The smart money was on a dog day afternoon

Point-spread money usually skews toward the favorites, so when underdogs beat the spread, that's often good for the house.

There's a caveat to that rule, though. If there's a ton of cash on the money line on a few popular dogs, the books are paying off the outright underdog wins at big odds. In the money line, the point spread is disregarded and odds are set on each team's chances.

Yesterday, the game that reverberated though the betting world was the same one that caused shock waves around the NFL in general - Tampa Bay's stunning 38-28 upset of Green Bay.

"That was a big one for us because quite a bit of money had gone through Green Bay, both against the spread and on the money line," said Jay Rood, director of the sports and race book for MGM Mirage Casinos in Las Vegas.

However, the dog that had the books sweating was Houston, which put up a valiant fight against undefeated Indianapolis.

The Texans lost on the scoreboard, 20-17, but in getting nine points, they won against the spread. However, that was not the biggest issue in the wagering universe, where the Texans had drawn quite a bit of interest as a money-line bet.

Houston would have paid off at a handsome 3-1 if it had won outright, and a substantial amount of money-line cash had come in on the Texans.

But Houston kicker Kris Brown's 42-yard field-goal attempt at the final gun, which would have sent the game into overtime, failed. That averted what would have been a potentially terrific payday for money-line Houston money.

"The story line of that game was the Indianapolis secondary and who might not be playing for them, along with Houston's [good] passing game," Rood said, explaining the influx of Houston money.

The underdog tsunami yesterday likely will shake the confidence of many bettors in the coming weeks.

"That's what the line is supposed to do," Rood said. "If we put up a line and people are giving the points or taking the points without hesitation, we're not doing our jobs."