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If you’re planning your next adventure and want to make your money go a long way, navigating the world of credit cards can be a game-changer. And leaving credit card points or airline points on the table is just… blatantly wasteful. You have to collect these points and make sure you’re maximizing them.

Whether you’re the right fit for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card for its exceptional hotel stays or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for its versatile travel rewards, there are smart moves to be made at the dawn of 2024 for anyone who loves travel. We reached out to credit card and flight point professionals to get the lowdown on the must-have travel credit cards this year, so you can decide pick one with features that matter most to you — from foreign transaction fees to airport lounge access to free checked bags and beyond.

With a little hustle, you’ll feel like you’re traveling for free before 2025 hits!

Kyle + Kenz Parks (@adventure_parks): Capital One Venture X

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You really can’t beat the Capital One Venture X. While some might be initially hesitant with the $395 annual fee, the $300 annual travel credit essentially makes it a $95 annual fee card. Combine that with airport lounge access for the primary cardholder and authorized users, 10k bonus miles each year upon renewal, 2x points on everything, and Hertz President’s Circle status – it’s absolutely the best value card for premium benefits and earning a bunch of points!

Capital One Venture X

• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary.
• Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®.
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel.
• Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
• 10X miles on hotels & rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
• 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel.
• 2X miles on all other purchases, every day.
• Unlimited complimentary access for you and 2 guests per visit at Capitol One airport lounges.
• Unlimited access for you and 2 guests to 1,300+ lounges worldwide from Priority Pass and Plaza Premium Group.
• Enjoy a $100 experience credit, daily breakfast for 2 and other premium benefits.
• Skip the rental counter and enjoy the widest selection of cars with a complimentary upgrade.
• Get reimbursed for damage or theft when you pay for a rental car with the Venture X card.

Annual Fee: $395

Adam Hill (@adamhillyeah): BILT Rewards

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Credit cards can frequently change their benefits or the sign up bonuses being offered. It can be tough to keep up with the ever changing realm of the “Best Travel Cards.” I always get this question from people as well. “What is the best Travel Card?”

Well, the answer is, it’s really a combination of cards. But if we are to pick just one, here are a few:

BILT Rewards card is at the top with their NO ANNUAL FEE travel card that earns 1 point per dollar on rent, add the great bonus spend categories like 3x on dining, 2x on travel, 1x on everything else. This is the perfect card for anyone to start with. It’s a spectacular card for experts to have as well, whether you rent or own a home.

Here’s why: The rent day benefits on the first of the month allow you to earn double the points, 6x back on dining, 4x on travel and 2x on everything else up to 10k points. They have continued to have incredible rent day promotions as well like their lucrative transfer bonus promotions to airlines programs like Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic recently whereby you were eligible for a 75-150% point bonus on transfers. MIND BLOWN! They will continue to have amazing rent day promotions like this that NOBODY else is doing. The bonus is based on your status tier of how many points you are earning in a year with your card. They also make it easy to book travel using your points and put out tutorials for people starting out with this travel hacking hobby.

BILT Mastercard

• Earn points on every rent payment in The Bilt Rewards Alliance, a network of 3.5M+ premium rental homes across the country.
• Earn points on rent at any home with the Bilt Mastercard® without the transaction fee.
• Redeem points on the Bilt Travel Portal for even more value on travel with hundreds of airlines, hotels, car rentals and activities.
• Transfer points 1:1 to some of the world’s top airline and hotel loyalty programs.
• Use your points at Amazon.com to cover all or part of your purchases.
• Exclusive access to our hand-curated catalogue of art, decor, and apparel.
• Save your Bilt Points and use towards a down payment on a home.

Annual Fee: $0

Allison Tackette (@luckytictac): American Express Hilton Aspire & American Express Bonvoy Brilliant

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Two cards stick out. The American Express Hilton Aspire and American Express Bonvoy Brilliant. Both of these cards come with a ton of benefits from resort credits to dining credits to annual free night awards. But the biggest game changer is hotel status. Aspire comes with top tier Hilton Diamond status while the Brilliant comes with Marriott Platinum status. Both of these come with free breakfast and free room upgrades to suites. No need to stay 50+ nights to get amazing benefits like road warriors.

AMEX Hilton Aspire

• Earn 180,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the card within your first 6 months.
• 14X points on eligible purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio.
• 7X points on flights booked directly with airlines or AmexTravel.com and car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies.
• 7X points on U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery.
• 3X points spent on other eligible purchases.
• Get up to $400 back annually for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts.
• Get up to $200 back each year on flight purchases made directly with an airline or though amextravel.com.
• Get $189 in statement credits per calendar year after you enroll and pay for CLEAR Plus.

