Inside the World of Elite Advantage Players, Gamblers, and Poker Players with Michael Kaplan
Gambling With Good JuJu Podcast: Interview with Michael Kaplan — Inside the World of Advantage Players
In this week’s episode of Gambling With Good JuJu, we sit down with Michael Kaplan, one of the most seasoned gambling journalists in the game, to dive into his brand-new book, Advantage Players. This in-depth interview explores the world of elite gamblers—those rare individuals who consistently beat the odds using skill, strategy, and psychological insight.
If you’re interested in advantage gambling, casino strategy, or just love a good story about people who find ways to win, you won’t want to miss this episode. Whether you're a seasoned bettor or just starting to explore how to beat the casino, this episode is packed with valuable insights, real stories, and smart betting advice.
🎯 What We Cover in This Episode:
Kaplan’s Early Days: From writing for New York punk fanzines to covering the tragic brilliance of Stu Ungar, Kaplan shares behind-the-scenes stories from decades of journalism.
The Rise of Poker: His reflections on poker’s boom in the early 2000s and what it was like profiling legends like Doyle Brunson, Chris Moneymaker, and Daniel Negreanu in his book Aces & Kings.
The Advantage Players Book: Kaplan gives us a deep dive into Advantage Players, which features profiles on Phil Ivey, Kelly Sun, Mattress Mack, Don Johnson, and even magician David Blaine—all people who’ve found extraordinary ways to flip the odds in their favor.
Edge Sorting Explained: A breakdown of how Ivey and Sun used subtle card defects to extract millions from casinos, and why courts eventually ruled against them.
Hidden Stories: Kaplan talks about juicy stories that didn’t make the final cut and whether any of his subjects tried to bluff him during the reporting process.
Casino Hacks & Comp Advice: From restaurant comps to timing your play, Kaplan shares tips from his other book, The Best Time to Do Everything, that can help everyday gamblers get a leg up.
Personal Challenges: He opens up about his personal battle with cancer and how that story found its way into the book.
The Future of Advantage Play: Are these characters a dying breed in today’s data-driven casino world? And what role does luck—or what we like to call “Good JuJu”—really play?
💡 Why You Should Listen:
If you’re curious about the minds and methods behind professional gambling, this episode offers a masterclass in casino edge strategies, sports betting tricks, and real-life stories of gamblers who consistently come out ahead. Michael Kaplan’s stories are informative, entertaining, and sometimes unbelievable—exactly the kind of content fans of online sports betting, poker history, and casino culture are hungry for.
🔎 Relevant Topics & SEO Keywords Covered:
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📚 About Michael Kaplan:
Michael Kaplan is a veteran journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Wired, GQ, and Cigar Aficionado, where he currently serves as a gambling columnist. Advantage Players is his fifth book, and it’s one of his most compelling yet—offering a rare inside look at the minds of gamblers who find an edge where others don’t even know to look.
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