Ep. 5 with Steve Buzzard (dacoltz): Playing High Stakes DFS Comes With Mental Health Costs

I'm the guest this week!  I’m Brian Jester -- courtjesters on DK and @BrianJesterFF on Twitter -- the Emotional Bankroll Podcast creator, co-founder of Occupy Fantasy, DraftKings Millionaire winner, 2019 Fanduel World Fantasy Football Championship runner up, and I have more than $600,000 in UFC winnings in the last 18 months. I brought on Niromada, a top PGA DFS player and the PGA writer at Occupy Fantasy, to interview me.  I chatted with Niromada about: - How growing up in a horse racing family impacted my career path - The freedom and fears after winning $1 million - My transition from corporate life to full-time fantasy sports - Handling long and significant financial downswings - The pros and cons of this lifestyle - Coming down from the dopamine hits of big wins - and more! Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a rating/review to let us know what you think of the show!

Daniel Hutchings -- nerdytenor on DraftKings and @nerdytenor on Twitter -- is the the 27th ranked player in the RotoGrinders rankings who is known for his simulations and NFL/PGA DFS prowess.  I chatted with Daniel about: - The partnership that kickstarted his DFS career - Balancing curiosity vs anxiety when evaluating your play/results - How it feels to run UNDER expectation - His singing career as a self-described introvert - Why sweating games sucks  - How we would get back into the workforce if we needed to - and more! Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a rating/review to let us know what you think of the show!

JJ Zachariason - @LateRoundQB on Twitter -- is the former Editor-in-Chief at NumberFire and current owner of LateRound.com.  I chatted with JJ about: - Why he decided to make the leap and start his own site - Why differentiation is the key for both content AND DFS - What a balanced lifestyle means to him and why it's so important - Why he DOESN'T play DFS or season-long fantasy football at high stakes - Does an analyst have to be a winning player - or even play at all! - to be a good resource?  - Explaining your career to outsiders - and more! Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a rating/review to let us know what you think of the show!

Braeden Greseth - @BraedenGreseth on Twitter and bgreseth on FanDuel/DraftKings -- has won ELEVEN Single Game GPPs during the 2022 NBA Playoffs.  I chatted with Braeden about: - What it's like to be on such an insane heater - Why he has such a huge edge in NBA Showdwon - Graduating college A MONTH AGO and becoming a full-time DFS pro - Which courses and topics from college helped him build his own simulation and lineup creation software - Pros / cons of simulations - How to evaluate your play during a downswing - and more! Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a rating/review to let us know what you think of the show!

Eric Thiel - @et_stats on Twitter and etphonehome on DraftKings -- is primarily a college football and college basketball specialist who has multiple six figure wins under his belt as a full-time DFS player.  I chatted with Eric about: - Graduating from university and immediately becoming a full-time DFS pro - Explaining that decision to his friends and family - Why he focuses on college sports and where the edges lie in niche areas - His decision to stay off the RotoGrinders leaderboards - What it's like to work all day every Saturday in the fall while you're young and your friends are going out - The feeling of being burnt out and how there's likely an expiration date on this career - and more! Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a rating/review to let us know what you think of the show!

Ken Lin - @swaglordken on Twitter and swaglordken on DraftKings/FanDuel -- is primarily a small-field DFS player with countless five-figure GPP wins, but he also focuses much of his time on sports betting. I had to talk to Ken after his recent decision to bet *HIS ENTIRE BANKROLL* on the NFL draft.  I chatted with Ken about: - His decision to risk it all on the NFL draft - The importance of taking shots with your bankroll when you're younger - Why he plays small-field DFS contests - The amount of time and grind required to intelligently take a bankroll shot - Deciphering good information - The lifestyle of a gambler while in college, especially during COVID - and more! Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a rating/review to let us know what you think of the show!

Coby DuBose - @DuBoseDefense on Twitter and TigerPawsSC on DraftKings -- is a criminal defense lawyer who self-excluded from DFS from 2016 to 2021. Since his return late last year, he's won more than $500,000 playing PGA DFS.  I talked with Coby about: - Why he walked away from DFS for so long - The process of getting back into DFS - His unusual way of growing his bankroll - Why his ultra-aggressive approach works for PGA DFS - What it's like to win $500K in such a short stretch - The mental roller coaster of being a criminal defense lawyer - and more! Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a rating/review to let us know what you think of the show!

jayk123 is a retired DFS pro with huge DraftKings scores, including a Millionaire Maker win. Unfortunately, Jay was forced to abruptly stop playing DFS when DraftKings left Australia last year. I talked with Jay about: - The DFS landscape in Australia - The crazy time difference and his routines for each sport - The exhaustive, yet pleasurable, grinding lifestyle - His preference to keep his DFS success private - The mental aspect of huge downswings - His future without DFS - and more! Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a rating/review to let us know what you think of the show!

Ian Johns - @IanJ300 on Twitter and ianj300 on FanDuel/DraftKings -- is a top-50 ranked player in RotoGrinders rankings AND a 3-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner.  I talked with Ian about: - How he got started in poker and DFS - The mentality of winning 3 WSOP bracelets - The importance of capitalizing on your strengths - How playing aggressively when you're winning is an overlooked aspect of bankroll management - Dealing with a $320K sweat, handling a $250K downswing - Importance of work/family balance - and more! Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a rating/review to let us know what you think of the show!

Michael Cohen - @TwoGunFF on Twitter and TwoGun on FanDuel/DraftKings -- is exclusively an NFL DFS player and the first person to win THREE DraftKings Millionaire Makers.  I talked with Michael about: - What it's like to win 3 Millys - The benefits of focusing on just one DFS sport - How edges have evolved in NFL DFS - Importance of multiple income streams, especially when playing DFS - Playing within your bankroll and how it leads to "not being scared" in DFS - and more! Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a rating/review to let us know what you think of the show!