DC Vegas: What Are The Odds?

By DC Cueva

And finally, more a month after, here's my first DC Blog post on my trip to Las Vegas from July. And with football season upon us here in the states, and "football" season, aka soccer season, underway in much of the world, and baseball's division races in full swing, this first post related to the highlight of my summer - my trip to Vegas - will look at one of the most popular activities in Sin City. And, we'll also give you a look at the odds in a number of major sports as it was when I traveled there the weekend of July 20th.

It's true - Las Vegas is a rapidly-growing sports destination in this country. A powerhouse in the Mountain West Conference plays at the Thomas & Mack Center and Sam Boyd Stadium - UNLV. One of the late-season events on the PGA Tour takes place every fall on the outskirts of the city, so does an early-season NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Two of the top tours in professional rodeo hold their season-ending events on the Strip, and the only North American stop on the Rugby Sevens World Series takes place the weekend after America's biggest sporting event. Three college basketball conferences hold their postseason tournaments in Vegas the weekend of Selection Sunday with March Madness berths on the line - the PAC-12, Mtn. West & WAC. And of course, for as long as we can remember, many of the biggest fights in boxing and mixed martial arts takes place there.

   But aside from pre-season exhibition games, the four major pro sports leagues have long neglected Las Vegas as a city to place a franchise in a market that's among the fastest-growing in the country & just a 4-hour drive from the nation's second-largest metropolis, Los Angeles. Of course, it has to do with Nevada's stance on legalized betting, including betting on sports events, for which it's the only state in the union where bets on all sports are legally accepted. This was the reason for Pete Rose having his pass to the Baseball Hall of Fame taken away from him, and I did spot the all-time hit king at a signing at the Caesars Palace Forum Shops during my 2010 Vegas trip. And if it weren't for a 1991 LA Kings exhibition game against the Rangers that took place outdoors at Caesars, then the idea of the NHL Winter Classic would have never come to fruition.

   When I went to Las Vegas last month, it was during the weekend where Phil Mickelson shot a final round 66 to claim the Open Championship (and put himself one major away from the career grand slam), which I watched & cheered on in our Bally's hotel room that Sunday morning. Also, the NBA Summer League played across the way at UNLV (the Warriors would win the title day after we left), while the month-long World Series of Poker continued over at the Rio, along with the final stage of the Tour de France. And after the final putt, I made my way downstairs to the Bally's sports book to watch Lefty receive the Claret Jug, take a couple profile pictures for my social networks, and grab those customary odds sheets to see who Vegas has to win or lose. 

   From football & baseball to horse racing & boxing, even overseas soccer, they are all covered by the sports books at virtually all of Las Vegas' casinos. They are all spacious facilities and many are stadium style with a TV at just about every desk, which reminds me of the commentary areas set aside for the world's broadcasters at Olympic venues or international soccer. And if you thought watching a football game at the local sports bar or a soccer match at a pub while you're on vacation in Britain is the best place to watch sports out of home, then wait until you see what it's like watching it in Las Vegas. For Super Bowl weekend, nearly 100,000 visitors pour in to bet & watch on the biggest game in America, while during March Madness, college basketball fans similarly watch the excitement unfold on various TV's all around them, just as football fans do during the autumn. From roaming through the casinos & watching games at the sports books on these trips, watching the action in a Vegas sports book is almost the same experience as, for me, following The Challenge on twitter when episodes air: a communal experience that binds fans & people we might not know but share a common sporting passion, and interacting with each other in person in the same room compared to just socially online.

So, here now are the odds on major sporting events as they were the weekend of July 20, and yes, the odds have changed in the month since. All thanks to odds sheets I acquired from the Bally's sports book - owned by their parent company Caesars Entertainment. And we start off with...what else? Football.

- NFL: there's no doubt what the favorite sport in the land is...football. And aside from the sports bar or zapping through those games on your couch, maybe there's no better place to watch Sunday NFL action than at a Vegas sports book. When I went in fall 2010, on the streets & in the casinos I spotted a number of people wearing their favorite team's uniforms as if I was at an NFL stadium. Aside from cities with an NFL franchise and maybe LA, there's no city where pro football is taken seriously than in Vegas, despite ads for the city or it's hotels not airing during the Super Bowl.

