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**chickswithpicks** · 09-21-2005, 07:51 PM

Holy Cow! Feist has to be the biggest scam ever!! Put him on your #1 list Ripple! Savage, I have another story on Feist, let me dig it up real quick!

**chickswithpicks** · 09-21-2005, 07:54 PM

The Truth About Touts/Services From an Insider

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I was referred to this board from a friend on the inside and I am impressed with the “street smarts” of so many members. So I hope nobody takes this post the wrong way, as it is meant for those innocent victims who are where I used to be 20 years ago.

I have been capping since the mid 1980’s. From 1989-96 I worked on the INSIDE of tout services, including the “General Motors” of the industry, Jim Feist. I picked games for several of Feist’s “fake” services such as “Nevada Sports.” I also capped college football for another company for several years before the guy went bust. To his credit, he let me cap honestly with no interference and I did well. Problem is, my boss was the NFL “expert” and while he was pretty damn good at capping NFL games, he was one lousy bettor.

When my pal and I started at Feist, we thought we had it made. Free lock picks from the famous experts! Like kids in a candy store we were ready to pig out on sweet victory. In one month, however, I was rolling nickels to buy a six-pack of Natural Light at the Rebel Station. We learned the hard way. But it was the best education we ever had. Yet it took many more years of being burned again and again by other tout services before we finally graduated, with dishonors, from believing in these assclowns.

The first thing to be aware of is the “GAME OF THE YEAR/MONTH,” etc. This gets to my horror story of all horror stories from Feist. The Jim Feist NFL Game of the Year. After having touted this game in his Nevada Sports Schedule booklets and in newspapers and on his TV show, saying that he had waited MONTHS for his game, as it was a perfect opportunity and setup, the TRUTH was completely different. On Saturday Night, the eve of this massive NFL lock of all locks, three of us in the score room were given the task of debating the merits of the Cowboys or Redskins. Yep, while Feist was in Hawaii or at his palatial estate three of his score room announcers were to basically flip a coin to determine his perfect pick. Well, you can probably guess the rest…. Feist’s NFL Game of the Year blew up in his caller’s faces ($50 per call on his 900 line).

You will notice if you are surfing the net many conglomerates that have several “handicappers” at their sights, such as at the Don Best. By doing this the service can guarantee that someone is always “hot” and that they have something to tout. In some cases, one guy will be given the Cowboys and the other guy will be given the Redskins assuring that one of the caps won. It’s even better than giving out opposite sides to alternate callers!!!! But just as dirty!

The moral of the story is that you should not take seriously such ridiculous promotions as the “ACC mismatch of the year,” “Big 12 Dog of the Month,” and or, of course, the “Game Of The Year,” from most services. It’s all a promotion and image and has NOTHING to do with the actual merits of the game itself.

Another trap that we fell into was the “Consensus” services. Similar to our setup when working at Feist, we figured how could we possibly lose when we had access to all the great touts? We lost and lost big! And we especially lost when all the touts were on one side of a game. If ever you wanted to see the analogy of lemmings running off a cliff….

What you have to understand, as I have seen this at jobs for these places, is that the names you see are touts rather than serious cappers. There is a considerable amount of intellectual incest that goes on. One in house tout will talk up a game and, next thing you know, everyone else is on it. Sure enough, if you read the in house copy of the Gold Sheet or Pointwise you’d see the tout got his play from there! Everyone is reading the same stuff, talking the same talk, and, for the most part, thinking the same way. So everyone copies everyone else and, all of a sudden, the “experts” are all giving out the same thing, which inevitably blows!

A trick that my boss who picked NFL games had was to INFLATE the ratings of his picks, particularly after a bad Sunday. He’d make the Monday Night game a 10 star play, in most occurrences, figuring he’d be a hero for bailing everyone out if he won. Another trick he would use was, when in doubt, he’d give out the “popular” side of a game figuring that clients wouldn’t get mad at him if he gave out what they wanted anyway.

Over the past 20 years I have had access to most of the big name tout’s selections from my friends on the inside. The most important thing that you can learn and know is that you should not give these plays any merit at all and just mind your own business. Even 10 or 15 years ago I’d cower in fear when one of the big names was on the opposite side of me, but I ended up winning most of those “hand to hand combat” affairs and my confidence picked up. Eventually, I would even learn to bet on myself over these frauds.

Now there are some services worth listening too. When ASA gives out a strong selection it has actual merit and usually wins. They are an honest service and win most of their big games. Another is Wildcat. His 10* picks are worth a look. (I did whip him last week as I had UNC against his 10* on Georgia Tech). And as much as the guy makes me want to puke at the mere sight and sound of him, Wayne Root is always worth listening too. It makes me want to gag to admit it, and the fact that I do admit it should tell you how good he is. I also respect Pointwise and the Gold Sheet for being honest, though not always effective. I particularly like the Pointwise newsletter. While we don’t always agree I tend to have a similar perspective and methodology and I use it as a reliable “debating partner.” Underdog is another service worth listening too.

Then there is the clown of all clowns, Northcoast. Phil Steele puts out the best college football magazine that the world has ever seen. It’s great. But he can’t pick his nose. He either “knows too much” and suffers from paralysis through analysis or is simply inept, (perhaps both). My pal likes to joke with me each week and laughs as he gives me Steele’s picks. That’s what Northcoast has become to us, a Saturday joke as much a part of a college football Saturday as grilling out.

If you are interested in gambling on football save yourself some money and headaches and ignore the touts. The guys capping here do it with their hearts and souls and put far more effort and expertise into it than touts.

I, myself, am a college football fanatic. I have four TV’s hooked up in my office and watch games from the first ones at 9 AM pacific all the way to the last game in Hawaii. I watch them all.

I have been this way about college football for 20 years and have developed a “feel” for the game that only those with a passion for it can bring to the table. About the only “feel” Steele has is when he runs to Walgreen’s to get a tube of KY jelly to lube up for Millennium. And when I give out a huge pick, it’s because I think it’s a huge pick, not because the marketing guy in Feist’s boiler room told me to create one.

Do I win every game? Of course not. But after 20 years of matchups against the touts I know I can do better than nearly all of them, and certainly no worse over the long run.

I can tell that other guys here have the same passion and love of the game. I’d listen to the guys here before nearly all of the touts, except those that I mentioned.

Good luck and if this thread prevents just one newbie from throwing his cash at tout/frauds, then I will consider this my public service to gambling.

Good Luck to all!
THE TIGER

**jcindaville** · 09-21-2005, 08:08 PM

fuck scamdicappers, i hope jim fiest has a massive stroke tonite and is relagated to a fucking wheelchair and eats thru a straw, piece of fucking shit

**savage1** · 09-21-2005, 09:29 PM

Thanks Chicks for that very interesting and appropriate article. At least there is poetic justice in knowing Feist's now ex-wife took him to the cleaners during their divorce.

**Ripple** · 09-22-2005, 08:16 AM

savage chuck is funny,,he posted a message that he wont post no more and no one will get his picks from people picking on him ,,bwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

**savage1** · 09-22-2005, 10:22 AM

Ripple-What good are his picks anyways when the freebies sometimes are the opposite of the paid picks?
Well, I guess it means that if paid picks go bad, he can always tell the "folks" that his comps are on a tear, and that they they(the comps) are only a "taste" of what you will get with his paid picks(the opposites). lol
Maybe Chuck should go tell the "principal" that the other kids are bullying him;actually it appears he would rather "Take all of his marbles and go home."
ps I notice yesterday he had the Phillies on BOTH his site and for the paid picks;something tells me that Chuckie knows he got caught in the act and won't try the same thing again.

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