Bobby the Owl update?
- Thread starter parlaynow
- Start date
Had lunch with Bobby and Andy Iskoe about two months ago at the Klondike Casino on Sunset Road in Henderson.
Bobby turns 87 in December and his streak is still alive.
Bobby has cashed a two-team parlay every day in Las Vegas since arriving from Angola, Indiana in 1961.
The first leg of the parlay is going to bed at night and the critical second leg of the parlay is waking up the next morning.
I'll reach out to Bobby early next week for some college football selections.
Bobby turns 87 in December and his streak is still alive.
Bobby has cashed a two-team parlay every day in Las Vegas since arriving from Angola, Indiana in 1961.
The first leg of the parlay is going to bed at night and the critical second leg of the parlay is waking up the next morning.
I'll reach out to Bobby early next week for some college football selections.
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WildBill
2
Amazing someone who eats at the Klondike lives to be 85...
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mrbowling300
EOG Dedicated
One of my favorite vegas stories!
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Woodrow Wilson
EOG Dedicated
JK is Jack Stewart still alive?
boston massacre
EOG Master
Was Wondering Also.
First Heard His Name as The Guy Behind The Sports Tout Monitoring Service, Called Sports Watch.
Neveragain
EOG Dedicated
Bobby the Owl photo from earlier this year, May 30th, 2022.
Photo taken at the South Point with a pair of Bookies.
Photo taken at the South Point with a pair of Bookies.
Lost track of Jack Stewart.
He was failing mentally about 10-12 years ago.
Accused me of wearing a wire at one of our lunch dates.
I think he thought I was some sort of an informant.
Sad when the mind goes bad.
I will put in a call to Bobby the Owl tonight.
He survived the pandemic beautifully.
He survived the pandemic beautifully.
Neveragain
EOG Dedicated
Ask him if he’s laying the points on Baylor -3 tomorrow night. Thanks.
Bobby was very good at CFB as I recall.
Consider it done, NEVERAGAIN.
mrbowling300
EOG Dedicated
I love how Bobby the Owl cashes a daily parlay!!!!!
Bobby has hit a two-team parlay in Las Vegas EVERY DAY since 1961.
First half of the parlay: Going to bed at night.
Second half of the parlay: Waking up in the morning.
Classic.
God bless Bobby the Owl.
Ray Luca
EOG Master
Viejo Dinosaur
EOG Master
The Owl and Donny Bader were the original daily double…their escapades together were legendary…
Heim
EOG Master
I had dinner with Boston and Vaccaro at a Greek place on Charleston many years ago....in true mobster fashion Jimmy excused himself early to see the final episode of the Sopranos.
Just off the phone with Bobby Beghtel, aka Bobby the Owl.
He turns 88 in December.
Still follows college football closely and he gave me his top play for Saturday (coming soon).
Bobby's in a lot of pain right now.
Doctors think he may have suffered a stroke.
Pain in his right arm and a tingling sensation in his right hand.
Has an appointment at the VA next Thursday morning at 11.
I'll call him next week for a medical update.
When I asked him which branch of the military he served, Bobby proudly said, "I was a sailor from 1954 to 1957, yes sir."
Bobby asked me about my time in Costa Rica and he asked about my "two lovely sisters."
God bless Bobby the Owl.
And root for Alabama -7 this Saturday against Tennessee.
Bobby always seems to get in early with the best number.
Alabama is now -8.5 and even -9 in some shops.
Next week, I'll frame my question differently to Bobby.
Instead of simply asking for his best bet in college football, I'll ask him for his best bet from the numbers currently available in college football.
He turns 88 in December.
Still follows college football closely and he gave me his top play for Saturday (coming soon).
Bobby's in a lot of pain right now.
Doctors think he may have suffered a stroke.
Pain in his right arm and a tingling sensation in his right hand.
Has an appointment at the VA next Thursday morning at 11.
I'll call him next week for a medical update.
When I asked him which branch of the military he served, Bobby proudly said, "I was a sailor from 1954 to 1957, yes sir."
Bobby asked me about my time in Costa Rica and he asked about my "two lovely sisters."
God bless Bobby the Owl.
And root for Alabama -7 this Saturday against Tennessee.
Bobby always seems to get in early with the best number.
Alabama is now -8.5 and even -9 in some shops.
Next week, I'll frame my question differently to Bobby.
Instead of simply asking for his best bet in college football, I'll ask him for his best bet from the numbers currently available in college football.
mrbowling300
EOG Dedicated
Never met the man, but love hearing about the Legend of Bobby the Owl!
Neveragain
EOG Dedicated
This 2017 article from Gaming Today written by his long time friend and former boss Scotty Schettler
sums up Bobby’s “eccentric” personality. Bobby made his very own set of rules for Gaming in Nevada.
Bobby also may have been the original “Working from Home” employee that has become so commonplace nowadays.
We take getting scores and updates for granted. Every game on the board is updated at least every quarter or inning, but more often than not most games are on the overwhelming banks of TVs so you get up to the minute information. It wasn’t always this convenient.
We had to wait for the lumbering Western Union ticker or the air-driven reader boards to spit out scores or squeeze them out of the newspaper the next morning.
