Norman Freedman is 83 but vividly recalled details of a bad beat he suffered 40 years ago, when Earl “The Pearl” Monroe mysteriously turned his apparent $2,000 win into a $100 loss.
Basketball
Most avid sports bettors and poker players can write a book on bad beats. It would be a tragicomedy about the most agonizing losses of their gambling lives that double as miracle wins for other bettors.
The Westgate sports book has Tiger Woods at 20-1 to win the Masters and 5-1 to win any major in 2018.
The Browns have got nothing on the Dolphins when it comes to dealing bettors a bad beat.
The Boston Celtics, who defeated the defending champion Golden State Warriors 92-88 on Thursday, have the league’s best record against the spread at 13-2-1. The Philadelphia 76ers are second with an 11-3 ATS mark.
An unidentified bettor at CG Technology sports book used his phone app to make one $220,000 wager on the Rams at minus-12½ points over the Texans and another $220,000 bet at minus-13.
The 1994 Arizona State point-shaving scandal was one of several uncovered over the years with the help of Las Vegas bookmakers, who are on the same side as the NCAA and major pro sports leagues when it comes to wanting to protect the integrity of the games.
The odds are 9-1 that rookie point guard Lonzo Ball will help lead the Los Angeles Lakers to their first playoff appearance in five years.
From buying a ticket from a scalper for Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary’s in the WCC tournament to counting the hoodies at the WSOP, the Las Vegas Valley offers a Bucket List for those who prefer to stay close to home.
The Patriots-Cowboys matchup is the 6-1 favorite after opening at 7-1 at the Golden Nugget sports book, which has posted odds on all 256 possible Super Bowl LII matchups.
NFL players are prohibited from betting on NFL games and making promotional appearances at casinos, but are allowed to wager on other team sports, per the league’s gambling policy, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed in an e-mail to the Review-Journal.
Early action on the Patriots, Jaguars and Browns pushed their respective season win totals to 11.5, 6 and 4.5 at the South Point sports book.
The state’s sports books won a record $41.275 million on basketball in March, a hold of 9.61 percent from a record handle of $429.5 million.
The biggest move on NFL Week 1 regular-season lines is on the Raiders-Titans total, which is at 52 after opening at 53½.
The odds on Tiger Woods winning a major this season are still at 25-1 at the Westgate but the odds are against the 41-year-old ever winning another PGA Tour event.