FIVE STAR
Five Star grew up in Monroe, Louisiana with his grandparents after his parents
divorced in Houston, Texas. He learned patience and values from his hardworking
grandfather, Cephas Armstrong; and style and flair from his upbeat, eccentric
father John H. Linzy. As a child in rural Louisiana, he quickly gained a love
for playing sports joining youth league powerhouse The Marshals at only 7 years
old. He was the youngest of the regional winning team.
After the death of his grandmother, Five Star's grandfather was wrongfully denied his
employment pension. During this time he and his grandfather survived off public
assistance. Five Star watched sports from morning to night as an escape from
his dire situation at home. This infatuation with sports led him to participate
in school sports. Five Star shined in football and basketball at his school,
while also earning Valedictorian of his elementary and middle school.
In high school, Five Star became involved in his neighborhoods illicit activity as
a means to help his aging grandfather. One of his methods of making money was
betting football games at the local gambling shack. He quickly learned all of
his years of being glued to football on TV would end up making him a bankroll.
Five Star became known in his neighborhood as the “Golden Boy” and “Little Ace
Rothstein" for his ability to correctly predict games. Older hustlers in
his area began to pay him major money for his picks. He hid his involvement in
the streets from his family by continuing to excel in school. By graduation,
Five Star already owned two vehicles and a sneaker collection worth thousands
of dollars but never missed school and made the honor roll every semester.
After many scholarship offers, Five Star decided to stay close to home so he could
continue to help his now 80 year old grandfather. He accepted a full
scholarship to Grambling State University.
While attending college, Five Star became enamored with entrepreneurship. He quickly
became the campus bookie. After the dorm monitor learned of his sports betting
book in the dorm, he reported the activities to the Dean and Five Star was
suspended from school for the following semester. Five Star never returned.
Every summer, Five Star would visit his mother and father separately in Houston.
After having his scholarship taken because of his sports betting business, he
moved to Houston full time. Five Star quickly became popular in Southwest
Houston because of his style and confidence. Soon he would open a studio at the
tender age of 19 with his close friend Luther Devaughn. From his relationship
with local artists, he soon began promoting and booking shows. He found great
success which allowed him to invest in musical acts like MTV Riff Raff and
businesses like 713 Motoring. After turning 21, Five Star began traveling to
Las Vegas to legally bet sports every weekend. He built many lifetime
relationships that would benefit him later in life. Around 25 years of age,
Five Star partnered with the biggest underground sports book in Houston and
grew wagering in the city by being the first minority to bring legitimate Vegas
style betting to the city’s Southside.
In 2012 Five Star would meet his future wife while holding an event with Omar
Gooding. The couple would have their first child in 2013 and marry soon after.
After tiring of the liabilities of the collection process of local booking and
the growing crime in Houston, Five Star and his young family moved permanently
to Las Vegas settling in the Summerlin community in 2016. He became a full time
pro bettor and later a consultant for some of Las Vegas' most successful high rollers. In 2019, his good friend Lance Zierlien asked Five Star to replace RJ
Bell as the sports betting expert for his popular show “The Bench” on ESPN
97.5. This would launch many appearances and soon Five Star developed his own
show “The Wagering World” in 2021. He asked Spread Astaire to be his co-host and
one year later added Sino Royale, whom he introduced to sports betting in
Houston years prior, as a contributor.
“The Wagering World” is the first black owned and operated sports betting radio show
in America.
Five Star and The Wagering World continue to grow legal responsible sports betting
around the globe.