Getting scores was how I met Bobby “the Owl” a.k.a. BTO. He kept a pocket full of quarters and used the famous pay phones in front of Churchill Downs to get scores. He called schools, stadiums, newspapers, anywhere he could get a score before someone else. Why? Who knows?
He’d bet $22 on a game and $22 on scores. Even if he won, he lost the juice.
Bobby went to South Bend Central. They won the Indiana State Championship in 1953, the year before Milan won the “Hoosiers” game. He had no living family; he was alone and completely devoted to handicapping, betting, and getting scores. The nickname? I suppose it was the glasses, squeaky voice, and hyper energy, although that doesn’t describe an owl.
Besides his score obsession, Bobby had other quirks. He was the absolute worst driver in the world. He’d step on the gas with his right foot and the break with his left. He was also a world-class speed eater. The over/under on a full course dinner with dessert was 59.5 seconds. He was such a nervous wreck he once left his teeth on one of the pay phones outside the Stardust.
Once while working at the Silverbird sportsbook, he wrote a customer the wrong team for $22,000. The man never looked at his ticket (his mistake) and had to eat it since the game was over. He waited for The Owl to leave the Silverbird and punched him right through his car window.
Later the GCB (Gaming Control Board) would take Bobby’s work card away in arguably the worst bureaucratic decision of all time. They said he was involved in OC (organized crime). The Owl was the absolute last pick for playground games let alone organized crime. Laughable decision except they ruined a decent person’s chance to earn a living.
Bobby was “working” for me at the Stardust at the time. It was his dream job. I paid him a nickel ($500) a week, with benefits, but he had to stay away from the Stardust. He couldn’t come in because he caused too much confusion in the back room. He stayed home, gathered sports information for us, and made numbers (which we couldn’t use). In case anyone wonders, I liked Bobby, so I accepted the baggage.
Bobby was one of my “creative hires” as Richard Schuetz, my Stardust boss at the time called them. I hired a few people with no job title or description in the manual. I’d have to make up a job title, and it usually upset HR. I called Bobby an information coordinator.
I talked him into following me to Reno while I opened the Cal-Neva book for Warren Nelson. Sportsbook talent in Reno was thin but free drink tickets weren’t. They were a big thing, like an underground currency.
On the street one Cal-Neva drink ticket could get you two Harrah’s tickets or three from Harold’s Club. We sometimes ran out of the darn things and had to borrow them from our customers, who had stacks of them hoarded. Reno was a different town, really the wild West.
For Monday Night Football, we had a promotion: if your team was ahead at halftime you got a free hot dog and a beer. You had to bring your wagering ticket to the counter, show it to the Owl, and he was supposed to stamp it and give you a comp for a hot dog and beer.
During one MNF game Bobby was at his writing window, but he didn’t really want to do this. So he threw the tickets at people.
It turns out one guy he threw the ticket at was the governor’s brother-in-law. Warren heard about it and told me to get Bobby out of his casino. That was the Owl’s last break.
Prior to this latest escapade Bobby got big break from Nelson. He was getting writer’s wages and betting $5,000 a game for his buddy in Vegas, but Bobby pretended the bets were his. I had to convince him to quit betting for the guy or he’d be fired. Besides, he was making it look like I didn’t have a handle on the book. Combined with the hot dog incident it was too much; I couldn’t save him.
Bobby and I remain friends. I understand and appreciate him. He’s good people.
sums up Bobby’s “eccentric” personality. Bobby made his very own set of rules for Gaming in Nevada.
Bobby also may have been the original “Working from Home” employee that has become so commonplace nowadays.
Bobby the Owl a real character in the old Vegas sportsbook
Scott SchettlerWe take getting scores and updates for granted. Every game on the board is updated at least every quarter or inning, but more often than not most games are on the overwhelming banks of TVs so you get up to the minute information. It wasn’t always this convenient.
We had to wait for the lumbering Western Union ticker or the air-driven reader boards to spit out scores or squeeze them out of the newspaper the next morning.
Getting scores was how I met Bobby “the Owl” a.k.a. BTO. He kept a pocket full of quarters and used the famous pay phones in front of Churchill Downs to get scores. He called schools, stadiums, newspapers, anywhere he could get a score before someone else. Why? Who knows?
He’d bet $22 on a game and $22 on scores. Even if he won, he lost the juice.
Bobby went to South Bend Central. They won the Indiana State Championship in 1953, the year before Milan won the “Hoosiers” game. He had no living family; he was alone and completely devoted to handicapping, betting, and getting scores. The nickname? I suppose it was the glasses, squeaky voice, and hyper energy, although that doesn’t describe an owl.
Besides his score obsession, Bobby had other quirks. He was the absolute worst driver in the world. He’d step on the gas with his right foot and the break with his left. He was also a world-class speed eater. The over/under on a full course dinner with dessert was 59.5 seconds. He was such a nervous wreck he once left his teeth on one of the pay phones outside the Stardust.
Once while working at the Silverbird sportsbook, he wrote a customer the wrong team for $22,000. The man never looked at his ticket (his mistake) and had to eat it since the game was over. He waited for The Owl to leave the Silverbird and punched him right through his car window.
