Episode 113

Andrew Pace [00:00:00]:

There's an argument to be made that the best player in the NBA right now is Tyrese Haliburton. I'm not saying he is the best. There's an argument to be made. That's how strong he's playing right now.

Shane Mercer [00:00:13]:

In this moment, in this moment, he is probably the strongest player over the last two to three weeks.

Andrew Pace [00:00:19]:

Yeah.

Welcome [00:00:20]:

You're listening to Behind the Lines, a podcast presented by inplayLIVE and powered by Pinnacle, the number one sports book where winners play and never get limited. Go to pinnacle.com/inplaylive to sign up and get you game.

Shane Mercer [00:00:47]:

Welcome in. It's Behind the Lines, powered by Pinnacle, purifying the sports betting industry. I'm Shane, Pace is here on today's show, Eastern Conference finals, Western Conference finals, and getting into summer mode. But first, Paces, you've got a big announcement. I'm excited, man. You you messaged me a few days ago. You're like, big announcement coming up. I'm like, what is it? You wouldn't tell me anything.

Shane Mercer [00:01:08]:

You said you got to save it for the show. I had to tune in. Here I am. I'm tuned in. What is it? What do you got?

Andrew Pace [00:01:14]:

Nick Sirianni is coaching the Eagles for five more years.

Shane Mercer [00:01:22]:

haha After winning a Super Bowl, I imagine they're gonna keep them around a little while, but I know that's not it. Come on. What is it?

Andrew Pace [00:01:28]:

So really excited to announce that, we're gonna be hosting a live betting panel this year as one of the seminars at BetBash.

Shane Mercer [00:01:39]:

What? Oh, okay. Tell oh, that's amazing. Incredible. You're hosting a seminar just focused on live betting. This is at BetBash. This is, for everybody out there who's not familiar with it, it's run and organized by Spanky, a guy we had on the show, a very sort of long time, well established, successful sports bettor, somebody highly respected in the sports betting community. He's also the founder of, America, America's bettor's voice, which is, sort of an advocacy organization, based in The US focused on sort of advocating for players, as sort of regulations get changed, rolled out, established, all that sort of stuff. BetBash takes place.

Shane Mercer [00:02:22]:

This will be, I think, the fifth one. Right, Pace? Am I right?

Andrew Pace [00:02:25]:

I have no idea.

Shane Mercer [00:02:26]:

I think it's the fifth annual BetBash, that'll be taking place this summer, in Las Vegas. It's been held, like I mentioned, you know, established a few years back. Started small, and it's grown over the years. Pace, you were there last year. You and Rodge, made it out to Bet Bash last year. I know you guys sponsored a pool party and and had a great time, and we're able to get a lot of those, the people you met there here on the show. So we brought, many of those, people and voices faces to you guys over the course of the of the last, I guess, almost a year, you know, ten months, nine, ten months kinda thing since since you guys got to BetBash base. And we actually spoke to a lot of people who were going to BetBash ahead of BetBash as well.

Shane Mercer [00:03:04]:

A lot of people in in the in the sports betting community who, you know, are are people who have been in it and well established for a long time. I'm thinking of Adam Bjorn, Joe Brennan, you know, all of these sort of people, who sort of look at that bash as kind of the premier event for sports bettors, sort of premier conference and gathering and an opportunity, you know, a a sort of a meeting of the minds, if you will. So, Pace, give us a sense of how did this unfold then with, inplayLIVE getting to host a seminar?

Andrew Pace [00:03:33]:

Yeah. So last year, attending BetBash was a real eye opener for me from the standpoint of, number one, everyone's either a pregame sports bettor that follows sort of this system of looking for people to, you know, move money for them, and kinda get money down through different outs, that they have access to. And, like, to an extent, BetBash is a conference that organizes that process for bettors. So wherever you are in the ecosystem, you know, someone that has some some buttered up primed accounts that, you know, can move some money for for some of these other players. They can get involved that way. Someone that can, you know, get up and down the strip or Atlantic City with cash, get money down for people on certain lines, a lot of that kind of stuff. And then there's definitely some people that bet live, but almost every single one of them is is past posting. So they're they're cheating for lack of a better term.

Andrew Pace [00:04:32]:

They're beating the sportsbooks to the information, as as they see it unfold on on the field, the court, or the rink. And, that comes with a whole bag of worms itself. And I was, overwhelmingly surprised and also extremely validated in the fact that live betting was completely and totally under serviced there. And also the people that I spoke with how infrequently, live betting is being used to to profit from, some of these people. So that kind of obviously sponsoring the last event to till now, you know, led to that conversation. And they know at BetBash that live betting is extremely underserviced. And Spanky himself said, you know, it's a session he's gonna wanna attend because, you know, it's it's foreign to him from the standpoint of how this whole process works, and everyone's always looking for new new angles and edges, obviously. And, yeah, I'm really excited to be able to represent, you know, kind of the the best of the best when it comes to live betting and and get to speak at at BetBash, in front of people that are just way smarter than we way smarter than me, much better sports bettors.

Andrew Pace [00:05:47]:

But at the same time, I think inplayLIVE and in myself, I think I bridged the gap from, you know, the the really intelligent, guys that do a lot of data science and modeling, you know, guys that we've had on the show, like like Harry Crane and some other people that I heard speak at BetBash last year where I'm like, Jesus. This guy's a genius. I think we do a good job of bridging the gap between, people like them, Shane, and people like you and me.

Shane Mercer [00:06:12]:

People like us.

Andrew Pace [00:06:16]:

Right? So we we we can we can we can find and say things that do simplify and help people, understand a little bit better how this all works that is a little bit more in their language. And then, obviously, with the the live betting aspect of it, you know, getting in a little bit more volume than than some of the pregame bettors play, which, leads itself to potentially faster losses, but also faster profit and, of course, greater edges with live betting. So real really looking forward to doing that. There's a couple people that might be joining the panel with us that are outside of inplayLIVE, but we're still working on that process, and and it's definitely in our hands. And it is official and confirmed. So very excited about it and, super humble and grateful to to be the person that, that was called upon.

Shane Mercer [00:07:04]:

Yeah. That that's super that is incredible. It's awesome. It's such a great opportunity, for inplayLIVE as a whole. Like, the entire community to be represented, like, on a panel at an event like this is just incredibly validating for for, you know, pay just for yourself, of course, but more, like, for what you and Rodge built and anyone who's been a part of this community for a long time and has sort of played any kind of, like, you know, even a small role in the community, I think, you know, this is this is this is like now you're in front of the best sports bettors in the world, people who are regarded as, you know, Billy Walters will be there, or he has been there in the past and will likely be there again this year. You know, and and the people who will be recognized in the same light as someone like him, you know, are are all gonna be at this event. It it's it's a really, really cool opportunity, and I I'm incredibly proud to to be a part of inplayLIVE and to know that that, hey. This is you know, that that you're gonna be out there kinda representing, the community and and what what we do.

