MACAU is a survivor.
The man has seen it all and practically done it all.
Bettor, bookmaker, originator, follower, observer, participant and most of all, insider.
In our three-hour lunch date this afternoon in Escazu, Costa Rica, MACAU seemingly named every major player in the international sports betting business.
From licensed bookmakers in England and Ireland to the biggest bookmakers in Costa Rica and some of the most well-known bettors in the U.S. (Walters, Golden, Voulgaris, Denkenson and Fenic), MACAU listed a virtual Who's Who in the Sports Betting Industry.
With one caveat.
"Let's not talk about any of the bookmakers by name," he requested. "Bookmakers love good publicity but they also covet their privacy."
A handsome Irishman with a big smile and a twinkle in his eye, MACAU told countless stories about the good guys and bad guys in the industry.
Since arriving to Costa Rica in late 2001, MACAU has owned parts of three sports books, served as a live-wagering consultant at one of the most respected sports books in the world and done well enough for himself to drive a Porsche SUV, wear a $24,000 Rolex and discuss quarter-million dollar real estate deals on the phone over lunch.
"I've done it all, Johnny," MACAU said.
"But you have to be careful in the gambling world. People will disappoint you all the time. It's a cutthroat business. People are like animals, only interested in their own survival. And remember this: It's not the strong eating the weak, sometimes it's the sharks eating sharks."
And now my favorite quote from the Dublin native who called me Johnny as if he had known me for decades, not hours:
"I bet like a savage. I'm dangerous as a player because I don't bet to win, I bet to win BIG."
MACAU was the first professional gambler to spot the talent in UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
"A group of Irishmen and yours truly traveled to Las Vegas for the Jose Aldo match in late 2015 and needless to say, it was a wild night of celebrating after the 13 seconds of action inside the ring."
McGregor's knockout produced the biggest score in MACAU's gambling life, somewhere between a quarter-million and a half-million dollars.
I plan another get-together with MACAU this Sunday at the basketball courts in La Sabana Park.
Stay tuned for more from MACAU, a friendly guy with a big bankroll and an even bigger personality.