Life is a Gamble
Host Richard Munchkin talks to a guest each episode who tells a story that illustrates, "Life is a Gamble."
Episodes
April 16, 2026 • 48 mins
My guest today is Andrew Wimhurst, author of the new book, "Thieving Bastards True Confessions of the World’s Greatest Cheats."
Show Notes[00:00] Introduction of Andrew Wimhurst, author of Thieving Bastards: True Confessions of the World’s Greatest Cheats
[00:57] Thirty years of book planning, interviews, and similar books
[07:32] Transcribing and editing interviews
[11:42] Changes in the cheating landscape
[13:33] Cheating in pok...
Show Notes[00:00] Introduction of Andrew Wimhurst, author of Thieving Bastards: True Confessions of the World’s Greatest Cheats
[00:57] Thirty years of book planning, interviews, and similar books
[07:32] Transcribing and editing interviews
[11:42] Changes in the cheating landscape
[13:33] Cheating in pok...
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Mark as Played
December 22, 2025 • 42 mins
Today I speak with Norm Beck, a professional bridge player, magician, and friend about a bet he won, that turned out to be a big loser.
Show Notes
[00:00] Introduction of Norm Beck, bridge player and magician
[00:37] Norm’s biggest gamble
[06:40] Clever pre-surgery research strategy
[13:07] Hiring another doctor to translate information to family
[14:49] Getting into the gambling business
[20:30] Booking action on random events
[23:28...
Show Notes
[00:00] Introduction of Norm Beck, bridge player and magician
[00:37] Norm’s biggest gamble
[06:40] Clever pre-surgery research strategy
[13:07] Hiring another doctor to translate information to family
[14:49] Getting into the gambling business
[20:30] Booking action on random events
[23:28...
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Mark as Played
December 7, 2025 • 74 mins
Buzz Marconi moved to Las Vegas in the 1960s, and somehow transformed from an Italian kid from the south side of Chicago into Cowboy Buzz. It's a wild story. Check it out.
Show Notes
[00:00] Introduction on of Cowboy Buzz
[02:07] Moving to Las Vegas, working at The Stardust
[20:53] Brilliant mob casino strategies
[23;10] Tony Spilotro and Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal
[27:19] Becoming a shift boss Foxy's Firehouse
[29:28] Did certain dea...
Show Notes
[00:00] Introduction on of Cowboy Buzz
[02:07] Moving to Las Vegas, working at The Stardust
[20:53] Brilliant mob casino strategies
[23;10] Tony Spilotro and Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal
[27:19] Becoming a shift boss Foxy's Firehouse
[29:28] Did certain dea...
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Mark as Played
September 22, 2025 • 54 mins
Jon Rogers was an old-school bookie. He started booking baseball with his classmates in 6th grade, graduated to parlay cards in high school, and went pro after high school. He lived, and booked through a seismic change in the bookmaking industry. He went from the old days of taking bets over the phone, writing on slips of paper, to moving offshore, and the rise of internet betting.
Show Notes
[00:00] Introduction of bookmaker Jon...
Show Notes
[00:00] Introduction of bookmaker Jon...
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Mark as Played
August 23, 2025 • 41 mins
Mac King has been performing his comedy magic in Las Vegas for 25 years. His show is hilarious, and thoroughly entertaining.
[00:00] Introduction of magician Mac King
[00:50] What’s the first magic trick that Mac remembers?
[04:39] When did Mac start doing magic?
[06:06] Mac’s paid performance
[08:19] Mac’s career plans after high school
[12:36] Working with Lance Burton
[14:47] “It’s Magic” in Los Angeles
[16:38] Life after colle...
[00:00] Introduction of magician Mac King
[00:50] What’s the first magic trick that Mac remembers?
[04:39] When did Mac start doing magic?
[06:06] Mac’s paid performance
[08:19] Mac’s career plans after high school
[12:36] Working with Lance Burton
[14:47] “It’s Magic” in Los Angeles
[16:38] Life after colle...
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Mark as Played
May 11, 2025 • 39 mins
My guest on this episode is Nigel Eccles, co-founder of Fan Duel.
[00:00] Introduction of Nigel Eccles, co-founder of FanDuel
[00:48] Nigel’s background and first company
[02:04] Nigel’s educational background and interest in gambling, selling variance
[06:59] Joining Flutter and prediction markets, exchange models
[10:04] Founding FanDuel, fantasy sports, sports betting
[14:31] Sports betting in Nevada, over-regulation and limite...
[00:00] Introduction of Nigel Eccles, co-founder of FanDuel
[00:48] Nigel’s background and first company
[02:04] Nigel’s educational background and interest in gambling, selling variance
[06:59] Joining Flutter and prediction markets, exchange models
[10:04] Founding FanDuel, fantasy sports, sports betting
[14:31] Sports betting in Nevada, over-regulation and limite...
