Gambling with an Edge and the "Zen" of Exercise

First and foremost, I find the Wizard's show (that'w how I think of it) to be an essential aid in my daily work out. My problem is staving off boredom. we ahve a TV in the gym, but that doens't always help, and it's sometimes hard to hear over the exercise machines' cacophony. On the other hand, I've no problem listening to GWE (short for Gambling With and Edge) using my cheapo MP3 player and headphones.

So thank you Mike and Bob for making my workout easier!

Thus far I've listened to all shows til March 29th with Michael Gaughan. I find both Bob and Mike to be able, personable, witty and likeable radio "voices" pleasant to listen to. Bob tends to pause more (uh, ah, er), but not to the point of gettign in his own way. neither of them stammer, which is good, and both come up with itneresting questions. Best of all, both hosts know not to put themselves above the guest. They prompt and they question when needed, and stir the interviews where they want them, but they allow the guests to star in the interview section. They also refrain from trying to make the guest uncomfortable or to extract even a hint of scandal.

Now, I don't know how much the interviews are planned. Do Mike or Bob bring in questions they mean to ask, or topics they want to tackle? Or do they rely on what the guests say and what they know about them? either way, it works out fine. Sometimes I may think "Why dind't they ask about X?" But that's not fair criticism, as they have different priorities and outlooks. We all do.

I wont' go into the audio quality and other technical aspects. As long as I can hear what's going on, that's enough for me. Phone connections and radio don't get along as well as they should. I know that. And in any case that's a matter for the producer and the station, not the hosts.

As far as the content, I have no criticisms worth bringing up. Sure there may be things I'd do differently, but it's not my show. It's Mike's and Bob's, and thus far they do a good enough job that I will keep listening to the show, which is all that matters.

Oh, I do like that there are no breaks in the show.

So keep it up guys. You're doing great. And I've learned a thing or two.

Talk about timing ! Mike is reading, or about to read, a book titled "Zendurance " Hopefully he will be running up the steps of the
Stratosphere Tower on Sunday next year.

Thank you for all the kind words. I'm sure they will be quickly offset by criticism from other members, but I accept that too.

We work hard at writing good questions. Generally the person who brings in the guest says the introduction and writes most of the questions. Either way there is a lot of discussion about which questions to use. Naturally, I tend to like mine better, and Bob his. I tend to put more of an emphasis on getting to know the guest, and Bob getting useful information from the guest that the audience would appreciate. The mixture of both I think makes for a stronger show. It should also be noted that there are usually lots of questions we didn't have time to ask.

Quote:

They also refrain from trying to make the guest uncomfortable or to extract even a hint of scandal.

I appreciate that comment. This week's guest is Don Schlesinger, for whom I wrote some questions that might make him a bit uncomfortable. I was already unsure about asking them, but now I'm even more so. Perhaps I'll ask something that would let Don get into those topics if he wishes to open that door himself.

Quote: Wizard

Thank you for all the kind words.

It's nothing less than you both deserve.

Quote:

We work hard at writing good questions.

Good for you. It doesn't show, which is also a good thing. I'd qualify the questions as "seemingly effortless," and I can think of no higher praise than that.

Quote:

It should also be noted that there are usually lots of questions we didn't have time to ask.

That's the stone every radio show must bear.

I listen to a science show, local, that comes on at 8 pm every weekday. The guy's good, and his explanation are both clear and succinct, but there's so much material to cover that he needs, by my estimate, a two hour show 7 days a week to cover half of what he wants :)

Quote:

I appreciate that comment. This week's guest is Don Schlesinger, for whom I wrote some questions that might make him a bit uncomfortable. I was already unsure about asking them, but now I'm even more so. Perhaps I'll ask something that would let Don get into those topics if he wishes to open that door himself.

Well, I dont' recognize the name, so I won't guess what it is about. So blindly I'd say you should weigh making the guest uncomfortable against what the purpose is for the show. Both you and Bob had some pointed questions for Michael Gaughn, but the answers were informative and useful.

Quote: Nareed

Both you and Bob had some pointed questions for Michael Gaughn, but the answers were informative and useful.

We had lunch with him before the show to make sure he was comfortable with everything, and he was. I think that was one of the best episodes of the show, thanks to Mr. Gaughan.

There is a lot of praise this week for Mike Wallace, who just died. You may not be familiar with the name, but he was a great interviewer who had a reputation for asking tough questions and putting people on the spot. Granted, that is not our focus, but I also admire interviewers who have the guts to ask tough, yet relevant, questions.

I've been interviewed lots of times and I always get the same boring questions:

1. What is the best casino game to play?
2. Do the casinos let you play?
3. What is your advice for money management?

Quote: Wizard

We had lunch with him before the show to make sure he was comfortable with everything, and he was. I think that was one of the best episodes of the show, thanks to Mr. Gaughan.

It was a very good show. I realize he's one of your sponsors, and Bob seems to have a complex relationship with him and South Point, but for all that he wasn't treated with kid gloves.

Quote:

There is a lot of praise this week for Mike Wallace, who just died. You may not be familiar with the name, but he was a great interviewer who had a reputation for asking tough questions and putting people on the spot.

I do know him. It's been years since I watched 60 Minutes, but he's memorable (so was Andy Rooney). I had no idea he'd just passed away, though.

Quote:

Granted, that is not our focus, but I also admire interviewers who have the guts to ask tough, yet relevant, questions.

If you ever invite someone from the gaming comission, I imagine you'd have very tough questions for him. Like the one about the casino who demanded money back for the bet exceeding the table limit. Think about it.

I've been interviewed lots of times and I always get the same boring questions:

1. What is the best casino game to play?
2. Do the casinos let you play?
3. What is your advice for money management?


Well, Mike


Please try and smile and give the right answers.

