Dave Cokin

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 If standing the test of time matters, Smokin' Dave Cokin earns a big check mark as one who has withstood the rigors of handicapping sports professionally for 36 years and counting.

Dave has literally been around sports gambling for virtually his entire life. His experience was initially on the other side of the counter in Rhode Island, where he was born and raised. Dave began the process of switching sides in 1981 after winning the National Handicappers Bowl, which was featured in Pro Football Weekly, and decided at that point that it was time to start making the move to Las Vegas.

Dave's entry into the Las Vegas media side of the equation began with a guest appearance on Lee Pete's popular late night sports gambling show that emanated at the time from the Frontier Hotel and was broadcast on a 50,000 watt car channel that was picked up clearly in virtually all the western states. That led to syndicated columns in numerous national publications, and eventually a network gig with the Sports Fan Radio Network. SFRN featured "The Pete Rose Show" on which Dave served as the Hit King's co-host, and he was also a part of several other programs on that network. Dave also received high visibility as part of the panel on "Proline", which aired for decades on the USA Cable Network.

A member of the Nevada Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and a two-time winner of the state's Sportscaster of the Year Award, Dave is still on the mic Monday through Friday each week on "The Las Vegas Sportsline" which airs on ESPN Las Vegas.

Turning to handicapping philosophy, Cokin is a believer in working the numbers. That's not only in terms of creating his own betting line for each game, but also in maximizing his ability to gauge the market and get the right price. The latter is of extreme importance in terms of garnering an advantage. Every sports bettor is going to experience wins and losses. By striking when the odds are at their most favorable point, profits are increased and losses are diminished. Dave believes that perhaps his greatest strength as an analyst is having the ability to read the market better than most.

Dave's media connections are likely second to none as far as sports bettors are concerned, and this means the wherewithal to get good information from reliable sources. Sports handicapping is definitely mostly about what one knows, but who one knows carries plenty of weight as well.

Dave's personal betting tendencies are somewhat on the conservative side. He believes that responsible money management is of paramount importance, which means not going off the deep end and putting all the betting eggs in one basket. Certainly there are times when stepping out is worthwhile, but that's not an everyday occurrence. The true measure of success is to be able to grind out consistent profits on a long term basis, and that's what Cokin's primary goal will always be. Most of Dave's selections will be in the same range as far as strength is concerned. But when something unusually strong shows up, Dave will not be bashful about pushing some extra chips into the mix!