On Sports Betting: Dramatic Kansas City Comeback Sparks Super Bowl, Gives Chiefs A Cover
By Daniel Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
The line to bet on the game at one of the local casinos snaked past counter and nearly all the way to the bar.
The line to cash a ticket after the game was almost just as long, and a husky security guard and a supervisor monitored it closely.
Welcome to Super Bowl Sunday in Las Vegas, an almost irresistible elixir for serious football fans, bettors of all stripes and people looking to party.
When time expired, the Kansas Chief had rallied to defeat the San Francisco 49ers, 31-20. Bettors holding tickets on the Chiefs at -1.5 cashed as did those holding tickets on under 53.5 or 54.
But the final score doesn’t really convey the fourth-quarter drama. With the Chiefs trailing, 20-10 and a little over six minutes remaining, Super Bowl LIV had all the overtones of a Super Bore. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had thrown his second interception, making over on prop number 3557, total interceptions thrown by both teams, at 1.5 a winner.
Then Mahomes hit Tyreek Hill for a 44-yard gain that gave Chiefs bettors flickers of hope. (It also made the over good on prop number 3675, Hill’s longest reception over/under 27.5 yards.)
And when the Chiefs scored the winning touchdown minutes later, the party for Chiefs bettors was underway.
While the favorite won and covered, the 49ers were a popular pick among the sharp bettors and analysts. “Experts overwhelmingly side with 49ers and under,” a headline in a local newspaper read.
It turned to be a very good day for most books with Chiefs/over parlays dashed. An MGM official called it “the best day since 2008.”
But the Chiefs winning and covering meant many recreational bettors cashed winning tickets — even if they did have to wait in that line.
Most books reported solid profits on prop bets with no 2-point conversion, no safety and no overtime for the game. But Diehard Chiefs fans who bet prop number 3522, Chiefs -10.5, saw a nice payday at +290. And Mahomes scoring the first touchdown at 20-1 upset at least one operator.
Add in the rollicking crowds, the cheers and shrieks from the book, and the $1 hot dogs, and it’s easy to see why Super Bowl Sunday in Las Vegas is an unmatched experience.
The official Super Bowl handle will be announced later.
For hockey bettors, Super Bowl weekend actually began Friday with the Vegas Golden Knights at the Carolina Hurricanes in NHL action.
We were intrigued by the betting opportunity, at +120 for the VGK. It seemed like a good spot for the local team, which is eager to stay in the playoff hunt after a 10-day layoff. But ultimately, we decided to pass in favor of a consensus pick in college hoops.
The Knights, in their first game since a 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins way back on Jan. 21, defeated the Hurricanes, 4-3. The local team scored on a power play to notch the win and send the total over 6.
“Big goal, big win, important start to the road trip,” coach Peter DeBoer told The Associated Press after the game.
Hurricanes coach Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour on the Knights’ performance: “They played desperate, they played fast.”
The win must have surprised the data scientist over at CBS SportsLine, who was reportedly 9-4 in his last NHL plays. Citing the Knights’ poor record of late on the road, he picked the Hurricanes and was probably about as happy as anyone else who laid -130 on the home team.
Make that 9-5 in recent NHL plays.
And that consensus basketball play? It was Princeton -6 or 5.5 vs. Dartmouth. The Tigers defeated the Big Green, 66-44.
On Super Bowl Eve, the Golden Knights were back on the ice vs. the Nashville Predators. We had a slight lean again toward the VGK in this spot at +105 but didn’t play the game.
Nonetheless, the Golden Knights notched their second straight road win, downing the Predators, 3-0 with Marc-Andre Fleury completing his third shutout of the season and 59th of his career. Under 6 also paid.
“I thought we were good, that was a really solid 60,” DeBoer told The AP after the game. “We talked last night about building on the good things we did in last night’s game. I thought we did that tonight for 60 minutes. It started with our defensive play.”
Also on Super Bowl Eve, the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels were on the hardwood at the Colorado State Rams. We were seriously tempted to play the Rams at -6 but passed instead of what we thought was a better college hoops play.
The Rams were largely in control for most of the game, winning the first half, 41-36, en route to a 95-77 victory. The total flew over 146.
“Our focus got away from us,” UNLV coach T.J. Otzelberger told a local newspaper after the game. “We knew we needed to guard the 3-point line. We knew we had to guard them in transition, and when they got it going, we couldn’t turn them off.”
It was the first time this season the Rebels had allowed more than 90 points.
And that better college hoops play? It was BYU -6. The Cougars failed to cover in their 81-79 win over St. Mary’s but the first half line of -3 was a push.
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What’s next?
— The Golden Knights continue their road swing with a game at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
— UNLV visits the Utah State Aggies on Wednesday.
— Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder are each -110 in their 12-round heavyweight title fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Feb. 22.
— For those who look really far ahead, the Chiefs are 7/1 to win Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida, on Feb. 7, 2021. At the other end, the Washington Redskins are 200/1.
