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Pro sports bettor Gadoon “Spanky” Kryollos wants everyone to know there is terminology in sports betting that is sacrilege to misspeak.
"To all you pretty faces out there in sports betting media, please educate yourself on the basic lingo. +100 is not “Plus 100” it’s “Even Money” 5.5 is not “Five point five” it’s “Five and a half” You at least give yourself a shot of someone believing your bullshit."
Gambling911.com is guilty of using the point five (.5). We're too lazy to keep writing "and-a-half". But speaking the value, we would not use the .5.
One angry bettor took offense to Spanky's schooling him and others.
Sharpcooke offered this rather long-winded response, which he warns about early on in the tweet:
"Been reflecting on why this Tweet lingered on my mind this week. It's because it exemplifies something important. (long tweet, cue the "I ain't reading all that" meme)
"According to Spanky, If you say '+100' instead of "even money" then you are full of bullshit. 'Even money' is the longtime accepted parlance and "+100" stems from the newer crowd learning how to bet on apps that list odds at "+100" instead of "Even." But they mean the exact same thing.
"This happens in every field. It's not unique to sports betting. The institutional holders of knowledge follow agreed-upon formalities and language until they become a frame around which all 'valid\' discourse must take place.
"When a new voice seeks to contribute to the conversation, they must use the language of the knowledge holders and, implicitly, accept all attendant assumptions. If they use the wrong forms, their words are ignored (or scoffed at), even if they are substantively valid or interesting.
"They masquerade this gatekeeping as "education" but they have no real intention of educating anyone. They only educate to the extent it reinforces their own foundations; not in a way that engages with or stimulates new thought (and new language).
"This allows the hegemony of thought-leaders to maintain their power as the knowledge-bearers of the institution and keep out the voices that view things from a different perspective. If new thought leaders emerge with different perspectives, the old guard loses their place of prominence.
"An institution that insulates its leaders in this way allows all kinds of shitty things to thrive in that institution. Here, Spanky's overt sexism thrives as a symptom of the deeper message: 'You are not allowed to participate'.
"But that's not how this works. The landscape of sports betting is changing. More and more people who listen to betting content to learn don't want to listen to someone constantly talking down to them while they are having fun and learning.
"In fact, turning away inexperienced bettors with this nonsense prevents them from getting the betting education they could actually benefit from.
"I think we can do better than this."
Been reflecting on why this Tweet lingered on my mind this week. It's because it exemplifies something important.
— SharpClarke (@SharpClarkeNFL) May 5, 2023
(long tweet, cue the "I ain't reading all that" meme)
According to Spanky, If you say "+100" instead of "even money" then you are full of bullshit. "Even money" is… https://t.co/Fwb3alfHRd
Spanky was having none of it.
"No one will take you seriously if you tell them I took the Kings “negative three point five points plus one hundred” instead of “minus three and a half even money” This is the language adopted by those that came way before me and wayyyyy before you. Either learn it or leave."
Ben Fawkes had one of the better responses.
"I think it's fair to say that, in general, those in sports betting media who don't know/use the correct terminology likely aren't qualified to be giving out betting advice -- because they aren't bettors. Many entered the space post-PASPA and now claim to be experts, but aren't."
- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com
