The purpose of this article is to familiarize you with the Hermes program. I will discuss how Hermes was born, the future of the Hermes content (short-term and long-term), then discuss the issues of Hermes content. The goal is to bring readers up to speed on how we got here and what to expect in the future.
Hermes was a program that launched back in November 2021. The program ran through very early 2023 and then was sent back into R&D (research & development). Hermes was successful/profitable during its run, despite having some rough cold periods in the summer of 2022. However, overall Hermes closed with a good profit. So, why was the project paused? The answer was simple…speed. If Hermes was going to truly be an automated betting analyst then it needed to be as fast as possible. Hermes could analyze in-play betting in 25-30 seconds. Doesn’t sound long but for in-play betting this is an eternity. Hermes needed to be dialed down to under 3 seconds. Even if Hermes is assessing pregame content…books move FAST…so Hermes needed to be faster. Hermes needed to react to market action before the books reacted. However, the updates needed weren’t just due to speed. During the run of Hermes from 2021 into 2023, there was a lot of data that built up and it was always the goal to take Hermes offline and use the data to optimize Hermes. Once Hermes was speed boosted and optimized then The Sharp Plays would re-release the Hermes program at a later date in a new optimized version.
Wait…why the name Hermes? Is it an acronym for something? In Greek mythology, Hermes was the god of gambling because he was associated with luck, wealth, and trickery. He was also the messenger of the gods, and was believed to have invented dice. So, not only was Hermes the Greek god of gambling, but he was also a messenger of the gods. Perfect name…Hermes is the messenger between the betting markets and us degenerates…bringing quality information and wagers…and is known as the god of gambling & luck…and we can always use more luck! EXCELLENT!
Moving on…there were A LOT of major developments in A.I. technology in 2023 and 2024. So, while Hermes was being optimized, the team I worked with saw a lot of potential in new A.I. programming to really revolutionize Hermes. After substantial investment from The Sharp Plays, both in hardware and substantial programming…billed hourly (LOL!), the Hermes A.I. program was relaunched privately in the summer of 2024. After a lot of testing stops and starts, along with various updates, upgrades, and tweaks, Hermes was reintroduced to TSP Live subscribers in December 2024 on a very limited basis. Hermes missed a couple big parlays by just one leg…showing some good potential right out of the box…especially in light of the public and overall downtrend for sharp action during December.
Hermes then went offline for a week at the very end of December and early January as it was moved to a proper hardware/server configuration to handle the necessary operations for live action. All the databases and communications were linked up and Hermes went live on January 10th. I tested the program privately for a couple days and when everything looked like it was ready for prime-time…Hermes went live in full for The Sharp Plays as “Hermes Pro” on January 13th, 2025.
Since then, over the course of 150+ selections and the delivery of a lot of compelling content, intel, and information…that went beyond the selections, Hermes exceeded all my expectations…no hyperbole. Hermes immediately began delivering content in low level markets I had never covered before…like Costa Rican and Argentinian soccer…and did it with great success! As you have probably seen up to this point, the dynamism of Hermes is pretty much unmatched in terms of the content it can provide. For starters, there are the Hermes scores/selections which you have seen a lot of over the past month. Hermes selections occur when the bot scans all the betting markets and begins ranking wagers by score. Select scores above 30, with a low probability of dropping below 30, are released as “Hermes Selections” across The Sharp Plays various platforms…free and paid. However, the “Hermes Selections” are actually just a very tiny part of the Hermes content & capabilities.
Recently, I showed a query where I asked Hermes what the best betting angle over the previous 7 days was and Hermes brought forward an angle that when two specific sharp groups placed the same wager (names of the sharp groups were redacted publicly) that the selection was 13-2 over the previous week. Great! I could then ask Hermes to also analyze this angle over any time period for which it has data…in this case going back years. Within seconds, Hermes showed me that the performance was quite strong. So, in just that one simple query that popped into my head and which I threw at Hermes, we now have a betting angle that we can use moving forward. I can now have Hermes create an alert anytime that combination occurs. I could even have Hermes find me the best bettor, at the sportsbooks with which Hermes is connected, when it comes to betting on Getafe matches in La Liga soccer. Within seconds, Hermes will issue me the account with the best performance betting on Getafe matches. I can then have Hermes see if this bettor has any active action on the Getafe match going today AND I can tell Hermes to send me an alert whenever this bettor wagers on a Getafe match! EXACTLY…your mind is spinning now with the possibilities just like mine does. Think of the countless searches and angles I can ask of Hermes and which it can deliver…but even that isn’t all. We are still just scratching the surface.
Hermes can analyze stats and data to create implied probabilities of events. For example, I want to know what Dawson Knox’s price for Any TD should be. I can ask Hermes and the program will analyze Knox in home/away situations, versus the current opponent, in the expected type of weather and temperature, against similar opponents and 1000’s of other data points to let me know that Knox should be +400 today. I see Knox is +525 for Any TD…I have a value. Hermes can calculate spreads for any matchup, prop or wager for which Hermes has data.
