Author Archives: The Daily Payoff

Becky’s Affiliated: The power of charity during a global pandemic

It’s a weird time in the world right now. We are approaching one year of the “new” and ever-changing “normal” and the future is anything but certain. What is important now more than ever is human compassion, kindness and offering support for those around us, especially to those who are less fortunate than we are. 

I have dedicated several Becky’s Affiliated columns and CalvinAyre.com interviews to the amazing charitable work the professionals in our industry have done over the years, both in an effort to thank them but also to inspire others. Highlighting charity work makes me happy.

Just the other day I noticed this refreshing LinkedIn post of Calvin’s:

Anyone who follows Calvin’s social media is well aware of his deep passion for BitcoinSV technology, but what they might not know is that he’s deeply passionate about his charitable work too.

Iconic Strip Club Owner, Poker Room Operator, Larry Flynt Dead at 78

Larry Flynt, the owner of two Los Angeles poker rooms, a nudie mag, and Las Vegas strip clubs, passed away on Wednesday at age 78. The founder of “Hustler” magazine’s exact cause of death was not disclosed publicly. He passed away at his Hollywood Hills home in Southern California.

Larry Flynt led quite a controversial life, but always stood behind his beliefs. (Image: New York Post)

Flynt is most known around the world as a free speech loving porn peddler who survived a murder attempt in 1978, but was paralyzed from the neck down for life. He was shot in Lawrenceville, Georgia as he walked down the street with his lawyer following a court case.

The incident not only left him partially paralyzed, he suffered excruciating pain for the rest of his life. That caused to become addicted to painkillers. Joseph Paul Franklin, a white supremacist, admitted to the shooting years later. His issue, he claims, was Flynt displaying an interracial couple in “Hustler,” an adult magazine.

Professional Fighters League hires sports, digital and gaming executive, Jon Tuck, as Chief Revenue Officer

NEW YORK (Feb. 10, 2021) – The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league in the world, today announced that established sports industry executive, Jon Tuck, will join the company’s executive team as Chief Revenue Officer. In his new role, Tuck will spearhead global sponsorship, media sales and licensing businesses.

Tuck is a highly accomplished executive with more than 20 years of experience leading business development, digital content and monetization. He has held executive roles at Immortals Gaming Club, Sports Illustrated and NASCAR, where he served as Chief Revenue Officer, reinventing its sponsorship model and go-to market strategy.

“I’m thrilled to be joining such an innovative and forward thinking organization such as the Professional Fighters League,” said Tuck. “The PFL has secured the No. 2 global position in MMA and reimagined the sport. I’m looking forward to bringing my experience, relationships and insights to a league that is a constant pioneer in the sports space. I can’t wait to get to work. I’m excited about connecting major global blue-chip brands to the PFL’s young, diverse and passionate fanbase.”

 

The Secret Coach: Seven free players who could move to Premier League this summer

With the January transfer window closing around Europe, plenty of big names with just months left on their contracts will be looking for a new club this summer.

These superstars of the game include Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Angel Di Maria, but could these players and more move to the Premier League? Let’s take a deeper look with the help of our contact in the sport, The Secret Coach.

The Secret Coach is a professional football coach in English football… who will remain anonymous. The Secret Coach has worked with some of the biggest names in the game, been through the coaching badge courses and is currently part of the coaching team at an English league side… and that’s all we’re telling you. As ever, this week, The Secret Coach pulls no punches!

Last week, we talked about who might win this season’s UEFA Champions League, but this week, it’s some of the many stars who have graced the tournament who will be looking for a new club in just a few months. We have to start with Lionel Messi. After dominating La Liga, it looks like the mercurial Argentinian might be on his way to Manchester City in the summer. What does The Secret Coach think he’ll bring to the Premier League and will he be as effective as he is in Spain?

Beef over Bill – Terrence Chan and Mike McDonald clash over betting terms

Have you ever made a bet and only when you did so, wondered if the odds were really too good to be true?  

If you’re Terrence Chan, the answer is a definite yes as has emerged in the last 24 hours in dramatic fashion.  

Backing Landon Tice in the heads-up match the young pro will take on against established high roller Bill Perkins, Chan was subsequently disappointed to learn that the €1,000 maximum bet that he’d put on actually needed Tice to win while off-setting a rate of 9 big blinds out of every 100. In other words, $720,000 over the course of the 20,000-hand $200/$400 challenge.  

This seven-figure handicap not being clear to Chan, he proceeded to email Poker Shares, but his old friend Mike ‘Timex’ McDonald – who owns Poker Shares – responded in what Chan thought was an unkind manner to his betting query.  

A Match for the Ages: Negreanu Challenges Hellmuth to Heads-Up Duel

Daniel Negreanu already appears to have his next heads-up poker opponent in mind, and it’s none other than Phil Hellmuth, who was critical of “DNegs’” play against Doug Polk.

Will Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth face off on the felt in a winner-take-all heads-up match? Don’t bet on it. (Image: pokerscout.com)

Negreanu lost $1.2 million to Polk over 25,000 hands of $200/$400 No-Limit Hold’em on WSOP.com. He wasn’t expected to win, so it didn’t come as a surprise to many. The GGPoker ambassador entered the match as more than a 4-1 underdog.

Despite virtually every poker expert expecting a Polk victory, Hellmuth ripped into his fellow Poker Hall of Famer’s play on the new PokerGo show, No Gamble No Future.

Super Bowl 56 early odds: Bucs second favorites

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Is Tom Brady the greatest team athlete of the modern sports era? It’s hard to argue that fact after Brady won his record seventh Super Bowl title, now more than any single franchise has – and record fifth Super Bowl MVP Award – in leading a 31-9 upset of the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl 55 on Sunday night in Tampa.

Can Brady make it eight titles next February at Super Bowl 56 in Los Angeles? The Bucs are +850 second-favorites behind Kansas City (+500), but also consider that Tampa Bay was priced +6000 at this point last year to win the Super Bowl. Obviously, Brady signing with the Bucs changed that price dramatically right away. Many free agents are going to want to chase a ring with Brady next season as well.

The last team to repeat as Super Bowl champion? Brady’s former New England Patriots following the 2004 season. How perfectly ironic was it that Brady stopped Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs from joining that exclusive repeat club? Kansas City probably will be the early Super Bowl favorite for the next decade or so as long as Mahomes is healthy (he is having offseason surgery for turf toe), even if that Bucs defense made him look pretty bad Sunday. It was the first time as an NFL player that Mahomes lost a game by double digits.

Australian Open sees some shocks as Djokovic scrapes through

It took some time to arrive, but now that it’s here, the 2021 Australian Open is the first tennis Grand Slam of the year and the action has begun Down Under.  

With Serbian sledger Novak Djokovic the favourite in the Men’s Singles, we’ve taken a look at the routes to the final and how the opening matches can guide us towards making the right bets.  

Big Names Survive Scares in Early Rounds  

Rafael Nadal may have made light work of the opening round match he had against Serbian player Laslo Djere, but the ease with which the Majorcan made the 2nd round wasn’t shared by some others.