All of this^Something I’ll mention. Some of you might read it as a bit of a “tight brag” which it probably is a bit but the lesson is meant to be well intended.
With any luck or even some skill you may one day find yourself amongst the sharp players. There are hundreds if not thousands more sharp than I but I do my damage. When you get to that point keeping outs becomes as big a skill as picking winners, esp if you are dealing with locals. A good agent is invaluable and there are many bad ones out there I can assure you. After some winning weeks eventually the main bookie is going to want to cut your ass loose. The only thing preventing that is a good relationship with your agent.
Instead of losing an out tonight I got a “watch your ass, they out to drop you”. Now I get to continue to terrorize the book for a little while longer. That’s potentially worth a few more grand in the short term AND the long term.
Pro tips
1. Always be the first person in line to pay your guy in a losing week.
2. Reach out to him with the number you owe before he has a chance to ask.
3. Respect his time and any appointments that you make. He can have as many as 50 people on his sheet he needs to meet - he doesn’t want to wait around waiting for your dumb ass.
4. When you have a big week don’t be afraid to tip him out. When you win, he doesn’t. When you win big you can fuck up his sheet with a “makeup” for weeks. Now he’s working for free for a bit. Citing him in a bit is always going to get you some clout.
5. Don’t “get coy” with him once the cat is out of the bag that your play is sharp, or at the least sharper than most. Last thing he wants to hear is how lucky you must be. If you are hitting 64% of props over 100 plays and won 2 golf tournaments he ain’t buying it.
6. Don’t be afraid to tell him about the sharp of the sharp plays if you know he bets on a his own account. Emphasize that even though he works for the book that you are team mates as well. It sounds corny but it helps.
All of the above just saved me a very good and profitable account. That’s (I hope) worth money to me in the short term.
Even more importantly - when you do get cut off eventually it won’t be by this guys hand and he will be empathetic about having to let you go rather than saying “fuck off” and “you can kiss that last envelope good bye”. It builds relationships. Agents know agents. If he gets another sheet you will be the first guy he calls. Long term that is invaluable.
We have a guy that cut us off last week and sent 10k of the 19 he owes. We are worried about the rest.. I'm trying to work out a deal or a payment plan and maybe give him some football players to make sure he squares me up.