is well worth your time (especially if you’re a media junkie), but we’ve provided a few of Millman’s thoughts on sports gambling in this post.

 Thumbnail image for Reintroducing the Tout Calculator: Before buying picks, be sure you’re making a smart investment
Handicapping tools

Reintroducing the Tout Calculator: Before buying picks, be sure you’re making a smart investment

January 30, 2013

The Tout Calculator, originally a simple spreadsheet, has been recreated. Continue reading to see the updated version, and be sure to test it out if you plan to purchase plays from a handicapper now or in the future.

 Thumbnail image for 14 Covers touts released combined 20 plays on BCS title game, went 8-12 & lost clients 4,020 fake units
Tout industry

14 Covers touts released combined 20 plays on BCS title game, went 8-12 & lost clients 4,020 fake units

January 8, 2013

Not only did every Covers handicapper have an opinion on the BCS title game, but roughly three-fourths of them had the strongest opinion you could possibly have.

For many, the Game of the Year was literally the GAME OF THE YEAR!

 Thumbnail image for Problems with pick selling: Sites with huge rosters can’t monitor the quality of releases
Tout industry

Problems with pick selling: Sites with huge rosters can’t monitor the quality of releases

October 9, 2012

More is not better. That seems to be the consensus.

Over the past week, we’ve talked with handicappers who sell picks at various tout sites, and none of them—not one—thinks that having dozens of handicappers selling hundreds of weekly plays is a good thing for the consumer.

 Thumbnail image for Why is a Las Vegas-based tout site selling $500 monthly picks from a dead handicapper?
Tout industry

Why is a Las Vegas-based tout site selling $500 monthly picks from a dead handicapper?

October 3, 2012

A reader tipped us off to a Las Vegas-based tout site that is selling plays from Lenny Del Genio, a recently deceased handicapper, using his name, his likeness and even his photo to push packages that cost up to $500 monthly.

Reps from the tout site claim they didn’t know Del Genio had passed. Yet the handicapper’s “rebranded” plays continue to be sold.

 Thumbnail image for LVH NFL Supercontest consensus picks, Week 2: Ravens, Cowboys & 49ers among best bets
Las Vegas

LVH NFL Supercontest consensus picks, Week 2: Ravens, Cowboys & 49ers among best bets

September 16, 2012

The LVH’s NFL Supercontest Week 2 deadline expired Saturday, and shortly after, the Superbook released the consensus picks for the 16 games on the schedule.

The Ravens and Cowboys were among the most popular, while the Packers and Cardinals saw the least action. Read on for more consensus picks.

 Thumbnail image for Rock Bottom: Stu Feiner asks you to ‘make the biggest bet of your life on NFL preseason game’
Tout industry

Rock Bottom: Stu Feiner asks you to ‘make the biggest bet of your life on NFL preseason game’

August 20, 2012

Stu Feiner might have officially lost his mind.

Selling an NFC Championship Game pick for $39,000 is one thing, but $2,500 for a preseason pick has to be rock bottom for a tout, doesn’t it?

 Thumbnail image for Providing value: How pick-selling sites can help clients make more informed buying decisions
Tout industry

Providing value: How pick-selling sites can help clients make more informed buying decisions

August 12, 2012

The tout industry relies on stupid, uneducated customers who are willing to pay big money for losing picks without asking questions or even making an attempt to inform themselves.

However, tout sites (or standalone pick sellers) with a legitimate interest in becoming more transparent and providing value to clients would benefit from following three simple principles.

 Thumbnail image for How frequently do touts at pick-selling sites beat the closing line? We’ll find out soon
Tout industry

How frequently do touts at pick-selling sites beat the closing line? We’ll find out soon

July 18, 2012

Beginning next month, we’ll be teaming up with Line Projector in an attempt to help you “handicap the handicapper,” so to speak. Many pick sellers tout short-term streaks and promote their big wins, but few spend any time analyzing their process.

Here’s a quick preview of what’s to come.

 Thumbnail image for There’s always someone! Covers Expert Jesse Schule selling Home Run Derby play for $20
Tout industry

There’s always someone! Covers Expert Jesse Schule selling Home Run Derby play for $20

July 9, 2012

Today marks the beginning of a four-day hell stretch for pick sellers. With Major League Baseball off until Friday, there are no games to handicap and no plays to release.

Oh, but not true. One tout is actually selling a play on the Home Run Derby.