By Jeff Haney

Wed, Apr 11, 2001 (10:25 a.m.)

Jeff Haney's sports betting column appears Wednesday. Reach him at 259-4041 or haney@lasvegassun.com

Don't let anyone tell you it doesn't matter where you bet baseball.

All baseball betting lines are not created equal.

Savvy baseball bettors insist on 10-cent lines, or "dime lines," which offer the most bang for their gambling buck.

In a game carrying a dime line, a minus 130 favorite would be paired with an underdog of plus 120. If that same game carried a 20-cent line, the underdog would get back only plus 110.

Ten cents on the dollar, even for a moderate bettor, can easily add up to hundreds, possibly thousands, of dollars over the course of a baseball season.

In fact, it has been suggested that patronizing sports books which do not offer dime lines constitutes a grave disservice to fellow gamblers -- perhaps a bit overdramatic, but what a wonderful illustration of the serious sports bettor's fierce dedication to his craft.

Here's a rundown of baseball betting lines offered by Las Vegas-area casinos:

The strongest dime lines

The best bets for baseball bettors, the following sports books don't break their dime line until the minus 180 to minus 200 range.

If you see, for example, a minus 175 favorite listed on your Don Best screen, you can be sure you'll get plus 165 on the underdog at these places.

Las Vegas Club: Consistently one of the best places anywhere to bet baseball, stays with a dime line up to $2.00.

Hard Rock: Often overlooked, this off-Strip book offers good value to baseball bettors.

Club Fortune: Always overlooked, this Henderson book carries -- of all things -- the Cal-Neva line out of Northern Nevada. A taste of Virginia Street right here in the Las Vegas Valley.

Stardust: Home of the wise guys.

Circus Circus properties: Includes Luxor and Excalibur, but not Mandalay Bay, which is a stand-alone sports book.

Coast Resorts properties: Includes Barbary Coast, Gold Coast, Orleans, Suncoast, Plaza. Extra credit for hanging lines at night for the next day's games.

El Cortez: Also posts overnight lines.

Jerry's Nugget: Independent North Las Vegas book.

Rio: Breaks from a dime line to 15 cents at exactly minus 180 -- that is, minus 170/plus 160, but minus 180/plus 165 -- which is still solid.

'Early-breaking' dime lines

The following sports books start out with a dime line but break it at approximately minus 150.

These are fine for favorites and small underdogs, but if you're betting 'dogs in the $1.50-$2.00 range, you'll often find more value elsewhere.

If you see a minus 165 favorite listed, figure on a plus 150 takeback on the underdog.

Aladdin: Goes to a 15-cent line after minus 150, and then quickly to a 25-cent line after 170.

Stratosphere: Takes a step in the right direction after going with a 15-cent line a year ago.

Station Casinos properties: Includes Palace, Boulder, Sunset, Texas, Santa Fe, et al.

Others in this category are the Regent, Sahara, Frontier, Leroy's, Castaways, Poker Palace, Arizona Charlie's, Terrible's, Harrah's and Mandalay Bay.

Non-dime lines

If you're tempted, remember your fellow gamblers ...

Mirage properties: Last season Mirage properties dealt a unique line that started at 10 cents and broke to 11 cents at minus 130, 12 cents at minus 140 and so on.

That seemed to satisfy baseball bettors.

Now they're dealing a (shudder!) 20-cent line.

That seems to tick off baseball bettors.

Great poker rooms.

Great buffets.

Difficult to justify betting baseball games here.

Park Place properties: Caesars, Flamingo, Bally's, Paris & Co. are dealing a 15-cent line.

Horseshoe: A 20-cent line.

Imperial Palace: A 15-cent line.

Venetian: A 15-cent line.

(Of course, 20-cent lines are standard when it comes to betting totals and run-lines).

Boston College opened minus 120 over North Dakota in Las Vegas sports books, while one major offshore establishment opened BC minus 170.

Arbitrage, anyone?

BC was bet up to minus 130 in Las Vegas and went on to post a 3-2 overtime victory.

A Thunder Gulch colt trained by Bob Baffert, Point Given scored an electrifying 5 1/2-length victory Saturday at Santa Anita. He's now a 2-1 shot to win the Kentucky Derby at Bally's, 9-5 at the Venetian and 8-5 at the Imperial Palace.

Runner-up in last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Point Given opened at 40-1 to win the Derby in Bally's future book.