“Gamblers,” a new anthology series from Spotify and The Ringer that documents the underground lives and careers of six professional gamblers, hosted by David Hill, premieres Wednesday, Nov. 18.

In the trailer, Hill says, “I’m at a casino in Las Vegas, but I can’t tell you exactly which one. And I’m playing at a table game, but I can’t tell you what it’s called. I’ve been sworn to secrecy by my partner, who is sitting next to me while we play.”

The podcast features a racehorse handicapper, a pool hustler, a poker player, a gin rummy expert, a sports bettor, and a casino advantage player. People who, Hill says, “live their lives by their wits and wagers. Who bet big on themselves and won.”

Hill, a regular contributor to America’s Best Racing and the author of “The Vapors: A Southern Family, the New York Mob, and the Rise and Fall of Hot Springs, America’s Forgotten Capital of Vice,” has written extensively about gambling topics.

“One of the things I really wanted to do with this podcast was show the diversity that exists in this world - in terms of age, gender, race, background, and skills,” Hill said. “All of these people have some things in common, but they're also all very different.”

Gullikson

The horse racing episode features Emily Gullikson, a partner at OptixEQ that makes products for handicappers.

“She’s one of my favorite people in the sport. She's smart, funny, and dedicated to her craft. She's an accomplished handicapper,” Hill said. “But she's also just a really cool person, and I spent a couple of days at last year's Breeder's Cup with her and just had a blast. That was easily the most fun episode to record.” 

The podcast also took Hill to a gin tournament in Long Island, N.Y. and to Las Vegas. COVID-19 thwarted some of his plans that he hopes to realize in a second season, like an episode about guys who bet on street racing cars and an episode about a basketball hustler.

After the initial release of the first two episodes (see below), the remaining stories will be available one week at a time.  

“Some of these episodes are like mini-movies,” Hill said. “I really hope the audience will enjoy listening to these people tell their life stories half as much as I enjoyed it!”

Listen to Episode 1 on Spotify.

Listen to Episode 2 on Spotify.