Alan Woods (gambler) explained

Alan Woods
Birth Place:Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia
Death Place:Hong Kong
Spouse:Meredith Woods
Children:2
Occupation:Mathematician
businessman
gambler

Alan Woods (1945 – 26 January 2008) was an Australian and Hong Kong professional gambler and mathematician considered among the biggest gamblers in the world.Woods focused on blackjack and betting on horse racing. He has worked with Bill Benter and Zeljko Ranogajec during his career and "pioneered quantitative gambling by betting on Hong Kong horse races".[1] His estimated net worth at the time of his death was AU$670 million.[2] [3]

Early life

Woods was raised in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia. His parents ran a newsagency, followed by a cordial factory and a hotel. Woods was not exposed to gambling in his youth and played solo whist with his family. He studied mathematics at the University of New England, in Armidale but dropped out his final year before graduating.[4] There, Woods began playing poker machines and described himself as a losing player. He stopped due to a relocation to Sydney where poker machines were not available.[5] He also worked for a time as an insurance actuary.[6]

Woods also picked up horse betting during college and won his first bet. Unlike in poker and solo, Woods was generally losing betting on horses and developed a gambling habit.

Gambling career

Woods was introduced to card counting in blackjack from his fellow bridge players. He tested the method and won a few thousand dollars. Woods did not focus on gambling seriously until his wife left him in 1979. Afterwards, he played blackjack in Hobart and won $16,000 in four months. He moved to Las Vegas where he won an additional $100,000 playing blackjack around the clock. Later, he moved on to play in casinos across Europe, Australia, and Asia.[7]

Woods retired from professional blackjack in 1982 and focused on horse betting in Hong Kong due to the small pool of horses. There, he met Bob Moore and Bill Benter. Benter and Woods worked on a computer model "based on mathematics, to choose race winners based on formulaic consideration of track, form, weather and other factors".[8] The model began generating $100,000 in the 1987 racing season. That same year, Benter and Woods dissolved the partnership.

Woods traveled to Manila and worked with Zeljko Ranogajec, who he also described as a rival. By the 1990s, Woods had won millions from horse betting.

Personal life

Woods married Meredith in 1972; the two separated in 1979. They had two children, Anthony and Vicky. Woods was against the Iraq War and described himself as a former conservative turned liberal.

Woods was a member of the online harm reduction & drug discussion forum Bluelight, joining shortly after the site's inception in 1999 and heavily funding the site until his death in early 2008.[9]

Death

Woods died of appendiceal cancer on 25 January 2008 shortly after he was diagnosed.[10]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: M. F. . 19 July 2017 . How data changed gambling . 7 March 2018 . The Economist . 7 March 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180307122835/https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2017/07/economist-explains-12 . live .
  2. Web site: Arrold, Tony . 1 February 2008 . Gambler more than broke even . 7 March 2018 . The Australian . 18 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171118090552/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/news/gambler-more-than-broke-even/news-story/16c6da4a9051efea7ea72b6156e34fe8 . live .
  3. Web site: gamproadmin . 8 May 2012 . Alan Woods, the Godfather of Horse Racing Software . 7 March 2018 . gambler-profiles.com . 7 March 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180307214303/http://www.gambler-profiles.com/alan-woods-the-godfather-of-horse-racing-software . live .
  4. Web site: Kaplan . Michael . The Hundred and Fifty Million Dollar Man . 2023-03-20 . Cigar Aficionado . en-US . 20 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230320234025/https://www.cigaraficionado.com/article/the-hundred-and-fifty-million-dollar-man-8366 . live .
  5. Web site: Wilson, Tony . 1 December 2005 . Mr. Huge Alan Woods and his amazing computer. A nags-to-riches-story . 7 March 2018 . The Monthly . 7 March 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180307220317/https://www.themonthly.com.au/monthly-essays-tony-wilson-mr-huge-alan-woods-and-his-amazing-computer-nags-riches-story-149 . live .
  6. Web site: Chellel, Kit . 5 April 2018 . The Gambler Who Cracked the Horse-Racing Code . 4 April 2018 . Bloomberg . 3 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180503124723/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-05-03/the-gambler-who-cracked-the-horse-racing-code . live .
  7. Web site: Alan Woods – The Best Horse Handicapper of All Time . 23 August 2022 . CasinoReviews.Net . en . 23 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220823063042/https://www.casinoreviews.net/blog/profiles/this-is-how-alan-woods-won-half-a-billion-dollars-by-gambling/ . live .
  8. Web site: Delvecchio . Jerry . Alan Woods (Deceased), Horse Racing Pioneer . 7 March 2018 . worlds-greatest-gamblers.com . 8 March 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180308041315/http://www.worlds-greatest-gamblers.com/gamblers/horse-racing/alan-woods/ . live .
  9. Web site: Nichols . Sam . 2019-05-06 . How ‘Bluelight’ Became a Life-Saving Encyclopedia of Drug Info . 2024-03-19 . Vice . en . 1 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240301100416/https://www.vice.com/en/article/zmp4qx/how-bluelight-became-a-life-saving-encyclopedia-for-drug-info . live .
  10. Web site: Aitken, Alan . 30 January 2008 . Super-punter Woods quietly masterminded a revolution . 7 March 2018 . South China Morning Post.