Despot
02-02-2006, 07:07 PM
Just for the heck of it.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/franz_lidz/02/02/end.game/index.html?cnn=yes
A bettor's paradise
Super Bowl Sunday means exotic, outrageous wagers
It's a sure bet that the team that wins the pre-game coin toss in Super Bowl XL will elect to receive. That's what happened in the first 39 Super Bowls, and this one looks to be no different. It's a fairly safe bet that the player who calls the toss will chose heads. "I'm told that's how it's gone down in 31 of the last 33 Super Bowls," says Bill Krackomberger. "It's a macho thing. Heads is more manly than tails. Chalk it up to human nature." Or perhaps human man nature.
The Bronx-born, Jersey-raised Krackomberger is an expert in such matters. A professional gambler known the length and breadth of Las Vegas as Krackman, he has been tracking the coin toss for the last 10 years. "In all those years," says the onetime carnival carnie, "tails has only been called once."
The coin toss is one of the dozens of exotic side bets -- called proposition wagers, or "props" - that Krackman will make before Sunday's kickoff. The Super Bowl is the biggest betting event in Nevada -- more than $100 million is expected to be wagered on the game this year. And props are placed on just about everything but the final score.
"I always wind-up putting about 20 times more money on props than I do on who wins," says Krackman, who figures to ante up about $80,000 in all. "There are so many different ways to bet the Super Bowl that it's almost ridiculous."
You can bet on whether a streaker will dash onto the field. You can bet on whether the king in the Burger King commercials will score a touchdown. ("The king will reach the endzone," Krackman predicts. "Burger King wants to keep him happy, and scoring a TD will sell a lot of meat.") You can even bet on which song the Rolling Stones will sing to kick off the halftime show. ("It's gotta be Start Me Up," offers Krackman. "Sympathy For The Devil is my personal favorite, but it's way too long.")
The coin flip alone has four props, the most popular of which is "heads or tails." Krackman bets tails every year. "Traditionally, the 'head' on the commemorative coins used by officials has been puffed up," he says. Which, Krackman reasons, makes the coin ever-so-slightly top-heavy. "If you flip those coins 100 times, you'll see they come up tails a little more often." About 55 percent of the time, when he tried it.
Nobody in Vegas is quite sure which Super Bowl novelty wager came first, but just about everybody there can tell you the first big longshot that came in. Twenty years ago Caesars Palace gave 20-1 odds against William (Refrigerator) Perry rushing for a TD during Super Bowl XX. Though Fridge had scored twice during the regular season, Bears coach Mike Ditka had said he wouldn't deploy the lovably large rookie defensive tackle as a running back. But Ditka changed his mind and Caesars got stabbed in the back.
The first truly exotic Super Bowl wager is credited to Kirk Brooks of the tiny Holiday Inn Casino Boardwalk. Before Super Bowl XXX, in 1996, Brooks put forth an eminently bettable cross-sport proposition: Who would score more points that Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys or Michael Jordan? (As it turned out, His Airness did, with room to spare. The Cowboys beat the Steelers 27-17, while Jordan scored 31 against the Phoenix Suns).
These days, anything goes. "A couple of years ago a few books had an over/under on how long it would take Beyonce Knowles to sing the Star-Spangled Banner," Krackman reports. He did his homework and determined that her previous four clockings had all come in at about two minutes and 25 seconds. When he found a line at two minutes and 37 seconds, he took the 'under.' "Basically," he says, "it was free money."
The most money Krackman has made on a novelty bet was $20,000. Two years ago he wagered that either New England or Carolina would score during the final two minutes of the first half. "It was more or less a lock," he says with unsuppressed glee. "In every game the Patriots had played that season, either they or their opponents scored after the first two-minute warning. You can look it up."
Among the more exotic exotics on Krackman's 2006 "must-bet" list:
標hich player will score the first touchdown? "Usually, I bet against the public," says Krackman, who put $3,000 on Shaun Alexander, the 5-1 favorite. "Here's how I see it: Pittsburgh is favored to win, but when Seattle makes a TD, half the time Alexander's the guy with the ball."
標ill the Seahawks score a touchdown on a reverse? "The odds against it are 13-1, and I went with the odds," Krackman says. "Seattle hasn't accomplished this feat in more than a decade."
標ill either team score three times in a row? "This sounds really hard to do, but it happens almost every game," Krackman says. "I like this prop at up to -190. My stat source says the true odds are -250."
標ill the first turnover be a fumble or an interception? "I bet interception," Krackman says. "During the regular season, it played out that way 57 percent of the time."
標hich team will make the first coach's challenge? "History says Pittsburgh," says Krackman. "Bill Cowher made 11 challenges this season; Mike Holmgren, six. That's almost a 2-1 edge."
標ill the number of free throws Kobe Bryant makes in the Lakers-Hornets game exceed the number of yards in Jerome Bettis' longest run? Krackman: "I'm taking Bettis. He can break out with a gain of more than 10 yards. It's worth the play."
標ill Darrell Jackson have more receptions than Tiger Woods has birdies during the fourth round of the Dubai Desert Classic? "I'm with Tiger, baby!" says Krackman. "He's a killer in the final round."
標ill the Steelers (at +16) have more points than France-Scotland in the Six Nations Championship Rugby Union match? "I have no idea," Krackman says, "but this will give me a chance to read up on Six Nations rugby."
