Friday, June 9, 2006 | 7:45 a.m.
From a bookmaker's perspective, betting on a big sporting event often breaks down along clearly defined lines.
On one side are recreational gamblers, sports fans looking to make the game a little more interesting by placing a wager. They traditionally bet favorites and popular, so-called "public," teams.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Especially for those on the other side: sharp, or professional bettors, sometimes called "wise guys." They're always poised to swoop in and pick off any perceived value whenever a line on the betting board gets out of whack.
Sure, it doesn't always shake out quite so neatly. But betting on the 2006 World Cup, which begins today in Munich, has fit the pattern well, according to Rich Baccellieri, sports book manager at the Palms.
Betting action on the World Cup has been strong from Las Vegas gamblers as well as international tourists visiting the city, Baccellieri said, with recreational bettors pounding in parlay after parlay.
"No one seems happy being able to pick just one winner," Baccellieri said from behind the counter at the Palms. "No, they want to pick five, six winners and put them all together at once."
Although American gamblers still prefer the Super Bowl and that other kind of football, the World Cup is considered the most heavily bet event worldwide, Baccellieri said.
"For true soccer fans and for the rest of the world, it's huge," he said. "I'd say that most straight bets are from guys looking for (a favorable) number, and most parlays are from soccer fans."
As a case in point, look no further than today's opening game between Germany and Costa Rica (9 a.m. PDT).
Recreational bettors, cognizant of Germany's reputation as a traditional European powerhouse and its position as the tournament's host country, have been backing the Germans at the windows, while "sharp" money on Costa Rica has kept the line in check.
Germany is a 1 1/2-goal, minus-125 (risk $1.25 to win $1) favorite against Costa Rica in a game with an over/under of 2 1/2 goals.
Professional bettors backing Costa Rica - a 300-1 long shot to win the World Cup - against 3-1 shot Germany figure the disparity between the teams is built into the 1 1/2-goal line. They're also relying on the historical tendency of the World Cup's opener to be a close, tightly played game.
The U.S. team is a half-goal underdog in its opener Monday against the Czech Republic, a tough Group E match. The U.S. is a 7-1 shot to win its group, while the Czech Republic is about 3-2, behind only Group E favorite Italy.
Brazil is a heavy favorite to win the World Cup at odds of 11-5. Germany is the second choice, followed by Argentina at 9-2. It concludes July 9.
Among long shots to win the tournament, bettors have been backing the U.S. and Iran - "but I know it's not the same people betting on both of them," Baccellieri said.
Iran's odds have dropped to 180-1 after opening at 250-1, and odds on the U.S. have fallen to 30-1 from an opener of 65-1.
Betting on World Cup games is available throughout Las Vegas; the Palms will also feature in-game wagering through its "Rapid Bet" system. Expect to see betting lines on the winner and the total goals to be updated throughout the game, along with proposition bets involving yellow cards, corner kicks and the like.
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