Question of the Day - 04 September 2019

[Editor's Note: We highly appreciate this question. It's always a pleasure for us to get in touch with Barry Meadow and hear what he has to say for himself. If you haven't taken a look at his Blackjack Autumn -- A True Tale of Life, Death, and Splitting Tens in Winnemucca, we encourage you to. In this memoir, Barry recounts his spiritual journey that involved playing 21 in every casino in Nevada. With wit and wisdom, he describes the Nevada-casino scene like it’s never been done before or since, while also providing insight into a gambling pro’s remarkable way of life.]

Thank you, David, for asking whether I'm still around. I am indeed and have enjoyed getting kicked out of numerous fine hotel-casinos over the years for playing a decent game of blackjack. I believe I can still get a game at the Motel 6 in Mitchell, South Dakota.           

Let’s see ... I got married to my fiancée mentioned in the book, but that didn’t last. Fortunately, I was able to locate “Melody,” the girl on page 144, who had been my best friend for years. We got married in 2006 and it looks as if it’s going to take. 

I went back to playing the thoroughbreds full-time and managed to score some decent money through gambling rebates, via the betting exchanges that didn’t exist when I wrote Blackjack Autumn, and occasionally by actually picking a winner or two. When online casinos began offering excellent bonuses, I joined that party, even writing Crushing The Internet Casinos, a booklet that was published by Huntington Press.

I retired in 2011 from the daily grind of horse-race betting. Now when I do gamble, which is rare, I’ll play a small ticket on some mandatory carryover at the thoroughbreds, or bet reds and greens at some local casino. I still go to the famed Blackjack Ball in Las Vegas each year to spend some time with players who are still out there and invariably somebody asks me if I want to join some team playing in places like Cambodia or Romania. Nah, I’d rather relax by the pool. Or take a nap.  

But I have spent some time traveling to weird countries, including North Korea and Mongolia and Iran, as nothing pleases me more than getting lost in some third-world nation where I don’t know anyone and don’t speak the language, and hope I remember how to get to my electricity-challenged hotel before it gets dark. I plan to do more of that. Chernobyl, anyone?

A few months ago, my latest book was published: The Skeptical Handicapper: Using Data and Brains to Win at the Racetrack, a 447-page hardcover book that includes not just my own ideas and experiences, but statistics on dozens of handicapping factors from every race in North America from 2014 through 2017. I’m happy to say that it’s gotten great reviews. I’ve talked about it at various racetracks and on radio shows and podcasts -- when I’m not doing what I really love, which is playing pickleball.

I also occasionally do stand-up comedy in San Diego and am hoping that someday, someone will laugh at my jokes. 

Thank you, Barry! And here's the link to the new poll on casino lounges.