   For the most important odds of all, who has the best or worst chances to lift the Lombardi Trophy next February in the New York cold? For the teams pegged to win Super Bowl XLVIII, the opening line top five had New England at 6/1, San Francisco at 7/1, Denver at 8/1 and both Green Bay & Houston at 10/1. When I went there, both the Broncos & Seahawks were made the new co-favorites at 9/2, while my 49ers moved up to 5/1. As for other teams: Atlanta 12/1, NY Giants 15/1, New Orleans & Chicago 20/1, Dallas 22/1, Washington & Pittsburgh 25/1, and the Super Bowl champion Ravens at 30/1.

   For the divisional side of things, the division tipped by Caesars to win on February 3rd are also where both the Niners and Broncos are located in: the NFC West is at 14/5, while the AFC West is 9/2. If you're wondering, AFC North is 6/1, AFC East 7/1 & AFC South 10/1, while NFC North & South are at 7/1 and NFC East is 8/1, clearly the most competitive of the two conferences. For the teams pegged to win their divisions, the Niners are 2/3 to win the West, followed by the Seahawks at 11/10. The NFC East has the Giants at 7/5, Dallas & Washington 9/5 and the Eagles at 4/1. The Packers are 1/2 & -190 money line faves to take the North, while the Falcons are EVEN money to take the South. In the AFC, the Broncos are -650 & 1/6 favorites in the West, the Texans -280 ML & 1/3 in the South, the Steelers and Ravens 3/2 co-favorites in the North and, of course, the Patriots are -650 ML & 2/13 faves in the East.

   As for the teams considered long shots to go to the Meadowlands or have shots to perhaps not win at all this season: the cellar includes, at a tie for 100/1 - the Jets, Bills, Titans and Raiders, at 150/1 the Cardinals and the longest shot is the Jaguars at 250/1. And for that dubious distinction of doing what the Lions did a few years ago and go winless the entire campaign: the Jags and Raiders are tied at 20/1 to go 0-16, while the Cardinals lead the NFC bunch at 25-1. On the other side, what are the odds for a team that could run the table and join the '72 Dolphins in NFL lore? The Broncos, Patriots and Niners are pegged at 20/1 to go 16-0 undefeated.

   How many wins does Vegas have for your favorite teams? The most is 11, belonging to the four favorites of the Broncos, Patriots, Niners and Seahawks. Next is 10, both by the Packers & Seahawks; then 9 for BAL, CIN, NOLA, NYG and PITT. Eight wins are tipped for WSH, CHI, DAL, DET, IND, MIA and TB; 7 for CAR, KC, MINN, PHI, SD and STL; 6 for BUF, CLE NYJ and TENN, and 5 for JAX, AZ and OAK.

   And lastly, for the key opening games of the 2013 NFL season that kicks off a week from Thursday, the Broncos are 8.5-point favorites over the Ravens in the AFC playoff rematch that kicks off the season on the road rather than at home for the defending champions. The Patriots are touchdown faves over the Bills, while the Seahawks are 3.5-PT. favorites in Carolina. The Niners are 5-PT. favorites over the Packers in the key afternoon game, while the Sunday night opener has the Cowboys 2.5-PT. favorites over the Giants. And for the Monday night doubleheader, the Redskins are 5.5-PT. favorites vs. the Eagles, while the Texans are 3.5 faves vs. the Chargers.

- NFL - individual: even in the land of sports betting, Vegas wagers on who might lead certain individual categories the same way we put together our fantasy football teams. Starting with the most important position on a football team, the players pegged to be the one with the most passing yards are: Drew Brees at 7/2, Aaron Rodgers & Matthew Stafford at 13/2, Peyton Manning at 5/1, and Tom Brady & Matt Ryan at 8/1. For the most rushing yards, Adrian Peterson has been tipped at 5/2, the Seahawks' Marshawn Lynch at 13/2, Arian Foster & the Bucs' Doug Martin at 8/1 and the Redskins' Alfred Morris at 10/1. And for the most receiving yards, Megatron - Calvin Johnson is the clear favorite at 5/2, followed by the Bears' Brandon Marshall at 6/1, the Bengals' A.J. Green 7/1 and Houston's Andre Johnson 8/1. For the Bay Area teams, Colin Kaepernick is 40/1 in passing, the Raiders' Darren MacFadden leads the Niners' Frank Gore 22/1 to 28/1 in rushing, and new Niner Anquan Boldin is 22/1 in the receiving category.

