Jeff Haney

Story Archive

Don’t sleep on Manny Pacquiao, trainer warns: Friday, Oct. 30, 2009; The term “to throw out” in sports prognosticating means to dismiss a particular result as fluky.
Even obscure pros have passionate fans in eclectic Vegas: Mention of early 20th-century Welsh boxer sparks vivid memories; Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009; People come to Las Vegas from all over, and they bring their allegiances with them.
Odds have Yankees as favorite, but don’t bet on a Phillies sweep: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009; The five most recent World Series have lasted only 22 games combined — three sweeps and two that ended with Game 5.
Don King says bantam bout to bring ‘glory’ back to Vegas: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009; It stands to reason Don King would invoke the memory of the “Rumble in the Jungle,” another late-October boxing match, in hyping Saturday’s show at Treasure Island on the Strip.
Legend’s ﬁnal chapters to have Vegas viewpoint: Newark’s Jerry Izenberg is still writing, from his home in Henderson’s hills; Monday, Oct. 26, 2009; His long friendship with Muhammad Ali has given Jerry Izenberg countless cherished memories.
Cotto faces test of size, sizzle: Fighter will likely need to pair big knockout power with his weight advantage to topple Pacquiao; Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009; In the most hotly anticipated fight of 2009, welterweight Miguel Cotto likely will have to synthesize two qualities — strength and knockout ability — to score an upset victory against Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand. Cotto’s best hope is that his natural size advantage could neutralize the firepower of Pacquiao.
Yearbook gives readers ideas for college hoops bets: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009; Treasured by bettors for its well-researched reports on every Division I team, the annual Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook has arrived at the Gambler’s Book Shop in Las Vegas (1550 E. Tropicana Ave.).
Reassessing the spreads: It’s time to check on how teams have performed against expectations; Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009; Andy Iskoe, the veteran Las Vegas author and sports handicapper, has long espoused a technique in football betting that entails examining each team’s record against the point spread about one-quarter to one-half of the way into the season.
Beware faltering relief: Phillies enter series as ’dog, expert says for good reason; Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009; The Philadelphia Phillies, the defending World Series champions, are aiming to become the first National League team to repeat since the Big Red Machine of the mid-1970s.
Houston Rockets expected to fall, cream puffs to rise: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009; Three of the NBA’s bottom feeders — the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards — are due for the league’s most substantial improvements this season.
Fighting toward a finish: Chad Dawson looks forward to his last match, seeing more of his wife, kids; Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009; Chad Dawson has spent so much time in Las Vegas preparing for prizefights that he has come to think of the desert city as his home away from home.
Ivey’s popularity trumps his chip count: Friday, Oct. 9, 2009; If the odds on the final table of the World Series of Poker were based solely on the number of chips each player has, Phil Ivey would be a long shot.
This week in baseball: Who’s favored, and by how much, in today’s extra game and beyond; Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009; The Minnesota Twins opened as a minus 155 favorite (risk $1.55 to net $1) against the Detroit Tigers (plus 145), with an over/under of 8 1/2 runs, in today’s “Game No. 163,” a one-game playoff to determine which team will face the Yankees in baseball’s postseason.
Putting Cinderellas to work: How betting BCS busters can pay at the sports book; Friday, Oct. 2, 2009; They’re being called Cinderellas, party crashers, BCS busters and, depending upon where your loyalties lie, possibly some unprintable terms.
An NBA season to top last year's? Unlikely, if you believe the odds: Sports book odds say the Lakers or another leading team won’t top last season’s best win total; Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009; The Cavaliers and the Lakers were the class of the NBA during the 2008-09 regular season, with Cleveland winning 66 of its 82 games and L.A. winning 65. This week, all Lucky’s sports books in Nevada posted a selection of proposition wagers linked to the forthcoming NBA season, scheduled to begin Oct. 27.
Full of quirks, Bob Stupak refused to go out ‘calling’: Monday, Sept. 28, 2009; The Bob Stupak I’ll remember liked to talk about sports betting and gambling exploits.
When the game is on the line: Sports handicapper puts his faith in three of the NFL’s top power backs; Friday, Sept. 25, 2009; The three NFL running backs who provide the most value to their team, according to Las Vegas sports handicapper Joe D’Amico, are Brandon Jacobs of the Giants, Michael Turner of the Falcons and Adrian Peterson of the Vikings.
Oddsmakers unmoved by the Maple Leafs’ move for more scoring: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009; When Toronto acquired Phil Kessel, one of the NHL’s most promising young scorers, in a big trade with Boston last week, it was a signal that Maple Leafs management is serious about making a playoff run this season.