Annual Fee: $550

Angel Trinh (@pennywisetraveler): Choose Based On Needs

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• If you want unlimited buy one, get one free flights for almost two years: (1) Southwest personal card and (1) Southwest business card.

• If you want airport lounge access: American Express Platinum.

• If you want an easy everyday card at 2x points on each purchase: Capital One Venture X.

• If you want a business credit card that does not count towards Chase and still allows you to transfer out points: Chase Ink Preferred. This has a 100,000 sign up offer if you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Chase has a 5/24 rule where you can only hold a max of five credit cards in the past 24 months. TD, Discover, and Capital One business cards count towards this 5/24 rule.

• If you want to spend only $1 and get up to 75,000 American Airlines Miles: Barclays AAdvantage® Aviator® Mastercard. Earn 60,000 miles after making your first purchase and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. Add an authorized user, make a purchase on the authorized user card within the first 90 days and earn an additional 15,000 miles.

Jess Bohorquez (@pointsbyj): Chase Sapphire Preferred

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Chase Sapphire Preferred = my #1 most-recommended card. The sign-up bonus is 60,000 points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. It has all the essentials of a great travel card: reasonable annual fee, strong transferable points earning potential, and awesome travel insurance.

If you’re interested in accessing airport lounges, Capital One Venture X is the move. It does have a substantial annual fee of $395, but offers a $300 annual travel credit and 10k bonus mile anniversary gift – which completely offsets the cost. So, airport lounge access, up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, and no foreign transaction fees are all cherries on top. Plus, the card earns 2 miles for every dollar you spend.

If you’re not a Capital One person, the other airport lounge access card I love includes several of the American Express cards.

Chase Sapphire Preferred

• 60,000 bonus point after $4,000 in purchases the first 3 months.
• Earn 5x total points on travel purchased
• 3X points on dining.
• 2X points on travel.
• $200 in additional partnership benefit value.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass.
• Earn 5x points on Lyft rides.
• 6 months of complimentary Instacart+.
• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance.
• Baggage Delay Insurance.
• Trip Delay Reimbursement.
• No foreign transaction fees.

Annual Fee: $95

Spencer Howard (@straighttothepoints): Capitol One Venture X, BILT Mastercard & Chase Freedom Unlimited

Sign up for business and first class flight alerts here.
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In the last couple of years, the Capital One Venture X and BILT Mastercard have shaken up the travel rewards card landscape.

Capitol One Venture X provides a simple way to earn 2x on all purchases and is the best bang for your buck if you want airport lounge access. The BILT Card is a favorite due to its no-annual-fee that allows you to earn points on rent without any pesky fees.

As a bonus, the recent Chase Freedom Unlimited offer for double cashback for 12 months is a wild offer. It has become a go-to for many travelers since you can turn the cashback into points when you pair it with the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Chase Freedom Unlimited

• Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back or more on all purchases.
• Earn 3% cash back on dining and drugstores.
• Earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase.
• Earn 5% cash back on gas station and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year.
• $200 bonus after $500 in purchases for the first 3 months.
• Complimentary 3 months of DashPass.
• Earn 5% cash back on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025.
• Complimentary 3 months of Instacart+ membership.

Annual Fee: $0

Thomas Lonergan (@travelliketommy): Capital One Venture X, Amex Marriott Brilliant, Amex Hilton Aspire & BILT

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• Capital One Venture X: The best for a one-card-fits-all strategy. Earns 2x on all purchases and up to 10x on travel purchases. Includes Priority Pass lounge membership. Free authorized users also get their own lounge access. Plus a $300 annual travel credit.
• Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant and Amex Hilton Aspire: Automatic top tier elite status just for holding the card, no need to stay! Free nights, upgrades (suites included), free breakfast, early check in/late check out. Includes incredible airline and dining credits, and lounge access.
• BILT Card: Because why wouldn’t you want to earn points on paying rent?!

AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant

• Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy® Bonus Points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months.
• 6X points on eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• 3X points at restaurants worldwide.
• 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines.
• 2X points on each dollar spent on other eligible purchases.
• Get up to $300 annually in statement credits for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide.
• Receive 1 Free Night Award at participating hotels in Marriott Bonvoy every year after your card renewal month.
• Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership through TSA PreCheck® (up to $85) when you pay the application fee with an eligible Card.
• Receive 25 Elite Night Credits towards the next level of Marriott Bonvoy Elite status every year.

Annual Fee: $650

Vivian Tu (@your.richbff): Chase Sapphire Reserve, Amex Platinum & Capital One Venture X

Order “RICH AF: The Winning Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life” here.

