Dear Mark,
A few years ago, you recommended in your column that at least once we should make
the pilgrimage to Nevada and watch the Superbowl in a sportsbook. I had the pleasure
of doing that this year in Reno. I never had so much fun watching the game, and,
I ended up a winner betting Carolina and getting the points (7). Anyhow, one thing
I had no idea of was that you could make different types of bets, like, a wager
who would win the coin toss. Have you ever made any of these wagers? I didn't
make one; but what is the cost (casino take) of such a bet? Ty G.
Ah yes, Ty, I have been known to dabble (squander hard-earned money) on a few
"proposition" bets as they're called. With so many proposition
bets to choose from--I saw one website offering 618 of the little darlin's--and
so little money, I decided this year to make just one wager inspired by a 1931
Act of Congress.
I bet that Beyonce Knowles would sing the National Anthem in under 1:50. And
why would I do that?
Well, I found in my local library seven recordings of the National Anthem all
timing out at well under 1:50. I also reckoned that they choreographed the aircraft
flyover for a precise time: just as Knowles would finish "O'er the
land of the free and the home of the brave!" "Got Œem by the
short hairs," I figured, and laid down what looked like the proverbial
"lock" bet.
What I did not handicap was that the retractable roof at Reliant Stadium happened
to be closed for inclement weather. I also overlooked Jose Feliciano's
unorthodox rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner when he strummed a slow, bluesy
rendition of the national anthem before Game 5 of the World Series between Detroit
and St. Louis that rambled on for what seemed like 15 minutes. No, he didn't
sing all four verses--yep, there are four--but the minor concert was
so long that it threw Detroit's starting pitcher Mickey Lolich pregame
preparations completely off. Miss Knowles, aka Speedy, brought it home in a
scorching 2:08:12. Another losing ticket for my collection.
I'll bet if a honed handicapper had gone to the film library and timed
preceding Super Bowl National Anthem performers like Diana Ross, Neil Diamond,
Billy Joel, Whitney Houston, Harry Connick, Jr., Garth Brooks, Natalie Cole,
Vanessa Williams, Luther Vandross, Jewel, Cher, Faith Hill, the Backstreet Boys,
Mariah Carey and last year's group the Dixie Chicks, most, if not all of them,
would be more than 1:50.
Generally, Ty, when you place a proposition wager, you lay 11 to win 10, though
the stretch can be even higher. That means for you to win $100, you have to
wager $110, no matter which side of the coin toss you are betting on. If you
bet tails and it is tails, you collect $210 -- your $110 initial wager plus
your $100 winnings. This 10% commission, also called a vigorish (aka vig), is
the compensation taken by the house on every proposition bet wagered.
My biggest score, i.e. greenbacks moving my way, was when a 300-pound lineman
(small by today's standards) named Refrigerator Perry scored a touchdown
for the Chicago Bears in Superbowl XX. Yay! though my lifetime record for proposition
betting is as follows: I win some, lose more.
Gambling quote of the week: "When you're in a hole, stop digging."
--Anonymous