Bet on it: Manny Pacquiao will be next to ﬁght Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Monday, Sept. 21, 2009; With his engaging smile and handsome face, Oscar De La Hoya exudes the aura of a gifted salesman, a top producer. It has served him well as he has built his company, Golden Boy Promotions, into a major force in the boxing business since its inception eight years ago. This was a tough sell, though. De La Hoya was trying to convince an assemblage of irascible boxing types late Saturday night at the MGM Grand that Shane Mosley, rather than Manny Pacquiao, would make a better opponent for Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Mayweather’s next fight.
Confidence abounds: Each a multiple former champion, Mayweather and Marquez face off; Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009; Floyd Mayweather Jr., a six-time world champion in five weight divisions, does not deny that tonight’s headliner matches two of the best boxers in the sport.
Spoiling for a good ﬁght: Marquez camp wants to see Mayweather in top form; Friday, Sept. 18, 2009; Boxing insiders who try to make a case for an upset victory by Juan Manuel Marquez in Saturday night’s showdown against Floyd Mayweather Jr. invariably point to Mayweather’s absence from the ring of nearly two years.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. emulates boxing greats in return: Mayweather’s hiatus from ring has a couple of historical parallels you might not recall; Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009; When comparisons are drawn between Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s hiatus from boxing and other memorable comebacks in the sport, names such as Muhammad Ali and George Foreman usually come up right away.
Oddsmakers: Mayweather will top Marquez in decision: Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009; Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s self-imposed 21-month hiatus from boxing has not discouraged oddsmakers or the betting marketplace from making him a heavy wagering favorite in his return to the ring Saturday.
Father is back in Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s corner: Ice thawed, Mayweathers enjoying camp; Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009; Floyd Mayweather Sr. looked and sounded tired and acknowledged he felt a bit rundown. It was late on the night that Mayweather’s fighter, Ricky Hatton, had scored an 11th-round technical knockout of Paulie Malignaggi in November at the MGM Grand.
Chicago Bears long shot at any odds: Expectations for Bears overinflated with new QB, handicapper says; Friday, Sept. 11, 2009; Already a trendy team among NFL prognosticators, the Chicago Bears officially became a chic pick when Sports Illustrated predicted they would reach the Super Bowl.
HBO playing up drama: Network again turns to ‘24/7’ series ahead of Marquez-Mayweather; Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009; The sixth installment of HBO’s “24/7” franchise, this one designed to generate interest in the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Juan Manuel Marquez fight scheduled for Sept. 19 at the MGM Grand, has developed quite a following among boxing insiders.
Apt picks for a sports betting hall of fame: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009; No one has bothered to establish a hall of fame for sports bettors. Howard Schwartz wants to correct that oversight. Schwartz informally introduced a list of 14 potential candidates for a sports betting hall of fame last week at a gathering of sports handicappers, poker players and other gambling figures at his store on East Tropicana Avenue.
A radical theory for next trip out to sports book: Local bettor says: Just bet on college football’s best teams; Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009; College football bettors, particularly those in Las Vegas, tend to exhibit symptoms of hipper-than-thou syndrome. They take pride in their knowledge of the most obscure teams and conferences that appear on the betting board. They would no sooner back a so-called public team, a top BCS title contender, at the window than they would wear a sandwich board proclaiming, “I’m a square.”
Statement match: Roger Mayweather not shy about touting nephew as world’s best fighter; Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009; Floyd Mayweather Jr., the guest of honor, arrived fashionably late for a barbecue lunch outside his Chinatown boxing gym Wednesday.
Breather from bravado: Two fighters separately offer refreshing breaks from braggadocio; Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009; Before his fight against Juan Diaz last week in Houston, Paulie Malignaggi told anyone who would listen that the judges at the Toyota Center would show a bias in favor of his opponent.
Poker show 'Face the Ace' shuffles, redeals: Live audience in Vegas will have bigger role in TV program hosted by actor from ‘The Sopranos’; Friday, Aug. 28, 2009; When “Face the Ace” made its premiere on NBC this month, its launch was accompanied by a drumbeat of provocative buzzwords.
Lem Banker talks life, love and betting sports: Lem Banker, famous for his gambling prowess and celebrity friends, weighs in on the state of sports betting and tells his underdog love story; Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009; On their first date, the gambler and the beauty queen went to the races at Monmouth Park on the Jersey shore. Delores Vicario, who went by Debbie, was a model in New York’s Garment District and a showgirl at the Riviera hotel in Havana. Lester Banker, who went by Lem, was still a small-timer, though he would go on to become the most celebrated professional sports bettor in Las Vegas.
Minor conferences, and other factors in football bets: Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009; To find attractive betting spots, sports handicappers often gravitate toward teams and conferences that tend to play outside of the national media spotlight. The high-profile leagues draw so much attention, and so much information on them becomes widely available, that the betting lines on their games end up being largely accurate, according to the handicappers’ mind-set.
