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Parlay card players never get an even break, but they bet with gusto
COLUMN: John L. Smith
Parlay card players never get an even break, but they bet with gusto
I hear there are two good reasons sports books commonly give parlay card players a T-shirt with their wager.
First, it helps identify the suckers in the crowd.
Second, that shirt doubles as a dandy crying towel.
That said, parlay card players are some of my favorite gamblers. There's something about their scatter-brained optimism that appeals to me. These intrepid souls are like those brave daredevils who tested flying machines before the Wright brothers got the hang of it at Kitty Hawk. Their math is bad, their science worse. They're destined to crash and burn, but you've got to give them credit for courage.
They are sports betting's kamikaze pilots.
You'll see them in sports parlors across the valley in their official pro football jerseys and ball caps with those long, pastel cards in hand. They're ready to shoot the moon, go for broke and prove their prognosticative prowess by dropping $20 on a choice 10-teamer.
Forget that they're making one of the worst bets in the casino, or that sports book directors hurt their faces grinning at those long lines of parlay card players. Never mind that they would be better off sending the money to starving kids in Ethiopia, or at least spending the cash on a steak dinner.
They came to play, and they're going to get their money's worth against those long odds.
What are the odds? Casino payouts vary, but the mathematical odds of hitting a seven-team parlay are 127-to-1. A casino will typically pay off at about 75-to-1. (Nice profit.) The true odds of nailing a 10-teamer are 1,023-to-1 with the house payout around 500-to-1. (Even nicer profit.)
In other words, they can afford to hand out T-shirts, free hot dogs and beer, and the occasional whopper payoff. With the money they make, they ought to send your kids through college, too.
• • •
The Doctor had already gone to school. He was a medical internist with a practice in Orange County and a penchant for sports betting. He blew through Las Vegas recently and bet $100 apiece on 7- and 10-team parlay cards at the Las Vegas Club downtown and a couple major Strip resorts.
Las Vegas Club patriarch Mel Exber is one of the early developers of the parlay card. With men like Sonny Reizner and Johnny Quinn, Mel saw the simple beauty in the popular wagers. The odds might have been long, but they gave little guys a chance to dream big.
The Doctor was a big player with a heavy bankroll. He operated all over town, and when the last game came in, he had won all four of his parlay bets at the Las Vegas Club. Total gross: $156,000.
"From what he told me, we weren't the only place," Director of Casino Operations Tom Kaminski says. "He had to make a few other stops."
Not that Kaminski is complaining. The Las Vegas Club built its reputation on the strength of Exber's love of sports and handicapping. A fat cigar jammed in his mouth, before taking ill, Exber lived behind that sports book counter, often moving the odds himself and sizing up players as they came through the door. One stroll through the place and you'll notice it's lined with memorabilia and resembles a big-league ballpark.
These days downtown, it's mostly minor-league ball. The crowds are thinner, and the players harder to attract from the Strip's bejeweled megaresorts. It's why so many business owners are praying for a little good news in the area of redevelopment.
You might not find a roller coaster, but you can still gamble on Fremont Street.
Not that some of us consider parlay cards gambling.
As the Doctor was leaving to collect another score, Kaminski stopped him. The casino man just had to know his secret.
"You really want to know?" the Doctor said. "All right, I'll give you my five-star locks of the week."
A can't-miss proposition?
Kaminski eagerly wrote down the sure winners from the proven expert, then placed a total of $30 on those 10-team parlay cards.
"I didn't get past the first game," Kaminski says, laughing. "My tickets are in the trash can."
And he didn't even get a T-shirt.
Parlay card players never get an even break, but they bet with gusto
I hear there are two good reasons sports books commonly give parlay card players a T-shirt with their wager.
First, it helps identify the suckers in the crowd.
Second, that shirt doubles as a dandy crying towel.
That said, parlay card players are some of my favorite gamblers. There's something about their scatter-brained optimism that appeals to me. These intrepid souls are like those brave daredevils who tested flying machines before the Wright brothers got the hang of it at Kitty Hawk. Their math is bad, their science worse. They're destined to crash and burn, but you've got to give them credit for courage.
They are sports betting's kamikaze pilots.
You'll see them in sports parlors across the valley in their official pro football jerseys and ball caps with those long, pastel cards in hand. They're ready to shoot the moon, go for broke and prove their prognosticative prowess by dropping $20 on a choice 10-teamer.
Forget that they're making one of the worst bets in the casino, or that sports book directors hurt their faces grinning at those long lines of parlay card players. Never mind that they would be better off sending the money to starving kids in Ethiopia, or at least spending the cash on a steak dinner.
They came to play, and they're going to get their money's worth against those long odds.
What are the odds? Casino payouts vary, but the mathematical odds of hitting a seven-team parlay are 127-to-1. A casino will typically pay off at about 75-to-1. (Nice profit.) The true odds of nailing a 10-teamer are 1,023-to-1 with the house payout around 500-to-1. (Even nicer profit.)
In other words, they can afford to hand out T-shirts, free hot dogs and beer, and the occasional whopper payoff. With the money they make, they ought to send your kids through college, too.
• • •
The Doctor had already gone to school. He was a medical internist with a practice in Orange County and a penchant for sports betting. He blew through Las Vegas recently and bet $100 apiece on 7- and 10-team parlay cards at the Las Vegas Club downtown and a couple major Strip resorts.
Las Vegas Club patriarch Mel Exber is one of the early developers of the parlay card. With men like Sonny Reizner and Johnny Quinn, Mel saw the simple beauty in the popular wagers. The odds might have been long, but they gave little guys a chance to dream big.
The Doctor was a big player with a heavy bankroll. He operated all over town, and when the last game came in, he had won all four of his parlay bets at the Las Vegas Club. Total gross: $156,000.
"From what he told me, we weren't the only place," Director of Casino Operations Tom Kaminski says. "He had to make a few other stops."
Not that Kaminski is complaining. The Las Vegas Club built its reputation on the strength of Exber's love of sports and handicapping. A fat cigar jammed in his mouth, before taking ill, Exber lived behind that sports book counter, often moving the odds himself and sizing up players as they came through the door. One stroll through the place and you'll notice it's lined with memorabilia and resembles a big-league ballpark.
These days downtown, it's mostly minor-league ball. The crowds are thinner, and the players harder to attract from the Strip's bejeweled megaresorts. It's why so many business owners are praying for a little good news in the area of redevelopment.
You might not find a roller coaster, but you can still gamble on Fremont Street.
Not that some of us consider parlay cards gambling.
As the Doctor was leaving to collect another score, Kaminski stopped him. The casino man just had to know his secret.
"You really want to know?" the Doctor said. "All right, I'll give you my five-star locks of the week."
A can't-miss proposition?
Kaminski eagerly wrote down the sure winners from the proven expert, then placed a total of $30 on those 10-team parlay cards.
"I didn't get past the first game," Kaminski says, laughing. "My tickets are in the trash can."
And he didn't even get a T-shirt.
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