- One thing that doesn't change: the only game you get is the game I'm playing.
- On those days where a card is weak and I just "like" a game, but don't really love it, I'm taking a pass and not issuing a release. In the past I would have released a lower-rated 5 dime play perhaps. Although I certainly won more than my share of them, I believe I can make even more money by avoiding games I like and instead focusing just on those that I love.
- So, what happens when I take a pass - which, fyi, will rarely, if ever, be on a Saturday or Sunday or any huge weeknight in hoops - if you have a package? Let me give you an example below:
- In the old style packages, you were buying a 30-day package, which meant you got 30 plays in 30 days. Now, however, you buy 30 plays which might be fulfilled over 35 days, or 38 days. You get ALL 30 plays, but it takes more than 30 days because I'm going to be even more selective while trying to boost my winning percentage.
- Bottom line: From this point forward when you buy a package from me you're buying 7 Plays, 30 Plays, 60 Plays or 100 Plays - not days - because I want to make every single play count and by being even more selective I believe I can win more with higher-rated selections along the way.
- One last thing: you don't have to do anything. The packages will be automatically adjusted whenever I take my first pass and the time will be reflected when you login.
- FYI - All the instant rebates still apply as listed below.
100 PLAYS - ALL SPORTS
Nothing held back!
$149 Instant Rebate Available for Current Package Players
2-Part Payment Plan Available at Time of Purchase
7 PLAYS - EVERY SPORT
All Sports Included - Nothing Further to Buy!
(Any "Guarantee" applying to Guaranteed Plays
and Resulting Free Service is NOT included)
Sean Michaels, Chuck O'Brien, Matt Rivers
Jack Brayman, Steve Budin
- and all Hockey Handicappers -
do NOT release plays every day
Upgrade From One Package To Another at Anytime
Instant Rebates Available Upon Upgrades!
Al DeMarco's Rating System
Over the 25 years I've been doing this, one of the biggest misconceptions I've encountered from customers is their belief that winningpercentageactually matters in this business. Bottom line is that a straight-up winning percentage means absolutely nothing when your handicapper - such as myself - releases rated selections. Read further and you'll understand why.
I use the "dime" rating system, going in 5 dime increments, generally keeping those plays between 5 and 50 dimes. Yes, that's a wide range, but truth be told, I usually max out around 30 dimes, rarely venturing into the rarefied air toward 50 dimes unless I've built a substantial bankroll. Doing anything different would be irresponsible bankroll management on my part and a total disservice toward you, my clients.
I like to keep it simple from a money-management system so my customers can always know exactly how they should beallocatingtheir bankroll in proportion to the rating I assign to a selection.
Obviously, a 50 Dime play is five times stronger than a 10 Dime release and twice as strong as a 25 Dime pick.
And each day when you see my compiling or mentioning my NET profit figures, keep in mind I've computing them based on the following formula:
Net Profit = Wins - Losses- Vig
Of course let's not forget my golden rule of gambling: Never bet more than you can afford to lose. No rating system - including mine - is effective unless you pay attention to that rule. By heeding my advice you can never fall into a financial abyss from which there is no escape.
A question gamblers always pose is "How much should I be playing?" Obviously, there is no set, firm answer, but my advice would be to follow my money management system and base the size of your wagers on a percentage of your total bankroll.
Let me explain further...
Take your total bankroll - the amount you can afford to lose in an absolute worst case scenario on a single day. Let's say it's $400 on a college football Saturday. And on that Saturday I release a 50 Dime play and two 20 Dime picks.
Let's do some quick math...I've got atotalof 90 dimes of action on the table (one 50 dime play and two 20 dimers). You've got amaximum one-day bankrollof $400. Simply divide the $400 by the 90 dimes and you've got a per dime wager of $4.44.
Now it's time for some simple multiplication. If a dime is worth $4.44, my 50 Dime rated release equals approximately a $222 wager on your part. And my two 20 Dime rates picks equal approximately $88.88 wagers each. Add everything back up and you've got your initial $400 bankroll all over again.
