A New York native, Vinny Magliulo is a VSiN oddsmaker and the sports book director for Gaughan Gaming in Las Vegas. He attended St. Anthony’s High School (then in Smithtown), before moving to Vegas 40 years ago to pursue a career that included running the sports books at Caesars Palace and Wynn Las Vegas. Catch Vinny with Brent Musburger on “My Guys in the Desert,” weekdays from 6 to 8 p.m. on VSiN.com, fubuTV and SiriusXM 204.
I don’t pay attention to college hoops until after the Super Bowl. As a VSiN listener, though, I hear you guys talking quite a bit about it. What’s the benefit so early in the season? — Marty in Atlantic City
Vinny: Even though March Madness is four months away, it’s never too early to get a read on the college basketball landscape, Marty.
Sharp bettors realize this is actually a key part of the season as they can see how and who teams have scheduled prior to conference play. For years Tom Izzo has been a proponent of playing a tough early-season schedule to get his team ready for the rigors of Big Ten play. More coaches have bought into this philosophy, and not just Power Five conference schools.
Trust me, Sister Jean was big for the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers last year, but so was their willingness to play quality opponents outside their conference, including games at Boise State and Florida. This year they’ve got Nevada and Maryland on their schedule. Stony Brook in the America East already has played (and beaten) George Washington and South Carolina — both on the road. The Buffalo Bulls out of the Mid-American have won at West Virginia, a very tough out, and at Southern Illinois.
Remember also that it’s where the games are — typically these smaller schools are the ones that have to travel. Like any other endeavor, work now to be rewarded later, and you’ll likely cash some tickets on the way!
Why don’t all the point spreads end in half points? Why would the books want a push? — Dave from N.J. Can you please explain what a middle is? — Paul from Dover, Del.
Vinny: I have combined Dave’s and Paul’s questions because they are related and will help illustrate a perspective from our side of the counter. There are instances where all point spreads are half-points — certain parlay cards, proposition bets and contest cards. Books don’t want pushes; books prefer two-way action. The opening number doesn’t always generate that so that’s where line movement (changing the point spread) comes into play. Obviously, some games have more line movement than others.
A “middle” occurs when the final score lands on a number that is literally between numbers involved in the point spread. If we kept all point spreads at half points, we would guarantee more one-way action and/or open ourselves to getting “middled” much more often. Example: The Chiefs visited Denver on Oct. 1. The game opened Chiefs -4, got up to Chiefs -4 ½ and closed Chiefs -3 ½. The Chiefs won 27-23.
Vinny, I heard you say that books got “sided” on the Chiefs-Rams game. Please explain. — Angie in Queens
Vinny: A book gets “sided” when the result of a game falls on a number involved in the point-spread (different from the “middle” example). And yes, a recent example occurred in the Rams’ 54-51 victory over the Chiefs. When the game got moved to LA from Mexico, the consensus number was Rams -3¹/₂. As Chiefs money showed, the game went to Rams -3. Most locations moved the vigorish on the 3 and didn’t move off of the number again. When the final score came in, all bets at -3 and +3 were refunded because of the push, and all of the earlier Chiefs bets at +3 ½ (of which there were plenty at the South Point) cashed.
I have a bunch of college football win total tickets. As I understand it, with the teams that may not play all 12 games, South Point is action and Westgate is a refund no matter if it wins, loses or they play a different team? — Mac from North Carolina
Vinny: House Rules/Stipulations can vary from one shop to another. Often times people are so anxious to bet that they don’t read the rules in advance. Weather and other circumstances have come into play over the years and we do our best to anticipate. Speaking for the South Point’s college football regular-season win totals, all bets are considered action, including the scenario you’ve described. This verbiage was listed on the betting/odds sheets. I would direct other specific property inquiries to the exact location.
Have a question for Vinny? Email AskVinny@VSiN.com.