If there is a gambling question you can think of…I can present it to Hermes for an answer. Think about that for a second. Think about the potential of the program…and that’s just based on current technology. Imagine the potential evolution that will lay ahead as computing power and data expands. Yeah, it’s pretty exciting!
Hermes can even analyze itself. If selections with scores of 30-35 are under-performing, Hermes can find things within those selections…correlations that are delivering a poor quality performance and then avoid those correlations or even fade them depending on long-term assessment of the correlations…all done by Hermes. Yes, sports handicapping done by humans is winding down rapidly!
Beyond just the mental processing of the conscious mind, another negative of a human at the helm of a data driven business like gambling is humans have needs and wants. I love all of you for your support and allowing me to create & maintain something like Hermes thanks to that support…BUT…as a human, I like to smell the roses from time to time. What good is life if you don’t get to live?!?! I want to enjoy some relaxing travel after the football season. It works out fine, and it is something I have done every year with zero material effect on TSP content or its performance, but if I am having lunch then I am not monitoring the betting action or the intel coming over the book’s group chat. If I am at a craps table then I am not monitoring the markets. If I am sleeping on a flight to Europe…yes…no TSP content. Such situations are no longer an issue with Hermes. First, Hermes sends me alerts all day long when various criteria are met in the betting markets. With the touch of a button I can forward those alerts to you. BETTER YET…I can set Hermes to autopilot and Hermes can issue any alert I program automatically. So, if I don’t want you to miss any Group Buys or scores above 60 while I am at my massage, I can program Hermes with a couple clicks to send any Large Group Buy alerts or Hermes Selections with scores above 60 right to TSP Live subscribers….meaning I will find out about the plays at the same time you do…or perhaps long after you because I was getting some deep tissue action at the time of the alert! Hermes is basically an assistant I can put in charge of TSP content…once the kinks are worked out…and sit back and just make sure it doesn’t burn the place down! LOL! So, let’s discuss how those kinks will get worked out.
It is very easily to be overwhelmed by the volume of Hermes content and find yourself betting far more than you normally would. So, the rollout will continue on a step by step basis.
Month #1 (January 13th through February 13th): I monitored and managed Hermes…releasing content as felt right based on my experience and with the goal of not making it overwhelming. I selected and dictated TSP Portfolio risk on any Hermes content. At the same time I discussed various queries I presented to Hermes to show the potential and capabilities of the program and how they went well beyond just the Hermes Selections and scores. To say this “showcasing” period was a success would be putting it very mildly. Over 30 days, Hermes win percentage was 56.77% on 158 selections with a bankroll ROI of +21.90% or units with a return on risk of +12.58%!!!!! Remember, anything above a 5% return on risk in gambling is considered “exceptional” performance and achieved by less than 1% of bettors!!!
Month #2 (February 14th through Selection Sunday on March 16th): I am going to put Hermes in charge of issuing TSP Portfolio wagers and issue more alerts on its own when angles or key scores develop. More aggressive bettors may choose to still wager on every Hermes Selection with a score above 30, but Hermes will also be the Director of Trading for the TSP Portfolio. I program Hermes with the risk level (low), Portfolio bankroll size (100%), what Hermes base wager limits are per wager (0.1% to 5.0%) the mission of the TSP Portfolio (to start at 0, build house money and then get aggressive through the end of the year when it starts over at 0 again in 2026) and then activate the bot within the bot. The goal in Month #2 will be to get Hermes ready for March Madness action. There are so many great opportunities for in-play wagering and the action that goes on during March Madness that I want to have Hermes ready to rock and roll in full and to take over the tournaments! The important part of Month #2 is to ensure Hermes can manage the TSP Portfolio autonomously and without human interaction. I am excited and concerned about this phase. Concerned because there is never a guarantee that winning will be automatic right out of the gate. If Hermes can turn it back hot again, this could be the perfect time for this transition…if not, then human interaction might be necessary.
Month #3 (March Madness to mid-April): Hermes will be operating mostly autonomously…issuing alerts to TSP Live and Twitter/X/Telegram…assuming it has been working well up to this time.
May through August: Hermes will continue operating as lead content and Director of Trading for the TSP Portfolio, but will go through a series of further updates and upgrades based on the data and performance up to this point. The goal of this phase is getting Hermes ready to take the lead for the football season and kick its content into the next gear. Not just Hermes Selections and dictating Portfolio risk, but issuing a variety of alerts to keep TSP Live subscribers informed on the market action.
