There is a charm to the game. You're gonna loose your money anyway sooner or later - generally sooner. It certainly has put me in a situation that whenever I travel, I'm easily recognized. And I believe it's fair to say that the movie has created a somewhat of a fan club for Frank Rosenthal over the last 3-4 years. Other than that, I'm not sure if I really quite understand the affect it had on me.
People seem to be in awe of the character in the movie.
That's a very good question. A good handicapper is someone that has spent most of his adult life, if not all of it, studying and educating himself. To be a good handicapper it requires that you want to eat, sleep, and drink the game as opposed to 9-5. It's a lifestyle where you have to be very disciplined-not only disciplined, you can't have any weaknesses in your character, or you shouldn't have. Weaknesses being someone that indulges anything other than very, very clean living.