Shane Mercer [00:08:05]:

You know, you you sort of mentioned the the, the vast majority of people there being pregame sports bettors looking for movers, you know, needing to get down and find out so that they can get down. And it's such an important aspect for them. When they know they have an edge, they need to exploit their edges, and they can only really exploit them by getting down large amounts of money, because those edges are so small. Right? We've talked about this quite a bit. You know, when it comes to pregame betting, the edges are so small. So in order for you to turn any kind of real profit that will impact your life in a meaningful way, you need to be able to get down significance a significant amount of money, because your edges are so small. I think, you know, one thing that might be eye opening for them is is how you can grow a very small bankroll into something meaningful, into you know, you can take a 4 figure bankroll and grow it to a 6 figure bankroll live betting, which is, I think, something that would be not impossible to do betting, pregame, but it would be much, much harder and take much, much longer to do a pregame. Is is that something you think you'll be focusing on when when you go there?

Andrew Pace [00:09:21]:

Yeah. To to an extent, you know, maybe we don't want things to be elementary. We definitely wanna get into some nuts and bolts of of, you know, how how to profit from live betting. So definitely some of the stuff that we did for the pinnacle, you know, master class that that we put together would would be included in it. But at the end of the day, we we do wanna provide value to people. And at the at the same time, you know, we don't wanna give away our edges. So, you know, you gotta you gotta thread a needle with a lot of this stuff. So, yeah, that that that stuff will definitely be be talked about.

Andrew Pace [00:09:50]:

But, you know, if you're thinking like, oh, I already know that, we definitely will also be giving, you know, real examples of how that is the case and and showing, you know, a few different processes for how how to find, edges and angles when it comes to to live betting. And I I think, like, separately of, you know, giving a a discussion or anything like that, people want the answer. People want, like, hey. Just do this. Yeah. And there is an extent of live betting where you could say, hey, with this team in this situation, just do this. Just do that.

Shane Mercer [00:10:25]:

Shark 3rd period money line. Shout out KB.

Andrew Pace [00:10:31]:

Right? Like, just do this and that that be your your sort of way to make money that that year. And it might be easy for a year or a season or a month or whatever time frame it is. But the real success comes from, really the long term approach, the mindset, and the discipline. And that theory is so simple to hear that execution is one of the greatest and most challenging things in life no matter what it is. So, you know, you hear these stories of Kobe Bryant's work ethic, and you hear these stories of Tom Brady's work ethic, and you're like, yeah, this all makes a lot of sense. You work harder than anybody else. But does anyone truly know what the execution is like for that? Kobe Bryant waking up at 4AM every single day to get five hours ahead of the rest of his teammates and opponents, for his ability on the floor. That's torture.

Andrew Pace [00:11:26]:

That is a form of human torture. So if you're a person that thinks, like, someone's just gonna flip a switch for you, yeah, that stuff does happen. But if you think that it it isn't gonna take remarkable execution from your side, no matter what it is, whether it's betting or anything else, then you you're you're you're living in a fantasy land. So, yeah, excited to to bring the info, but at the end of the day, like, I I know firsthand, it doesn't matter how many people you teach how to successfully bet at sports. Execution, discipline, mindset, money management. Not there's no there's nothing without it.

Shane Mercer [00:12:02]:

Yeah. Yeah. You know, there's a real audience out there. I would say the vast majority of people who dabble in sports betting need to hear that message first, you know, before they they really sort of start trying to grasp the ins and outs of of live betting. But you're gonna be talking to a group of people that that, for the most part, a large portion of them, have all of those fundamentals already. And I think that's where you're really gonna sort of be able to to, sort of go deeper.

Andrew Pace [00:12:28]:

Well, I think Shane too, it is it might come as a surprise to some people, but some of these storied sports bettors that have kind of, you know, got their names on plaques and and built this unbelievable, unbelievably successful career beating the sportsbooks. It's not to take anything away from them. But a lot of them very much will reference the glory days, and they do it time and again as if the opportunities aren't there anymore. And I sometimes look at betting and I'll look at my last season or my last year and I go, was it as easy? You know, was it difficult? Did I go through some really serious learning lessons? And then I go, was it my best year financially? Still still the answer is no. Like, the the the obvious answers are the ones for all that stuff. But I go, this is what I did from a to b, net of all those challenges, and I wouldn't replace that for anything. And, like, this living in the past mindset, I'm not a big fan of. It it it doesn't serve to benefit you when you tell someone about the edge that you have.

Andrew Pace [00:13:37]:

Like, it's a fun story. I love hearing those stories. But when you reference it as you can't do this anymore, I more so look at it from the standpoint of, like, what's next? How can we adapt? And, like, yeah, where do where do we go from here?

Shane Mercer [00:13:52]:

Yeah. Yeah. I, you know, I I know I went through that myself, you know, specifically, and then, you know, I've talked about this plenty of times, but but betting women's college sports, especially women's basketball, I had a great year with it. One of one of the things that sort of rocketed me to the moon, so to speak, early on in my in my inplayLIVE journey. And, and then the following year, it was a much harder edge to exploit, And I had to learn that the hard way and and make changes, make, you know, adjustments and and sort of, you know, perhaps grow my portfolio of betting and the skills that I have in in terms of, you know, the sports I'm gonna look at and the opportunities I'm gonna look at. And, I can tell you that that this past sports year, I really, was able to to, find things easier, I guess, you know, than than than I'd had the previous year, having having gone through that. And, you know, that's what it's about. Right? It's about learning, growing, and and finding the new ways to exploit the edges.

Shane Mercer [00:14:46]:

And the and the edges are are still there, but they're always there. You just gotta find them. Yeah. And, yeah, well, that that's really cool, man. I'm I'm excited. I I can't wait because I'm gonna be there, so I get to watch watch the panel. I'll be, on the sidelines, cheering you on. You don't know who you're doing it with, though, so that's that's a bit of a mystery.

Andrew Pace [00:15:03]:

We have we have an idea of who we're doing it with.

Shane Mercer [00:15:04]:

Okay. Cool. Cool.

Andrew Pace [00:15:06]:

That that we that we can't discuss yet.

Shane Mercer [00:15:09]:

Sure. Sure. Well, when we can, that'd be great. It'd even be awesome to maybe have one you know, a couple of those people, one or two of them even come here on the podcast and chat with them, whether it's before or after or something like that because I'm sure whoever they put up there with you is gonna be, somebody with some some knowledge, to share, and and we'll absolutely bring, a ton of value to the discussion.

Andrew Pace [00:15:28]:

Yeah. It's us. It's who it's who we're we're choosing to come up with us.

Shane Mercer [00:15:34]:

Cool.

Andrew Pace [00:15:35]:

Yeah, which is which is really cool. But, yeah, they'll they'll definitely be someone that knows what they're doing and, and and differently from inplayLIVE as well, which is always really nice to to hear, hear from someone else that's making money in in the space, you know, outside of the stuff that we're doing.

Shane Mercer [00:15:50]:

Mhmm.

Andrew Pace [00:15:52]:

And, yeah, it's it's super exciting. On that note too, Spanky is, he's he's gonna do the podcast for us. It'll be July episode, to to talk about BetBash. And I'm really excited for that episode, Shane, because I'm I'm not gonna, in any way, bash the guy. But I do wanna challenge him on some of the things from the event that I think need an adjustment. And it might be a little too late for some of those, but, you know, I do wanna, you know, say to him, like, hey. You know? These are some of the struggles that we had with the event and and and see what he's doing to to improve because I know that very much is his thing. Like, he he his life now is this event.