- NCAA Football: With the new college football season starting this Thursday, there's no doubt who the favorite is coming into the new campaign. Two-time defending national champion Alabama is pegged at 5/2 in their quest to be the first in history to three-peat. Ohio State is 2nd at 7/2 (up from 6/1), Texas A&M 6/1 (up from 10/1) and Oregon 7/1. A three-way tie for 5th choice at 15/1: Georgia, L.S.U. and Stanford (yea!). BCS runners up Norte Dame are at 18/1, ahead of 20/1 teams Florida, South Carolina, Texas and Florida St.

- MLB: when I went to Vegas, the second half of the baseball season was underway, and thus the start of the division races. When the opening line was posted, the Tigers (6/1), Yankees (7/1) and Giants (9/1) were Vegas' top 3 to make it to October. By mid-July and after the All-Star break, Detroit's chances increased to 5/1 to win the World Series & 5/2 to win the AL pennant, but by way of strong play, the Cardinals and Red Sox improved to 7/1 from 20+/1 opening odds, with St. Louis' NL pennant chances being at 5/2. And the Braves and Dodgers slashed their respective opening 15/1 & 16/1 starts to 8/1 each, just as the LA blue was about to go on a tear. San Francisco's disappointing season saw their line go to 30/1, while their crosstown rivals to the east in Oakland saw their chances go up to 10/1 from an 18/1 opener. At 12/1 were the Rangers, Orioles and Pirates (PIT 5/1 to win the pennant); the Nationals & Tampa Bay at 15/1, the Yankees & D'Backs at 18/1, and Toronto at 20/1. As for teams whose stock has dropped? The Marlins are at 750/1, the Astros & Brewers at 500/1 and the White Sox & Mets at 400/1.

- NBA: For my favorite sport & the one that dominates the sports talk in the Cueva household, the NBA odds are much the same as baseball. And ironically, the two jerseys I brought to Vegas to wear were the top two teams Vegas had to be in the 2014 Finals. The defending champion Heat had their opening line set at 3/2 and they remain at those same odds. After their disappointing earlier exit, Oklahoma City is at 4/1 to win, up from 5/1; the Bulls are at 6/1 thanks to Derrick Rose potentially returning, and San Antonio is at 7/1 in their quest to make one more title run. On the heels of their blockbuster acquisition of the Celtics' Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce & Jason Terry joining Deron Williams & Joe Johnson, as well of bringing in the recently-retired Jason Kidd as head coach, the Nets' odds rapidly increased from a 50/1 opening line to 15/1 and into the top 10, along with the Clippers and Pacers at 12/1 & 15/1 respectively, and the Lakers, Knicks & Clippers at 25/1.

   The other big summer move of Dwight Howard deserting Kobe & the Lakers to join James Harden & Jeremy Lin in Houston elevated the Rockets' chances, though down slightly to 28/1 from 25/1. The two combatants in the West 1st Round, the Warriors and Nuggets show up at 30/1, followed by the Mavericks at 40/1 and the Cavaliers at 50/1 (up from 150/1 after another lottery win). Then there's a whole lot of teams I don't to mention in a single post at 100/1, then the Suns & Pistons at 300/1, and at 500/1 long shots, the Sixers, Magic and Bobcats.

   And at the hotel I stayed at, any Boston Celtics fans who have felt heartache with Ray Allen winning in Miami and see both their coach & a few players leave for Brooklyn during the offseason, might not get love from the Caesars group. Any bets on games the Celtics play are not taken by hotels owned by Caesars, and in the unlikely senario that should they win the title or the East, they would recognize the team that they beat as the team with the best finish for wagering purposes. It's because the company's president is a part owner of the Celtics and of course as a courtesy, they don't want to compromise such a thing. Ask the Maloofs.

