1-900 question for all of you....

[yyz]

I remember the good ol days when I was a kid just starting out with the sports wagering. (Which, by the way, will be a topic up real soon after this one.)

I found magazines at the news stand with real pretty pictures of guys in suits sitting behind a big desk with the phone in their ear, touting their 900 numbers.

Of course, as a newcomer to the scene, I thought, "Man! These guys must be the smartest guys in the world!"

I was never tempted to call, as the price was higher than a giraffe's nut bag! But, people must call, or these guys would be outta bidniz, right?

So, I ask you.....Why are people apt to call these guys?

I watch that ProLine show on Saturdays during the football season, just like I would a cartoon, and their price goes up every year! $100 per call in some cases! Is that because the sheep are paying $20 so we'll bump it up to $30, and so on? I believe it must be. They will keep the price going until they hit the ceiling, I guess.

Now, I look at a place like Jack's here. There are guys here who get the job done, but still, I think a lot of guys refuse to take them seriously.

Look at Nolan. He has great write ups, and theory as to why he backs a team. He gets major respect for that, as well he should. He obviously puts in a lot of hard work for us. But still, if a guy with the glitz and bells and whistles on Proline or in a magazine had a "lock" for a hundred bones, I think there are plenty of people who would run to them first!

I think there is a feeling out there of, "If I have to pay $100 for this game, it must be a gem!" "There is no way a guy would charge this price, and not know his shit!"

Where as Nolan is "giving" his plays away. "How dependable can this guys be if he ain't charging you for his picks?"

"Yeah, but he wins a lot!"

"I still don't buy it."

"Well, what is Mr. 900's record this season?"

"I don't know, but Christ, he HAS to have the right side at that price!"

....and so it goes.


Which one of us out there didn't think at one time that these 900's had to be sent from god to save us? Even if you never called one, you must admit, at some time or another, you were tempted! After all, they are in the business of picking winners, right?

I would blindly follow Nolan's football plays based on his past performance. I can't say that about anyone else.

But I want you to tell me:

Is there a belief out there that you "get what you pay for"?

I still believe that the "masses" out there think that the more something costs, the more value it has.

Tell me if I'm wrong.

 

[gsp]

The average person still believes "you get what you pay for". I have never believed that that is gospel and still don't.

 

[kaoboy]

yyz,

I just had to comment on this topic because
I summed up what you've pointed out as an
abberation of the gambling mindset.

To put it another way, these clowns prey on
the "Sunday sports gambler" who has a bad
case of what I call "the fever".

Be honest, we've all had it at one time or
another, at various "degrees", but some people just don't get it. They go fishing for the sure thing and think they will be rewarded if their willing to just pony up a little cash ( certainly a small price for the money they will reap ), if they make that magic call.

Fortunately, you and myself included were
not sucked in by these muckrakers. I feel
sorry for the poor slob who did get a winning
pick and now feels obliged to make the call
next Sunday. He's now paying a hefty wad
of vigorious and happy as a clam doing it.

Until you've made your own plays, using
your own judgement, and lost, and take it
in stride, you'll never be able to gauge
what you can win or lose in this game.

Now we know why the percentage of people who
are sports gamblers who make money are in a
miniscule minority.

They just haven't learned that lesson. If
they had, they wouldn't brag too loud about
winning and when they lose they wouldn't be
scrambling to find the next "guru" of the
sports game to get the sure thing!

I would be willing to say the minority of
real winners can be found here, or at other
sites by people who humbly know better.

 

[Subagoto]

I have always thought and have heard many people say about the "touts", if they were so good a handicapping, they would not need to sell picks. They would merely play all of thier locks and make boat loads of cash.

 

[Nick Douglas]

I think it is more one's emotional attachment to money, and also a "get what you pay for" attitude.

When you spend money on something, often you will go to greater lengths to retain loyalty to try to "get your money's worth". It is like going to a bad movie and not walking out or buying a bad book and reading until the end anyway because you want to know that you at least got your money's worth. Once you call a 1-900 number or sign up for a service, it is like you have to play those plays because you spent money on them, whether you like them or not.

Also, I believe there is absolutely some people with the attitude that you get what you pay for.

A couple more things just came to mind. One, they don't have to get many callers to turn a profit. If Feist gets 1,000 callers from his show, that is $25,000, more than enough to pay for the airtime. I am quite sure a guy like Nolan gets a lot more than 1,000 folks viewing his plays.

Also, part of it is the catch-22 of promoting money management. If you promote your play as a can't miss lock, people will eventually believe you once or twice when they are desparate. If you promote your plays as just another play that hits at 60%, folks desparate for a winner will be skeptical.

 

[djv]

You guys have a good under standing. Ill just add Amen, and don't call.