LAS VEGAS — Let me begin by thanking The Post and you readers for allowing me to be a part of your sports day. As a native New Yorker, I grew up reading this paper and to be a small part of it is a thrill. Also, I want to wish everyone a wonderful (and profitable) holiday season. With that, let’s go bowling and answer some questions.
With so many bowl games, what’s your advice?
Kevin in Lake Ronkonkoma, L.I.
Vinny: As always Kevin, pick your spots; you don’t have to bet every bowl game. Factors to consider when betting (or booking) college bowl games are:
Motivation: How excited is/are the participating teams to be there? Some programs may have lost a close late-season or conference title game and are disappointed, while their on-the-rise opponent from a smaller conference is over the moon for the chance to beat one of the big boys — remember Boise State’s win over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl?
Injuries: Be aware of injuries, particularly when it comes to a starting quarterback — e.g., UCF.
Location: Take note of how far a team must travel; some schools are flying while others are taking a bus (Va. Tech to the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md.). Also, note a warm-weather or dome team heading into cold weather (Miami in Yankee Stadium).
Academics: Timing of exams could make some players academically ineligible.
Coaching Changes: Note the circumstances of the change including stepping down for health reasons, retirement or going to another school.
Players sitting out to enter the NFL draft: Here’s one that’s becoming more common. Remember it’s not just quarterbacks, running backs and receivers; this year it includes key defensive players and linemen.
Hey, Vinny — Huge fan! I’ve heard you say the House was sided many times. Recently on Gill Alexander’s VSiN show you said the house was middled rather than sided. What’s the difference?
Jared Wexler, Hackensack, N.J.
Vinny: 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: On Oct. 1, the Chiefs played the Broncos in Denver. The game opened Chiefs -4, got up to Chiefs -4 ½ and closed Chiefs -3 ½. The Chiefs won 27-23. That’s also the reason why some (not all) operators move the vigorish on key numbers such as 3 and 7; for instance Jaguars -3 -120, Cowboys +3 Even or Rams -7 Even, Broncos +7 -120.
(Read more about middling in Jeff Fogle’s Bet Smart column today.)
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, the most recent example occurred recently when the Rams beat the Chiefs 54-51. Once the game got moved to LA from Mexico, the consensus number was Rams -3 ½. 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 and all bets at +3 ½ (of which there were plenty at the South Point) cashed.
What is the most challenging sport for the House?
Tom from Syracuse, N.Y.
Vinny: Without question, college basketball presents the biggest challenge for our side of the counter. There are 351 Division I programs to keep track of. While we book most (or all), bettors can focus on a select number of teams or say the smaller conferences. Many professional bettors zero in on this, especially in the early part of the season. Look at what Buffalo recently did to Syracuse in the Carrier Dome as 4-point underdogs: the Bulls won outright 71-59! The Bulls also have victories at West Virginia and Southern Illinois. And the average college hoops fan doesn’t know that Furman is undefeated, including a win at Villanova. As the industry expands, here’s some advice for operators: Pay very close attention to these respected opinions.
Your explanations are very helpful, Vinny. Can you please explain “round robins?”
Tracy in Providence, R.I.
Vinny: I’m glad you enjoy this column, Tracy. Round-Robins are parlays grouped with a specified number of teams and amount per bet.
For instance: If you like four teams and you group them by two’s, the correct way to state this at the betting counter is as follows: “I’d like to round-robin the following teams by two’s for (bet amount per parlay) each way.” Referring to the chart above and using $10 increments per parlay, you would have six, two-team parlays at $10 each and your wager would total $60. You could also add the “All” as well — making the bet six two-team parlays and one four-team parlay for a total of $70. You can still collect some $ with one or two losses.