Tweet
The worst 'bad beat' of the MLB season
Stephen Nover
It’s not pleasant backing the Colorado Rockies as a $2.10 underdog against the San Diego Padres - especially when they blow the game in extra innings, which is what happened Wednesday.
But that piece of misfortune was nothing compared to those who bet over the total in the Texas Rangers-Oakland Athletics game Wednesday afternoon. It’s only the beginning of May, but those poor gamblers already can stake claim for suffering what very well could be the worst "bad beat" of the entire season.
The over/under on the Rangers-A’s game was nine. By the fifth inning 12 batters had already crossed home plate. The final: Texas 16, Oakland 7.
Easy win for the over bettors, right? Not quite.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, the umpires halted the game because it started drizzling. After a scant 34 minute wait, the umpires called the game. Those who bet the Rangers won, of course, because it was an official game.
Over/unders, however, are graded differently. The game must be entirely completed for there to be action, meaning for their bets to be in play and valid. It’s the same with runline wagering, in which you bet on the 1 1/2-run spread.
For betting purposes, the total was graded a push. No action. Everybody who bet the over/under received a refund.
Professional gambler Dave Malinsky was one person who wagered on the over.
“The rule doesn’t have any logic,” he said. “The guys who bet over clearly won. The guys who bet under clearly lost.
“I can understand the side because there is a chance something could happen. But once a game goes over the total it can’t go back and go under. Once it’s there, it’s there.”
The light rain didn’t stop the horses from running at Bay Meadows in nearby San Mateo. But in Oakland it was enough for the umpiring crew of Jeff Nelson, Bill Miller, Joe Brinkman and Derryl Cousins to call the game prematurely. Can’t have a bunch of overpaid millionaires get wet now can we?
“I can understand the umpires saying one team’s up by nine runs let’s just go home,” Malinsky said. “But it was a day game and neither team played the next day (Thursday). So they had all the time in the world.”
This isn’t to say the A’s would have dramatically rallied. But just two days ago on Monday night the St. Louis Cardinals scored seven runs in the ninth inning to edge Cincinnati, 10-9.
“If I’m Oakland I don’t care if I’m down nine runs, I want to take a free shot to win the game,” Malinsky said.
You win your bet by 14 runs and can’t cash your ticket.
“Our house rules have been the same,” said Rick Reinhart, a sportsbook supervisor at the Stardust Hotel. “It’s been like that for years and has never been changed. It goes both ways.”
One bettor who did wager on the under in the Rangers-A’s game said he was luckier than the British at Dunkirk.
Malinsky and others who bet the over weren’t in such a humorous mood. They believe the rule should be changed.
Vinny Magliulo, long-time former sportsbook director at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and now head sportsbook man at the new Wynn Las Vegas hotel, said the rule has been around for ages.
“There are those types of situations that come up in baseball,” Magliulo said. “It’s a bad beat. But it works in reverse, too. In the long run it probably balances out.”
It’s difficult for a sportsbook operator in Las Vegas to change long-standing betting rules because the Nevada Gaming Control Board has specific criteria for following rules. It’s not worth the hassle for Vegas bookmakers to start up with Gaming or risk getting on their bad side.
Internet bookmakers, though, have no such restrictions. They should do what’s fair. It shouldn’t be a big deal to change their baseball rule regarding complete game over/unders, posting it on their site where it’s clearly visible. Let this Rangers-A’s game be the impetus.
It’s hard enough to win a bet. You shouldn’t get unnecessarily screwed if you handicapped the game correctly.
Stephen Nover
It’s not pleasant backing the Colorado Rockies as a $2.10 underdog against the San Diego Padres - especially when they blow the game in extra innings, which is what happened Wednesday.
But that piece of misfortune was nothing compared to those who bet over the total in the Texas Rangers-Oakland Athletics game Wednesday afternoon. It’s only the beginning of May, but those poor gamblers already can stake claim for suffering what very well could be the worst "bad beat" of the entire season.
The over/under on the Rangers-A’s game was nine. By the fifth inning 12 batters had already crossed home plate. The final: Texas 16, Oakland 7.
Easy win for the over bettors, right? Not quite.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, the umpires halted the game because it started drizzling. After a scant 34 minute wait, the umpires called the game. Those who bet the Rangers won, of course, because it was an official game.
Over/unders, however, are graded differently. The game must be entirely completed for there to be action, meaning for their bets to be in play and valid. It’s the same with runline wagering, in which you bet on the 1 1/2-run spread.
For betting purposes, the total was graded a push. No action. Everybody who bet the over/under received a refund.
Professional gambler Dave Malinsky was one person who wagered on the over.
“The rule doesn’t have any logic,” he said. “The guys who bet over clearly won. The guys who bet under clearly lost.
“I can understand the side because there is a chance something could happen. But once a game goes over the total it can’t go back and go under. Once it’s there, it’s there.”
The light rain didn’t stop the horses from running at Bay Meadows in nearby San Mateo. But in Oakland it was enough for the umpiring crew of Jeff Nelson, Bill Miller, Joe Brinkman and Derryl Cousins to call the game prematurely. Can’t have a bunch of overpaid millionaires get wet now can we?
“I can understand the umpires saying one team’s up by nine runs let’s just go home,” Malinsky said. “But it was a day game and neither team played the next day (Thursday). So they had all the time in the world.”
This isn’t to say the A’s would have dramatically rallied. But just two days ago on Monday night the St. Louis Cardinals scored seven runs in the ninth inning to edge Cincinnati, 10-9.
“If I’m Oakland I don’t care if I’m down nine runs, I want to take a free shot to win the game,” Malinsky said.
You win your bet by 14 runs and can’t cash your ticket.
“Our house rules have been the same,” said Rick Reinhart, a sportsbook supervisor at the Stardust Hotel. “It’s been like that for years and has never been changed. It goes both ways.”
One bettor who did wager on the under in the Rangers-A’s game said he was luckier than the British at Dunkirk.
Malinsky and others who bet the over weren’t in such a humorous mood. They believe the rule should be changed.
Vinny Magliulo, long-time former sportsbook director at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and now head sportsbook man at the new Wynn Las Vegas hotel, said the rule has been around for ages.
“There are those types of situations that come up in baseball,” Magliulo said. “It’s a bad beat. But it works in reverse, too. In the long run it probably balances out.”
It’s difficult for a sportsbook operator in Las Vegas to change long-standing betting rules because the Nevada Gaming Control Board has specific criteria for following rules. It’s not worth the hassle for Vegas bookmakers to start up with Gaming or risk getting on their bad side.
Internet bookmakers, though, have no such restrictions. They should do what’s fair. It shouldn’t be a big deal to change their baseball rule regarding complete game over/unders, posting it on their site where it’s clearly visible. Let this Rangers-A’s game be the impetus.
It’s hard enough to win a bet. You shouldn’t get unnecessarily screwed if you handicapped the game correctly.
Comment