Andrew Pace [00:16:30]:

And he wants he wants to improve it every single year. So I'd love to see some of the ways that he's planning to do that for this year. And, obviously, that'll be a great way if you're if you're thinking about going to, to make a decision. Like, hey. This is something that I definitely wanna be there for. Or, hey. You know, maybe this is something down the road for me.

Shane Mercer [00:16:46]:

Cool. That'll be great. Yeah. I look forward to having him back on the show and chatting with him again. You know, the last time we had him on, we talked a lot about sort of his journey in sports betting and and a lot of that, you know, aspect. We talked a little bit about Bash Bash, but it'll be nice to have him on to have a conversation more about Bet Bash, the future of sports betting, where he thinks things are going, all that sort of stuff. So, really great to hear that that he's coming back on the show in a in a couple of months. That'll be that'll be a lot of fun.

Shane Mercer [00:17:09]:

Pace, while we're on it then and we're talking about events and conferences and going to things and learning opportunities, we gotta talk about the IPL event, which is, much sooner. I think we're, like, a month away, just over a month away, five weeks away from from the inplayLIVE annual retreat. And I think this is the fifth annual retreat. Am I right? Fifth?

Andrew Pace [00:17:30]:

Yes. That one I can answer with confidence. This is the fifth annual inplayLIVE pro event. And if you're listening to this and you have attended an event before and maybe you're no longer in the community, and you go, hey, that was a really fun time and I met some great people and maybe you're still betting with some of those people today, you can attend the event if you are not a member for the first time, this year. It's it's $500 Canadian to attend the event, but that $500, also goes towards the purchase of a membership. So if anyone, for whatever reason, is watching this and thinks like, hey. I would love to attend. We do have to approve we do have to approve you.

Andrew Pace [00:18:13]:

It isn't like it isn't like anyone can just show up and and and and be there. We do have to kinda know who you are and approve you. But, if you are interested, just, again, on our free Discord server, just shoot Rodge a DM, and we will we will figure that out. And what's nice about it is maybe you're on the fence about joining and you go, I'd love to, you know, go to the event and talk to some members. Well, again, that money that that you put towards the event will would be used towards the purchase of an inplayLIVE membership, provided that it is booked in within the calendar year. So there's some people that are like, oh, I'll be back for football season. Maybe you wanna attend the event, put the $500, come to the event, that goes towards your membership come football season, rock and roll. So anyways, the app for the gameplay log yeah.

Andrew Pace [00:18:58]:

Sorry. Go go ahead, Shane.

Shane Mercer [00:18:59]:

No. I was just gonna say that's amazing. You could eat and drink $500 worth of food.

Andrew Pace [00:19:04]:

Oh easily. Three days. Separately of the value and the fun that we do. Yeah.

Shane Mercer [00:19:10]:

Yeah. Yeah. Because, I mean, the food is amazing. You go you pay so you do a great job with with whoever you hire for the catering each day. Like, the food there's more than enough food. You never go hungry, and, you'll never be thirsty. You know, it it's, it's it's great just from from that point of view. So the $500, well worth it just for that to to one, eat, drink, and then participate in all the games and the fun that we're gonna be having.

Shane Mercer [00:19:31]:

Right.

Andrew Pace [00:19:32]:

Yeah. Yeah. It's gonna be a great time. And, definitely, two things we're we're changing up this year. I think we've taken we you know, having attended Bet BetBash, we do we do wanna improve our events as well. Right? We want the members to get tremendous value from it. So, Shane, I know you've hosted, like, you know, a couple of those fireside chats, and I think they've been awesome. But we also look at that as that as an area that we can improve.

Andrew Pace [00:19:53]:

By that time at night, some people might not be in the best state of mind.

Shane Mercer [00:19:58]:

I know I had to lay off a few just so I would be in shape for it.

Andrew Pace [00:20:03]:

Right? Like, honestly, I got value out of those. They were tremendous. But, you know, last year, I would say it was fifty fifty on attendance. The other 50% were, watching Doug's flip flip blackjack hands in the other room, and you'd hear the screaming in the distance while they were while they were on. So, yeah, with with this year, in particular, we're we're gonna definitely have an educational focus on one of the days with some really, like, I believe, 10 out of 10 seminars on on some stuff that can really help people beat sportsbooks. And this isn't like, hey. We're gonna teach you how to win money from betting. This is like, no.

Andrew Pace [00:20:34]:

We're getting into some nuts and bolts of, like, the sustainability of some sportsbooks, how to beat multiple sportsbooks, what to do when you're running out of sportsbooks. Like, those types of discussions are are gonna be had at these seminars, and they're gonna be location based. So, you know, if you're in a regulated state, United States, there's gonna be a seminar for you. If you're in Canada, outside of the regulated markets, there's gonna be a seminar for you. So, extremely valuable content and information is gonna be coming out of this thing. And, separately of that, we're having scavenger hunts around the city and teams. You're gonna be broken into teams at the start of the event, you know, doing inplayLIVE at sports trivia on night one. You win that.

Andrew Pace [00:21:12]:

You gain advantage for the scavenger hunt. Do the scavenger hunt across the city. You win that. You gain an advantage for softball. Do a softball tournament with your team. So every day, you know, you're working with this team that gets drafted. And and the captains of the teams, I mean, they're gonna have to draft knowing, like, hey. I need this guy to be good at softball, but I also have to have, like, the stand from look at people from the standpoint of how are they gonna do for trivia for us because that could be enough to win us a softball game on its own with the advantage that you get for that game.

Shane Mercer [00:21:43]:

So your team is your team for the event. It's not just your softball team. Okay.

Andrew Pace [00:21:47]:

How well does my team know the city of Vancouver? Like, if I need to go somewhere, you know, is are they gonna be more efficient than Google Maps? And, like, Google Maps might be able to tell me where something is, but I might need to find something really specific in the city, you know? So, just some things like that where you you might want people that you a couple people drafted that separately of their softball skills or their sports knowledge actually know the city that they're that they're in. So, yeah, I'm really looking forward to this one. I think it's gonna be, I say this every year, but I also agree with this every year. It's improved every single year, weather aside. So, you know, I'm I'm really looking forward to it. Also, we moved the the time. It's at the June. Previous years, it's been in August.

Andrew Pace [00:22:27]:

Part of the reason for that is we didn't want to, you know, kinda make it at the same time as BetBash, which we're usually doing it around August 15. BetBash is the twelfth to fifteenth. But, like, let's just completely move away from that. But if you know where Vancouver is, it's a very northern city. It's much more north than Toronto, which is obviously the biggest city in Canada. So June 25 is, you know, one of the six longest days of the year. The sun's gonna be up to, like, 10:15PM, which is just really cool.

Shane Mercer [00:22:55]:

That's awesome.

Andrew Pace [00:22:56]:

So you have these nice long days, beautiful, time of year. No no threat of fires yet. So, yeah, it's it's just a better time of the year. And and and, yeah, I'm really looking forward to meeting some new people, hanging out with some people that that have been to the event before. And, and and, yeah, just celebrating what it is as a bettor. And I think it's this time of year, Shane, that we really go, okay. The season is over. Right? Like, from the standpoint, are we still betting? A %.

Andrew Pace [00:23:26]:

Can we still find value? Without question. Do we still lose money some nights? Absolutely. Right? But it's it it really is September or the August, that first college football day, it's the August until, you know, the April. I would say the end of round two of the playoffs.

