What is a Mush?

There are a great deal of intricacies in sports betting. You have many factors which go into betting on a game. Hopefully you are able to factor in all variables and see a clear edge. You can then bet that edge and make a profit. That is, unless you are a mush.

Simply put, a mush is a person who loses games. But they don’t just lose more than they win. They are so good at picking losers (which they think will be winners) that other people are aware of it and sometimes will cancel their own bet or even bet opposite.

In casino terms, a mush would be akin to a “cooler”. A cooler is a person who sits at a hot table and “cools” the table. Whether it be by his own play (screwing up the deck), his distracting personality, or the invisible cloud which hovers over him at all times, he is a curse on the table at which he sits. He and everyone around him start losing their hands. They even did a very well-made movie featuring a cooler called… that’s right.. “The Cooler“. It features William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin. It is recommended viewing for sure.

Anyone belonging to a group of friends that bets on sports knows of a mush or knows a mush personally. In my own sports bar betting days, we had a mush who worked as a bartender there. I remember one time in particular, a bar patron had placed a bet on his beloved N.Y. Giants against the Ravens in Super Bowl 35. He was pumped when he came in that day because his Giants were playing very well and were 2.5 point favorites. That is until he asked our mush which side he bet. When he learned that the mush bet the Giants too he fell into despair. There was no consoling him.

Betting Opposite of a Mush

There are some folks who find out which side of a game the mush likes and bet the other way. But this is a tricky proposition because even a broken clock is right twice a day. Plus, if there really is some magical force around the mush which makes him lose, you may be messing with that formula by using it to try to gain. Personally, I use mush information to avoid placing certain bets or confirming a bet I already liked. I never just bet opposite of a mush. This feels like it invites bad Juju to me.

Famous Mushes

Eddie the Mush from “A Bronx Tale”

Most recently, you have probably read about Mattress Mack. This guy owns a furniture store in Texas and runs specials all the time where he ties sporting events in with his giveaways. No matter the reason, the guy sucks at picking winners at sportsbooks. You can see Mattress Mack’s betting record here.

The term mush has been around for a long time. The most famous use of the term was in the 1993 movie A Bronx Tale. There is a line from the movie: “Eddie Mush was a degenerate gambler. He was the world’s biggest loser. He was “Mush” because everything he touched turned to mush.”.