Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Jeff Haney explains why the appearance of games with a point spread of 3 has downgraded the Plaza’s parlay cards

"Ah, the power of the press," one reader put it in an e-mail, perhaps taking a subtle dig at this column as well as a more direct shot at the Plaza's sports book.

He signed off with one of those doodads that uses keyboard characters to form a frowning face.

The source of his displeasure was a downgrade in the makeup of the Plaza's football parlay cards since our survey found the Plaza's cards offered the best payout schedule in Southern Nevada this year (Las Vegas Sun, Sept. 17).

The payout odds have held steady on the "half-point" parlay cards, so called because the betting line in each game ends in "1/2" to avert "pushes," or ties , against the point spread.

But in the past couple of weeks, some NFL games have been included with a point spread of exactly 3, with the proviso that "ties lose."

If the favorite happens to win by 3, the tickets of all bettors who played either side of the game go down in flames.

That's what happened Sunday when the Packers beat the Redskins 17-14 and the Buccaneers beat the Titans 13-10. Green Bay and Tampa Bay were both 3-point favorites. As with any "ties lose" parlay cards, bettors who play the favorite are effectively laying 3 1/2 points and underdog bettors are getting only 2 1/2 points - in the same game.

:<( indeed.

For bettors who avoid the whole-number point spreads, the Plaza's parlay-card odds are still the juiciest in town, as we reported last month. Highlights include 6-1 odds on three-teamers, 219-1 on eight-teamers and 899-1 on 10-teamers.

The "power of the press" comment, and similar e-mail missives, alluded to the debate regarding where to draw the line in reporting advantageous gambling situations.

Obviously, to use an extreme example, it would be silly to identify by name a particular 3-card poker dealer who works the graveyard shift at a certain Strip resort and is careless enough to inadvertently reveal her hole cards each hand. Once exposed , she would either shape up or disappear, along with the opportunity.

Parlay-card odds, however, are more public, less "fragile" and quite interesting, considering payout schedules vary widely by casino even on cards that are otherwise nearly identical.

They will remain fair game here.

Book it

The 2007-08 edition of the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, always in demand during the preseason, has arrived at the Gambler's Book Shop, 630 S. 11th St.

The Blue Ribbon ($21.95) contains no information on betting lines or how teams performed against the point spread, but it is treasured by college basketball gamblers for its detailed, team-by-team reports.

Sales of the book in Las Vegas are driven by professional handicappers and media members as well as sports bettors, Gambler's Book Shop proprietor Howard Schwartz said.

"A lot of the value comes in helping to analyze the nonconference portion of the season," Schwartz said. "There are always surprising upsets early on, and the team summaries can tell you who recruited well, who might be due for a big drop-off. A lot of bettors think the early season lines are softest, before conference play begins."

Nongamblers such as coaches and players also rely on the Blue Ribbon, Schwartz said, in their preparation for early-season opponents.

Contest update

Today's day/night doubleheader in the Leroy's sports book ' s "Money Talks" football handicapping contest features three sports handicappers and another entrant known for his poker acumen.

From 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Fitzgeralds, local author and handicapper Andy Iskoe faces former Las Vegas oddsmaker Russ Culver (KENO 1460-AM). From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Riviera, it's Tony Ricci against professional poker player Bill Edler (KSFN 1140-AM).

Last week, Larry Trusley (4-2-1 against the point spread in seven selections) beat Dave Hochman (1-5-1) and "Doc" Moseman (4-3) ousted Jeff Whitelaw (2-4-1).

The contestants are 63-68-9 collectively heading into today's matches.

Each of the event's 32 contestants put up $5,000 to compete, the highest entry fee for a sports handicapping contest in Nevada.

Euro look

The sports handicapping section of the European edition of Card Player magazine recently took a detour from its standard fare - think rugby World Cup and darts champions stepping up to the oche - to examine the obscure, niche sport of American football.

The article recommended betting on the Patriots, Colts, Chargers and Seahawks this season, even as strong favorites, speculating three of the four would go at least 10-6 against the point spread.

So far, so good: Led by the Pats, 6-0 straight-up and against the number, the teams have combined for a 14-9 record ATS (61 percent).

Bettors following the Euro Card Player system will have to close their eyes and hold their nose before betting on the Pats this week against the Dolphins. New England is favored by 17, nearly as large as a point spread gets in the NFL.

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