These three are probably the top three travel credit cards right now and hot for 2024. They all include travel protections for flight passengers if a flight is delayed or canceled.

• Chase Sapphire Reserve – I really love this card. It serves every purpose. This one kinda battles it out with Chase Sapphire Preferred but both are very similar and come with a lot of perks including airport lounge access.

• Amex Platinum – This is great if you love luxury travel. It’s hard to beat some of those fine hotels and rewards credits. If you book travel through their portal and you book it through a finer hotels and resorts property, you get a free upgrade to a nicer room (based on availability), early check-in, free breakfast, and a food and drink credit to use. That is a huge savings, breakfast alone.

• Capital One Venture X – This is a newcomer and so many of my friends keep praising the benefits on this. It has a low annual fee and comes with some pretty insane perks.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

• 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
• $1,200 in additional partnership benefit value.
• $300 Annual travel credit.
• Earn 5x total points on flights when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
• Earn 10x total points on hotels (excluding The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection) and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase.
• Earn 3x points on dining at restaurants, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out.
• Earn 3x points on other travel worldwide.
• Get 50% more value when you redeem for travel through Chase.
• Complimentary access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide with up to two guests.
• Receive one statement credit of up to $100 every four years as reimbursement for TSA PreCheck.

Annual Fee: $550

Actors have to get used to using social media these days, even if they don’t want to. Actors don’t just act anymore, they need online personas to seem accessible. Sometimes, it’s almost too accessible, so it’s a delicate balance! But it’s a lot harder if you are on the older side of things, like actress and Celebrity Jeopardy! champ, Lisa Ann Walter.

The Abbott Elementary actress penned an essay for Cosmopolitan where she went in-depth on her sex life as a 60-year-old, because we are all a little too open and honest with each other these days. It was either that or to go on The Drew Barrymore Show because they already have those conversations all the time over there.

Walter revealed that she has had some famous youngsters sliding into her DMs, “I have young men coming on to me all the time now. Some of them are famous. I won’t name names, but they slip into my DMs,” Walter said. But she didn’t really know what it meant to “slide” into the DMs this day and age.

Walter initially (and naively) believed the messages to be innocent. She continued, “I tell my colleagues at work, like, ‘So-and-so just said they wanted to talk and they want to have lunch. Isn’t that sweet?’ Because I’m looking at it like, ‘Aw, this kid,’ ” she shared. This was not the case. She added, “And all my costars are like, ‘Girl… he wants to hit that.’ ” Walter then explained she prefers men her age.

Even though she might not be responding to the young men in her DMs, Walter says she hasn’t given up on love. “I just want to kiss someone, have great sex, and protect my knees. It’s very important at my age—you don’t have Megan Thee Stallion knees anymore past a certain point.” Maybe Lisa can meet up with Meg for a quick workout tutorial.

(Via People)

While they were initially a bit reluctant to fully dive into the podcast world, ESPN has done just that, giving many of its top personalities across sports and shows their own audio platform. Now, like they used to do with their top ESPN Radio programs, some of those shows will feature each week on ESPN2’s airwaves, as the sports media giant continues to look for ways to get more eyeballs (and ears) on their growing podcast network.

ESPN announced on Thursday that starting next week (Monday, January 29), they will air the latest episode of five different podcasts from 2-3 p.m. ET each day. The schedule for this new lineup is as follows:

Monday: First Draft with Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates
Tuesday: The Hoop Collective with Brian Windhorst and NBA Insiders
Wednesday: The Lowe Post with Zach Lowe
Thursday: The Mina Kimes Show, Featuring Lenny with Mina Kimes
Friday: The Elle Duncan Show with Elle Duncan and Gary Striewski

It’s a similar strategy to when they would simulcast their ESPN Radio shows like Mike and Mike, The SVP Show, The Herd, and others as daytime programming on ESPN2 or ESPNNews. They all record as video podcasts to go up on YouTube already, and it’s honestly a better use of the platform than running continued reruns of their morning shows or SportsCenter, while providing a wider audience a chance to become fans of those shows.

Ice Spice has been one of rap’s fastest rising stars for the past two years, from appearing in ads for Dunkin Donuts and Starry to contributing the hit “Barbie World” to the film’s super-successful soundtrack. But in all the fervor for more Ice Spice, she’s had yet to release her long-awaited debut album. However, it looks like her 2024 rollout campaign is about to begin. After her label, Columbia Records, unofficially announed the beginning of her new album cycle with a flag attached to the company’s headquarters in Hollywood, Ice Spice herself shared the next piece of the puzzle, revealing the release date for her next single, “Think U The Sh!t (Fart).”

