Columnist Jeff Haney: Hot run by Suns could burn bookmakers

Wednesday, April 27, 2005 | 9:31 a.m.

Jeff Haney's sports betting column appears Wednesday. Reach him at (702) 259-4041 or haney@lasvegassun.com.

NBA playoff series

Las Vegas Hilton odds

Detroit Pistons....-3000

Philadelphia 76ers....+2000

Houston Rockets....-380

Dallas Mavericks....+310

Indiana Pacers....-110

Boston Celtics....-110

Seattle SuperSonics....-240

Sacramento Kings....+200

Chicago Bulls....-180

Washington Wizards....+160

Updated odds to be announced today on Heat-Nets, Spurs-Nuggets and Suns-Grizzlies.

Long before they surprised the NBA by winning a league-best 62 regular-season games, the Phoenix Suns were listed at odds of 75-1 to win the 2005 championship.

The Stardust sports book took some bets at that price and now, with the Suns leading Memphis 1-0 in their first-round playoff series, it has some "exposure" -- or future-book liability -- on Phoenix, sports book director Bob Scucci said.

"For us, it's the Suns, obviously, that we're concerned about," Scucci said. "As good as they are, and with the big run they had ... at 75-1, the liability adds up quickly."

The Stardust, along with other sports books in Las Vegas, dramatically lowered the odds on the Suns as they continued putting together their magnificent season.

Late in the season, as it became clear Phoenix was the team to beat, odds on the Suns to win the NBA title tumbled to as low as 2-1 or 5-2, with sports book managers indicating they had all the Suns money they needed.

Still, the early tickets at 75-1 could be enough to deliver a blow to this year's NBA future book, said Scucci, who will be rooting instead for San Antonio or Detroit in the playoffs. A title in the NBA Finals by either of those teams would translate into a solid profit for the Stardust, Scucci said.

"We could use any of the favorites, really," Scucci said. "Even the Heat. After they acquired Shaq, we lowered the odds on them soon enough that we don't have any liability on them."

When Miami acquired Shaquille O'Neal from the Los Angeles Lakers last July, the odds on the Heat to win the 2005 title dropped dramatically from the range of 20-1 or 25-1 to as low as 6-1 in Las Vegas sports books.

At the Las Vegas Hilton, sports book director Jay Kornegay said a Suns championship "would not be too good for us," but said the worst outcome for his book would be the New Jersey Nets winning the NBA title.

As is the case at any casino that aggressively manages its future books, the odds on all of the NBA playoff teams fluctuated throughout the year, Kornegay said, although the Nets could routinely be found at 75-1 in the early part of the season.

New Jersey trails its first-round playoff series against Miami, 2 games to none.

Kornegay will probably find himself rooting for the Houston Rockets throughout the playoffs, he said.

"Of the teams that could possibly make a run all the way to the Finals, the Rockets would be good for us," Kornegay said. "No one's going to hurt us much. The Nets, but that's about it. With all the other teams, I'm seeing black numbers (rather than red), it's just that the numbers are of different sizes."

Scucci and Kornegay both said they're dealing with a much more sophisticated clientele in their sports books as opposed to just a few years ago, and that higher level of awareness has been evident during the NBA playoffs.

Scucci said he was a little surprised at how rabidly bettors backed the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of their series against the Spurs on Sunday. At his shop, Scucci said, gamblers were firmly behind the Nuggets, who won the game straight-up as 8-point underdogs.

"The betting public is getting more savvy," Scucci said. "They're not afraid to back a big underdog. Usually when the favorite doesn't cover, it's good for the book. But this time they backed the underdog and they ended up winning outright."

Bettors at the Hilton are making many more money-line wagers in the NBA than ever before, Kornegay said.

"It's a big surprise to me how many money lines they're betting," Kornegay said. "I think it's a matter of, if they see value, they're going to go after it."

And in response to requests from gamblers, the Hilton now offers betting lines on each quarter of NBA playoff games, Kornegay said -- an innovation that has become "very popular."

"The customers are much more educated now," Kornegay said. "There's so much more information available to them."

NFL openers

The Plaza downtown and the Las Vegas Hilton have posted betting lines for each game of the first week of the NFL's regular season.

The Plaza is offering point spreads and money lines on each Week 1 game, and the Hilton is offering point spreads and totals for each game.

The two-time defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots opened a 7 1/2-point favorite against the Oakland Raiders, with a total of 47 1/2, in the season's first game on Thursday, Sept. 8.

In the season's first Monday night game, the Philadelphia Eagles opened a 3-point favorite against the Atlanta Falcons, with a total of 42.