NFL Week 1 Upsets & Betting On Call of Duty With Tdawgsmitty

It’s episode 112 of Wise Kracks and joining us this week is a guest that’s a little out of the ordinary compared to our usual guests, along with an in-studio appearance from show producer Rob Babiak coming all the way from Canada! We also recap NFL Week 1, from the betting to the field, the UFC 279 shake-up, and more! Let’s get it!

Your hosts Bill Krackomberger and Jon Orlando are still riding high off of the NFL Week 1 frenzy! With upsets across the league, how did the public do betting Week 1? Better yet, how did Bill do?

With a season-changing injury, Jon’s Dallas Cowboys fantasy comes to a screeching halt. How does their season look moving forward?

Russel Wilson returned to Seattle and it didn’t go in his favor. What caused the upset?

An organization that is no stranger to drama, the UFC 279 card got jumbled around in a controversial fashion. What do the guys think of this?

Bill and Jon (and producer Rob!) are joined by Tdawgsmitty, a former member of and now full-time Content Creator for the Boston Breach team from the Call of Duty League. He chats with the guys about the intensity of esports, crazy fans, and betting on esports. You’re going to want to hear this and more on this week’s Wise Kracks!

Recapping An Upset Filled NFL Week 1

NFL Week 1 is now in the books, but how did the public do at the sportsbooks? “A lot of people got crushed,” says Bill, “But I had a big week.” With upsets across the league, sportsbooks cleaned up. In light of this, Bill sees a very different Week 2 in terms of betting

There’s going to be a lot of overreaction because of Week 1… there’s going to be lots of opportunities for low-hanging fruit.

As a professional sports bettor, Bill knows the highs and lows of betting and wants to see responsible gaming pushed more within the public, “Some people need to know when enough’s enough.”

One of Week 1’s upsets came about from the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks match-up which saw former Seahawks quarterback Russel Wilson’s return to Seattle. With a missed 64-yard field goal at the end of the game, Wilson’s Broncos fell to the Seahawks 17-16. However, Bill and Jon note that the Seahawks’ quarterback Geno Smith had a great game, “Did you see him out there? Great stuff.”

Just as soon as Jon’s hopes were up, they came crashing down. With Jon being the optimist he is, he had high hopes that his Dallas Cowboys would have a 10+ win season. Unfortunately for him, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott exited the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers early with a thumb injury. With Prescott expected to be out for approximately 6 weeks, the Cowboys are now in last place to win the division. Sorry, Jon!

With that being said, Bill still has some faith in the Cowboys, to Jon’s surprise, “You never know what’s going to happen with the new quarterback.” For now, that’s all the reassurance Jon needs.

Missing Weight Shifted the Scales at UFC 279

With the anticipation leading up to this past weekend’s UFC 279, everything came to a head when the card underwent a massive shuffle, including the highly-anticipated welterweight bout between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz.

With Chimaev weighing in at 7.5 pounds over the welterweight limit, the card was changed to have him square off with Kevin Holland, leaving Nate Diaz to enter the octagon with Tony Ferguson. “We’ve never seen so many fights flipped like that before,” exclaimed Jon.

However much that shake-up was a disappointment to UFC fans and bettors, the card was still worth seeing, and Jon and producer Rob can attest to that as they were in attendance. “It was a lively crowd, everyone was cheering… it was a good time!”

Bill isn’t much of a UFC fan, but if there’s one aspect of it that makes him curious, it’s betting, “Jon, did you bet on anyone?” To Bill’s surprise, Jon took a page out of his book and did not bet, “Just because it was on TV doesn’t mean you have to bet!” What was ultimately more devastating than the fight switch-ups to Jon and Rob, was that they couldn’t finish their bet. Rob had all the confidence in the world that Diaz would defeat Chimaev if things hadn’t changed, “That was the most upsetting part; we couldn’t do our bet!”

In further discussion of the event, Jon and Rob weren’t happy with how the Holland and Chimaev fight proceeded. “What did you think of Holland putting his hand out, and Chimaev faking him out and going for the takedown?” asks Rob. Jon shakes his head, “I don’t like that move… now Khamzat is the villain.”

Persuading the Krack Man to Become A Gamer

Joining Bill and Jon this week is Tdawgsmitty, a member of the Boston Breach from the Call of Duty League, a former player who now operates as their full-time content creator. Along with producer Rob, they enlighten Bill and Jon on the world of esports.

When’s the last time you played a video game Krack? Pac-Man? Space Invaders? Jon jokes.

For competitive gamers, the game is no joke; just last week Tdawgsmitty participated in a $100k tournament, “Ask me how much I won… zero dollars.” Despite coming away with nothing, he explains that tournaments are still great for exposure, which helps competitive gamers get invited to further tournaments.

Of course, Bill has one thing on his mind, “Can you gamble on this?” Tdawgsmitty confirms, which leads to a gleeful Bill, “We gotta talk after, I’d love to have you in my back pocket!” Rob jumps in to explain that people are starting to bet on esports more regularly, typically through picking winners and losers, along with betting futures.

In Rob’s eyes, watching competitive Call of Duty games and the way players react can be just as intense as a close NFL game, “You start sweating just watching them… they treat it like playing in the NFL.”

They have a reason to; Tdawg lets Bill and Jon know that the pros get paid, “There are high-level players and rookies, and the rookies make a minimum $150k a year.” This floors Bill and Jon, and when Rob further explains that they play 8 hours a day and have the opportunity to participate in 5 tournaments a year, it becomes more apparent to them. “It’s their day job… they practice all day just to make it to these tournaments that operate a lot like March Madness.,” explains Rob.

These tournaments often get full ESPN broadcasts dedicated to them,” states Tdawgsmitty, “With 50k people watching.” Rob notes how crazy these events can get, from people hooting and hollering, to fans getting in physical fights, to cheating scandals, “It’s a world that a lot of people don’t know exists yet.

With esports becoming more and more prominent, Tdawgsmitty and Rob discuss its rise, “Things like the Call of Duty League were often looked down on and not taken seriously… people would associate participants with degeneracy.” Bill can relate to this, especially with a career dedicated to sports betting, “I get that, sports betting used to be viewed as degenerate and now everyone does it!”

Bill and Jon are curious about another aspect of competitive gaming, “Is there a peak age for esports? When’s the prime time for being at your best?” Tdawgsmitty chuckles, “I’m 30, so in the world of pro gaming that makes me a grandpa.” He brings up the fact that the oldest player on one of the best pro teams, FaZe Clan, is only 22. “Eventually your hands can’t keep up and your eyes can’t keep up… you can age out of it quickly.”

With gaming being somewhat foreign to Bill, Tdawgsmitty poses a question, “Are you going to get back into it?” Bill smiles slyly, “I might not even bet on sports this year!”

Catch Wise Kracks Thursday on YouTube

Welcome to Wise Kracks, where we cover everything from betting, pop culture, tips & more. Your hosts Jon Orlando and Bill Krackomberger dive into the sports world, cutting it up as old friends do.

New guests every week from across the world of sports and entertainment give you a glimpse into their lives that is sure to pique your interest. Wise Kracks is here to make your betting game your A game, and no one will make you a better bettor than Bill.

Tune into the WSN YouTube channel every Thursday for a new episode of Wise Kracks!