Tweet
Legendary Bookmaker Is Back in the Saddle; Jimmy Vaccaro Sets up Shop in Nassau
by Buzz Daly
If Sportsbook Scene were a Hollywood production, we’d synopsize the column using high concept phrases which are so popular among studio honchos who don’t like reading. We might call the current piece, “BM comes out of retirement to take on current crop of bettors,” or “Popular bookmaker faces new challenge.”
But we’re not part of the clique which insists on making movies featuring inane plots, endless car chases, and enough weapons of mass destruction to satisfy George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld. So the following is a story long on character development, short on special effects.
We are delighted to report that our good pal Jimmy Vaccaro has a new gig which gets him back to his true professional calling, bookmaking. Of course, after toiling most recently in the plush surroundings created by Steve Wynn, Jimmy couldn’t hook up with just anyone.
He found the equivalent of Wynn’s mega style in another world class gaming impresario, Saul Kerzner, whose properties span the globe from the Maldives to Mexico.
Jimmy is ensconced at the regal sounding and ultra impressive resort, Atlantis at Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The deal didn’t happen overnight, but after months of talking, then waiting for the project to develop, Jimmy got a brand new, compact, modern race and sportsbook located next to a high traffic casino in a popular resort destination in a Caribbean-like climate.
Despite some 30-odd years of being a Las Vegas sharp, Jimmy never favored the pizza oven-like desert heat which can slow down life in the fast lane in Sin City. That, combined with allergies, detracted from quality of life just enough so that come the summer, Jimmy regularly revisited his roots in Pittsburgh.
But this year, instead of returning to Vegas, Vaccaro’s routine took him to Florida via the train. (There are two things Jimmy doesn’t do: suffer fools gladly, and fly.) Then he went on to Paradise Island by boat, where he supervised the creation of a race and sportsbook at the Atlantis. He was not allowed to import staff, so he trained locals who were drawn to the wonderful world of sports betting. Initially, they thought teaser referred to a local maiden, but it didn’t take long for them to get indoctrinated into sports-betting parlance.
Action is limited to tourists, since residents cannot bet on the island. September still is the off season due to hurricanes. But that suits Vaccaro since he is going slow in getting the operation up to speed.
When we spoke with him the other day, he told us the ocean was 10 feet away and he was getting used to being called “hey mon.”
So if you think that snorkeling, fishing and bikini watching are the primary diversions at Paradise Island, you can add Jimmy’s race and sportsbook at Atlantis to your list.
The betting menu is not yet fully developed, and limits are still under consideration. But it will be ready for prime time by October, when a gala inaugural party to celebrate the book’s opening is planned.
Despite the tropical surroundings, Jimmy is still a Pittsburgh guy. He relishes the idea of booking to casual/recreational bettors who will patronize his store, but can still spot a wiseguy at 50 paces and doesn’t shy away from taking their action.
If history foreshadows what the folks at Atlantis can expect, Jimmy’s shop should become “the” place to hang out in and be seen. And if a game isn’t drawing any action, count on Vaccaro to stir the pot by arbitrarily moving the number.
Just don’t expect to see Jimmy greeting players in a straw hat, sipping a drink with a funny-looking umbrella in it. He’ll be attending to more important matters, like making sure the house is getting the best of it.
Looking for Reliable Power Ratings?
New Website Offers Six Leading Sources
While most bettors go through the motions of handicapping, they generally rely on someone else’s power ratings, an integral element in searching for a pointspread edge.
For obvious reasons, including convenience, a single set of PRs is the standard procedure.
But now bettors have a “cheat sheet” featuring the power ratings from six of the most respected and widely used sources of this information. Ratings are posted by 8 AM Eastern every day.
A serious bettor named Rocket has created a website in which the exhaustive task of searching out a half dozen power ratings on college and NFL games is done and posted online at SportsPowerRatings.com (www.SportsPowerRatings.com).
Rocket recalled for Players’ Choice just how this brilliant idea came to pass: “I’m with some gamblers one night, sitting in a sports bar, and one of them asks, ‘I get so tired of looking up Sagarin’s ratings every night for the next day’s basketball. If I had the money I’d hire someone to do it.’ Another one says, ‘We should get a few guys together and each one of them pick a rating system and do the work each night and then call the others and exchange the information.’
“That never came about because what people say and do are two different things. Nobody showed the initiative so I offered to organize the routine … but as sometimes is the case, they all got lazy the next day and nothing happened. I didn’t fall asleep that night, just thinking about the concept and how it would lighten the burden of exhaustive research for handicapping.
“The next day, it was last January, I decided that if no one wanted to help me put together this information, then I would do it, and I set in motion the idea of creating a website for that very purpose. When I ran it by a few trusted friends, they seemed genuinely eager to support my efforts and I felt I had devised a great thing for the sports bettor out there who just doesn’t have the time to do this … but would greatly appreciate it being offered for free.”