You have no idea how many people you have helped.

Just bite your tongue and tell yourself " I am not John Patrick " LOL



You have no idea of the number of people you have helped

Quote: Wizard

This week's guest is Don Schlesinger, for whom I wrote some questions that might make him a bit uncomfortable. I was already unsure about asking them, but now I'm even more so. Perhaps I'll ask something that would let Don get into those topics if he wishes to open that door himself.

For what it's worth, I feel like the interviews are much more interesting when you're asking tough questions. Don't be afraid to ask them!

This from Wikipedia :
Books that briefly acknowledge Schlesinger:

Gambling 102: The Best Stratgies for All Casino Games by Michael Shackleford

Interesting coincidence MIKE ?

In 1976, I bought Lawrence Revere's Playing Blackjack as a Business : from a Don Schlesinger interview.

I'm all caught up now.

I found the interview with Miss Uston very interesting. I'd known of Mr. Uston from a History Channel show called "Breaking Vegas," and there he was portrayed quite differently. Of course his daughter would focus on other aspects of his life, but just the same she had interesting things to say.

I was also impressed that you brought up the claim that South Point offers 10,000 99+% video pokers (and yes, teddys, that's the right phrasing rather than "videos poker" <g>). Bob was quite fortright in his answer.

The Wizard (and Bob) is still tops.

Naturally since it's a weekly show, there aren't enough podcasts to cover every workout int he week. So for other days I turn to other podcasts. I'm catching up with a web-based one called Philosophy in Action (quite interesting, too; I'll toss a suggestion on taking on gambling as a subject). And there's a daily science show locally I'm catching up to. They help, too.

But it's only with Gambling With an Edge that the workout goes by painlessly. Even when I'm listening to news I already knew about, like the Wizard's announcement of the Venetian job. In fact, I'm beginning to look forward to the Friday workout, so help me.

I don't know how I missed this thread originally. I'm lovin' the show!

Quote: Wizard

This week's guest is Don Schlesinger, for whom I wrote some questions that might make him a bit uncomfortable. I was already unsure about asking them, but now I'm even more so. Perhaps I'll ask something that would let Don get into those topics if he wishes to open that door himself.

Quote: Wizard

We had lunch with Michael Gaughn before the show to make sure he was comfortable with everything, and he was. I think that was one of the best episodes of the show, thanks to Mr. Gaughan.

Don't underestimate the value of that lunch.

Doing a pre-interview is a great tool towards making a great show, particularly when you care enough to want to give the guest the option of not answering certain questions.



Regarding Mike Wallace: Yes, he was a tough interviewer. He was also in the business of doing in-depth, hard-nose, investigative jounalism.

His repuation preceeded him to the point where the most feared words in Corporate America were, "Mike Wallace is here..."

I forgot to write about last week's show, April 26th with former host Richard Munchkin as guest. Go to the Odds site and get it. Mr. Munchkin tells a remarkable story about gambling in Russia.

He also tells about gambling in Korea and changing money on the black market. This brought back memories of Mexico in the 80s. I'll spare you the abck story, and I never witnessed something really interesting, but buying and selling currency (ie US Dollars) in the black market here at that time was as common as filling up on gas. Now, by black market I mean things like buying $500 for a trip from your uncle, or $1,200 for rent from a colleague at work. The thing was to avoid banks (by then all were state-owned), or the few exchange houses that existed then, becasue they used horribly low rates.

Still, I recall one incident in Acapulco where a US tourist asked to exchange a few hundred at the hotel's front desk. Hotels at the time had a sign stating the rate of exchange for purposes of payment (they still do), but people often changed money there (suckers, actually, because hotel rates were the worst). Before the tourist could even finish, a man approached and said "I'll give you 30 pesos per dollar." And before the tourist could digest this, another man offered him 31 (the amounts are given as an example).

Quote: Nareed

Still, I recall one incident in Acapulco where a US tourist asked to exchange a few hundred at the hotel's front desk. Hotels at the time had a sign stating the rate of exchange for purposes of payment (they still do), but people often changed money there (suckers, actually, because hotel rates were the worst). Before the tourist could even finish, a man approached and said "I'll give you 30 pesos per dollar." And before the tourist could digest this, another man offered him 31 (the amounts are given as an example).

I do that often at Caesars Windsor, intercepting people before they get to the window. If the rate is $100US=$98CDN/$100CDN=$98US, then if I offer them even money we both make out better on the deal. On a $300 change, that's a $6 savings per person. ($12 swing for two transactions, US-CDN-US).

Now, the rate's $100US=$96CDN/$100CDN=$100US so it doesn't work as well.

IN Mexico there's a "buy" rate, call it now around 12.90 and a "sell" rate, now about 13.20. So the bank or exchange house buys dollars from the public at 12.90 pesos each, and sells them to the public at 13.20. A hotel these days would probably peg the dollar at 12.50, because then they sell them to a bank. For me it would be good business to offer a tourist, say, 12.70 for his currency.

Very interesting show on May 3rd. I forget the name of the guest, but he's the media guy for the World Series of Poker. The poker stuff discussed was interesting enough, but curiously I found the tale of the confiscated chip at MGM a great deal more compelling. Listen to the show for details, but long story short the MGM refused to honor a $5,000 chip and confiscated it.

I hope Mike and Bob will take up the matter next week, when they have Bob Nersesian the gambling lawyer as a guest. Surely there must be some recourse in case a casino refuses to honor one of its own chips. And if there isn't, it would be importnat to know how not to get into such a situation (not that I'm ever likely to be, but who knows?)

I will take this opportunity to add my praise and appreciation of Mike's contribution to GWE. A side benefit for me has been that it led me back to this site. I have been aware of the site for a long time and (very) occasionally checked in, but now have been reading much more regularly and recently decided to contribute a little bit.