Shane Mercer [00:23:46]:

Yeah. The the sports equinox new year for sure is that end of end of August, beginning of September time frame there where it's like, alright. We're into a new sports season now.

Andrew Pace [00:23:56]:

Yeah. So looking back on that time, you know, June, the NHL and NBA playoffs will have just ended. And, just cele celebrate the success that we've had. And maybe if you haven't had the most success, meet the people that have and learn how you can do the same for the upcoming season. And a lot of people make a big deal about this downtime, you know, like, oh, you know, there's nothing to bet on, or maybe they're grinding out baseball or whatever it is they're they're doing. Preseason of the NFL starts at the very August. And as you guys know, I bet the preseason of the NFL religiously. Yeah.

Andrew Pace [00:24:30]:

Like, religiously. It's like a it's like a six to eight week break. Enjoy it and get ready to plug back in, not to mention we're still betting CFL in that timeframe, but, take the six to eight weeks, enjoy them and rock and roll.

Shane Mercer [00:24:43]:

Yeah, I wanna come back. I wanna circle back to this conversation in just a little bit here because there's a lot of

Andrew Pace [00:24:48]:

I'm sorry.

Shane Mercer [00:24:48]:

No no. And it's all good. There's a lot that we can focus on through if you if you want to and you wanna keep rolling, there there's a lot. And if you just wanna take a break, take a break because it's a perfect time to take a break. But I wanna get back to that in a moment. But, Pace, we gotta we gotta dive in to the conference finals now.

Shane Mercer [00:25:05]:

We've got conference finals in hockey. We've got conference finals in the NBA. And, you know, we're we're sort of at a spot here where, you know, they haven't even started yet. These series have just been decided. Why don't we start with, the NHL? We'll start in the Eastern Conference with, the heartbreak that is very palpable in my part of the country right now after, the Leafs were just destroyed in game seven. It wasn't even close. It was, just a a a hard game to watch come the middle of the second period and beyond. Once that first goal for Florida went in, it seemed like, the Leafs just crumbled from there.

Shane Mercer [00:25:46]:

I think they gave up three goals in five minutes. It was just just brutal and terrible, and every talking head out there has an opinion today. Everyone with Twitter fingers has a thought about the Leafs today and what the problems are. You know, Pays, just as sort of as somebody who's, you know, watching from the other side of the country and really, you know, doesn't have any kind of bias at all, because I I don't think you're a Leafs hater. And you are. Okay. Well, you're you're somewhat of a of a of a, you know, perhaps a a a toned down Leafs hater. You don't you don't put it out there that that much.

Shane Mercer [00:26:28]:

But what what are your thoughts on what's wrong with that Leafs organization? I'd love to hear it from somebody that that, you know, is watching from Vancouver. The fans. It's like it's our fault? Yes. Explain. Come on. Well, how was how was it the fans' fault? Do we put too much pressure on the players? Is that what it is? Because I'm hearing a lot of that today, that that the fans put too much pressure on the team to win.

Andrew Pace [00:26:52]:

Okay. Here here's the thing. Right? There's there's this joke about the Toronto Maple Leafs, obviously, being terrible for years and years and years and years and years. Years.

Shane Mercer [00:27:00]:

And look, there's not terrible, terrible.

Andrew Pace [00:27:03]:

No. That that is the joke, though. Right? Like, they they make the playoffs and they lose or they lose in fact, and that's they never should. They choke, whatever. I'm in Vancouver. We follow hockey. Our team sucks. It sucked for multiple people's lifetimes. It sucked since the dawn of existence.

Andrew Pace [00:27:21]:

There's like these glory days of this one year where cup finals were made, 02/2011, '19 '90 '4, and then I think they were in the finals before I was born or something at some point. You know, it's like we know we suck, we just we just get worse, and it allows us to drop people in Vancouver don't have this alma mater college they came out of, where they're biased to the Arkansas Razorbacks or the Tennessee volunteers. We don't have overwhelming bias towards the Canucks. We've got all these people that are, like, Canucks seasons ticket holders, they're cheering for Vegas because

Andrew Pace [00:27:57]:

they go down and watch Vegas. They're cheering for the Oilers because they want a Canadian team to win the cup. You know, the the list goes on and on. And it's like, I look at Vancouver and I'm like, Jesus, these these guys are insane. Like, you're cheering for teams, you're grasping at straws because you don't have anything else to cheer for in this city. Right? Meanwhile, in Toronto, it's like there's just this overwhelming pressure, from the fans where there's this expectation every single year, remarkable bias. And that that is the problem. The bias of the and this is why I'm not a Leafs fan.

Andrew Pace [00:28:28]:

It isn't the team. It's never been the team. I can't stand the fans. I'm sorry, Toronto. I love your city. I think you guys are great people. I can't stand the unrelenting bias towards that organization. There there's very little, insight to anything else other than this team.

Andrew Pace [00:28:50]:

And the team had a great season again. They they I know they won a series last year, but they finally won a series again. They took the defending cup champions to seven games. I think Florida could go on to win it all again this year, and I think there's a really good chance we see a repeat of the two teams, in in in the cup final. A lot of things went well for Toronto. You know? So the fans booing and throwing stuff on the ice, like, come on. It's it's garbage. It's garbage.

Shane Mercer [00:29:20]:

Yeah. Boo booing.

Andrew Pace [00:29:21]:

I don't mean disrespect to the people of Toronto. That's not what I mean. I think I think it's just there's there's so much money bet on the Leafs. There's so much bias. There's so much public, you know, public action. It it just it's it's like life and death, and it's just not and it's just not.

Shane Mercer [00:29:39]:

It's just not. You know, there I I think you're kinda hitting some things there. Like, you know, there there's so much, angst around the team, you know? And as soon as it's, like, playoff time you know, it isn't like this this total positive vibe the whole time. You know what he said? It's a it's a constant, like, how are we gonna fuck this up? We can't fuck this up. Don't fuck this up. You know? And it's like an it's like this anger and angst that just builds and builds through playoffs when really, you know, I think, like and I'm I'll I'll go back to the other Toronto team that did win a championship that I'm a massive fan of. That's what I mentioned a lot. Riding that wave of the Raptors running through the playoffs and making it there and getting there, it was just positive, positive, uplifting.

Shane Mercer [00:30:28]:

Can't believe we're here. Let's go. This is amazing. And that's never the case with the Leafs.

Andrew Pace [00:30:34]:

Being the underdog having hope. Yeah. Right? Having having belief, holy smokes, we can do this. Yeah. If the Leafs lost the cup final in game seven, six one, the narrative would be identical to today.

Shane Mercer [00:30:53]:

You're probably right. Yeah.

Andrew Pace [00:30:56]:

And if you won or when you win is it you, Shane? Am I saying that right? Are you a Leafs fan?

Shane Mercer [00:31:02]:

I mean, I'm I'm a Toronto fan. I cheer for the Leafs. So I mean, look, hockey, hockey I've said this all a lot. Yeah. Hockey isn't isn't my my biggest passion, but I'm in Toronto. I cheer for the Leafs.

Andrew Pace [00:31:12]:

When you guys eventually win, it'll be before the Canucks. When you guys eventually win, it'll be like, finally, instead of the the Toronto, Raptors experience.

