Dave Oancea, the oft-derided sports activities handicapper, wager large and gained on a baseball card. To be particular, the closely criticized quasi-celebrity sports activities bettor bought a uncommon Mike Trout rookie card for $3.93 million after buying it for $400,000 in 2018.
Vegas Dave Oancea seen at a Lakers recreation earlier this 12 months with then-girlfriend Holly Sonders bought a baseball card for nearly $4 million. (Picture: Getty Photographs)
After fetching that $3.9 million price ticket in a bidding course of carried out by Goldin Auctions, the cardboard of the Los Angeles Angeles slugger is now probably the most helpful baseball card ever bought. It simply topped the $3.12 million paid in 2016 for the famed T206 Honus Wagner card, also called the “Jumbo Wagner.”
In sports activities playing cards, shortage is the secret, and the Trout card bought by “Vegas Dave” has that in spades. From the 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Superfractor assortment, the cardboard is the one certainly one of its sort. Oancea’s sale comes after an autographed Trout rookie card traded for $900,000 in Could.
As is par for the course with Oancea, he took to social media to brag about his success, doubtless additional drawing the ire of legions of critics that assert he’s not more than a “scamdicapper” – not a profitable skilled sports activities bettor.
Haters Gonna Hate
Oancea is among the most seen handicappers within the business. His brash methods and purported ties to high-profile athletes and Hollywood celebrities make him a goal for criticism among the many sports activities wagering group’s extra moral info suppliers.
Referring to his critics as “haters,” Oancea makes use of old-school advertising ploys to lure unknowing clients. These gimmicks embrace movies and social media posts in unique vehicles, boarding or leaving non-public jets, and pulling as much as Las Vegas casinos with giant sums of money in Hermes Birkin baggage.
His relationship with former Fox Sports activities host Holly Sonders additionally garnered loads of headlines within the Hollywood and sports activities betting worlds in 2019 and into this 12 months. Oancea leveraged that, too, incessantly posting photos of the couple on unique holidays, together with Cabo San Lucas. A few of the posts featured photographs or movies of the handicapper grabbing Sonders’ rear finish or making lewd feedback about their love life.
None of this stuff endear Vegas Dave to the reputable sports activities info group. Nor does his dreadful observe document on “whale” performs — picks he prices purchasers larges sums of money for that not often generate a return on funding.
Earlier this 12 months, he was criticized for capitalizing on the coronavirus sports activities shutdown by hawking picks on obscure sports activities, akin to curling, to unwitting purchasers.
Checkered Historical past
Along with his debatable observe document on the picks he sells, Oancea was indicted in April 2017 on 19 felony prices for allegedly utilizing pretend Social Safety numbers to open accounts at Las Vegas casinos. He prevented jail time, however he’s barred from Nevada sportsbooks for 3 years.
He rose to fame in 2015 for a 30-1 wager on the Kansas Metropolis Royals to win the World Collection, which netted him $2.5 million. Nevertheless, his document since then is doubtful, and there’s no scarcity of social media accounts, together with Twitter feeds and YouTube channels, detailing his sub-par sports activities betting performances.
