Dreaming of a Big Payday? It’s Possible

Dreaming of a big payday?

Consider basketball. It appeared to be another routine Tuesday on the basketball hardwood — until unheralded Wake Forest came within a slightly errant last-second shot of upsetting Duke, and the Blue Devils hung on for a 71-70 win.

A black-chip money line bettor who had the Demon Deacons on the consensus money line of +4000 — down from as high as +10675 — would have enjoyed a lotterylike $400K payday with the right rim roll.

A little later the same day, the Golden State Warriors, -6, lost overwhelmingly to the Boston Celtics, 128-95, in NBA action. Boston, however, was a mere +230 on the money line. (We didn’t immediately see a reverse point-line available although that would have been an interesting wager. Say Boston, -20? At +1200?)

Unless you bet big and bet correctly, there was no big payday in the UNR at Air Force game on Tuesday. We were curious to see how the Wolf Pack would respond after the loss to Utah State and the ensuing post-game scuffle. Nevada was -14 for the game and perhaps 7.5 or 8 in the first half. They led at the end of the first-half, 45-41, and expanded the lead briefly in the second-half before winning, 90-79, but missing the cover.

We were briefly tempted to play perennial favorite Kansas on Tuesday as well. The Jayhawks, fighting for another conference title, opened as a slight favorite but the public drove the number all the way to -2.5. But that betting public had to be disappointed when Kansas fell, 81-68, to Oklahoma.

On Wednesday there was lively chatter on afternoon radio prior to the Calgary Flames meeting the suddenly streaking Vegas Golden Knights. The consensus among the handicapping pundits was that correlative parlays were the way to go in the battle between Pacific Division leaders. That is, if you favored the Knights, you might parlay with under 6.5 on the game; and if you leaned toward the Flames, a parlay with the over was not unreasonable. In this case, the pundits made some sense as the Knights slipped past the Flames, 2-1, delighting 18,422 delirious denizens at T-Mobile Arena and stirring up more fans on social media.

By Friday, it was inarguable that the premier NBA match-up was the Denver Nuggets at the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors continue to show signs of vulnerability as the playoffs approach and this was a good test of their postseason potential.

We liked the Warriors in this spot and liked the first-quarter line, half-time line and the line for the game at -6.5. Unfortunately, we played a “safe” bet, the first-half over 122, an ill-advised wager considering all the elements at play. In fact, a couple of handicappers at CBS SportsLine were correctly lined up on the under for the game. So we got what we deserved: a losing ticket by a few points that mercilessly went through the shredder.

But when Saturday dawned, we were out and about relatively early with a slew of questions:

— Could the Golden Knights at -170 continue their winning ways against the Vancouver Canucks?

— Could UNLV at +2.5 make a credible showing against Colorado State?

— Would UNR exact revenge upon San Diego State for that Feb. 20 defeat and cover -14?

— Could the Boston Celtics at -7.5 put an end to the L.A. Lakers misery?

— Was the grand salami in the NHL at 74.5 worth a look?

The answers were, respectively, yes, yes, yes, yes and are you serious?

As you almost certainly know by now, the Knights thrashed the Canucks, 6-2, leading to a fine payday for Knights/over bettors or those who wagered on the puck line. The Knights’ six-game winning streak came to an abrupt halt on Sunday, however, when the Flames defeated them, 6-3, in Calgary.

The Runnin’ Rebels won outright at Colorado State, 65-60.

The Wolf Pack avenged an earlier loss to the Aztecs with an 81-53 win that included a dominating 39-16 second-half performance.

And the Celtics cruised over the lifeless Lakers, 120-107.

And the grand salami? For Saturday, that landed at 73.5, according to Vegas Insider.

If you had under 74.5, pick up some sharp white cheddar or Gruyere cheese. We’ve heard it goes great with salami, and it might whet your appetite for the next big payday.