Shane Mercer [00:31:26]:

Yeah. Which was just jubilation. Yeah. It was just, like yeah. I think he might be right. It might just be like, finally, we did it. Alright. Now what? Yeah.

Shane Mercer [00:31:36]:

It might be kinda like that. Okay. Let's let's focus on on what's to come now because that's really what we're about here. You know, focusing on on the lines and the numbers and where we're at. You mentioned, Florida being the favorite, to win it all. So, let me just run through some of the some of the lines right now for you. All of this from Pinnacle, sharpest sportsbook in the world. This is what they're showing this morning.

Shane Mercer [00:31:59]:

Florida Panthers, are paying 1.77 to win the series against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes are, at 2.13. So, you know, pretty pretty close on the odds. They're not a not a major favorite, but but certainly, the Panthers going into that series against the Canes as the clear favorite to win the series. Over in the West, it's, the Oilers and Stars. Oilers are the favorite at 1.86, so normal juice as it comes. The Stars paying two point o one. So so really, you know, much more of a coin toss there, at least according to what the books are showing for for the odds.

Shane Mercer [00:32:38]:

And just, Stanley Cup favorites, Florida, the favorite to win it at 3.42. That's what they're paying. Oilers paying 3.63, Stars paying 3.93, and the Canes at a four point o. So you've got four teams here, and all four of them are paying between 3.44 o. You know? So so really kind of, you know, not not an exact clear favorite. We'll get to the NBA where it's a very different story in a little bit.

Andrew Pace [00:33:10]:

No no real dog either, Shane.

Shane Mercer [00:33:11]:

No real dog. No real clear favorite. A real toss-up for the Stanley Cup final winner. So, let let's go to the Eastern Conference matchup. You think the the Panthers are the favorite to win it all? Obviously, then you think that they're going to beat the the Carolina Hurricanes, or you think they have a good shot at beating the Carolina Hurricanes. But give me give me your thoughts on on the lines and and what you think of of this matchup.

Andrew Pace [00:33:34]:

I really like the hurricanes against the Capitals.

Shane Mercer [00:33:36]:

Oh, okay.

Andrew Pace [00:33:37]:

The only the only series I liked in the NHL of the of round two. They they took care of business. After having watched the Oilers, I really liked them, but I didn't say it prior to the series. In the NBA, I struck out. I took all the big favorites, and they got all smoked. So shame on me. But, when it comes to these hockey series, I mean, your guess is as good as mine. I want the Oilers to beat the stars.

Andrew Pace [00:34:03]:

I do want that. I don't have any money on anything as of this moment. I do think the Hurricanes are an exceptional hockey team. Now they're going up against an exceptional hockey team. I I knew the Capitals were not an exceptional hockey team. Yeah. Okay. So that that's that's why I liked the Capitals.

Andrew Pace [00:34:28]:

I don't think the Dallas Stars are an exceptional hockey team, but they just keep fucking winning. Like, I don't think they belong here right now. I still think dumb puck luck got them ahead in that Avalanche game. And yes, the Avalanche, in order for dumb puck luck to factor in in a series, you have to have gotten to that, Like, the Avalanche couldn't just finish them off in the first play. Yeah. Yeah. You got it. Two nothing late in the game.

Andrew Pace [00:34:56]:

Dumb puck luck definitely came into play in that game, and then they ended up losing four two or whatever it was, maybe even five two, in in that game seven. So, I don't think they belong here. I wanna see them just get crushed because I hate them so much. And, yeah, that's where I'm at. That's where I'm at. So you talk about, you know, who's gonna win. I just don't wanna see the stars win.

Shane Mercer [00:35:20]:

Okay. Fair enough. But I I think you might be like I I you know, I don't I don't I I think you're right in the sense that they don't belong there. You know, they don't they don't seem like they're at the same level of of a team like the Oilers or even like a team like Florida on on the East and and the canes. I I think out of the four grouping, you know, the stars, like you said, probably don't belong, or I think the other three, you know, you could've you could've predicted all three of them sort of going deep early on, you know, like when the playoffs first began. And and they they probably all sort of deserved to be there. But yeah. So so if you're if you were to pick out of those four to win the cup, to hoist the cup, what do you what do you think is is is, you know, your your best bet?

Andrew Pace [00:36:03]:

Yeah. So I think that's a really good question because then we turn this discussion not into what Andrew Andrew Pace's meaningless opinion on hockey, but actually actually on the numbers. And I think that's really important. Yeah. So going back to Shane's, list of numbers there, he listed one team at four point o. If you if all four teams played each other and all four teams were identical, with the exact same players and the exact same coaches, so essentially simulating all four of them against each other, in in, say, NHL, like a simulation on EA Sports NHL. You have one fair bet on the board at the hurricanes at four point o. Because if you have four teams each with a 25% probability of winning, there's there's one fair price on the board, which for me is just a a hard pass on all four of the teams.

Andrew Pace [00:36:54]:

I would not bet any futures. As far as series goes, I kind of do like the Oilers. I do. I I do like the Oilers. They're never out of a game. They've got that chip on their shoulder. I don't know that I don't know that there's value there. So so I I think just the whole board's a pass, but, yeah, I I do I do I think the if I if I had a gun to my head right now and I had to pick one single thing to bet on this menu, I would take the Oilers at that minus one fifteen, to win the series.

Shane Mercer [00:37:29]:

Okay

Andrew Pace [00:37:30]:

I'm not betting it, and I don't like it.

Shane Mercer [00:37:32]:

Gotcha. Gotcha. Yeah. I I think you make a great point there that the Canes are the only fair price when you look at the Stanley Cup winner right now. The the only possible, you know, I think play you could make would be the Canes, because it it's it's like you said. Right? Like, they're paying four point. There's four teams out there. And and I think you could make an argument that that, you know, if if we were to give you know, we're we're looking at it in terms of odds.

Shane Mercer [00:37:54]:

Well, the canes should probably pay less than the stars. You know? And the fact that they pay better than the stars, you know, to me makes it seem like there might be a very small edge there. But, you know, is is it worth it? That that's up to, you know, you guys out there to decide. I'm I'm not placing any any specific bet right now at this time on on, on the NHL, in that sense, when it when it comes to the four that are left here. Alright. Let's go over, to the NBA then, because it is a very different, landscape in the NBA when it comes to the odds, the numbers, and what we're seeing with the four teams left. So, let me break this down for you here. The Eastern Conference is gonna see the Indiana Pacers face the New York Knicks.

Shane Mercer [00:38:32]:

The Pacers are the underdog in this series, paying 2.39, New York paying 1.63. So we're talking into the, you know, sort of heavy favorite almost kinda area for for the Knicks here. In the West, this is heavy favorites. OKC playing the wolves. OKC is paying 1.3 to win the series. That's minus three thirty three for all you American odds, guys out there. Minus 300, greater than that even. And the Wolf's paying 3.75 to win the West.

Shane Mercer [00:39:11]:

NBA champion odds, OKC, clear favorite, 1.54, or minus one eighty five. Next is the Knicks at 5.82, the Wolves paying 6.15, and the Pacers to win the NBA championship, nine point two two. I I mean, such a different, such a different board than what we just talked about in the NHL when it comes to the NBA. A very, very clear favorite with OKC. Almost absolutely, I would argue, no value on OKC at all if you wanted to to look at them whether it's to win the series or win the NBA, title. But, Pace, give me your thoughts on on this.

