FYI
Sunday, July 16 was my last as an everyday handicapper at this site. Two knee replacements and a laundry list of other ailments for my wife and myself have led to my decision to finally slow down at the age of 64.
I'm not retiring, but instead going part-time. Moving forward I'm going to pick my spots, becoming even more selective, releasing only the highest-rated releases I find when handicapping daily.
Free of the constraints of servicing package players, I might even start releasing hockey plays come fall, too.
Pro Football Championship Run
3-0 since my return for the 2020-21 season
Three underdogs, three winners!
I returned to this site in Dec. 2020, and have delivered back-to-back championship winners.
- 2021: 50 Dime Buccaneers outright over Kansas City
- 2022: 60 Dime Bengals covered vs. Los Angeles
- 2023: 80 Dime Chiefs outright over Philadelphia
Here is what I had to say about Kansas City on Feb. 12, 2023:
So here we go with another underdog winner in the big game, as the Cincinnati At several points this season, the Philadelphia Eagles had the worst strength of schedule. Just before the Big Game, they were ranked 32nd, in fact. The win over the San Francisco 49ers bolstered the Green Birds to 29th - fourth-worst (easiest) in the league.
The Kansas City Chiefs sit ninth right now, and have been as high as second in the NFL during the season, and haven't been lower than 13th. The team they beat to get into the Big Game - the Cincinnati Bengals - is ranked No. 1 with its strength of schedule.
See where I'm going here?
When the Chiefs beat the 49ers a few years back in this game, San Fran was bolstered by a stingy defense and rolled roughshod through the competition thanks to a rather weak schedule. Sounds like an Eagles team that will take the field today.
Many want to bring up Kansas City's "injuries," including Patrick Mahomes' ankle. Hmmm, imagine that, a banged up offensive line and a quarterback who had a flat tire in the AFC Championship, and yet the team is still here.
Kansas City has won seven straight, its last loss against the Bengals team it beat to get here, back in December. And the area of improvement down the stretch has been defense.
Through their first seven games, the Chiefs allowed an average of 24.5 points on 369 yards per game. Over their last 10 of the regular season, they've yielded a mere 19.7 points and 299.6 yards per game.
The upstart Jaguars and high-flying Bengals couldn't muster more than 20 points in their playoff games.
I think we're going to see the Eagles' best effort, there's no denying what they're capable of, and Jalen Hurts is an impressive specimen. But Andy Reid and Mahomes (whose ankle treatment has been extensive if you've done your research, and read the actual therapy he's endured) are in their third championship in four years. That's experience the Eagles won't be able to match.
The second half will be all Kansas City, as the adjustments will be made, thanks to their familiarity of being here - like against the 49ers when the Chiefs won it all in 2020 - and in a thriller, Reid and Mahomes win another.
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Gus Augustine's Rating System
My best bet is a 50K round-robin, quadruple, gazillion, bet your life's savings lock.Are you f@%king kidding me?
This is really simple:
A 100-Dime play is my normal Max Wager.
That's the cream of the crop.
A 50-Dime play is worth 1/2 as much.
A 25-Dimer is worth 1/4 as much.
Now a rating system is only as good as your bankroll allocation, or money-management skills.
If you have a $100 to play today, and I have a 100 Dime play, then you should bet all $100 on it.
If I have a 50 Dimer, then you should wager just $50.
Let's take it a step further and talk about how you allocate your bankroll over the course of a week:
If you have $500 to wager for a week, then you divide by 7 days and that gives you around $70 (rounding down) as a daily max wager. So in this case, a 100 Dimer is worth $70 with a 50 Dimer being a $35 investment.
What happens if I win?
You can either pocket the profit or add to the pot, increasing the wager size.
What happens if I lose?
Your max wager remains the same initial $70 because you did the math and spread your bankroll across those 7 days to start the betting week.
Who Is Gus Augustine?
I would bet that I've been doing this longer than most of you have been gambling.I turned 60 in 2020 and I've been a professional sports bettor and handicapper since I was 25-years-old.
How this business has changed over the years. Back in the day, I can remember turning on my TV Saturday and Sunday mornings and watching all these 800-number telephone touts pitching games with their endless "Absolutely Free" come-ons. Then it was the local 976-numbers, where guys were selling picks for as little as $3.00. That gave way to the 900-number craze where suddenly the same plays were being sold for up to $99 because phone companies were taking a cut of the pie. And then Al DeMarco, who I didn't know at the time, came along and created the online internet industry back in the late 1990's.
I've made my money over the years as an investor and by cultivating a group of players that has grown through referrals and my reputation. Guys drop out, naturally, whether they're winning or losing because that's the nature of the beast. But I made a nice living over the years because I did this every single day; I wasn't one of these bums who took a vacation after the Super Bowl or took the summer off after March Madness was over.
I love three things in life: my wife, any kind of pasta (much to the chagrin of my waistline) and making money. I tell anyone the first love I earned, the second I can buy and the third I've got to work my ass off for. But they're all worth it, and the payoff at end is what makes it all worthwhile.