On Sports Betting: Vegas Golden Knights Baffle Handicappers But Finally Reward Bettors
By Daniel Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
Late Monday afternoon is a fine time for an NHL game.
The weekend is history, and Monday Night Football is more than an hour away.
And there were the Vegas Golden Knights, laying anywhere from -107 to -115 on the road vs. the Philadelphia Flyers.
Tempting. Oh so tempting.
Several touts agreed.
“With … the Flyers struggling to put it together so far, take Vegas,” wrote CBS Sports’ lead NHL writer.
Added a writer for the same service, who goes by the name of Money, “-107 is a nice value spot that I’m going to play.”
The Executive chimed in, too. “Take the value on the Knights,” he posted.
Were all the touts oblivious that Oscar Dansk was the goalie for this game and regular goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had the night off?
Regardless, you know how this played out. In a battle of backup goalies, the Flyers snapped a four-game losing streak before what The Associated Press called a “tepid” crowd and beat the VGK, 6-2.
So much for the “professional” opinions. We wonder if Money still has any. Has The Executive been demoted to The Apprentice?
The next night, the Knights returned to action on Tuesday with Fleury back in the net, survived and defeated the Chicago Blackhawks, 2-1 in a shootout. Knights bettors cashed tickets in the -130 range.
That Tuesday was a busy night for the books and for bettors. Game 1 of the World Series saw the upstart Washington Nationals, at +180 or so, edge the heavily favored Houston Astros and the total go “over” 6.5 in a 5-4 victory. And in what was undoubtedly the marquee match-up on the NBA’s opening day, the Los Angeles Clippers, +3.5, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 112-102. The total slid “under” 224. Let the hand-wringing from the Lakers fans begin.
There was a full slate of NBA action on Wednesday with 11 games for the basketball-starved bettor. We noticed “under” went 6-5 for the day, according to Vegas Insider.
But the real treat on Wednesday, for both sports fan and bettors, was Game 2 of the World Series. In that game, the Nationals again took down the heavily favored Houston Astros, erupting for six runs in the seventh inning en route to a 12-3 win. The Nats and starting pitching Stephen Strasburg were a fat +160, and the bombardment from the Nats’ bats in the seventh frame easily pushed the total “over” 7. A black-chip bettor on the Nats who parlayed the “over” cashed a ticket worth nearly $400.
On Thursday, we listened in to a little conversation on afternoon radio from another well-respected handicapper. After pointing out numerous stats and trends favoring the “under” on the Thursday Night Football game between the Washington Redskins and the Minnesota Vikings, the ‘capper ignored the obvious and said he would play the Vikings -10 in the first half and also on the game at -16.5 or so. Both of those bets fizzled. But “under” 42 was virtually a lock by the second half in uninspiring game won by the Vikings, 19-9.
The VGK were back in action on Friday and heavily favored vs. the Colorado Avalanche. But in a surprise, the Golden Knights laid a golden eggs and were outplayed, outworked and outhustled by the Avalanche in a 6-1 defeat. Coach Gerald Gallant publicly rebuked players for their performance, a rarity in itself. But if fans and players were disappointed, imagine how bettors felt who put their hard-earned dinero on the Knights at -170.
No one will accuse the UNLV Rebels of not trying in their 20-17 loss to San Diego State late Saturday. UNLV, 11.5-point underdogs, rallied to within three points with under six minutes to go. A potential 42-yard UNLV field goal that would have tied the game bounced off a goal post. The score fell shy of the 44.5-point total.
Also, Tiger Woods was a pleasant surprise for bettors who played him at +3300 to win the Zozo Championship in Chiba, Japan. Woods did just that, winning by three strokes in a tournament that finished Monday and tying Sam Snead’s PGA Tour record of 82 wins.
There was a full Sunday of NFL action that saw the soon-to-be Las Vegas Raiders give the Houston Texans all they wanted before losing, 27-24. Still, the Raiders covered 5.5. The total came in “under” 52.5.
Hungry sports fans and bettors could relax before a big screen with a mobile betting app if they wished on Sunday evening and graze among a crucial Game 5 in the World Series, Sunday Night Football and a chance to see if the Knights would redeem themselves after the Friday debacle.
By the time “Sports Center” was going on the air, the Astros had won Game 5, climbing back from a 2-0 Series deficit to take a 3-2 advantage, with a 7-1 victory over the Nationals and rewarding bettors who put down -230. Also the Green Bay Packers, -5.5, defeated the Kansas City Chiefs minus star quarterback Patrick Mahomes who sat with a dislocated knee cap. And the VGK were back in the good graces of their coach, fans and bettors who laid -240 or a more palatable +105 on the puck line after a 5-2 thumping of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
And the professional hockey handicappers for Sunday? Not a word on the Knights from the lead NHL writer or any others at CBS Sports.
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What’s next?
— The Pittsburgh Steelers are -14 vs. the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. The total is 43.5.
— Game 6 of the World Series is Tuesday with Justin Verlander -175 vs. Stephen Strasburg.
— The UNLV Rebels take their 2-6 record to Colorado State on Saturday. The Rebels are +10 with the total set at 61.
— The VGK will host the Montreal Canadians on Halloween.
— UFC 244 is on tap for Saturday at Madison Square Garden with Jorge Masvidal at -185 and Nate Diaz +155 in the welterweight main event.
