Crowned as the world's most successful sports bettor and handicapper Jon Price has been featured in Forbes, Inc. Magazine, Yahoo! Finance, Gambling911, and other publications for his success as a sports handicapper.
Today we are lucky enough to land an interview with the legend himself.
How did you start to be a handicapper?
It all started as a kid when my dad's friends would bet on horse races and they would continuously lose money. They realized that I had a knack for numbers and could pick winners in baseball, basketball, and football and the occasional horse race. Next thing I knew they were clamoring to hear my advice and predictions based on my analysis. It was weird seeing forty and fifty-year-old men try to give me money to tell them who would win a match. My mother was not so fond of it and put a quick end to that. This was the start however of something big I just didn't know I could bet on my own and make hundreds of thousands of dollars a month until I went to college.
What factors do you consider in reading a team or an individual in a particular sport?
I am continuously tweaking and adjusting my algorithms to pick up on data that I feel may be more important and thus, will be more heavily weighted in predicted a possible outcome. The biggest thing that I do is come up with something called Delta. The Delta is my predicted line for the game. If I see that the Las Vegas sportsbooks have incorrectly picked the line then I will hammer it and hammer it I have done to the point that I am feared by most sportsbooks and have to resort to using a runner to place my bets. Cantor gaming tried to offset this by promoting the Prediction Machine to get more people to bet on their losing picks to offset those who have crushed them following my winning picks.
Do you have any formulas that you consider in picking teams?
Yes, I absolutely do. That information is proprietary and has taken decades to perfect. The biggest formula outside of finding the Delta that I explained above is my gut feeling. The Oklahoma City Thunder have a strong team and many would be shocked to hear about a wager against Steph Curry at home in the playoffs but sometimes you have to go with your gut feeling and knowing how Vegas oddsmakers work is extremely important. Like the great hedge fund titans of our times George Soros who has made billion dollar wagers in the currency market based on a feeling in his stomach. Makes my million dollar bets pale in comparison but you have to know when to trust your gut instinct. You either have it or you don't.
How can one consider his or herself successful in sports handicapping?
The best advice is to try it and see how you do on your own. Most lose. 99% that is lose. I am part of the 1%. That's why after I made enough money to live on the rest of my life I opened up my services to those who wanted to gain that extra edge and make money. That's how Sports Information Traders came about. Now bettors can get that help by signing up here on the website here and getting tips from my analysts that work underneath and apprentice for me. If you read the Huffington Post story then you know the hard work and dedication these guys put in.
Have you tried betting on yourself? How often do you win?
I bet on myself every day. There are so many games to bet on every day and I continue to test my ability to win. I look at the covers experts that I supposedly compete against and I always and when I saw always I mean the end of season outcome beat their numbers astonishingly well.
What has been the most challenging thing you have encountered in this business?
Doubters. It's a shame that the handicapping industry has so many touts that want to win like I do but do not put in the time and effort to actually be successful. When they find me I am their god and savior. Nobody bets on football and wins like I do. Nobody wins more baseball, college basketball, and NBA games than I do. Too many people are scorned or are not in it for the long run to bet on the games with me and to follow my lead. It can be a rocky road at times much like the stock market but over the long run, it's a big victory.
What can you say about the amateur sports bettors and do you have any tips for them?
Go to sportsinformationtraders.com and listen to my radio segments. Hear how I break down games, read my tips, and most importantly get help from an expert handicapper if you can't win on your own. It's extremely hard but if you know how to place your wagers correctly you can still make money winning less than 50%. If you are like me and win more than 50% of your games and also know how to place your wagers on a tiered betting system with unit sizes than you can turn thousands of dollars into millions of dollars.
What can you say about the odds of the Golden State Warriors winning it all this year after beating the NBA regular season record?
They lost in game 1 to Oklahoma City. Nothing is a lock in this world. I did not place any futures bets but I am keeping a close eye on Curry and their team. Also, watch out for the Cavs. Now that Lebron James is not the MVP and didn't receive a single vote he is hungry for blood and a championship for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Do you think the Cleveland Cavaliers could steal the crown from Stephen Curry especially with their red-hot streak in the playoffs?
Yes. I absolutely do. It is possible. Did you hear LBJ's comments about the "MVP"?
What can you say about the top drafts in the NFL and who do you think could carry their team in possibly winning it all?
I have done so much analysis on draft picks and how it can affect teams but the biggest thing to view is week 1 of the NFL season. The lines are off when I have scouts who tell me which players are going to make headlines in week 1 and it matches up with my data it creates huge betting opportunities. I covered this in Fanspeak and expect a huge payday for week 1 for all of my handicapping clients and myself.
How long do you think you could do this?
I'll quit when I die. If I lose my mind before then and don't realize I'm running numbers and I have a losing season then it's possible that a retirement can come before death but I hope not.
