Eschewing the term wiseguy as a less precise description of his place in the gambling hierarchy, one of the city’s most successful professional bettors prefers to be called an advantage gambler. He also opts to be known by just one name, Fezzik, and is hosting the popular radio show You Can Bet on It, which is moderated by Larry Grossman August through January and which normally goes on hiatus after the football season.

But the show, with its gambling-oriented content, will now also be heard February to August. It airs Monday through Friday from 2-3 pm on KENO 1460 AM Las Vegas, and can also be accessed on the Internet at AudioVegas.com. Guests will run the gamut from high profile professionals like Twenty-One player Stanford Wong to little known, but highly proficient bettors who give the house a run for their money.

One of the shows during Fezzik's first week featured John Kelly, a serious sports and horse bettor who hosts a number of sports betting radio shows including the Stardust Invitational Handicapping Tournament. The discussion touched on a variety of compelling topics for gamblers, including analysis of that evening’s basketball game featuring Missouri at UNLV. They agreed that Mizzou was an overlay at +3½ points. By the narrowest of margins, they were correct as the Rebels won 74-71.

Anthony Curtis, publisher of the popular and highly credible newsletter Las Vegas Advisor, will be a regular contributor and provided fascinating and relevant tips on where to find value in Vegas. The LVA is a cornucopia of info on how to take advantage of the various deals offered by the casinos/hotels. Curtis has earned his sterling reputation by being a hands-on reporter as well as a savvy player who can make sophisticated value judgments about everything from comps, to coupon offers to black jack rules.

When the Kentucky Derby is imminent, Fezzik doesn’t plan on giving out a horse, but said he’ll have guests who will give stronger analysis than what you’ll get from most other shows. Additionally, he’ll be suggesting the best places to bet, where to get the most appealing giveaways, identifying the best parties, and where you can make a $20 bet and get stuff back.

The pace of the show is lively and when interesting tangents come up, they are pursued. Listeners draw useful insider tips and are entertained at the same time. Commercials are well spaced, so content isn’t squeezed.

“I don’t have to turn a recreational bettor into a winning bettor,” Fezzik told us, “but I can turn them into someone who is close to break even with the house and who gets more fun for their money.” For instance, he strongly advises against betting four-team parlays because you get dramatically short payoffs when you win. The last play on a four-teamer costs you -175, he points out. But recognizing the fun of trying to win a lot for a little, he advises betting three team parlays where the variance between the true payoff and sports book payoff is not so unfair.

Fezzik came to Las Vegas in the late 80s, to test his luck as a player. With a background as an actuary, he was well grounded in probability theory. However, he has the intellectual curiosity to probe more deeply into the variables that give the house its edge. He also possesses the capability to create a learning curve that lets him distance himself from the vast majority who think luck is the crucial element in gambling.

Even on that issue, Fezzik has a strong opinion based on empirical observation. “Some people are just luckier than others,” he states. “We may not know why, but it is a fact of life.”

Although his primary focus is on sports, he is well versed in all casino games. Conventional wisdom may say that slots and video poker cannot be beat, but as an advantage player Fezzik believes virtually every game is beatable. “But in some games, the mathematics is such that it is rare to find an opportunity,” he observed.

One way advantage players obtain more value is by getting comped at a higher rate than they are playing. For instance, a blackjack player may be betting $10 a hand, but if the supervisor is watching, kick up your bets to $40 or $50 for the period you are being observed. You’ll get rated at a much higher average and be comped accordingly. One caveat: this ploy isn’t going to do you any good unless you know how to play at least basic strategy.

Advantage players are different than wiseguys, who tend to bet well and with good information, Fezzik noted. But advantage players never have a losing year. “They play only when they have the best of it, when they determine there is an edge going for them. So this is not gambling in the traditional sense, it is working.”

In sports, the average bettor will spend a certain amount of time listening to ESPN, trying to get the latest info. Will Westbrook run back punts? Will T.O. play, and if so, how effective will he be? Is there value in the favorite or the dog?

But the advantage player laid 2½ or 3 points on the AFC in November, recognizing the value and assessing the potential S.B. matchups. “He’ll wait ‘til the last minute and take Philadelphia +7 at +115. He is going to find extreme value in the line, realizing by kickoff the line is pretty close to price accurate,” said Fezzik.

Casual/recreational players do not have to be dedicated losers. If they are willing to be a little more alert and aggressive, the books will not be able to take advantage of them. For instance, if a bettor wants to play Duke in baskets, and the line is 20 everywhere. But your book has the game at -21, you don’t play there. You would be laying the equivalent of -125 instead of -110. Never bet into a bad number!”

Being aware of the correct number is not shopping, Fezzik emphasized. It doesn’t require any effort at all to go online and check the prices at a lot of books.

Another tip for bettors is that over the long run, dogs are the way to bet and win. “On big dogs, frequently you’ll get a soft extra point. That premium you pay to bet a favorite is the difference between winning and losing.”

By airing the radio show during late winter, spring and summer, Fezzik will be able to explore a wide array of gaming topics as well as cover baskets and baseball which are played with much greater frequency than football.

One subject he plans to give strong coverage to is poker. Fezzik recently started playing the game and although he is currently winning at low stakes, he is losing at high stakes.

“I’m better than the average player, but worse than good players,” he noted. “I will be trying to raise my game along with everyone else that listens,” promised Fezzik.

Please send comments, questions, etc. to buzzdaly@aol.com.