The site is a virtual cornucopia of useful data for bettors, and for those inclined to buy picks, the site has several handicappers offering their plays.
Players’ Choice has known Rocket for years, most notably as an integral part of several offshore sportsbooks. Grass doesn’t grow under his feet, and we are not surprised at the initiative he has shown in putting together this practical and free service for bettors.
Now Players Can Make a Bet on Who Will Win
The Stardust Handicapping Contest
If turnaround is fair play, then the oddsmaker at Costa Rica-based BetEuroSport (www.BetEUS.com) had an epiphany. He analyzed the field in this year’s Stardust Invitational Handicapping Tournament and made odds on each contestant’s chances of winning the competition.
At least two other books, Olympic and BoDog, have followed suit, but we believe BetEuroSport was first. The book is offering clients a maximum bet of $300 on any of the participants.
It’s too bad the ‘Dust didn’t get Pete Rose in the event. He could have legitimately bet on himself. Hmmm, we wonder if any of the entrants might think enough of their expertise to wager money on themselves.
Odds to win the prestigious event will be updated weekly, as the field is whittled by one contestant in the single-elimination event.
Oddsmakers at BetEuroSport have made Kenny White, a two-time Stardust Invitational champion, the slight chalk at +225.
Other notables among the favorites are: longtime sports bettor Lem Banker +250, professional handicapper Dave Malinsky +300, professional handicapper Andy Iskoe +550, former Mirage race and sportsbook director Jimmy Vaccaro +500, and radio personality Papa Joe Chevalier +350, who also is a two-time titlist.
“Already there has been plenty of support for Lem Banker,” noted Mark McNally, who serves as BetEuroSport’s communications director. “But we gave a slight edge to Kenny because of his experience in these competitions.”
White claimed this event in 1997 then again the following winter. He also has notched innumerable other handicapping titles, including Barley’s Ultimate Brew in 1998, when he connected on 68 percent of his selections.
“To my knowledge, no other offshore shop features odds on this event,” said McNally. “And we think it should be a lot of fun. It’s something we definitely have no qualms about offering, unlike death pools or props on war, which we’ll never have.”
For odds on the complete field, check it out at the BetEUS website.
BetEuroSport was licensed and incorporated to process wagers both online and via telephone in 2001. Clients may choose from a variety of payment choices, including NETeller, Western Union, bank wires and transfers to and from BetGrande, Olympic Sports and CRIS.
Please send comments, questions, etc. to [email protected].
by Buzz Daly
If Sportsbook Scene were a Hollywood production, we’d synopsize the column using high concept phrases which are so popular among studio honchos who don’t like reading. We might call the current piece, “BM comes out of retirement to take on current crop of bettors,” or “Popular bookmaker faces new challenge.”
But we’re not part of the clique which insists on making movies featuring inane plots, endless car chases, and enough weapons of mass destruction to satisfy George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld. So the following is a story long on character development, short on special effects.
We are delighted to report that our good pal Jimmy Vaccaro has a new gig which gets him back to his true professional calling, bookmaking. Of course, after toiling most recently in the plush surroundings created by Steve Wynn, Jimmy couldn’t hook up with just anyone.
He found the equivalent of Wynn’s mega style in another world class gaming impresario, Saul Kerzner, whose properties span the globe from the Maldives to Mexico.
Jimmy is ensconced at the regal sounding and ultra impressive resort, Atlantis at Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The deal didn’t happen overnight, but after months of talking, then waiting for the project to develop, Jimmy got a brand new, compact, modern race and sportsbook located next to a high traffic casino in a popular resort destination in a Caribbean-like climate.
Despite some 30-odd years of being a Las Vegas sharp, Jimmy never favored the pizza oven-like desert heat which can slow down life in the fast lane in Sin City. That, combined with allergies, detracted from quality of life just enough so that come the summer, Jimmy regularly revisited his roots in Pittsburgh.
But this year, instead of returning to Vegas, Vaccaro’s routine took him to Florida via the train. (There are two things Jimmy doesn’t do: suffer fools gladly, and fly.) Then he went on to Paradise Island by boat, where he supervised the creation of a race and sportsbook at the Atlantis. He was not allowed to import staff, so he trained locals who were drawn to the wonderful world of sports betting. Initially, they thought teaser referred to a local maiden, but it didn’t take long for them to get indoctrinated into sports-betting parlance.
Action is limited to tourists, since residents cannot bet on the island. September still is the off season due to hurricanes. But that suits Vaccaro since he is going slow in getting the operation up to speed.
When we spoke with him the other day, he told us the ocean was 10 feet away and he was getting used to being called “hey mon.”
So if you think that snorkeling, fishing and bikini watching are the primary diversions at Paradise Island, you can add Jimmy’s race and sportsbook at Atlantis to your list.
