Sharps

[Beyond the Bets]

You make several points, all of which I can or could respond to. But I think the sentence that stuck out most to me was this one:

"I was a capper that was doing very well, but using my own information and rankings and finding #'s where I thought were off and being profitable overall."

And then ... you started trying to become a "sharp" or trying to "think like a sharp" and it screwed you up entirely, right? As in, now you are second-guessing plays that you like; plays that have been profitable in the past; plays that you think could win but now won't take because "It isn't the sharp side."

To which I say, again, the following: There are multiple ways to win.

I'll never forget my senior year of high school because I screwed up my golf game beyond repair. I was a fairly decent golfer, good enough to shoot at or near even par, anyway. My junior year of golf, my stroke average was a 1.75 (nine holes).

My senior year stroke average was 3.50 (an average 9-hole score of roughly 38.75), which factors out to about a 76, 77 or 78 on 18 holes.

Why the decline? It wasn't the result of a lack of work ethic. I probably worked twice as hard as a senior as I did as a junior. But someone who I trusted and respected told me that my golf game had gone "as far as it could go" with my swing. So, he suggested some changes:

1. Change your grip.
2. Change your set up to the ball.
3. Take the club back on a different plane.

I did all these things and worked on my swing incessantly, but for what? My swing was fine before. Did it have flaws? Of course it did. But I could control the ball, I always knew where it was going and because this swing came "naturally" to me, I could always fix my problems quickly and without struggle.

I never found confidence in my newer, "better" swing and it cost me dearly. What I learned from that endeavor is that, regardless of what people tell you, there is no ONE WAY to do ANYTHING. That's true of sports, it's true of cooking, it's true of playing poker, it's true of how you live your life.

And it's true of sports betting.

Jim Furyk has the worst golf swing I've ever seen. Truly, the worst. And yet, the guy has won multiple tournaments, major championships and has pocketed over $15 million.

Along the way, I'm sure, someone told Furyk: "Hey, dude, you can't win at this doing it your way."

To which Furyk said: "Fuck off, watch me."