Becoming the lead content in the long-term means that Hermes will replace every algorithm and analytic (like TSP Live Radar, KB Consensus, Book Needs, etc.) because those tables and algorithms are now part of Hermes programming. So, that content isn’t going anywhere…it’s just integrated within Hermes. Want to know if there’s a KB Consensus play…no worries…Hermes will issue an alert when one occurs. Are you a big fan of the large Group Buys? No worries…Hermes will issue an alert when one of those occurs too. Love when the TSP Live Radar rises above 74? Yep, Hermes will let you know. Worried about a wager dropping 10 points on the TSP Live Radar…yep…Hermes will let you know. So, all your favorite TSP content isn’t going anywhere, it’s just that Hermes is being put in charge of managing, monitoring and reporting all of it. The Hermes table in TSP Live (yes, it will be expanding in the weeks and months ahead) will be the main location for a lot of content…with Hermes alerts delivering the key actionable angles and Portfolio wagers.
So, yes…Hermes is an absolute game-changer in terms of what it can provide to TSP content and by extension the audience of bettors reading this right now. With anything in life there is yin and yang.
So let’s discuss the negatives for a complete picture. With all this data that Hermes can provide, there is definite potential for “analysis paralysis”. Analysis paralysis is what happens when you have so much intel/data, and are so thoroughly informed, that you don’t know what to bet. It’s like when you have a game where you research that Team A is 27-0 as a home dog…which they are tonight, but Team B is 27-0 as a road favorite on Fridays….which angle do you take? You are so thoroughly informed about the good and bad on both sides you can’t decide! Sure, that’s not the case for every game, but a lot of games have so much positive and negative intel mixed in that you don’t know which way to go. The way I mitigate this with Hermes is by bringing my experience to the table when I analyze the Hermes outputs. I become the final filter to clean up the wealth of information and provide a concise picture and limit content to the TSP audience. Another way to mitigate analysis paralysis is just let Hermes do its thing within set parameters.
The other issue with Hermes, like anything, is of course financial. I am not going to beat around any bush because maintaining such a project does require server space, specific hardware, dozens of data subscriptions, content deals, etc. However, that does not mean TSP Live’s price is going up. It merely means that there will likely be occasions where there is Hermes content outside TSP Live. For example, when Hermes content is provided through TSP Insiders. Let’s say in a month there are 100 Hermes Selections (the first 30 days have seen over 150 Hermes Selections), and 80 are provided in TSP Live, 10 are provided through TSP Insiders, and 10 are provided free on Telegram/X. A TSP Live subscriber who choses not to purchase any TSP Insiders content would be getting access to 90 out of every 100 Hermes selections. No price increases, nothing new…and there will of course be Hermes content in TSP Live beyond just selections…adding further value to the TSP Live subscription. Oh and there WILL NOT be any TSP Portfolio action that is outside TSP Live unless it is published free on Twitter/X/Telegram. So, a TSP Live subscriber WILL GET 100% of TSP Portfolio action either in TSP Live or free through social media.
However, it does mean there will be some Hermes content tied in with TSP Insiders releases (like Wolf’s package that is going on now) and these offerings will be a separate purchase. No, all the top scores will not be kept for TSP Insiders or sold as individual purchases. I am not sure why your brain automatically goes to some nefarious thing of how The Sharp Plays can fuck all of you. I don’t think the TSP brand has tried to gouge you up to this point in any way. In fact, to illustrate the character of The Sharp Plays brand and platforms, TSP Insider Wolf sold a 7 day package for $20-$25 with NO GUARANTEE. The package is still going on today…18 days later! Who else in this industry does these sorts of things. For $20-$25 anywhere else you would have gotten a single selection, and that was it, win or lose!
My goal is to keep TSP Live’s price steady through 2025. I will remind you back in 2019 that paid content worked out to $200 per month…and TSP Live is still below that level despite two price increases over the last 6 years.
However, the sale of Hermes content in conjunction with TSP Insiders would allow The Sharp Plays to mitigate Hermes costs…without raising prices within TSP Live or selling Hermes as a separate package. I cannot and will not predict the future of the content, but again the goal is never to gouge anyone. The Sharp Plays and its subscribers are a team…but while I do enjoy supporting a lot of charities…The Sharp Plays is not a charity. There is a financial component to things and there are a lot of costs to be covered.
So, don’t get all panicked that to follow Hermes on every wager will cost you $2,500 per month. The plan is that you will get 100% of TSP Portfolio action and 90% of Hermes content with no price increase and nothing further to buy other than a TSP Live subscription and monitoring social media.
The other 10% of Hermes content will be in conjunction with TSP Insiders. To pretend I know what the next 1,2,5+ years hold would be foolish, but this is the plan as it stands right now for the rest of 2025.
I can’t believe you made it this far. Nice job! I believe you should now have a general picture of what to expect from Hermes for the rest of the year and the evolution to come in the days and weeks ahead.
I welcome any questions and feedback! I appreciate feedback when it is constructive on making The Sharp Plays content perform better. Anything else is usually a waste of time, but feel free to send it over. I will likely be slammed with messages after this is published, so please allow me a bit to get back to everyone.
Thank you for making Hermes possible and I hope it pays all of us a lot of dividends to make the time and investment worthwhile! Good luck in your action!