The betting menu is not yet fully developed, and limits are still under consideration. But it will be ready for prime time by October, when a gala inaugural party to celebrate the book’s opening is planned.
Despite the tropical surroundings, Jimmy is still a Pittsburgh guy. He relishes the idea of booking to casual/recreational bettors who will patronize his store, but can still spot a wiseguy at 50 paces and doesn’t shy away from taking their action.
If history foreshadows what the folks at Atlantis can expect, Jimmy’s shop should become “the” place to hang out in and be seen. And if a game isn’t drawing any action, count on Vaccaro to stir the pot by arbitrarily moving the number.
Just don’t expect to see Jimmy greeting players in a straw hat, sipping a drink with a funny-looking umbrella in it. He’ll be attending to more important matters, like making sure the house is getting the best of it.
Looking for Reliable Power Ratings?
New Website Offers Six Leading Sources
While most bettors go through the motions of handicapping, they generally rely on someone else’s power ratings, an integral element in searching for a pointspread edge.
For obvious reasons, including convenience, a single set of PRs is the standard procedure.
But now bettors have a “cheat sheet” featuring the power ratings from six of the most respected and widely used sources of this information. Ratings are posted by 8 AM Eastern every day.
A serious bettor named Rocket has created a website in which the exhaustive task of searching out a half dozen power ratings on college and NFL games is done and posted online at SportsPowerRatings.com (www.SportsPowerRatings.com).
Rocket recalled for Players’ Choice just how this brilliant idea came to pass: “I’m with some gamblers one night, sitting in a sports bar, and one of them asks, ‘I get so tired of looking up Sagarin’s ratings every night for the next day’s basketball. If I had the money I’d hire someone to do it.’ Another one says, ‘We should get a few guys together and each one of them pick a rating system and do the work each night and then call the others and exchange the information.’
“That never came about because what people say and do are two different things. Nobody showed the initiative so I offered to organize the routine … but as sometimes is the case, they all got lazy the next day and nothing happened. I didn’t fall asleep that night, just thinking about the concept and how it would lighten the burden of exhaustive research for handicapping.
“The next day, it was last January, I decided that if no one wanted to help me put together this information, then I would do it, and I set in motion the idea of creating a website for that very purpose. When I ran it by a few trusted friends, they seemed genuinely eager to support my efforts and I felt I had devised a great thing for the sports bettor out there who just doesn’t have the time to do this … but would greatly appreciate it being offered for free.”
The site is a virtual cornucopia of useful data for bettors, and for those inclined to buy picks, the site has several handicappers offering their plays.
Players’ Choice has known Rocket for years, most notably as an integral part of several offshore sportsbooks. Grass doesn’t grow under his feet, and we are not surprised at the initiative he has shown in putting together this practical and free service for bettors.
Now Players Can Make a Bet on Who Will Win
The Stardust Handicapping Contest
If turnaround is fair play, then the oddsmaker at Costa Rica-based BetEuroSport (www.BetEUS.com) had an epiphany. He analyzed the field in this year’s Stardust Invitational Handicapping Tournament and made odds on each contestant’s chances of winning the competition.
At least two other books, Olympic and BoDog, have followed suit, but we believe BetEuroSport was first. The book is offering clients a maximum bet of $300 on any of the participants.
It’s too bad the ‘Dust didn’t get Pete Rose in the event. He could have legitimately bet on himself. Hmmm, we wonder if any of the entrants might think enough of their expertise to wager money on themselves.
Odds to win the prestigious event will be updated weekly, as the field is whittled by one contestant in the single-elimination event.
Oddsmakers at BetEuroSport have made Kenny White, a two-time Stardust Invitational champion, the slight chalk at +225.
Other notables among the favorites are: longtime sports bettor Lem Banker +250, professional handicapper Dave Malinsky +300, professional handicapper Andy Iskoe +550, former Mirage race and sportsbook director Jimmy Vaccaro +500, and radio personality Papa Joe Chevalier +350, who also is a two-time titlist.
“Already there has been plenty of support for Lem Banker,” noted Mark McNally, who serves as BetEuroSport’s communications director. “But we gave a slight edge to Kenny because of his experience in these competitions.”
White claimed this event in 1997 then again the following winter. He also has notched innumerable other handicapping titles, including Barley’s Ultimate Brew in 1998, when he connected on 68 percent of his selections.
“To my knowledge, no other offshore shop features odds on this event,” said McNally. “And we think it should be a lot of fun. It’s something we definitely have no qualms about offering, unlike death pools or props on war, which we’ll never have.”
For odds on the complete field, check it out at the BetEUS website.
BetEuroSport was licensed and incorporated to process wagers both online and via telephone in 2001. Clients may choose from a variety of payment choices, including NETeller, Western Union, bank wires and transfers to and from BetGrande, Olympic Sports and CRIS.
Please send comments, questions, etc. to [email protected].
Comment