Rematch of draw has one ﬁghter heavily favored: Friday, Aug. 21, 2009; Indonesia’s Chris John has been installed as a solid betting favorite of minus 330 against Rocky Juarez in their Sept. 19 rematch, lending credence to the view held by boxing fans who believe Juarez was fortunate to escape with a draw in their first fight in February.
If bettors think they’re above this football seminar, they likely need it: Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009; The Vegas Insider football handicapping seminar, scheduled for this weekend at Red Rock Resort, appeals primarily to beginning and intermediate-level sports bettors. This is an ideal target audience, considering those two groups encompass just about all of us.
Against Donaire, Concepcion overweight, over the line: Fighter who lost despite excess poundage has the nerve to taunt victor who came in under the limit; Monday, Aug. 17, 2009; In a year’s worth of boxing cards, you won’t find a fighter who showed more — well, we’ll be polite and call it chutzpah — than Rafael Concepcion did this weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel.
Donaire: Same champion, different weight: Nonito Donaire wins WBA interim super flyweight title; Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009; Follow tonight's WBA interim super flyweight championship fight round-by-round between Nonito Donaire Jr. and Rafael Concepcion at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.
'Pinoy Power 2': Top Rank plays up national pride: Series modeled after ‘Latin Fury’ puts Filipino fighters in spotlight; Friday, Aug. 14, 2009; Presented by Top Rank, the fledgling “Pinoy Power” series of boxing cards was designed to showcase Filipino fighters in many of its bouts. It follows Top Rank’s popular and successful “Latin Fury” series, which spotlights Hispanic fighters such as Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Juan Manuel Lopez.
Why lines predict more wins than are possible: Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009; In Las Vegas, where bettors wager on the over/under of the number of each NFL team’s regular-season victories, the projected cumulative total of victories for the league always comes in a bit higher than 256.
Teaser bets: When, where you should pay to tweak spread: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009; In a chapter on NFL teasers in his 2001 book “Sharp Sports Betting,” author Stanford Wong makes a compelling case that certain forms of football teasers are “playable” while others should be avoided, depending on the odds offered by the casino.
Nonito Donaire: Super fly wants to be Bruce Lee of boxing: Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009; Nonito Donaire has a world championship belt on his boxing resume, along with a 4-0 record in title fights.
Yes/no wagers on future winners gain foothold in casinos: Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009; Every so often, sports gamblers or oddsmakers make a push for “yes/no” betting lines as the wave of the future.
With justiﬁed swagger, Jerry’s Nugget offers best parlay bets: Monday, Aug. 3, 2009; Veterans of Las Vegas sports betting know the same wager can yield varying, sometimes significantly different, payouts depending on where it’s placed.
In big college football games, how important is revenge factor?: Thursday, July 30, 2009; Even bettors who downplay or entirely discount the significance of “revenge” in handicapping a football game might be tempted to reexamine their philosophy come Sept. 26.
Here’s an NFL pick that really goes against the grain: So-called experts often claim to be contrarian, but marketplace shows this bet is; Tuesday, July 28, 2009; Although I’m far from enlightened, I’m reminded of that paradox every football season in Las Vegas with the onset of those “handicapping contests” sponsored by one sports book or another.
Not on the Strip, but closer: Relocated book shop turned down casino’s offer; Saturday, July 25, 2009; As the Las Vegas area’s most prestigious independently owned bookstore, as a fixture on the Las Vegas betting scene, and as a gathering place for gamblers and their kindred spirits, the Gambler’s Book Shop has not missed a beat since moving from its longtime previous home at 630 S. 11th St.
Oddly, marquee fight’s catch weight still unknown: Friday, July 24, 2009; When it was revealed this week that Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao will fight Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand, it was hard not to notice one particular aspect of the announcement.
Bowie Tupou: Unafraid of other heavyweights: Boxer eyes climb up ranks with quiet confidence; Wednesday, July 22, 2009; Count Bowie Tupou, the unbeaten Las Vegas heavyweight, among those who are underwhelmed by the current state of his weight class, once upon a time boxing’s marquee division.
Finally, it's fight night for UFC 100: Jeff Haney breaks down the betting possibilities; Saturday, July 11, 2009; The line that really jumps off the betting board is the price of 2-1 on Brock Lesnar winning in the first round — by far the shortest odds in the round proposition, according to the Venetian sports book on the Strip.
Three solid bets for NFL season, backed by math, not a hunch: Thursday, July 9, 2009; The Baltimore Ravens exceeded expectations last season, winning 11 regular-season games to smash the over/under of 6 victories attached to them by oddsmakers. In the NFL playoffs, they advanced to the AFC championship game before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who went on to win the Super Bowl.