Richard Wilk: Whale Hunter

I first learned about Richard Wilk watching Louis Theroux’s Gambling In Las Vegas, broadcast back in 2007 on BBC 2. This 60-minute episode followed a run of very successful documentaries from Theroux. Often hard-hitting subjects. He has the knack of getting the best answers from even those who keep their cards close to their chest. This was the case with Rich Wilk who worked at the Las Vegas Hilton. His job to find high-rolling gamblers known as whale who bet large sums of money.

Wilk finds whales (friends, acquaintances and others probably through marketing) to bring big money gamblers to lose even bigger at the casino.

Here we meet his friend Allan Erlick known as ‘The Mattress King’ because he owns one of the largest mattress manufacturing businesses in Canada. Such is their connection that Allan is godfather to Wilk’s daughter. It’s an odd relationship where friendship comes first and business second although watching the programme you have to think it’s actually the reverse. It’s not all bad news for ‘The Mattress King’ as he gets the biggest penthouse suite in the hotel for three days and nights as a complimentary gesture. It comes with its own butler. Allan jokes that the only downside is walking the vast distance from the bedroom to have breakfast each morning. In addition, Wilk’s secures $3K in free bets although this only comes when Allan has lost $50K, after a good start on day one on the roulette, (we didn’t see the losses) and then a disaster of a session on the slots which saw him lose about $70K. He smiles at Louis when he wins $5K on the slots as if saying: ‘See, you can win big money.’ While Theroux stares back bemused as if saying: ‘Yes, but you’ve lost over $100K.’

In fact, every time Theroux uses the elevator he ask guests ‘Are you winning?’ I think one bloke said he was but all the others seemed to be losing tens of thousands if not more. It was, unsurprisingly, a catalogue of losses.

Theroux said: ‘Las Vegas wasn’t built on winners!’

Rich Wilk talked about the business of being a broker for the casino a position which clearly paid well. You’d have to imagine he was collecting 10% of any losses if not substantially more. What’s worse for the punters (unlike betting in the UK) they have to pay tax on their winnings. Allan said about his $5K win, that it was worth $3.5K after taxes. With the house cut it must be impossible to win gambling in Las Vegas. Especially too, when the roulette is double zero compare to the United Kingdom.

Wilk’s said he has one or two whales commit suicide. It would seem most of the big players were addicted to gambling. If not, like another patron Martha Ogman, who had lost $4M on the slots, she just ‘loved playing so much why would I stop?’

Gambling In Las Vegas is a fascinating venture into the realities of gambling often to excess. ‘No one wants to see a gambler lose their house’, one of the floors managers says. You kind of get the feeling they wouldn’t be bothered either way.

As Allan leaves the Hilton a limousine awaits. He looks a little subdued saying bye to Louis and his friend Rich. After three days and heavy losses, it’s time to go back to Canada minus at least $160,000.

Gambling In Las Vegas is one place you really don’t want to bet.

Roy Keane Profile

Tough-tackling midfielders might be something of a bygone relic, but Roy Keane was more than a ball-winner. The Manchester United legend was the definition of a midfield driving force. Though goals were never his currency, Keane was an elite all-rounder who could compete with the best players of his generation.

Coming through at Cobh Ramblers, Keane soon signed for Nottingham Forest before arriving at Nottingham Forest. Over a 3-year spell, he established himself as an elite midfielder before joining Manchester United, staying there until 2005 before joining boyhood heroes Celtic.

What made Roy Keane so special?

Keane was a midfielder who had a habit of scoring big goals, but also tended to be a major outlet for avoiding pressure. His ability to hold onto the ball and progress it up the pitch was sublime. So was his ability to compete and to fill in for teammates as they made their way up the pitch.

The ultimate competitor, Keane was the perfect example of a midfielder who could do a bit of everything. While he tended to play with specialists, Keane could fill in any position in the United midfield. Added to that, he carried an indomitable spirit and a desire to win in every opportunity, no matter how difficult, showed best when he played a key role in taking United to the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final.

What does Roy Keane do now?

Having had several spells in coaching and in management, Keane today is mostly seen as a witheringly acerbic pundit who has no problem insulting former teammates, colleagues, and fellow professionals. Aside from the insulting terms, though, Keane is a respected analyst with a clear eye for what works and what does not – when you peel back the hyperbole, there is an inspiring, engaging professional waiting.

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All Is Fair in Love, War & Gambling

I wonder if you remember Ron Pollard?