The new track is due sooner than you might think; it’s due at midnight tonight, and her fans are already turning all the way up.

https://twitter.com/Cheeedoee/status/1750603237210685836

Some of Ice Spice’s fans, perhaps believing that she really has inhereted her mentor Nicki Minaj’s beef with Latto, have been comparing the announcement to a pair of Latto verses also coming out tonight (apparently, they’ve never heard of comparing apples to apples). Will the song contain some choice words for the Atlanta rapper? Who knows, but you can probably bet fans of both will find some. We’ll all find out tonight (1/26) at midnight.

Ask your parents (heck, even your grandparents) to say one thing they know about Snoop Dogg, and they’ll probably mention that he smokes a lot of weed. The question, though, is how much?

How Much Weed Does Snoop Dogg Smoke Per Day?

The answer has a bit of history to it.

In a 2013 Q&A on Twitter (now X), Snoop said that he smokes 81 blunts in a day.

In 2022, Snoop’s personal blunt roller (that’s a thing, yes) backed up that number: In an interview, she was asked how many joints she has rolled for the rapper since working for him and she answered, “I calculate it at over 450,000. I do about half a pound a day, which is 75 to 150 joints.”

However, Snoop refuted that claim shortly after. In a video shared on Instagram, Snoop said, “B*tch said I smoke 450,000… b*tch, this is all in a day’s work. Stop lyin’. [How the] f*ck am I gonna smoke all that weed in one day? What am I, a f*ckin’ machine? B*tch, this is the roaches. See? Roaches.” In frame was a pile of ten roaches.

So, it might be the case that while the lofty numbers used to be true, Snoop has perhaps toned down his usage in recent years and is closer to ten blunts per day.

Less than a week before the release of Griselda, a new Netflix series from the creators of Narcos that puts Sofia Vergara in the role of the real-life Cocaine Godmother, both the actress and the streaming platform were slapped with a lawsuit from Griselda Blanco’s family.

The suit was filed by Blanco’s son Michael — the late drug-lord was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2012 — who alleges that he’d been giving a series of interview since 2009 about his mother that were to be turned into a movie and a book. According to Michael, the individuals began shopping the story around Hollywood, but when it landed at Netflix, the streamer didn’t want to use the details he provided.

However, according to TMZ, the lawsuit claims that some of those details still made it into Griselda without compensating Michael, and that he and his sister’s likeness were used without permission. As of now, the lawsuit has not derailed Griselda‘s release, and the show is available for streaming on Netflix. However, Vergara was asked about the legal action during a recent interview.

Here’s what she told Entertainment Tonight:

Vergara describes Griselda as “a complex person.” “There are so many nuances to explore in terms of who she was as a drug lord and, of course, as a woman, as a mother,” she explained. “She was someone who did whatever it took to protect her family.”

She added, “I really wanted to explore that from the point of view of, you know, of her being one of the only women in history to have gone as far as she did.”

While Vergara didn’t directly address the lawsuit, Griselda creator Eric Newman gave a much more blunt response.

“It’s not my first rodeo,” he said via IndieWire. “The Escobar family made similar claims [for the TV series ‘Narcos’]. We had a very specific story we wanted to tell. I believe we told it, and I don’t think it in any way prevents someone else from telling their own version of it.”

Griselda is now streaming on Netflix.

(Via IndieWire, Entertainment Tonight)

A year and a half after Vince McMahon’s retirement, the TKO Executive Chairman has been accused of abusing, exploiting, and sex trafficking a former WWE employee in exchange for career advancement, according to a blockbuster report from the Wall Street Journal regarding a new lawsuit filed against McMahon.

Allegations from the report range from details involving McMahon locking her in a private room, assaulting her during work hours, sharing nude and explicit photos and videos with other unnamed WWE employees, recruiting others to have sex with her, controlling her personal and professional life, and attempting to traffic her to a WWE star, identified in the report by the Wall Street Journal as Brock Lesnar.

According to the report, the subject of the lawsuit, Janel Grant, signed a non-disclosure agreement in 2022 in exchange for $3 million in payments. McMahon reportedly paid $1 million before he stopped making payments. McMahon allegedly continued to abuse her after the NDA was signed leading to Thursday’s lawsuit that “seeks a judgment that the NDA is invalid under state and federal law and compensatory and punitive damages under other laws, including the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.”

This lawsuit comes a year after McMahon returned to the WWE, where he used his majority voting power due to his ownership of WWE’s Class-B stock to elect himself to WWE’s board of directors and eventually led the TKO merger with the UFC.

Rapper TiaCorine is going to have another great year, as she is heading out on her first headlining run with the Almost Here Tour. She partnered with Monster Energy for the shows, which will kick off in Chicago this March.

