Gambling
Going for Broke
Week 1 lines feed early NFL appetites
May 20th, 2010
With all due respect to Hank Williams Jr. (and who in their right mind would disrespect Hank Williams Jr.?), are you ready for some football? Well, Jay Kornegay is. Once again this year, the Las Vegas Hilton’s race and sports book director beat his colleagues to the end zone and has posted point spreads (both sides and totals) for the NFL’s 16 opening-week games. Read more »
Going for Broke
NBA home teams worth your wager in Game 3
May 6th, 2010
I’m still trying to process how a 38-year-old fighter can be one punch away from possibly scoring one of the biggest upsets in recent boxing history to five minutes later looking like a 78-year-old grandfather who needs help getting out of his chair. If I can equate it to another profession, it would be like being on the verge of winning American Idol and then—midway through the final performance—going from crooning like Frank Sinatra to shrilling like Bob Dylan. Read more »
Going for Broke
Derby, fight give bettors high-profile options
April 29th, 2010
A common refrain among sports fans—especially those in the 30-and-under crowd—is that boxing and horse racing are deader than Kate Gosselin’s dancing career. Not true. And if you believe otherwise, just stroll into a local sports book on the afternoon of May 1 and stick around for a few hours. I can promise that you’ll see standing room-only crowds for the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby, followed by an influx of fight fans looking to get down on the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Shane Mosley mega-fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Read more »
Going for Broke
Baseball is no longer America’s game, but it is a bettor’s best friend
April 22nd, 2010
Baseball still may refer to itself as our national pastime, but let’s be real: Football has long been king in this country, especially among the betting public. It pains me to say this, but baseball has slid so far off the radar that if you polled male sports fans ages 25 and younger on whether they’d rather watch a nine-inning game on ESPN or a Susan Boyle swimsuit shoot on the Lifetime network, it would probably be close to a 50-50 split. Read more »
Going for Broke
Betting on Butler will reverse losing course
April 1st, 2010
No truth to the rumors the producers of The Biggest Loser contacted me this week and requested I be part of next season’s cast … even though I certainly meet the contestant criteria in more ways than one! Not only did I lose both of last week’s main selections (Northern Iowa over Michigan State; Ohio State over Tennessee), but I went 0-for-4 on my NCAA Tournament futures plays as Syracuse, Ohio State, Wisconsin and UNLV failed to even get to the Elite Eight, let alone the Final Four. Read more »
The Local Newsroom
Online Poker Showdown
Game’s legalization seen as imminent; measure likely would benefit Las Vegas
March 18th, 2010
Alan Boston, a professional gambler who has lived in Las Vegas for more than two decades, prefers to play poker in casinos rather than on his computer. In his role as a featured pro with online giant Full Tilt Poker, however, he has come to embrace his status as an Internet poker personality. Read more »
Going for Broke
End of college regular season offers winning opportunities
March 4th, 2010
Like the U.S. hockey team, our state budget “deal,” Wayne Newton to his debt collectors and Mr. Chow from The Hangover, I came up a little short last week, going 1-2-1 for a net loss of $155. That was after consecutive weeks of positive results. Overall, I remain in a bit of a hole with a bankroll of $6,220 after a month on the job (and you better believe I curse Peyton Manning daily for it), but I’m ready to cut into that deficit with three selections this week as the madness that is March officially begins. Read more »