Andrew Pace [00:39:56]:

Yeah. So just the same discussion. If all four teams were equal, there's an argument that there's value on three of the four teams. Now all four teams are not equal. Obviously, that that that goes without say, but, there's gotta be value on one of these three teams. There just has to be. Yeah. Right? You you what what are this here's a question for you.

Andrew Pace [00:40:16]:

What is the Eastern Conference final winner going to pay to win the championship against the Thunder?

Shane Mercer [00:40:25]:

Like, let's say let's say one of those Eastern Conference teams moves on, the Thunder move on, what is it gonna pay for them to win it at that point? Well, I would say, like, if it's if it's the Knicks that go forward, they're probably gonna pay something like maybe three, three point five, you know, with with OKC being being a big favorite. And if it's the Pacers, fuck, man. The Pacers might pay five point o.

Andrew Pace [00:40:49]:

Yeah. So, I mean, here we are with the Wolfs paid 3.76. Is it gonna be better or worse than that number? And, this is where you get into the discussion of if there's gotta be value on one of these three teams. And, you're basically gonna get the same price on the series for Oklahoma as you are the future for them to win it all. Betting against the Thunder to win the championship without a team, and you wouldn't bet all three, you'd bet not the Thunder. So you'd have to find a Thunder that has that at a good price.

Shane Mercer [00:41:24]:

Yeah.

Andrew Pace [00:41:26]:

I think the thunder should be favored to win the NBA championship. That that goes without say. But I think there's value on these other teams. So what I was getting at there is if the thunder are gonna pay similar to win the championship after the Western Conference final as they do right now, you're almost free rolling the wolves to win the series knowing that they still need to beat the Eastern opponent once they get there. So if you take that logic into the NBA championship, you might be able to get a really good price on, not not the thunder. And by the time this is aired, there's been a game played, I believe. Tuesday or no?

Shane Mercer [00:42:09]:

Is there a Tuesday game?

Andrew Pace [00:42:11]:

Yeah. They play Tuesday. And here's the thing. Based on the line, not based on reality, based on the line, the Thunder are gonna win that game. Where you'd want that is where you want the Wolves to steal game two. That's where you would want that bet. Yeah. So provided the Thunder win game one, these numbers are gonna be even more appealing when you guys are listening to this.

Andrew Pace [00:42:33]:

And I think Not the Thunder is almost a it's not a free roll of the wolves winning the series. It's almost a free roll of the wolves winning the series, where once the championship started, if you wanted to, you could almost get out of the bet at a small loss. That's how and and the other thing too is once people see the Pacers or the Knicks come through the east final, there's gonna be a lot of people that start to believe in them, and a lot of money comes in and starts to move the lines. Thunder will still be favored if they do go through, but it'll get I'm not gonna say it's gonna be a pick up, not even close. It'll get be closer to a pick up potentially than this Wolf's Thunder series is. So just look at those lines and go, holy smokes. I'm literally for all I'm literally close to free rolling the Wolves winning the series with not the Thunder. And if, yeah, if they get through, there's a chance that there's a lot of hype on that other team that somebody comes in.

Andrew Pace [00:43:26]:

Now I'm a lot more interested in these series, Shane, than the hockey series.

Shane Mercer [00:43:31]:

Yeah.

Andrew Pace [00:43:33]:

And more particular more more specifically, I'm interested in the dogs. So, I really like the wolves in this series, and I really like the, the, Pacers in this series. And I'm not gonna take either of them to win the series, but you can take plus three and a half in both the series and get almost close to normal juice. And, if the Thunder did win game one, you might be able to get close to normal juice. You can take plus two and a half at normal juice in almost both the series, and you could take plus three and a half in both the series at huge plus odds. So I think both of these games both of these series should go six games. Now, of course, I don't have a a crystal ball that can see the future, but I do think there's value on the pluses, for for both the Woofs and and the Pacers. Series starts.

Shane Mercer [00:44:29]:

Wow. I I like that look. Plus three and a half and plus three and a half parlay. You know, that that I I like that a lot, actually. So I agree with you on, in the East. I think the Pacers I I think the Pacers are gonna win the series. I think they're the better team. I think that they have all the momentum going for them.

Shane Mercer [00:44:50]:

You know, Tyrese Halliburton is, like, we're witnessing a star in the making with that guy. Like, he is, you know, as clutch as clutch can be, with with some of the shots that he's that he's made throughout these playoffs so far. In the West, I I think OKC is going to win the series. I think, you know, do I think the wolves can get one game? Yeah. I think they can get one game, to to cover plus three and a half. So I I I like that a lot. I I do think I

Andrew Pace [00:45:18]:

I do just wanna clarify, Shane. That that that is a really chalky thing that I just said. Like, it's it's yeah. Yeah.

Shane Mercer [00:45:24]:

Yeah. But but I I I, you know, that's all it takes, right, is is for them to win one game. I I think like I said, I think the Pacers could win the series. And and I, you know, that that's where I fall there. I I think OKC having had to go seven games, with Denver really tested that. You know? I think they needed that test, and, you know, I think they're gonna be coming into this into this WUF series as sort of, you know, that battle tested team. Whereas, I think the WUFs had it a bit easy against Golden State, especially after Curry went down. You know? I I don't think they're coming in having having sort of gone through the gauntlet, so to speak, the the way OKC had to do with Denver.

Shane Mercer [00:46:09]:

And so I think I think OKC just has that edge coming in, you know, but obviously, the the the line, you know, on them isn't isn't worth it. So, but but the plus three and a half there, that that makes a lot of sense.

Andrew Pace [00:46:22]:

Well, the the plus three and a half may be a little too chalky. So that might be something that you'd wanna do, like, if they went down to nothing.

Shane Mercer [00:46:30]:

Right. Yeah. Sure. And what you'd do?

Andrew Pace [00:46:32]:

Yeah. If if they went down to nothing after the first two home games in Oklahoma City. But the plus two and a half plus two and a half parlor pays really nice. Really nice. So it's I I again, Pinnacle doesn't sometimes have some of these spreads, but just shopping around, you're looking at, like, minus one fifty, for plus two and a half on, on the woofs and, minus 300 on the Pacers for plus two and a half. So, you know, you you pair those together, you're getting really nice plus money. I I

Shane Mercer [00:47:05]:

Are you betting it right now, Pace? Is that what's going on over there? Even No. I'm I'm just shopping around.

Andrew Pace [00:47:10]:

I'm I was just shopping around on the lines there. Yeah. Yeah. But, I mean, yeah, I'll I'll take a look at this stuff a little bit further and and maybe call it before Tuesday. So so sorry. We're talking in the past tense for people listening, but

Shane Mercer [00:47:21]:

Yeah.

Andrew Pace [00:47:21]:

That's the pro that that's that's the process that I do for most of the series when I'm looking at some sort of parlay in in in this spot. A lot of this stuff's very, you know, fun and recreational. And I do have to caveat, like, if you do this stuff and, you know, the Thunder are coming in and it's game you know, it's game three and they're they're up to nothing in the series and they're winning game three. You're not sitting there, you know, clamoring onto this stupid little pre series parlay ticket. You're focusing on live value, and, human bias is inevitable. Like, I just talked about the Leafs in not the most positive light. Nothing and that was completely biased, like, 100% biased. You you have to drop your bias with live betting.

