Columnist Jeff Haney: Line shopping helps baseball bettors cut edge

Wednesday, May 30, 2001 | 10:54 a.m.

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

So why would a self-respecting baseball bettor give any action to a house that uses a 15- or 20-cent straddle instead of the (usually) more advantageous dime line?

Because sometimes -- surprisingly -- that's where the best value is.

As co-hosts Peter Ruchman and Andy Iskoe noted on the Lee Pete radio show recently, baseball bettors willing to shop around for the best lines have found more than a few "middles," "free bets" or nearly free wagers this season.

Often, part of the equation has involved a line posted at a 15-cent (Caesars, Hilton, Bally's, etc.) or 20-cent (Mirage properties) house -- even though these properties, at first glance, may appear unfriendly to baseball bettors.

As professional handicapper Robert Hunter once wrote: "Once in a while, you get shown the light, in the strangest of places, if you look at it right."

This week alone, sharp-eyed baseball bettors could have found the following bargains -- if they looked at it right:

As always, betting lines can and do change by the minute. The numbers presented here are based on Computer Sports World's odds archive. In any case, "middle" opportunities like these in other sports are extremely rare in modern-day Las Vegas.

What's the point of going to all that trouble just to lock in, say, four dollars? Well, consider this approach if you don't want to play the arbitrage game: Simply comparing lines around town can pare a 10-, 15-, or 20-cent line to a virtual -- albeit homemade -- 7-cent line, nickel line or better. Makes you wonder if anyone actually "pays retail" in the sports betting world anymore.

It has been speculated that the greater built-in house edge provided by a 20-cent baseball line allows those books to move prices more aggressively, which in turn leads to a greater variety of numbers for all bettors.

Also, the tourist (read: favorite) money that pours into large, dominant Las Vegas properties like Mirage and Park Place tends to drive up the takeback on underdogs there, setting up some late "scalping" opportunities for 'dog players.

To think that serious baseball bettors who bad-mouthed the Mirage earlier this year for adopting a 20-cent straddle are now making it a regular stop on their line-shopping itinerary.

The strangest of places, indeed.

The Stardust will hold a free thoroughbred handicapping seminar on Saturday, June 16, in the hotel's conference center. Scheduled to appear are Ken Massa, creator of Stardust Thoroughbred Ratings, and Tom Walters, a computer handicapper and Kentucky horse breeder. Massa will speak on thoroughbred class, and Walters will cover exotic wagering strategies for simulcast players.

The Stardust has six matchups on the board, including Vijay Singh (minus 145) against Justin Leonard (plus 125). Singh is a 10-1 second choice to win the event. Betting closes today. ...

In the U.S. Open (June 14-17), Woods is a favorite of 7-5 at the Stardust and Imperial Palace, even money at the Stations. ...

Here's sports handicapper Wayne Root, a GOP supporter and a vocal critic of the proposed college sports betting ban, on the recent developments on Capitol Hill: "I am literally jumping for joy at the Democratic takeover of the Senate. It's a much-needed warning shot directly at the close-minded, intolerant conservative wing of the GOP. ... The NCAA (betting ban) bill is effectively DOA. Senator (John) McCain will have to ride a different horse to the presidency. This one is dead." ...

Then there's this gem, courtesy of the crack marketing staff at the Casino Royale on the Strip: A recording of a syrupy female voice is played just outside the casino's main entrance, designed to lure passersby to the blackjack tables. The voice tells would-be gamblers about the casino's low minimum bets and its rules that allow bettors to double down on any two cards, or split and re-split pairs.

Finally, the disembodied voice tells us that here at the Casino Royale, "you can even hit on soft 17."

Uh, gee ... thanks!

Here's a tip: If you're a real nice customer, maybe toke the dealer a few dollars, they might even let you hit a soft 18, too.