Oh, and by the way, Krackman, who'll win the game? "I'm rooting for Seattle, just to be against the public," Krackman says. "But this season the favorite covered the Vegas spread an unprecedented 58.6 percent of the time." Which is why he's betting Pittsburgh on Thursday (at -4), and Seattle on Friday, when the line will increase even more.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/franz_lidz/02/02/end.game/index.html?cnn=yes
A bettor's paradise
Super Bowl Sunday means exotic, outrageous wagers
It's a sure bet that the team that wins the pre-game coin toss in Super Bowl XL will elect to receive. That's what happened in the first 39 Super Bowls, and this one looks to be no different. It's a fairly safe bet that the player who calls the toss will chose heads. "I'm told that's how it's gone down in 31 of the last 33 Super Bowls," says Bill Krackomberger. "It's a macho thing. Heads is more manly than tails. Chalk it up to human nature." Or perhaps human man nature.
The Bronx-born, Jersey-raised Krackomberger is an expert in such matters. A professional gambler known the length and breadth of Las Vegas as Krackman, he has been tracking the coin toss for the last 10 years. "In all those years," says the onetime carnival carnie, "tails has only been called once."
The coin toss is one of the dozens of exotic side bets -- called proposition wagers, or "props" - that Krackman will make before Sunday's kickoff. The Super Bowl is the biggest betting event in Nevada -- more than $100 million is expected to be wagered on the game this year. And props are placed on just about everything but the final score.
"I always wind-up putting about 20 times more money on props than I do on who wins," says Krackman, who figures to ante up about $80,000 in all. "There are so many different ways to bet the Super Bowl that it's almost ridiculous."
You can bet on whether a streaker will dash onto the field. You can bet on whether the king in the Burger King commercials will score a touchdown. ("The king will reach the endzone," Krackman predicts. "Burger King wants to keep him happy, and scoring a TD will sell a lot of meat.") You can even bet on which song the Rolling Stones will sing to kick off the halftime show. ("It's gotta be Start Me Up," offers Krackman. "Sympathy For The Devil is my personal favorite, but it's way too long.")
The coin flip alone has four props, the most popular of which is "heads or tails." Krackman bets tails every year. "Traditionally, the 'head' on the commemorative coins used by officials has been puffed up," he says. Which, Krackman reasons, makes the coin ever-so-slightly top-heavy. "If you flip those coins 100 times, you'll see they come up tails a little more often." About 55 percent of the time, when he tried it.
Nobody in Vegas is quite sure which Super Bowl novelty wager came first, but just about everybody there can tell you the first big longshot that came in. Twenty years ago Caesars Palace gave 20-1 odds against William (Refrigerator) Perry rushing for a TD during Super Bowl XX. Though Fridge had scored twice during the regular season, Bears coach Mike Ditka had said he wouldn't deploy the lovably large rookie defensive tackle as a running back. But Ditka changed his mind and Caesars got stabbed in the back.
The first truly exotic Super Bowl wager is credited to Kirk Brooks of the tiny Holiday Inn Casino Boardwalk. Before Super Bowl XXX, in 1996, Brooks put forth an eminently bettable cross-sport proposition: Who would score more points that Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys or Michael Jordan? (As it turned out, His Airness did, with room to spare. The Cowboys beat the Steelers 27-17, while Jordan scored 31 against the Phoenix Suns).
These days, anything goes. "A couple of years ago a few books had an over/under on how long it would take Beyonce Knowles to sing the Star-Spangled Banner," Krackman reports. He did his homework and determined that her previous four clockings had all come in at about two minutes and 25 seconds. When he found a line at two minutes and 37 seconds, he took the 'under.' "Basically," he says, "it was free money."
The most money Krackman has made on a novelty bet was $20,000. Two years ago he wagered that either New England or Carolina would score during the final two minutes of the first half. "It was more or less a lock," he says with unsuppressed glee. "In every game the Patriots had played that season, either they or their opponents scored after the first two-minute warning. You can look it up."
Among the more exotic exotics on Krackman's 2006 "must-bet" list:
標hich player will score the first touchdown? "Usually, I bet against the public," says Krackman, who put $3,000 on Shaun Alexander, the 5-1 favorite. "Here's how I see it: Pittsburgh is favored to win, but when Seattle makes a TD, half the time Alexander's the guy with the ball."
標ill the Seahawks score a touchdown on a reverse? "The odds against it are 13-1, and I went with the odds," Krackman says. "Seattle hasn't accomplished this feat in more than a decade."
標ill either team score three times in a row? "This sounds really hard to do, but it happens almost every game," Krackman says. "I like this prop at up to -190. My stat source says the true odds are -250."
標ill the first turnover be a fumble or an interception? "I bet interception," Krackman says. "During the regular season, it played out that way 57 percent of the time."
標hich team will make the first coach's challenge? "History says Pittsburgh," says Krackman. "Bill Cowher made 11 challenges this season; Mike Holmgren, six. That's almost a 2-1 edge."
標ill the number of free throws Kobe Bryant makes in the Lakers-Hornets game exceed the number of yards in Jerome Bettis' longest run? Krackman: "I'm taking Bettis. He can break out with a gain of more than 10 yards. It's worth the play."
標ill Darrell Jackson have more receptions than Tiger Woods has birdies during the fourth round of the Dubai Desert Classic? "I'm with Tiger, baby!" says Krackman. "He's a killer in the final round."
標ill the Steelers (at +16) have more points than France-Scotland in the Six Nations Championship Rugby Union match? "I have no idea," Krackman says, "but this will give me a chance to read up on Six Nations rugby."
Oh, and by the way, Krackman, who'll win the game? "I'm rooting for Seattle, just to be against the public," Krackman says. "But this season the favorite covered the Vegas spread an unprecedented 58.6 percent of the time." Which is why he's betting Pittsburgh on Thursday (at -4), and Seattle on Friday, when the line will increase even more.