This obviously all applies to a single wagering day. It's up to you to figure out how to allocate your bankroll over the course of a week or month.
Now, back to how inconsequential winning percentages can be: Let's say I have a 50 Dime play and three 10 Dime releases on an NFL Sunday. If I win the 50 Dime play and go 0-3 with the 10 Dime releases, my overall record is a dismal 1-3 but my net profit is a healthy 17 dimes. Conversely, let's say I lose the 50 Dime play and go 3-0 with the 10 Dime releases. My overall record is an impressive 3-1, but my net profit is a negative -25 dimes.
Which would you prefer, the losing record and winning day, or the winning record or losing day?
Believe what you want, but I'm telling you the truth: Winning percentage means nothing in this business as the above illustration will prove time and time again. Of course, crafty salesmen masquerading as handicappers can spin gold using the second scenario, but I feel it's my job to educate you about what is the TRUTH in this business - whether you become my customer or not.
Who is Al DeMarco?
Been there, done that, seen it all.
That pretty much sums up my 25+ years in this business!
25 years in a business that most guys are lucky to make it 25 months.
The secret to my success? To be honest, there is no one "secret," no magic elixir, but rather a commitment to winning which means a commitment to working 365 days a year.
Being a handicapper is not a part-time job. Now, those of you reading this, the gamblers of this world, I understand that you are not professional gamblers and obviously you do this on recreational basis and cannot devote your life to wagering. But that's what I'm here for; that's what you pay me for.
There are two types of handicappers in this business: The first are great salesmen who excel at separating you from the money in your wallet and could care less about picking winners. The second are guys who know how to make clients money by winning consistently over the long haul through effective money-management techniques and an intuitive sense of knowing when to press and go for the jugular with big plays - especially when you're playing with your bookmaker's money.
Listen, in my 25+ years in this business I've seen more scam artists and con men than you can believe. A few of these relics - the dinosaurs from the 800 phone room age - are still around trying to make a buck online. You know the type; they tell you something is "absolutely free" with the same conviction that makes you look twice when they claim the sky is blue.
Rest assured, what you see here at my site is what you get. My plays are ONLY available online. And these are the ONLY plays I've got each day. There is no "better" package available at a higher cost like so many other guys offer at their sites or by phone. What you see is what you get; end of story.
No one - and I mean NO ONE - wins every day in this business, and anyone who claims to is a LIAR. As I always tell my clients, I will go on streaks, both good and bad, just like the players and teams I analyze daily. But the key for me - and my customers - is that I expect to turn a net profit for them over the long term. And making money over the course of season or a year, etc., is what matters most.
A little bit more about me....
- I'm currently the COO and General Manager for the industry's largest group of subscriber-based information websites
- I hosted The Football Insiders NFL Pregame Show on FoxSports.com from 2007-14
- I was the featured NFL & College Football Analyst on Comcast SportsNet Chicago and SNY-New York in 2008-10 and on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia in 2010-11
- I was a featured contributor at MSNBC.com
- I created, hosted and syndicated the national sports talk show The Friday Night Quarterback in 1990-91
- I created, published and edited the weekly football newsletter The Players Preference Playbook from 1991-96
- I was a Contributing Editor at the Sports and Gaming Newswire from 1991-96
- I was Managing Editor and News Director for the Sports Network Wire Service from 1984-89 where I did everything from coordinating the coverage of two Olympic games to reporting on the America's Cup and nearly every major boxing bout in the '80s.
Nice resume - and there's a lot more - but the past doesn't count in this business and that's why I laugh when I hear or read about a handicapper bragging about some contest they won 13 years ago. Who cares?
Enough about me because all that really matters is whether I can win more than I lose over the long haul. I'm not here to sell you anything; I'm here to make you money and no one is putting a gun to your head. The decision to let me help you is yours and yours alone.