‘Risk of Ruin’ is betting that the long odds are worth taking by uncovering stories of people who took big risks
As Ken Barkley puts it, “Risk of Ruin” is all about “the intersection of gambling and life.” Filled with stories from professional poker players to horse racers, travelling card counters and short sellers, “Risk of Ruin” is telling the stories of people willing to risk it all.
Podsauce’s guests this week, hosts of “You Better You Bet,” a sports betting podcast telling you the best matchups from the NFL to UFC, recommended “Risk of Ruin” as a podcast for budding bettors. In it, host John Reeder speaks with people who have made their living through betting, gambling, and even stock brokering.
There’s the story of Houyi, who went from Yale Law School to a steady financial job to a professional gambler. He tells his story: from going up so poor that he didn’t have a bed until he was 16, expected to be the one to pull his family above their station. Houyi thought he had only two choices: being a doctor or a lawyer. While attending law school, he saw the movie 21, a film that Reeder says many cardcounters cite as the thing that got them into blackjack – which is exactly what inspired Houyi.
He meticulously saved money throughout his time at Yale, attending student organization events in order to get a meal. Throughout this “Road of Trials” episode, Reeder and Houyi discuss learning to play and count cards, traveling the world with his newfound skills, and a fateful poker game in Cambodia that changed his life.
In “Risk of Ruin,” you’ll hear about travel hackers, people who look for inefficiencies in the credit card points system. You’ll hear from short sellers, who gamble on exposing fraudulent companies, forcing them bankrupt. There’s stories of college students who would go on to bet the max at sports books all over Vegas, raking in the cash.
“Risk of Ruin” is all about the people who rejected convention to succeed in the face of long odds in casinos and sports betting. Listen to this podcast about life, gambling, and the intersection at which they meet.
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