If there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about gambling, it’s Jeff Ma.
While Ma’s latest gig is working with Troon Golf as its chief digital officer for the golf management company’s new loyalty program, he is perhaps best known for his incredible blackjack stint as an MIT student, which provided inspiration for the book “Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions,” and the movie “21.”
Ma still co-hosts a golf gambling podcast, and on this week’s episode of Subpar, Ma talked about his Vegas exploits in detail. But he also has a fun suggestion for a group of buddies looking for a new way to bet on golf with each other. One caveat: you might have to be patient to cash in.
The first step is gathering a group of buddies to participate. For Ma, it was a circle of three. Then, you create a draft of top players. Ma went with eight.
“Each person took like eight golfers, and if your golfer wins a major in the next five years, the other two people have to pay you $500,” Ma explained to hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz.
Troon Golf’s Jeff Ma and the true story of MIT’s blackjack team
“So, obvious first pick is Scottie [Scheffler],” Ma continued. ” But then it’s like, when we did the draft, which was a little over a year ago, my next pick was [Jon] Rahm at that point. But now that looks like the second next pick is probably Xander [Schauffele].”
Part of the appeal is the long-term nature of the bet, Ma said. But when someone’s drafted player seals the deal, payment must be made right away.
“You have to Venmo them right the minute after the tournament ends,” Ma said. “It’s pretty fun.”
Who would Knost and Stoltz be looking at in a bet like that? Both were hot on Ludvig Aberg’s prospects.
“I thought it was pretty cool at the Memorial this year, and Jack Nicklaus was in the booth, and they were talking about who he thinks could be the one to challenge Scottie, because at that time, Scottie had a massive hold on the World No. 1,” Knost said. “And Ludwig had played one major championship at the time. And that’s who he picked.”
“People that see it day in and day out, it’s different,” Stoltz concurred. “And he’s young. He just started.”
For more from Ma, Knost and Stoltz, including Ma’s perspective on how he approaches golf betting, check out the full episode of Subpar below.
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