Money Shifts Back and Forth on VGK and Bettors are Rewarded (Sometimes)
Gutsy.
That’s the best way to describe the Vegas Golden Knights’ victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2, in a shootout last Tuesday.
Down 2-zip to an NHL powerhouse, the VGK could have folded up their Warrior Alpha QX hockey sticks and gone home. But they didn’t. Instead, they rallied to tie the game, survived overtime, then won 3-2 in a shootout.
The betting line on the game was intriguing. The Knights opened at +155, but the number fell to +130. We presume that was public money or square money by dyed-in-the-jersey Knights fan. But there was a little bounce — perhaps sharp money? — and the Knights went off at +135 before the puck drop.
We happened to catch most of the game while being out and about. And we think the general Las Vegas public is much more educated about hockey than, say, two years ago. But we heard one casino denizen ask, in earnest, “What’s a power play?” A dealer responded with alacrity and explained it.
We caught glimpses of a couple of college hoops games on Tuesday as well and made some notes:
— No knock on No. 1-ranked Tennessee, but we still like the Duke Blue Devils to win it all in the NCAA tourney. They covered by one point in their 80-55 win over Boston College.
— Michigan State, considered a No. 2 regional tourney seed, appeared to be in a freefall that would frighten even Wile E. Coyote after losing three straight, the latest coming in a 79-74 loss as 10.5-point favorites to Illinois.
— And there’s a seeming reordering underway in the Sunflower State after Kansas State went off as a 3-point favorite and dropped Kansas, 74-67, affirming the Wildcats’ perch at the No. 1 spot in the Big 12.
(More on those three teams later.)
By Wednesday, we turned out attention to the NBA. Based on some cursory research, we made a small investment in the Dallas Mavericks -5.5 vs. the Charlotte Hornets. Lady Luck was on our side as the Mavs prevailed 99-93. With a winner in the bag, we let a little ride on Golden State -9 in the first half vs. the San Antonio Spurs. After a fairly close 16 minutes or so, the Warrior went on a run and finished the first half up 66-52. (The Warriors eventually put away the Spurs for the game, 141-102 and handily covered -15).
It’s also worth mentioning that the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, 6-point underdogs on Wednesday vs. Boise State were down 43-39 at halftime, but came back to win, 83-72. Not sure we’d describe the win as “gutsy” but it was a least “gritty.”
By Thursday, the #GoKnightsGo fans were back, lighting up social media. That meant the local hockey team was in action, this time vs. the Detroit Red Wings. We had a slight lean on the Knights based on the simple premise that when they get rolling, they roll. But we didn’t care much for the price that zoomed all the way to -165.
We happened to be out and about late Thursday and watched a little of the game in which the underdog Red Wings scored first when a brilliant thought struck us. Hey, it happens. After the Red Wings scored, we meandered over to the counter at one of the local joints and confirmed that an in-game wager on the VGK was now +120.
“They’re down one?” the ticket writer asked when we gave him the in-game number.
“Yeah,” we responded, putting a little folding money on the counter.
As you know by now, the Knights rallied to defeat the Red Wings, 4-3.
By Saturday, the electronic boards in the local race and sports book were lit up like the stock exchange.
— We again liked Duke, this time at +2 vs. Virginia, an opinion that contrasted with at least one highly publicized tout. The Blue Devils prevailed, 81-71.
— We tried to fade Michigan State one more time. But the Spartans, energized by a Magic Johnson pep talk, put a stop to an unusual three-game skid and beat Minnesota, 79-65, as 14-point favorites.
— And Kansas State went into Waco, Texas, as a “pick” and defeated the Baylor Bears, 70-63.
Both Nevada teams were in action with UNLV, at +2.5, falling to Fresno State, 83-65, and UNR, -20.5, hammering New Mexico, 91-62. On any given, someone with a penchant for two-team parlays could play the Wolfpack and fade the Runnin’ Rebels and probably do just fine.
Saturday night offered a “prime time” NBA special and the Oklahoma Thunder at the Houston Rockets matchup developed into a competitive game late. We were tempted to play under the total of 238, but we demurred. Ironically, CBS was airing something called the AAF, the Alliance of American Football.
We would have bet a lively NBA game, which the Thunder won, 117-112, would have outdrawn the AAF premiere.
And we would have been dead wrong. Yahoo Sports reported the fledging Alliance of American Football reeled in more viewers the NBA game. Affirming, if there were ever any doubt, that just about any variation of football is king in America.
Saturday was a fairly routine night for the Vegas Golden Knights with the public driving the line all the way up to -180 on the local team vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets. All looked good for VGK bettors until Columbus scored twice late to win, 4-3. From “gutsy” to disappointing, all in the span of a few days.
So mark your calendars for the week ahead:
— The Vegas Golden Knights next will host the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday. Early line has VGK at -215.
— The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels next host Air Force, also on Tuesday. Expect the local team to be a short favorite.
— And the AAF has four more games on the schedule for Feb. 16 and 17. The championship game will be played April 27 at Sam Boyd stadium in Las Vegas.
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