Sports betting notes: Checking in on Game 1 lines for the NBA playoffs, and that wild Tiger Woods bet to win the Masters
A bettor laid $65k this week to win $1.1 million on Tiger winning the Masters. He shot a 2-under 70 on Thursday and is definitely in contention.
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The Sixers are 8-point favorites for Game 1 against the Nets. At least for now.
The uncertainty of Joel Embiid’s availability for Saturday’s opener, and the secrecy on what is actually wrong with the Sixers big man, has made some sportsbooks take down the line.
Philadelphia-area casinos Parx and SugarHouse had an 8-point line up as of late Thursday afternoon. FanDuel, which runs the sportsbook at Valley Forge Resort, was offering the Sixers at -7.5.
Sixers, Warriors on top
There’s a lot of sentiment for the Sixers to win the NBA championship, but there’s a lot more money on the Warriors.
Sportsbook William Hill-US, which counts the Tropicana and Ocean Casino Resort among its 100+ outlets, reported on Wednesday that they wrote more tickets on the Sixers to win the title than any other team. But when it came to where the money was going, a significant majority was on the two-time defending champs.
The Sixers had generated the fourth-most in money wagered. Of course this was before the latest Embiid drama developed. Anyhow, here’s a look at the top 10 for each volume and money at William Hill’s 'books.
Tiger watch
That opening round 70 put up by Tiger Woods at Thursday’s Masters definitely caught the attention of the William Hill folks.
Earlier this week, they took an $85,000 from an unidentified gambler in Las Vegas on Woods to win at Augusta National. At 14-1 odds, the payout would be $1,190,000 and is the largest liability they’ve ever taken on a golf bet.
Woods has won four Masters, but none since 2005. His last top-10 at Augusta was a T4 in 2013.
William Hill’s other significant Masters’ liabilities include ...
>>$500 on Fred Couples at 50-1. Couples was +6 after Round 1.
>>$1,000 on Kevin Kisner at 125-1. Kisner was tied for the lead at -3 through 15 holes.
>>$250 on Bernhard Langer at 500-1. Langer was at -1 through 17 holes.
>>$250 on Angel Cabrera at 500-1. Cabrera shot +10. He’s cooked.
>>$250 on Vijay Singh at 500-1. Singh was +7. So’s he.
>>$7,000 on Dustin Johnson at 11-1. Johnson also was tied for the lead at -3 through 13 holes.