My best friend started out as a client.

Five years my senior, my buddy hunts alligators at night in Florida waters and considers it a win when he wrestles one into his boat.

He loves to gamble.

When everything was shut down in 2020, no sports action, after a few weeks he called to know if I had a side on a ping-pong match that was being staged in a foreign country.

When pro basketball and then baseball got into action, he negotiated a number of wagers outside my recommendations. He enjoyed it, and could afford his action even with it as large as it was.

When football started, first college and then the NFL, he had action every day on something.

He was gambling.

Gamblers never win.

Gambling is an exercise in wagering more after wins and always on the prowl for a killing.

The routine consistently ends with gamblers losing in the short run, and always in the long run.

It is the nature of the activity. It is a gamble, an adrenaline boost looking to make a killing.

Selected wagering propositions are not the biggest obstacle in making money from sporting events. How those sides or totals are leveraged is all that matters to the bottom line. Throw a perfectly good group of picks through the screen of a gambler and more often than not it leads to losses.

For some, the joy of winning with their own picks is worth the risk, but more often, not a sound business endeavor.

There is a reason gamblers lose. The adrenaline of being right pushes away much rational thought, which allows risking more money than one can truly afford to lose. In hopes, of course, of making a killing.

That is a lot more fun than keeping track of wager amounts and always adhering to a strict money management method.

There are two ways to enjoy an NFL season. Root for your team every week with undying loyalty or take a financial stake in the outcome of the games.

Working the numbers in a clearly defined regimen is not nearly as fun as laying a dime on the Broncos from the end of the bar on a Sunday night … just to enjoy the game.

I could go either way on this. For those that wager on the outcomes there is a lot to be said for laughing with your friends and tossing a chunk from an alcohol enhanced environment on the New York Jets.

Just enjoy the entertainment, because it’s gonna cost you.

If instead you are inclined to turn a profit while running an 18 week business that is based on the outcome of NFL games, then be prepared for rigors not required while gambling. Trust me, it is at times tedious and often one is forced to do the work necessary to win on holidays.

In a typical season utilizing Qoxhi Picks, the Basic money management strategy will return 30 to 60 percent profit margins. The most conservative strategy, Triple Play, has had returns of 35 and 39 percent in the first two seasons it has been available online. The four other strategies; Top Pick Exclusive, Top Pick Aggressive, Top Pick Double and Aggressive all have the potential of higher returns, but also have a higher risk.

The business of making money while wagering on sports requires bright money management and the discipline to adhere to a well conceived strategy. The same kind of consistent practices required to earn a profit from any business endeavor.

In all candor, running the business of making money from sporting events is not as fun as gambling … but the bottom line profits for many people compensate for the work required.

At Qoxhi, with 40 years of experience behind me, I have long ago surrendered that some clients are going to use my picks, bet their own selections, and throw money around like a sailor on leave. By season end, they are likely not going to show a profit, but they paid for the fun of gambling.

Others are going to treat my work as they would a trusted financial advisor and adhere to the practices that are most likely to maximize profits.

I’m not in business to suck the fun out of sports wagering, but I am in business to offer a chance for long term bottom line profits.