Andrew Pace [00:48:06]:

So if that means a pregame ticket or a series parlor or whatever is what's creating your bias, you have to try as best as possible to think mutually exclusive from that ticket. Put that one aside, put it in the trash if you need to, and focus on the value live, because, you know, a really good example, I I really like the Nuggets plus eight and a half in game seven against the Thunder. I thought it was gonna be a tight game.

Shane Mercer [00:48:32]:

Yeah. I think the whole world thought they were coming out to play.

Andrew Pace [00:48:35]:

The Thunder were up 42. The Thunder were up 42 with four minutes left. So do you think I'm sitting there going, okay, just go on a nice little run here. No. By, I would say by three minutes into the third quarter, I knew that bet was almost 100% dead. You completely shift your focus and that's not you you have to do that separately of whether the bet's dead. You have to look at all sides of a a board and a game in order to be successful. So, with any of this futures parlors stuff, it's very, very recreational.

Andrew Pace [00:49:07]:

Yes, we've hit a few of them over the last few years, but it's nothing compared to what you can get in any one given game betting it live.

Shane Mercer [00:49:14]:

Oh, yeah. And and when it comes to all of these series, whether it's the NHL or, the NBA, I think we're gonna have a ton of great, live pops. I I love especially, like I said, that that Pacers game, like, you know, I a Pacers series, I think, like, there's gonna be great value on the Pacers live, I think, going through the whole series. And and I'm really looking forward to that. And, of course, you know, looking at totals in these games, you know, depending on how they play out, you know, unders or overs. And, on the other side, in in in the NHL, you know, I I think other than the stars, I probably don't wanna make bets with the stars in the lead, but I think the other teams were gonna be able to to really sort of capitalize.

Andrew Pace [00:49:56]:

I think I am gonna be betting some some games at the start of the week. Yeah. I really am. I'm look I'm looking forward to it, to be honest. Like, again, flip your bias and find Yeah. Find the opportunity that you can from it. And, anyway, Shane, I I do wanna talk about the Pacers a little bit more.

Shane Mercer [00:50:08]:

Okay. Yeah. Go for it. I'm happy to talk about the Pacers more.

Andrew Pace [00:50:10]:

Okay. So so we we we talked about the three other teams that aren't the Thunder. The Pacers separately of of winning the championship, are one of these teams. They're a generational team. And from a betting standpoint, they only come around once every few years. Now the Knicks could dismantle them and win win win for nothing, and sweep them. So so that aside, I don't know what's gonna happen. The value on them is unprecedented.

Andrew Pace [00:50:39]:

So you get scenarios like this. I would say there's in March Madness, there's a team that's like this, but it's the whole Cinderella story, and it's actually the value flips where people think they can do more than they can. This is not that. There's an argument to be made that the best player in the NBA right now is Tyrese Haliburton. I'm not saying he is the best. There's an argument to be made. That's how strong he's playing right now. In this moment,

Shane Mercer [00:51:04]:

In this moment, he is probably the strongest player over the last two to three weeks.

Andrew Pace [00:51:10]:

Yeah. I think he is. Okay? So that's a major factor in the NBA. Teamwork is so important, but when you have that guy who's him or whatever the young people are saying these days, that matters. Now if they get swept four o, there's still tremendous value on this basketball team because you're gonna have them in scenarios where it's late in the game, they have the basketball and the spread.

Andrew Pace [00:51:37]:

You might get a covering spread on them where they don't even need to score to to to cover the spread. Right? As opposed to say, the minus seven and a half on the Thunder. Basically, the entirety of the game, you need the Thunder to score another basket or another two baskets or another three baskets and then hold to cover the spread. With the the the Pacers, it's the opposite. You you you need your opponent not to do that to you. They paid 9.2 to win the championship with four teams remaining and only one team in their way to get to the championship. John obviously called them on the podcast at, like, thirty to one or 29 to one or whatever it was. So that's obviously a a really great bet right now.

Andrew Pace [00:52:24]:

But just just keep your eyes on the Pacers for live opportunities. They close out games really well. They come back in games really well, and, and they have the ability to come back in games, which is exciting and also just, yeah, create crazy value on them. So even if they get swept, that doesn't mean that this statement is false. They play the end of the game well, and you're getting good value on them late. So capitalize.

Shane Mercer [00:52:53]:

Yeah. I'm I'm gonna make a pace like statement here and say, the Pacers are not getting swept. Not happening. Okay. Definitively.

Andrew Pace [00:53:03]:

I hope that's not a pace like statement.

Shane Mercer [00:53:06]:

I'm pretty sure you had made something very similar about the Knicks not having a chance. So here I am. I'm saying the Pacers will not get swept. %. They will win at least one game. I think they're gonna win the series. I I and, honestly, like, on the board here, like, 9.22 is very tempting, and I bet you there's some soft books out there. I haven't done a lot of line shopping here.

Shane Mercer [00:53:28]:

But for all of you out there, if you can get them at 10 o or plus, I I think it's worth it. If you're not in on anything, I I do think that there's a ton of value there.

Andrew Pace [00:53:37]:

Yeah. I I actually think when it comes to futures, Pinnacle's always gonna have the best prices.

Shane Mercer [00:53:41]:

So they they typically do. Yeah. They typically do. So yeah. Like I said, I haven't done any line shopping out there, but but yeah. It's a it's a great number. Okay. Pace, we were talking a little bit about the sort of, you know, what do we do after this? Because, yes, now we're down to to conference finals in the NHL and the NBA.

Shane Mercer [00:53:57]:

We're gonna have, like, one or two hockey games a night. Two we'll we'll have one hockey game and one NBA game in a night if we're lucky where we get where we get two of them together in a night, but it'll probably be like a lot of, you know, oh, there's only one game tonight, whether it's hockey or NBA. And and we're moving into that time of year where it's like, alright. There's there's just, you know, not not as much big four sports going on. Of course, the MLB is in full swing, and, it was a pretty solid weekend at inplayLIVE in baseball. Shout out Hawkeye Tim, who who had himself a day yesterday. You know, I just kept seeing guns for for his calls yesterday. He he really, really went on one.

Shane Mercer [00:54:39]:

And, you know, NBA or sorry. MLB is, you know, it's day in, day out. It's a grind if you're betting it. But there's other sports out there too. Like, let's say baseball is not your thing. WNBA just started, you know, just just, tipped off a few days ago. I think we're three or four days into the WNBA as of this recording. CFL begins early next month in in June.

Shane Mercer [00:55:03]:

And, PACE, I know that's a sort of one of your favorite summer activities. But there's also tennis. There's golf, UFC, which I really enjoy and and I've been doing well with, having a lot of fun with UFC. So, you know, that and that's only a once a week kind of thing, but it's there. You know, Pace, when it comes to sort of all these other summer sports, you know, that maybe don't get as much betting action, is it is it just a CFL for you?

Andrew Pace [00:55:28]:

Well, I think the advice is for everyone out there, if you're betting during this time of year, which many of you are, pick your lane. And that for some of you, that's all of it. If you love this and you're doing well and you're winning money, for some of you, that's everything. That's everything you can get your hands on. For others, it is being, very selective and specific as I believe you have to be with every sport to to win over the long term, but but pick your lane. I'm personally gonna be focused on the CFL. That that's where all my money and attention will be going, and I think that that transitions beautifully with NHL and NBA hockey playoffs because right as we're into the final round, the the kickoff occurs there. The ROI on that last year, I believe, was about 17%, across the entire season.