Sadly, he passed away in 2015, aged 89. If his name sounds familiar then you may remember reading his quotes in newspapers, often related to gambling, because his role as an odds-maker and PR Director made him a star turn at Ladbroke’s.

Pollard’s biography Odds & Sods: My Life in the Betting Business, published by Hodder & Staughton in 1991 is a superb read. In fact, for insight and revelations about the bookmaking industry it is one of the best books I have ever read. There are many humorous stories including one about the 1982 Miss World Competition.

This is where Pollard uttered those insightful words: ‘You’ve got to make a living, son, and so you have. All is fair in love, war and gambling.’

He’d bet £300 on Miss Dominican Republic at odds of 16/1 to win £5000.

In 1982, Ron was invited onto a show hosted by Michael Aspell and Danny Baker called the Six O'Clock Shows. It was a behind-the-scenes look at Miss World. The advantage Pollard had over other bookmakers was that he made the odds and the other bookmakers followed suit. So he told a little white lie when pricing Miss Dominican Republic at bigger odds because he was convinced she was the favourite to win. He asked Ladbroke’s staff to keep him informed of the betting just in case someone tried to scupper his plans.

Ron needed to get close to have a good sighting of the girls to make his book. This was made all the more difficult as Eric and Julia Morley, who run the competition, didn’t want him anywhere near them. In fact they had declared war on him after 1979s competition made headline news in the Daily Star. The Morley’s were worried betting would turn their ‘pride and joy’ into a cattle market. In fact, she was determined to stop him.

Unfortunately, she was too late.

Rather humorously, he had been jogging with the girls in Hyde Park, and had the tapes to prove it. Also, when the girls were invited to the Variety Club lunch he disguised himself as a waiter to see the contestants in their national costumes. However, he failed to see the swimsuit parade. He was assisted by the Daily Mail’s photographer who said nothing to dissuade him from Miss Dominican Republic.

However, there had been a tremendous amount of money for Miss Trinidad and Tobago whose odds were cut from 12/1 to 5/4 favourite. In fact, Ladbrokes stood to lose £500,000 is she won the competition.

When the big day arrived and judging was over, it was revealed that Miss Dominican Republic had won!

Ron Pollard punched the air with excitement, he had won £5,000. The money was good but in truth it was as much about ego, simply being right.

Professional Gamblers: Focus

We all need to focus to see the wood for the trees.

Focus is simply selective attention in action.

In a world of distractions, it seems that we all struggle to focus. You check your email and half an hour later you are looking at kitten on Tiktok. Nothing wrong with losing focus you say. However, I’m sure if someone watched our every move throughout the day and detailed how much time we waste doing something and nothing it would be startling.

Where did all the time go?

Clearly focus is important to our productivity. Perhaps you have mastered focus. You may have trained yourself. I’ve noticed how motivational speakers or internet gurus will often drop in a swear word into their conversation. You know why they do that, hey? Because it catches your attention.

When gambling, you need to focus. It’s hardly surprising hey. Let’s face it, very few people can focus for hours on end like a machine. In fact, your average adult can only focus for 15 – 20 minutes at a time.

So what does this tell us?

The mind is better at focusing in small chunks. When gambling on my niche of two-year-old horse racing, the best way to direct my attention and focus to a high level is achieved by routine. There will be times each day when it is important to focus and get the job at hand completed. Here are a few routines I employ:

• Quickly scanning the race cards the evening before to familiarise myself

• Later that evening thoroughly go through each two-year-old race on the card

• Make notes and detail shortlisted horses

• Half an hour before each race I go to my quiet room, wearing my headphones, focus on the betting, especially the last ten minutes before the race start.

The time spent on these tasks is broken in to 20 minute intervals with 10 minute breaks in between.

It is important to understand when you need to focus and not. This can help train the mind so you can quickly go from one perspective to another. If you try to focus on everything you will burnout and it is only productive to make those crucial aspects of work imperative. There isn’t a need to focus on everything because it isn’t productive or possible. In fact, you won’t get as much work completed by doubling your focus time in one sitting.

Part of focus is enjoying your subject matter. That’s why most people who are very good at their work enjoy it with a passion. It has to come from the heart. That’s why most get rich quick scheme fail because it is all about the money.

I find it works well to have a specific room to go to when you wish to focus because this helps reinforce the action.

It is good to keep a journal and simply write a few notes about your day and how you feel you focused. This will help measure the success and failure of your working process and method.