GET ‘IN’ THE GAME!
Action’s just getting started at kickoff & after first pitch
A New York native, Vinny Magliulo is a VSiN oddsmaker and the sports book director for Gaughan Gaming in Las Vegas. He attended St. Anthony’s High School (then in Smithtown), before moving to Vegas 40 years ago to pursue a career that included running the sports books at Caesars Palace and Wynn Las Vegas. Catch Vinny with Brent Musburger on “My Guys in the Desert,” weekdays from 6 to 8 p.m. on VSiN.com, fubuTV and SiriusXM 204.
Can you please explain ingame wagering? — Cappy in Westerly, R.I.
Vinny: Glad you asked Cappy. This is the fastest-growing wagering option in our industry. In fact, the South Point Hotel & Casino (home to the VSiN studio) added four more staff members to accommodate this feature. Once a game/event begins, you can wager on the outcome at a new price that is based on the score at that point in the game.
Often times, there’s a change of favorites with the in-game option. Case in point, on Sept. 2, Miami played LSU in Arlington, Texas. The game opened Miami -3 and it bounced between -3 and -3¹/2 up to kickoff. When LSU went up 33-3 in the third quarter, the ’Canes were 23¹/2- point ’dogs! It’s important to remember that ingame lines move very quickly and can present value whether you bet the game in advance or not.
Another example is when you like a favorite to win a game but are not convinced they will cover the point spread. You have the option once the game starts to lay a cheaper price if the game is close or particularly if they give up the first score. This can work in reverse, too. In-game wagering presents multiple options for bettors. (Note: In-game wagering is based on the game’s final result. Quarters, first halves and halftime wagers are specific to those portions of the contests).
When I listen to VSiN, I hear you talk about public teams in the NFL. Which teams are they, and are there college teams in this category? — Joe from Jacksonville, Fla.
Vinny: Let’s define these teams as those that get the most betting attention from the general public. While some have been on and off the list in recent years depending on their success on the field, (ie. Seahawks, Colts, Broncos), the most consistent representatives have been the Patriots, Steelers, Raiders, Cowboys, Packers and Rams. On the college side, it’s Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Michigan, Notre Dame and USC. You can add Oklahoma and Penn State to the mix.
Say I wanted to bet the Jets in Week 8 at the Bears. Is there anywhere I can find spreads on this kind of stuff ? Ideally I’d like to pick every Jets game from Week 1 til the end of the regular season and be able to sit back watch it roll in lol. Your thoughts? — Tom Greig, Hoboken
Vinny: We posted Week 1 last spring with the Jets as 6¹/2- point underdogs to the Lions in Detroit. That number has held steady through the summer. As for Week 8 vs. the Bears, I did see a lookahead number of Chicago -4¹/2. As I’m sure you know, Tom, some things can and will change between now and then that will impact prices. You may want to consider the Jets win total: they opened at 6 the South Point on May 1 and Under money showed early on. If you’re interested in backing them every week, the season win total gives you that with a one-time wager at a plus price.
If the Yankees were to play the Astros in the one-game wild-card playoff, who do you think the starting pitchers will be? The aces of each are not pitching well at all, so it’s not so obvious. — Mike Guglielmo, Brooklyn
Vinny: You are spot on, Mike. The “aces” are not going so good right now, but the Astros are healthy again while the Yankees are trying to get everybody back. You can consider the regular season slightly (Yankees winning 5 of 7); but it’s more about current form. At this point, it looks more like the A’s will be visiting the Stadium for the wild-card game and their staff is hurting. Learn from the games the Yankees and A’s just played in Oakland and how the teams finish the season. Will either team need the last week of the regular season to qualify? In essence, there’s almost a month’s worth of factors that will determine who pitches in the wildcard game, and of course it will be all hands on deck By the way, the Rays may have a say in this thing, too; winning 13 of 16 games entering Friday. I’ll leave the decision of starting pitchers to the managers and then I’ll make the game price. For me, though, I’d say: Astros with either Justin Verlander or Dallas Keuchel, Yankees with Luis Severino or Masahiro Tanaka, A’s with Sean Manaea (on DL) or Mike Fiers, and Rays with Blake Snell.
One in an occasional series. Have a question for Vinny? Email AskVinny@VSiN.com