Presale tickets for TiaCorine’s North American tour opened today (January 25). The general sale will then open to the public tomorrow, January 26 at 10 a.m local time. Visit here for more information.

“I’m honored to have the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour supporting me on my first headliner!” she shared in a statement. “I’ve seen so many big artists have this opportunity so to see it happening to me is nothing short of amazing. My fans have been asking for a tour for so long so I’m just blessed and thankful that I can finally make it happen!”

Continue scrolling for a complete list of TiaCorine’s headlining shows.

TiaCorine’s 2024 Tour Dates On The Monster Energy Outbreak Tour

03/02 — Chicago, IL @ Avondale Music Hall
03/03 — Columbus, OH @ Woodlands Tavern
03/04 — Detroit, MI @ El Club
03/06 — Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
03/08 — New York, NY @ Racket
03/09 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
03/10 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry at the Fillmore
03/13 — Washington, D.C. @ Howard Theatre
03/14 — Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
03/16 — Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
03/17 — Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
03/19 — Dallas, TX @ House of Blues Cambridge Room
03/20 — Houston, TX @ House of Blues Bronze Peacock
03/23 — Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
03/24 — San Francisco, CA @ August Hall
03/27 — Seattle, WA @ Neumos

A few weeks ago, I asked if you knew Paul Giamatti is dating the actress who played his dominatrix on Billions? Now that this question has been answered (you do), I’d like to ask another: Did you know Paul Giamatti has a podcast where he has in-depth discussions about Bigfoot? His insistence on wanting to play a big ape suddenly makes a lot more sense.

On Chinwag, the Oscar-nominated actor and his co-host, author and philosopher Stephen Asma, have “a freewheeling series of conversations that dive deep (like, really, really deep) into the wilderness of the mind,” the podcast’s description reads. They ask questions like “are we living in a simulation?” and “what’s the most perfect sentence in literature?” and cover “science, the occult, philosophy, magic mushrooms… it’s all fair game!”

But mostly, Bigfoot. And Godzilla. And the Loch Ness Monster. Like here:

Marc Maron: “Who are your guys?”
Paul Giamatti: “Bigfoot.”

In a recent episode, Giamatti and Asma “read a letter from Keith, an airline pilot in Idaho who shares his incredible UFO sighting and belief in Interdimensional Sasquatch Travel,” before talking to guest Natasha Lyonne about, among other topics, doomsday preppers and body horror movies.

Oh yeah, and they interviewed Tom Hanks.

If Giamatti wins an Oscar, he better thank Bigfoot in his acceptance speech. After going to In-N-Out, of course. You can listen to every episode of Chinwag here (and thanks to @Srirachachau for bringing the podcast to my attention).

Kayshon Boutte was once one of the most highly touted young wide receivers in college football after he burst onto the scene for LSU as a freshman, breaking the SEC record with 308 receiving yards against Ole Miss in 2020. However, Boutte never quite built on the promise of that season as hoped, and when he declared for the NFL Draft as a junior in 2023, he ended up as a sixth round pick of the New England Patriots.

Apparently over his last year at LSU, Boutte, who was not 21 yet, created an online betting account under a false alias and was an incredibly frequent bettor. On Thursday, Boutte was arrested by Louisiana State Police and booked in Baton Rouge on “one felony count of computer fraud and one misdemeanor count of gaming prohibited by persons under 21.” LSU released a statement regarding their cooperation with the investigation that eventually led to Boutte’s arrest, insisting no other players were involved in the gambling activities, via NOLA.com.

“In July 2023, LSU was made aware of allegations regarding a former student-athlete’s improper conduct related to sports gambling while enrolled at the University,” LSU said in a statement. “Since then, we have fully cooperated with all relevant authorities involved in the investigation and will continue to do so. We have no evidence that any other student-athletes participated in these prohibited activities, and we are grateful for measures that detect and discourage sports gambling related misconduct.”

The news release from the State Police says Boutte placed over 8,900 wagers, at least 17 of which were on NCAA football games and at least 6 of which were on LSU football from April 6, 2022 to May 7, 2023.

Betting on football games you were involved in is never a good idea, no matter what the bet was, but I’m more flabbergasted by the nearly 9,000 bets he placed in the span of just over a year. That is some wild gambling behavior and I cannot help but wonder what his win-loss rate was because that’s an incredible volume of bets. I mean, that is in the range of 25 bets per day for a full year, which is honestly hard to do. Boutte’s football career was already on the rocks after rarely seeing the field as a rookie with 2 catches for 19 yards, and this won’t help his cause trying to find footing in the NFL.