Virtual Tackles, Real Money
The Pats are in camp this month. Ditto for the Boston video-game sharks who rule the high-stakes world of Madden NFL.
- POINT SHAVING John Lafferty in his element, dominating Madden at a local barbershop. Photo by Mark Ostow.
John Lafferty, a.k.a. Big Laff, is a hustler. The gig works simply enough: Laff and some of his crew—it could be Flatline, RG, or perhaps Danny the Dog, stroll into a Boston or Cambridge barbershop to see if anyone’s up for a little Madden NFL, the ultrapopular video game. PlayStation and Xbox systems are already set up in most of the places he visits, so once Laff finds a taker, it’s on.
Pool hall aficionados will recognize the rest of the routine—play for cash, lose a few games, lull your opponent into a false sense of confidence, then crush him with Belichickian calm. “Once they lose $100, $200, $300, all of a sudden they want to double-or-nothing on $600,” Laff says, his Boston accent tinged with pride. “I’m pretty clutch.”
Laff, a swaggering 27-year-old cable guy, is all business with a game controller. He got hooked as a computer science major at Salem State College, where he went dorm to dorm playing—and profiting from—the game. He hasn’t stopped since. Along the way, Laff’s staked a claim as king of the underground Madden circuit that thrives in Boston. Three years ago he formed the Boston Ballers Club; his reputation has since swelled. (Serious hustlers run in crews—it helps them pool betting money.) “Sometimes I’ll get a phone call from somebody who thinks he’s better and wants to play,” he says. It’s easy money—in a decent week Laff and a handful of associates can haul in $3,000.
Still, like the pros say, it’s preparation that makes all the difference. Each August the game’s maker, Electronic Arts, releases an updated version of Madden. That means new plays to memorize, new tricks to learn—and most important, new glitches to discover and exploit. Last year, gamers scored easily when their quarterbacks zipped the ball to tall receivers, who were curiously immune to defenders while jumping. EA says the problem is fixed in the ’08 version, so Laff will be on the hunt for the latest loophole.
When last season’s Madden debuted, Laff spent four days holed up at his place in Woburn getting acquainted with it. This year he’s got other demands to balance, as a recently divorced dad (his devotion to Madden brought it on, he says) who wants to spend more time with his two young sons. Of course, that may have to wait: Laff’s found a guy who, for $50, can get him the new Madden a full week before it hits stores on 8/14.
Pool hall aficionados will recognize the rest of the routine—play for cash, lose a few games, lull your opponent into a false sense of confidence, then crush him with Belichickian calm. “Once they lose $100, $200, $300, all of a sudden they want to double-or-nothing on $600,” Laff says, his Boston accent tinged with pride. “I’m pretty clutch.”
Laff, a swaggering 27-year-old cable guy, is all business with a game controller. He got hooked as a computer science major at Salem State College, where he went dorm to dorm playing—and profiting from—the game. He hasn’t stopped since. Along the way, Laff’s staked a claim as king of the underground Madden circuit that thrives in Boston. Three years ago he formed the Boston Ballers Club; his reputation has since swelled. (Serious hustlers run in crews—it helps them pool betting money.) “Sometimes I’ll get a phone call from somebody who thinks he’s better and wants to play,” he says. It’s easy money—in a decent week Laff and a handful of associates can haul in $3,000.
Still, like the pros say, it’s preparation that makes all the difference. Each August the game’s maker, Electronic Arts, releases an updated version of Madden. That means new plays to memorize, new tricks to learn—and most important, new glitches to discover and exploit. Last year, gamers scored easily when their quarterbacks zipped the ball to tall receivers, who were curiously immune to defenders while jumping. EA says the problem is fixed in the ’08 version, so Laff will be on the hunt for the latest loophole.
When last season’s Madden debuted, Laff spent four days holed up at his place in Woburn getting acquainted with it. This year he’s got other demands to balance, as a recently divorced dad (his devotion to Madden brought it on, he says) who wants to spend more time with his two young sons. Of course, that may have to wait: Laff’s found a guy who, for $50, can get him the new Madden a full week before it hits stores on 8/14.
Originally published in Boston magazine, August 2007
