NFL Week 2 Recap & Betting Tips With Poker Pro Sam Soverel

Episode 113 of Wise Kracks is here and joining us this week is a young professional poker player who’s accumulated $19M in career earnings! We also talk about NFL Week 2, another week for the underdogs, San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback troubles, why the Dallas Cowboys winning upset Jon, and where a retired MMA legend’s career could go next. Here we go!

Your hosts Bill Krackomberger and Jon Orlando discuss a comeback-filled NFL Week 2! With a week for the underdogs, how did bettors fare compared to Week 1?

San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Trey Lance is out for the season with a broken ankle, but will it affect their Super Bowl odds?

With Dallas Cowboys’ star quarterback Dak Prescott injured, Jon’s faith in his team seems to have been shaken as he placed a bet he’s never placed before. How did it turn out for him?

UFC legend José Aldo has announced his retirement from MMA competition. Could he be looking to step out of the octagon and into the ring?

The guys are joined by Sam Soverel, a pro poker player who has approximately $19M in recorded earnings! He’s here to talk about the state of poker, having big bets canceled, and when to bet on UFC. All of this and more on this week’s Wise Kracks!

Comebacks in NFL Week 2

The NFL continues to surprise fans (and upset bettors) with a Week 2 that had its fair share of underdog victories. Bill notes that the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins game was one to watch, with the Dolphins making a big comeback in the 4th quarter to beat the Ravens 42-38. Jon chimes in.

I was sitting with a bunch of people who bet Ravens… they were happy until the wheels fell off and Miami made that comeback!

The Cleveland Browns and New York Jets found the Browns fumbling the lead with the Jets winning 31-30. Bill didn’t agree with the Browns’ endgame strategy, “They could’ve just ran the clock out… I guess it’s just the athlete in you that makes you want to score.”

If there’s any piece of Wise Kracks lore that every viewer knows, it’s that Jon is a die-hard Cowboys fan. So it may come as a surprise that, brace for this, Jon bet against his precious Cowboys!

I did a parlay and picked against the Cowboys for the first time in my life! exclaimed Jon.

With Jon betting against them, he was so confident in their defeat that he told everyone to bet the house against them.

Ultimately, the Cowboys defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 20-17, and it may be the only time a Cowboys win has upset Jon. Bill adds salt to the wound, “Dallas dominated that game.”

During their game against the Seattle Seahawks, 49ers’ quarterback Trey Lance succumbed to a broken ankle, an injury in which he will undergo season-ending surgery. With this, their Super Bowl odds went from +2000 to +1800. Bill explains why the loss of Lance doesn’t affect their odds much, “If any other team lost their starting quarterback, their odds are going way up… they have a good backup with Jimmy Garoppolo.” With Garoppolo stepping in, the guys are excited to see how the Walter Peyton Award winner will lead the 49ers.

From Week 1 to Week 2, Bill describes this time as one of the biggest overreaction weeks.

Any given week, anything can happen… it’s why I don’t bet sides very often.

How A $200k Parlay Disappears

Joining Bill and Jon this week is Sam Soverel, a poker pro with an affinity for betting on the UFC. As a pro poker player, Sam has approximately $19M in recorded earnings. Looking at his track record, Jon finds something fascinating about this number, “Most of the guys who have a high number, it comes from one tournament, but you have multiple million dollar games!” Sam nods, “It’s a consistency thing, the guys that are way up there just play consistently and have done well.”

Despite all of his success in poker, Sam isn’t much for circuits, “I don’t really do Europe, I’m more of a cash game guy… I mostly stick to Las Vegas ones.” Jon asks if the bulk of his winnings are from cash games, to which Sam replies that for a while it was from online games, “The games are bigger, more for fun.”

Although he still plays from time to time, Sam’s interests have largely shifted from poker to sports betting, particularly the UFC. “I like to bet UFC, but my problem is the lines move so much… I got buried last week.” For Sam, the best time to bet UFC is a week ahead of an event, usually when the market first comes up, “Early UFC fights are a soft market.”

When Sam bets, he bets big. Recently, Sam tried to bet a $200k parlay which was eventually kicked back to $2k, “It was frustrating, I tried to make the bet multiple times… after I opened my account and the lines had moved, my pending bet just wasn’t there.” Sportsbook enemy Bill empathizes with Sam, “Trust me, I get limited all the time!”

One tactic that Sam uses to circumvent limitations is doing round robins. “They’re a good way to get more money down without the books knowing,” Bill says. Sam agrees, “I can get down more than $5k with a round robin.”

With such big bets, Jon and Bill are curious about Sam’s bankroll management. Sam explains how he doesn’t really have a limit, because even with Bill’s suggestion of 1% to 3% of your bankroll going towards a bet, it’s still big numbers for him. Sam discusses how betting sports for as long as he has, has affected his betting,

Eventually you’ll get to a point where the limit is just what people will take, not your payroll.

When discussing betting, Sam and Bill agree on one thing; you can be more aggressive on something if you have closing line value. However, Sam is always unsure of one aspect, “The scary thing is not knowing what your edge is.”

Jon poses a final question, “Are you getting back into poker?” Sam replies contently,

I haven’t played much poker recently… I think I’m going to stick to mostly betting UFC everywhere I can.

Catch Wise Kracks Thursday on YouTube

Welcome to Wise Kracks, the show to know for all things betting, pop culture, tips & more. Your hosts Jon Orlando and Bill Krackomberger go in on the NHL, NBA, MLB, & the NFL, with an all-knowing but fun attitude.

Every week presents a new guest from the world of sports and entertainment that we guarantee will teach you something new. Wise Kracks wants you to step your game up, and with Bill on your side, that won’t be a challenge.

A new episode of Wise Kracks drops every Thursday on the WSN YouTube channel, so tune in!