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Mark as Played
February 19, 2024 • 48 mins
Lauri Thompson came to Las Vegas as a dancer in 1980. She went from Las Vegas strip entertainer to a top entertainment attorney, with a stop along the way as Susie Spirit on the original GLOW - Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.
...
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.
...
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Mark as Played
February 9, 2024 • 33 mins
Billy Baxter is a legend in the gambling world. Today we focus on his time as a boxing manager, and some very high stakes golf games.
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.
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Mark as Played
January 20, 2024 • 19 mins
Nicholas Forte is the corporate pastry chef for Tao Group - west coast. What drew me to Nick's story is that straight out of pastry school he went to the only 3-Michelin-star restaurant in the state of Nevada, and said, "I want to work here." He got the job at Joel Robuchon. You can see examples of Nick's work on his Instagram account. https://www.instagram.com/fortenj/
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on T...
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on T...
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Mark as Played
December 7, 2023 • 55 mins
My guest this week is Joseph Merhi. In part 1 we covered Joseph moving to Florida from a small town in Syria when he was 18 years old. He spoke no English, but through grit and perseverance he went on to produce over 100 movies. This is part 2 of 2, in which we cover Joseph's move from Las Vegas to LA, and his pursuit of the movie business.
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the...
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the...
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Mark as Played
November 15, 2023 • 52 mins
My guest this week is Joseph Merhi. Joseph moved to Florida from a small town in Syria when he was 18 years old. He spoke no English, but through grit and perseverance he went on to produce over 100 movies. This is part 1 of 2.
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you list...
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you list...
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Mark as Played
October 25, 2023 • 55 mins
My guest this week is Frank Frigo. Frank is one of the founders of Edj Analytics, and we talk about their football model named Zeus which they licensed to various NFL teams to make better playing decisions.
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.
NY Times article m...
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.
NY Times article m...
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Mark as Played
October 17, 2023 • 57 mins
My guest this week is Ed Miller. Ed is on to talk about his new book, "Interception" which he co-authored with Matt Davidow.
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.
Podcast - https://www.spreaker.com/user/7418966/edmillerepisode10
Books by Ed Miller & Matt David...
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.
Podcast - https://www.spreaker.com/user/7418966/edmillerepisode10
Books by Ed Miller & Matt David...
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Mark as Played
September 26, 2023 • 26 mins
Sherriff AP chucked it all to become a professional card counter. He had one of the worst losing streaks I have heard of, and I'm not just talking about losing money. Everything in his life seemed to all go wrong at the same time. I think most people would have quit, and never looked back, but he stuck it out.
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you...
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you...
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Mark as Played
September 18, 2023 • 25 mins
Bob Dancer is the world's best known authority on Video Poker, having written many books, and countless articles on the subject. He of course was my cohost and founder of Gambling With an Edge for 12 years. But in this episode we are going back to when he was trying to be a professional backgammon player in the 1970s in Los Angeles, where cheating was a very real danger.
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on...
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on...
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Mark as Played
September 10, 2023 • 36 mins
Jason Ladanye is a professional, award-winning sleight-of-hand entertainer who has performed card magic all around the world for the last twenty years. Prior to magic he was musician who was touring as a keyboard player from the time he was 17, opening for everyone from the Rolling Stones to BB King.
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21 or @lifeisagamblepod on Threads. If you like the show ple...
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21 or @lifeisagamblepod on Threads. If you like the show ple...
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Mark as Played
August 22, 2023 • 9 mins
This is a brief episode with our favorite gambling attorney Bob Nersesian. Bob is on with breaking news for professional gamblers regarding the trespass statute in Nevada.
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Mark as Played
August 11, 2023 • 28 mins
In this episode of the podcast, I chat with Don "The Dragon" Wilson, one of the most iconic martial artists, and action stars of the 1980s and 1990s. Don talks about his fight career, and his transition from fighter to action star.
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21 or @lifeisagamblepod on Threads. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambiti...
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21 or @lifeisagamblepod on Threads. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambiti...
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Mark as Played
July 26, 2023 • 22 mins
Blair Hull was known as the first "BP" or "Big Player". Ken Uston wrote a book called, "The Big Player" after he replaced Blair in that role. Taking what he learned from counting cards Blair moved to a much bigger casino with higher stakes, the options exchange.
We discuss three big gambles in Blair's life. In 1987 the markets were all crashing, and Blair walked onto the exchange floor saying to himself that his job was to make a pr...
We discuss three big gambles in Blair's life. In 1987 the markets were all crashing, and Blair walked onto the exchange floor saying to himself that his job was to make a pr...
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Mark as Played
July 17, 2023 • 26 mins
Sarah Jane Woodall has been known for the last dozen years as Wonderhussy. She is a writer, actress, model, and all-around creative. I talk to her about what I consider a huge gamble, and she shrugs it off as no big deal. What was her job I thought was so risky? Driving out to the middle of nowhere in the desert with a complete stranger, and working as a nude model.
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitt...
You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitt...
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Mark as Played
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