On Sports Betting: ‘Experts’ Had Mixed Results With Picks On Super Bowl LV
If you took their advice, how would you have fared?
At CBS SportsLine, R.J. White, “super stat geek” forecast the Kansas City Chiefs -3. “Even in Tampa, I love the Chiefs to get the win,” he posted.
Larry Harstein, “senior analyst,” favored Kansas City on the side and money line at around -155. “Look for the unheralded Chiefs’ defense to pressure Tom Brady up the middle as K.C. repeats.”
Kenny White, “the wizard of odds,” went with Tampa Bay +3, noting that Tampa Bay was 7-0 overall and 5-2 ATS since losing to Kansas City in Week 12.
Matt Severance, “severance pays,” liked the total under 56. He noted that “the under is 6-1 in the past seven Super Bowls with a total of at least 50 and that lone over took overtime to get there.”
So a couple of winners and a couple of losers, as is customary with the touts. The confetti has long stopped swirling around Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida, after the Buccaneers upended the Chiefs, 31-9.
Did you hold a winning ticket? Maybe a big payday prop bet (say, Bucs to win by +20 points or more)? Or was your ticket one of the many torn to bits and left to litter the race and sports book carpet?
Regardless, there’s Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Southern California in 2022 (when Tom Brady will be 44). At William Hill, the Chiefs are +550, the Green Bay Packers are +900, the Bucs are +1100 and the Ravens and Bills around +1200. If you like the Detroit Lions, New York Jets or Houston Texans for some reason, you can find them around +100000 or higher.
Elsewhere:
— The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Los Angeles Kings, 5-2, then dispatched the Kings again, 4-3, on Sunday. Both times the VGK were about -250 with the total at 5.5. With five goals scored in the first period on Sunday, over bettors had to like their chances.
“The bottom line is we’re winning in a league that’s hard to do,” coach Peter DeBoer told reporters after the game.
They next host the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday and Thursday and again are priced at around -250 with the total at 5.5 for Tuesday’s game.
— The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels managed to get by Air Force on Saturday with Bryce Hamilton back in the lineup after an ankle injury. Laying -13.5, the Rebels won 68-58. The total went under 131.5.
“It’s good to be back and fighting with my teammates and get this win,” the Rebels’ leading scorer told reporters.
The second game of the abbreviated series goes Monday evening. The number is around -14 with the total at 130.5.
— In college hoops, East Carolina’s upset of No. 5 ranked Houston on Wednesday had to be one of the notable surprises of the week. The Pirates were 16.5-point home ‘dogs and used a strong second half to win outright, 82-73. They covered by 25.5 points and were as high as +1100 on the money line.
— The 2021 NASCAR Cup season will hold its first scheduled event on Tuesday with the Busch Clash racing on the 14-turn, 3.61-mile road course at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florida. Chase Elliott is the favorite at about +225 at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, according to Vegas Insider. Martin Truex Jr. is 4/1 and Denny Hamlin is 10/1.