- Soccer: For the odds to win the 2013-14 Premier League title in the first season without Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm of Manchester United, oddsmakers had MAN-U at 3/2 to win under new manager David Moyes. That still makes them Tri-favorites with the team they lost to on goal difference to win the 2012 title, Manchester City, and the last non-Manchester team to win the premiership, Chelsea; both at 3/2 and with new managers as well; all three won their openers easily. Arsenal was pegged in at 7/1 to win their first trophy of any kind since their unbeaten title run in 2004, though last weekend's loss at home in their opener to Aston Villa certainly hurt their chances. Tottenham and Liverpool were tipped at 25/1, Newcastle United at 200/1, and all of the other 13 teams in the EPL were put at 500/1.

   As for the World Cup? Thanks to their victory at home over Spain at the FIFA Confederations Cup, Brazil is pegged at 3/1 for a similar result next year in Rio. Spain is 5/1, but that makes them tied for 3rd choice with Germany, Argentina is ahead of them at 4/1. Italy is 15/1, Belgium 16/1, 2010 World Cup runners up Netherlands 20/1, England 22/1, and at 40/1: France, Mexico, Russia and Portugal, among others. And after oddsmakers had their opening line set at 150/1, a strong showing through the quarter finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup put the United States at 40/1, it certainly improved when they won the whole thing. Lastly, who's the longest shot to hoist the trophy at Maracana Stadium next July? Hungary at 3000/1.

- Individual Sports: As for the individual sports, the one that's been the big sport in town for many years has been boxing, and for the next big fight that takes place in mid-September, the "Money Man," Floyd Mayweather is favored against Saul Alvarez in their welterweight unification bout and for it to potentially go the distance, and they use the money line to measure boxing here. For NASCAR, the mid-July odds had Jimmie Johnson at 5/4 to claim another Sprint Cup title, a steady improvement from 4/1 & a relatively consistent one as other drivers' rankings have changed aplenty throughout the season. And in tennis for the year's last major that began on Monday, Caesars has Serena Williams at 2/3, Victoria Azarenka at 7/2 and Maria Sharapova at 5/1 to claim the women's title at the U.S. Open. And for the Big Four in the men's draw, Novac Djokovic is at 7/5, Wimbledon champ Andy Murray at 8/5, Rafael Nadal at 5/1 and Roger Federer at 9/1.

- NCAA Basketball: with summer ending, it's never too early to think about March Madness. In spite of Louisville's run to the title, they're third choice at 8/1 in the quest for a repeat in Dallas. The favorites? Kentucky at 3/1, followed by Kansas at 5/1, improving at from a 25/1 opener. Michigan St. is at 10/1, Florida & Arizona at 12/1, North Carolina & Ohio St. 15/1, and runners-up Michigan 22/1. But if what we saw last year with the number one ranking going from school to school every week is any indication, these odds will change aplenty come conference play time, and of course if it's gonna be déjà vu again with upsets aplenty, then it could be anyone's title to win come springtime.

- NHL: And it's not too early to think about NHL season, too, as that aforementioned preseason game at Caesars 22 years ago spawned the idea of outdoor hockey that will see an additional 5 NHL games held in stadiums in North America in the '13-14 season besides the Winter Classic between the Red Wings and Maple Leafs at the Big House on New Year's Day. And with a little earlier start than usual due to the two-week break in February for the Sochi Olympics, the Penguins and Blackhawks are the top choices to meet in next year's Stanley Cup Final: Pittsburgh at 5/1 & Chicago 6/1 to repeat. The Bruins are at 9/1, the Blues at 10/1, Vancouver & LA at 12/1, the Rangers at 14/1, the Sharks at 15/1, Montreal & Anaheim at 20/1 and Toronto 25/1.

So, there are the odds, for entertainment purposes only of course. And all this information was provided by the odds sheets I got from Bally's during my Vegas trip. Of course, the information is pretty much outdated as odds have improved or dwindled for many teams or individuals in the month since this trip. Next time when you go to Las Vegas and you have a love of sports like me, then check out what it's like to watch a sports event with hundreds of other people who share that passion with you. If you win, you'll be on top of the world. If you lose, don't lose hope. And of course, be responsive when you gamble.

Stay tuned to DC BLOG & my social media outlets for more from my Las Vegas trip, plus I'll be following the home stretch of the latest season of thr so-called 5th major sport, MTV's The Challenge: Rivals II. Until then, thanks for reading, have fun and enjoy the upcoming Labor Day weekend.

- DC