LAS VEGAS — Four nondescript soccer matches had already delivered on his five-leg parlay when “John the Barber” slipped into my blue booth at the South Point sportsbook.
He had bet on more than half a goal being tallied in the first half of the AZ Alkmaar-Ilves UEFA Conference Leagues qualifier, at -700 odds (or risk $700 to win $100). Four AZ players scored in the first half to secure the first leg.
He had also live-wagered on over a half-goal being scored in the second halves of Dila-Riga FC (-380), Banga Gargzdai-Rosenborg (-380) and Spaeri FC-Austria Wien (-400). All covered.
The final leg of his July 31 high jinks involved more than 17.5 points being rung up in the first half of the Chargers-Lions NFL Hall of Fame game, kicking off in two hours.
“Just one left,” the Barber said. “I liked the 17.5 at William Hill because it’s 18 here at the South Point.”
Los Angeles whipped Detroit 21-7 in that opening half.
For John the Barber, a $24 investment became $104.44.
Not bad at all for the dog days of summer.
Cuts, shaves and props
John Taddio rises at 6. Within 15 minutes, he has perused the day’s sporting menu. By 7, he has pulled into the parking lot at the South Point, in whose barber shop he has worked for 20 years.
The 80-year-old Buffalo, New York, native, known to many as John the Barber and to South Point owner Michael Gaughan as Johnny Hockey, reviews and confirms his tonsorial schedule.
And he taps in his plays, usually four- to seven-leg parlays whose moving parts he jimmies into quite favorable odds. When he isn’t trimming hair, he monitors that app and conjures action.
“When the odds are close and the dog is at home, and they played a tight game yesterday,” he said, “I’ll boost the home team. Did that with Tampa, to 3.5, the other day. The Yankees won by 1, but I still won with the Rays.”
He’ll even tap under 0.5 goals for a scoreless second half, with just scant minutes remaining on a pitch, but he must move swiftly to tie that in with other games.
“That will only be -180, sometimes,” John says, “and I’ll jump all over it.”
The multiple plays often create profit of at least two to three times his investment. From Thursday to Saturday, when I see him again, John the Barber played 16 parlays and won nine for sweet profit.
He has been loyal to William Hill’s app, which he set up 5 miles south of the South Point at the M Resort, for about six years.
Initially, once or twice, it altered odds the moment he tried making bets. That ended, John said, after a direct note to operators.
“I told them, ‘I bet you wouldn’t like gaming [Nevada’s Gaming Control Board] to see what you’re doing because that’s not right. You shouldn’t be doing that,’ ” he said. “Been fine ever since.”
The beast
Watching the Barber operate on his app might stun the actual William Hill.
At the Birmingham Small Arms factory in 1919, Hill ran illegal bets. He was 16. Others noted his acumen at calculating odds and risk, and in 1934, he opened an illicit bookmaking shop in London. He died in 1971.
Today, William Hill employs approximately 12,000 people in more than 1,400 global outlets.
“I think he’d be absolutely staggered,” British handicapper Nigel Seeley told me in 2018 for a sports-betting book. “He wouldn’t believe what a beast he’s become, how the betting market has changed.”
In Vegas, his company has been known to ban, or limit, successful punters.
“I’m not big enough,” John the Barber said. “I’m under the radar. At most, I might win $2,000 or $3,000 [in fall or winter]. ‘Those’ people are betting big, big money, $50,000 to $80,000.”
Run into him at the South Point, and he’ll always have action. John’s wheelhouse plays involve the NHL and European soccer, usually $100 parlays with typical cashes of $800 to $1,000.
He favors NHL first periods over 1.5 goals with high-scoring teams, which he tracks. He follows soccer sides across the pond to guide his first-half wagers, and he gauges matches for second-half live buys.
These dog days of July and August comprise $20 and $30 parlays for entertainment and to keep his coconut sharp.
When his Bill Hill account hits $1,000, John extracts $300, which he has done several times this summer.
Plus, every dollar he bets nets him William Hill points, which translate to periodic deposits into his account.
The professor
Amiable and enthusiastic, it’s rare to hear John the Barber utter a negative word. That, he says, might be why customers tell him he looks like he’s in his late 60s.
He complimented Brent Musburger in a text for his Hall of Fame Game telecast appearance, but he told Brent he needed a better haircut. Musburger responded that he’ll see John in the fall.
“By the way,” Musburger wrote, “I love the Knights’ signing of [Mitch] Marner.”
John responded, “You’re right on the ball! Love it. We’ll see what he does.”
On Aug. 21, he and wife Connie will celebrate, with their two daughters and dear friends, their 60th wedding anniversary at the exquisite Hugo’s Cellar downtown inside the Four Queens.
John invites anyone to learn his methods, but one young dude recently didn’t possess the patience to grasp it.
“You’ve got some issues,” John told him. “You don’t pay attention.”
That guy was the anomaly.
“Customers ask, and I say, ‘No problem.’ I want them to learn,” John said. “They say, ‘John, this is great! I like the way you think.’
“Well, it isn’t just the way you think because you have to keep on top of it. If you have other stuff going on and you can’t pay attention to this, then don’t do it.”
Goofin’ around
Three Leagues Cup matches had already covered July 29, as did an obscure CONCACAF Central America Cup game between Verdes FC and FC Motagua.
John had bet over half a goal in the first half of every game, at -300, -320, -300 and -550, respectively.
He had also sliced the totals of the -Diamondbacks-Tigers, Red Sox-Twins and Dodgers-Reds games to 5.5, making those respective odds -429, -454 and -529. Boston (8-5), Detroit (12-2) and Los Angeles (5-4) all won. The seven-team winner turned $22 into $108.54.
The next day, he live-bet the second halves of two Leagues Cup matches and the USL title tilt between Hartford Athletic and New Mexico United, getting -600, -380 and -450 odds. All hit.
He tied in over a half-goal in the second half of Portland Timbers-Atletico San Luis at -500. The Timbers had a goal at the half and won 4-0.
He capped that five-teamer with the Rangers +3.5 runs, at -704, against the Angels; Texas won 6-3. A $25 wager won $35.78.
“I love it,” the Barber said. “I goof around with it, and it’s just fun. I got it down to where it’s pretty good for me.”