By Dan Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
If it’s Tuesday, the kickoff for an NFL game must be near, right?
The game with the Buffalo Bills at the Tennessee Titans was pushed from Sunday to the day after Monday Night Football after Titans players and staffers tested positive for the coronavirus.
Still, it was a battle of unbeaten NFL teams. And there was a line to the betting window at Red Rock Resort’s race and sportsbook in western Las Vegas. A fairly long line, too. It had to be the NFL game — there’s rarely a line for Major League Baseball games.
We liked the home ‘dog, Tennessee at +3.5 points, enough to join the queue of other masked bettors. By the time we got to the window and the ticket writer had wiped down the counter, it was Tennessee +3 at even money. OK, close enough for a casual bettor.
By the time we looked up, the Titans were leading 14-7 en route to a 42-16 win over the Bills. We beat the NFL about as often as there is a full moon on a rainy day in the desert so we were elated but wondering why we hadn’t at least considered the money line.
Fast forward to Thursday: There was no NFL Thursday Night game, but there was Major League Baseball. We were intrigued whether or not the Houston Astros could stay live in the ALCS series with the Tampa Bay Rays. We also had a lean to the over in the NLCS between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers were nearly 2-1 favorites in the game, and we saw a total of 9. With Clayton “Don’t Count on Me in the Playoffs” Kershaw going for the Dodgers, and with the Dodgers also capable of scoring runs, we thought a high-scoring game was possible. We didn’t make the bet, but the Braves put up a six-spot in the sixth inning to open up a close game and eventually win, 10-2. A black-chip bet on the Braves at +185 parlayed with the over paid $470.
And the Astros, down 3-0 at one point, survived again with a 4-3 win to force a Game 6.
By Saturday, there were crowds in the race and sportsbook and more baseball drama. We figured the crowds were there for college football and maybe boxing and the UFC.
We decided to play West Virginia, which was hosting Kansas. We saw -22 and -21 for the Mountaineers. But by the time we got to the window for the nationally televised game, the number had moved to West Virginia -20.5 but at -115. OK, again close enough for the casual bettor. The Mountaineers took their time to get rolling, but finally led 17-10 in the second half. Then 24-10. Then 31-10. They scored one more time to make it 38-10, but the Jayhawks answered to make the final 38-17.
You do the math, but the final score illustrates how even casual bettors need to carefully watch those shifting point spreads.
Elsewhere:
— Clemson, ranked No. 1 in college football, was 1-3 ATS going into their game on Saturday vs. Georgia Tech. Laying 27, the Tigers routed the Yellow Jackets, 73-7. Over 64.5 paid, too.
Clemson is a -44.5 point home favorite vs. Syracuse on Saturday.
— Teofimo Lopez upset Vasyl Lomachenko in a lightweight unification bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Lopez won a unanimous decision Saturday over Lomachenko and rewarded bettors at about +300.
Retired boxer and occasional gambler Floyd Mayweather took to social media to proclaim he had won $20,000 on a $6,500 bet on Logan.
— Bettors playing over in the nationally televised No. 3 Georgia at No. 2 Alabama game on Saturday had a fairly easy time. The total closed at around 57.5 or 58, and Alabama led 34-24 after three quarters. The Crimson Tide scored again in the fourth quarter to close the door on the total and also reward side bettors who laid anywhere from -5 to -6 on Alabama.
Alabama has gone over the total in all of its four games. They are -20 at Tennessee on Saturday with the total around 61.5.
— The Las Vegas Raiders are +3 at home vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. The total is 53.5.
— The Dodgers rallied to beat the Braves, 4-3, in a Game 7 on Sunday to advance to the World Series. And the Rays finally eliminated the Astros, 4-2, in a Game 7. After opening as high as -210 at William Hill, the Dodgers are now around -195 to win the Series, ESPN reported. The Rays are about +165.
First pitch is scheduled for at 5:09 p.m. PDT on Tuesday. There are no Tuesday NFL games on the schedule this week.