Andrew Pace [00:56:18]:

And and I have to make adjustments for that. That means sometimes my full unit becomes about $2 because it's hard to get $2 down live in the CFL. So I make adjustments. I I'd be content with a $500 quarter quarter unit, and then, you know, make those adjustments across other sports as well because I don't want my baseball quarter unit then to be, you know, to destroy my my CFL core unit where I, you know, I made three units in the CFL that day, and I lost a quarter unit at the MLB. I broke even. So I have to make adjustments across the board, and then I start to ramp back up for, the playoffs for, I'm sorry, the playoffs, the preseason for for for the NFL. But I know Matt is really focused. He's really excited about the the tennis majors that, right around the corner here.

Andrew Pace [00:57:10]:

So, you know, and there there is a there there are some people that get pretty excited about about golf. Poor Bryson. Yeah. Yeah. Right at the top of the board again and couldn't get it done. But, yeah, there there's a lot of people that get excited for golf and things like that as well. So do do the thing that is is most successful for you. Anything that isn't super successful for you, I don't wanna say throw it in the trash.

Andrew Pace [00:57:32]:

But if you're gonna pursue it this summer, tread lightly and responsibly, and make sure whatever it is does have a track record. And if you are a part of our community, reach out to the pros that are calling that stuff because we have everything tracked, and there's a lot of data behind the scenes that goes into this stuff. So while we might be down on a particular strategy, there was a reason it was there in the first place. And sometimes having that understanding of going, hey, if we were to have zoomed out and had we have bet all these other games, this would have been the ROI on that strategy. And that's why we're now, you know, testing it out and starting to call it a little bit more. So, having that understanding, reaching out to the right people, that can be really beneficial. And I think that also helps with your overall networking and making sure that, you know, you are finding new edges, across all sports. So, yeah, take that approach, stay in your lane, have fun, and, Shane, I'll fire that right back at you.

Andrew Pace [00:58:30]:

What are what are you gonna be focusing on?

Shane Mercer [00:58:32]:

Yeah. You know, for me, staying in my lane, doesn't necessarily mean one sport, but it what it means is, looking at these in terms of if I'm going to bet something on this sport, what is it, and and what type of bet am I going to make? So, an example might be, baseball, for example. This is a great spot because, I've I found myself now at a point where I would actually rather just bet baseball pregame. Not that there's not live value out there for baseball. Sure. I hear you. You know, not that there's not value out there for baseball live, but, like, do I wanna sit there and and be sort of glued for live opportunities on baseball slates on, say, a Sunday afternoon. No.

Shane Mercer [00:59:11]:

I wanna spend my summer Sunday afternoon with my family, you know, out at soccer tournaments and out doing whatever else I might be doing and that kind of thing. Right? And I think that there are some really great data plays for baseball pregame. And it's not a ton, but it's like if every day I make one or two baseball pregame plays, then boom, I'm off and running. And there we go. I'll check the scores while I'm out. I probably won't watch them come in, and, you know, I'll be I'll be happy with that. WNBA. You know, there's only a massive WNBA slate is like four games in the day.

Shane Mercer [00:59:45]:

You know, it's like most most days, there's one or two games, and that's it for WNBA. There might be a very set point in an evening where I'm gonna go and I'm gonna look at a total in the WNBA, you know, at a very set point and and that's it, you know. And maybe I bet it, maybe I don't. Move on, you know. UFC is is once a week, and I've been doing some UFC stuff. You know? I'll continue to do that, and that's a nice little thing. And that's a pregame thing as well. It's not it's not a live focus.

Shane Mercer [01:00:13]:

It's a pregame. You know? Put it together and and move on and go enjoy an evening. And and, and, you know, maybe I watch some fights, maybe I don't.

Andrew Pace [01:00:19]:

Put it together.

Shane Mercer [01:00:21]:

aka Parla. Parla. Having having a lot of success working on on some some UFC, parla parla stuff. And, you know, a a CFL, same kind of thing. Right? There might be a point where it's, for me, betting CFL isn't gonna necessarily be tuning in for every game whole game. It might be tuning in at a very specific time to see if there's an opportunity to bet one sort of specific bet, which is probably a total for me. And that's it.

Shane Mercer [01:00:50]:

You know? And and sort of so for me, that's what staying in my lane is. It's not necessarily like, oh, I'm only going to bet this sport. It's no. I'm only gonna make this one type of bet in that sport.

Andrew Pace [01:01:02]:

Yeah. And I will say, Shane, too, that's really smart and also it harnesses the community. So because you haven't tuned into the whole game Yep. Because you, are trying to stay in your lane and live your life outside of this, It allows for you to rely on the other people that have watched the game

Shane Mercer [01:01:20]:

Yeah.

Andrew Pace [01:01:20]:

That are in the spot. You know, you can pick their brain a little bit before you decide to make a decision. You can easily pass and then go, oh, okay. Wow. That was really valuable. I want more on this one. Right? So you almost get, like, a quick Coles notes, and you go, hey. Here we go rock and roll.

Andrew Pace [01:01:35]:

It's it's smart. It's a great way to approach it. You're harnessing other people to leverage your time. You're using your membership effectively, and you are doing some things separately of all that on your own because you know that that's powerful as well.

Shane Mercer [01:01:47]:

Yeah. I'm so glad you mentioned that. That is that is a big part of it is leveraging the community, tuning in at the right time. Okay. You know, what's what's what's out there? What is that? What are people saying on this game? What's happening out there? And and sort of just dialing in, you know, whether it's on the stream and hearing what what you guys are thinking or, you know, attaching base with with some people sort of, in the Discord or whatever it might be that that are within the community to get a sense of where are we at on this one. What do you guys think? Okay. Boom. Bang.

Shane Mercer [01:02:12]:

You know, bets in or bets not in moving on back to back to life, you know, and back to enjoying summer. That that's kind of the the way that that I'll be approaching it. And yeah. And and it's a lot of fun that way too because you can just sort of pick your spots where you wanna watch sports and tune in and really dial in and other times where it's like, alright. You know, we're taking it easy here. So yeah. Yeah. And and a lot of great opportunities in all of those all of those sports that I mentioned there.

Shane Mercer [01:02:36]:

So, if there's somebody out there that's wondering, like, you maybe you just had a great run and now you're wondering, well, what's next? What do I do? And you don't wanna take a break. You wanna keep growing your bankroll through and maybe, you know, look to perhaps even even pull out some money and then grow your bankroll again and get it get get a new bankroll ready for football season or something like that. You know, to dial in with the community, connect with people, learn from people. That that's probably your best approach to sort of some of these I'll call them kind of like, you know, peripheral sports, if if you will. Yeah. Well said. Yeah. Alright.

Shane Mercer [01:03:10]:

Well, Pace, great chatting with you. Thanks again for that announcement off the top of the show. Really looking forward to that, and and and participating in that. I'm sure we'll have more to talk about, in the weeks to come. But until then, pace to you and to sports bettors around the world till next week. Keep beating those books. Let's go. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Behind the Lines.

Shane Mercer [01:03:29]:

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