Fairway Jay’s Handicapping Experience and Achievements:
Jay Ginsbach, better known as Fairway Jay, has 20 years of experience getting bettors out of the ‘rough’ and into the ‘green.’ Relocating from Minnesota to Las Vegas, Fairway Jay started chipping away at the NFL where Fairway Jay has made his mark in the sports-betting industry.
With a documented record of 158-113, 58% and 45 games above the .500 mark, Fairway Jay has established himself as the best NFL handicapper in the nation during the past three seasons (2003-2005). Fairway Jay’s unprecedented success in the PGA, 106-61, 63%, during the past three seasons (2003-2005), has also brought Fairway Jay recognition within the sports-gambling industry as one of the nation’s premier PGA handicapping experts.
As a result of Fairway Jay’s expert insight and analysis into the sports-betting world, Jay is recognized as one of the nation’s premier sports-betting experts and has been featured in the Las Vegas Review Journal, the Las Vegas Sun and on numerous local sports talk shows nationwide. Fairway Jay can also be heard daily on the Sports Memo Radio Show broadcast on Hardcore Sports Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 98 year round.
Fairway Jay’s Favorite Handicapping Tool at Sportsmemo.com:
Even before joining the Sports Memo team of handicapping experts in 2004, Fairway Jay avidly listened to the Sports Memo Radio Show at Sportsmemo.com. With sports-gambling industry insiders, the top sports handicappers in the nation, live odd updates, beat writers and oddsmakers, the Sports Memo Radio Show is the premier resource for insightful sports-betting information year round.
Fairway Jay’s Top Pick of Sports to Handicap:
As the No. 1 NFL handicapper in the nation during the past three seasons (2003-2005), Fairway Jay is passionate about handicapping the NFL. Fairway Jay has also excelled in handicapping college basketball, achieving a No. 1 ranking at the Sports Monitor in Oklahoma City for the 2004-2005 regular and postseason combined.
Fairway Jay Blogs:
Fairway Jay’s success handicapping both the NFL and the PGA stems from his passion for these sports which comes through in Fairway Jay’s sports betting blogs. As a semi-pro poker player, it is also not unusual for Jay to blog about poker tournaments in which he has played, including the World Series of Poker.
Fairway Jay’s Favorite Sports Writers:
Fairway Jay identifies Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune from Fairway Jay’s home town of Minneapolis, MN, Bill Simmons and Jayson Stark from ESPN, Frank Deford from Sports Illustrated and Jeff Haney of the Las Vegas Sun as his “Big Drive” picks for sports writers.
Fairway Jay’s Picks for Sharp Announcers:
Among sharp sports announcers, Fairway Jay singles out Kevin Harlan.
Fairway Jay’s Handicapping System:
Fairway Jay uses a combination of fundamental matchups, situational research, statistical analysis and some technical indicators to define his own system for handicapping sports.
Fairway Jay Reliving The Good ‘Ole Days:
Fairway Jay recalls the biggest game of his handicapping career, Super Bowl XXXII, where Fairway Jay had Denver +11 on the money line against Green Bay, plus some prop wagers that also supported Denver’s scoring efforts.
“I had one of my all-time biggest bets on this game and had even emailed several of my friends predicting the final score, 31-27 Denver. The actual outcome was Denver 31-24, almost a hole in one for Fairway Jay.
“The big game took place at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego on January 25, 1998. My wife, a Wisconsin girl and huge Packers fan, and I were in Vegas to celebrate my father’s 60th birthday, but after a few days in Sin City making numerous Super Bowl wagers, we rented a car and drove to San Diego for some tailgating fun at Qualcomm Stadium. Not able to purchase tickets, we took in all the pre-game festivities with the Wisconsin Cheeseheads and then headed to a bar to watch the game.
“As I recall, Green Bay took the opening kickoff and marched down the field with Brett Favre throwing a touchdown pass. Wife happy - Fairway not, mostly because she didn’t know I had a few house payments riding on the game. My concern turned to excitement when Denver answered with a solid drive and a touchdown of their own. Denver took a 17-7 lead and I was feeling great with a +11 underdog. A 95-yard scoring drive by Green Bay made it 17-14 at halftime. No hedging here, I bet some more on Denver in the second half!
“More emotions came early in the third quarter, when Terrell Davis fumbled on the first offensive play. The Broncos defense held the Packers to a field goal while another very long drive produced a Bronco’s touchdown late in the third quarter, 24-17 Denver. When Green Bay tied the game early in the fourth quarter, I remember thinking, ‘Wow – what a game!’ The defenses finally tightened before Denver scored a touchdown with just under 2 minutes left, 31-24. Favre took Green Bay down the field to the Denver 30-yard-line but failed to score on 4th down. Terrell Davis rushed for over 150 yards and three touchdowns to lead Denver to the victory and snap the NFC's 13 game Super Bowl winning streak, earning him the Super Bowl MVP award.
“Fairway got the green and was filled with glee, but my wife was wallowing in her beer and cheese. It’s okay honey – we won! ‘How much?’ she says…oops.”
Fairway Jay Game-Day Ritual:
Fairway Jay’s game-day ritual starts with a final review of the current betting lines, followed by a final confirmation of any and all injuries and is finished off by releasing his final picks.
Where Fairway Jay Shops:
Living in Las Vegas, Fairway Jay has his favorite local sportsbooks as well at his favorite offshore sportsbooks. Locally, Fairway Jay shops the Hilton and Station casinos. Offshore, Fairway Jay picks the reduced juice sportsbooks The Greek and Pinnacle.
When Bad Things Happen To Good People-Fairway Jay’s Worst Beat of the Year:
Fairway Jay’s worst beat of the year came late in the 2005 football season. Fairway Jay released a play on the Michigan/Penn State game UNDER 44. At halftime the game was 3-0. With 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the score was 10-3, and Fairway Jay’s play was still looking very strong. Fighting for the win, Penn State came back with several strong offensive plays, but Michigan answered each one of PSU’s attacks, making for a gut-wrenching fourth quarter. In the last seconds of the game, Michigan pulled out the win, pushing the final score to 27-25.
Fairway Jay’s Vote For Sports Analyst Who Belong in the ‘Rough’:
Steven A. Smith and Michael Irvin
Fairway Jay on Handicapping Soccer and Hockey:
Unlike soccer handicapper, Marty Otto, Fairway Jay finds the sport of soccer to be extremely boring.
While Fairway Jay grew up playing hockey in Minnesota, where he later played for the University of Minnesota, Fairway Jay has never been able to handicap hockey. Giving credit to JK, Fairway Jay finds hockey too tough to handicap.