Later the GCB (Gaming Control Board) would take Bobby’s work card away in arguably the worst bureaucratic decision of all time. They said he was involved in OC (organized crime). The Owl was the absolute last pick for playground games let alone organized crime. Laughable decision except they ruined a decent person’s chance to earn a living.
Bobby was “working” for me at the Stardust at the time. It was his dream job. I paid him a nickel ($500) a week, with benefits, but he had to stay away from the Stardust. He couldn’t come in because he caused too much confusion in the back room. He stayed home, gathered sports information for us, and made numbers (which we couldn’t use). In case anyone wonders, I liked Bobby, so I accepted the baggage.
Bobby was one of my “creative hires” as Richard Schuetz, my Stardust boss at the time called them. I hired a few people with no job title or description in the manual. I’d have to make up a job title, and it usually upset HR. I called Bobby an information coordinator.
I talked him into following me to Reno while I opened the Cal-Neva book for Warren Nelson. Sportsbook talent in Reno was thin but free drink tickets weren’t. They were a big thing, like an underground currency.
On the street one Cal-Neva drink ticket could get you two Harrah’s tickets or three from Harold’s Club. We sometimes ran out of the darn things and had to borrow them from our customers, who had stacks of them hoarded. Reno was a different town, really the wild West.
For Monday Night Football, we had a promotion: if your team was ahead at halftime you got a free hot dog and a beer. You had to bring your wagering ticket to the counter, show it to the Owl, and he was supposed to stamp it and give you a comp for a hot dog and beer.
During one MNF game Bobby was at his writing window, but he didn’t really want to do this. So he threw the tickets at people.
It turns out one guy he threw the ticket at was the governor’s brother-in-law. Warren heard about it and told me to get Bobby out of his casino. That was the Owl’s last break.
Prior to this latest escapade Bobby got big break from Nelson. He was getting writer’s wages and betting $5,000 a game for his buddy in Vegas, but Bobby pretended the bets were his. I had to convince him to quit betting for the guy or he’d be fired. Besides, he was making it look like I didn’t have a handle on the book. Combined with the hot dog incident it was too much; I couldn’t save him.
Bobby and I remain friends. I understand and appreciate him. He’s good people.
boston massacre
EOG Master
Must Be Official That Bryce Young Is Starting.
Young was on a "pitch count" during Alabama's practice on Wednesday.
Gotta believe he'll be ready for Saturday's big game against Tennessee.
winkyduck
TYVM Morgan William!!!
Last update from JK was Donny had severe Dementia (or Alzheimer's - same thing in a sense). Sad because like BTO, Donny has/had a TON Of amazing old-time Vegas stories to tell. He was Kato Kaelin before Kato. He was also (in)famous for making a 20-million team parlay and going 19,999,999-1. NO ONE could play a parlay of an outrageous number of teams and lose ONLY ONE play "better" than Donny.
And the last time I visited Donnie in a Boulder City rehab center, there was a photo of Donnie on the wall standing between Ralph Sampson and Manute Bol.
The nurses thought Donnie was a basketball coach.
At his peak, Donnie stood 4-11.
His height, or lack thereof, made him stand out in the crowd, if you will.
The nurses thought Donnie was a basketball coach.
At his peak, Donnie stood 4-11.
His height, or lack thereof, made him stand out in the crowd, if you will.
Viejo Dinosaur
EOG Master
Did Donny play QB in high school?
Never heard that story, Arturo.
Here's one sad story about Donnie and I hesitate to tell it: In his later years when dementia was starting to kick in, he would go to the grocery store in Las Vegas and steal lunch meat.
When the mind goes, it's a terrible thing.
Sad, very sad.
When the mind goes, it's a terrible thing.
Sad, very sad.
Viejo Dinosaur
EOG Master
Went over your head….not many one liners do…
Railbird played QB….4 foot 11 inch QB
No wonder BIRDIE likes short quarterbacks.
I would have put BIRDIE at Russell Wilson's height (5-foot-10 and 5/8ths inches).
We need to get BIRDIE to the NFL combine.
No fibbing there.
More narratives in those days than numbers, or even facts.
Lee would tell stories in general terms like "Dan Marino was throwing passes to those quick wide receivers all over the field."
Haha.
No mention of yards per play or yards per point.
winkyduck
TYVM Morgan William!!!
Right there with you. Something from "CC Crane" that you placed next to your radio. Don't forget Al O'Donnell came in every year to pimp his book "Point Spread Playbook" which was a great read because it had tons of stats/trends - way before we could so the same online. Howard Schwartz (Or was in: Schultz) also made visits promoting the place which also was great at time.
My "problem" is 710-AM is a local station so picking up 720 from Vegas was only something I could do at night. The M-F 10P-Midnight show was worth the 2 hour listen. I met Lee a few times. That is how I met Cokin, too.
The Sunday Stardust Line was the best. They gave out the lines and then Cokin and one/two others went over many games and gave out 3 picks and they KILLLLLLLLED it with those picks. I know JK hosted some Sunday Night shows since I paid them all a visit a few times.