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Viva Reno
Other than one football season when I was running the sports book at the Atlantis in Nassau, the Bahamas, the other 33 have been spent in Las Vegas. That is, up until this last weekend when I was in Reno, checking action at the Lucky's books here.
Nice city!!! Fine accommodations, for sure; Weather you would sign a contract for. But betting attitudes here are as different as the north and south that separates the cities.
Four-teamers with two-run lines attached are as common as the soup of the day in any deli. Bettors actually wait for people in front of them to get done with their transaction to get their bet in. Limit bets are as scarce as a winning six-teamer. A drink ticket is worth much more than a 5-star restaurant meal.
Yes, booking here is quite different than I anticipated, for sure. Some smarts are here, but they are few and far between. Most books are tied to a static line and the moves in Reno are harder to get at. In Vegas, a stray line can actually be found more easily, if that's possible.
Two hotels here that stand on their own two feet are the Atlantis and the Peppermill. But there was never even an opinion from the books at those places that stood out.The Grand Sierra Resort showed all the games on big screens in the theater and drew a big crowd. Limits are fair, while contests are abundant and done quite well.
Moves were ignored on parlay cards, and they could care less about any service release or two-point moves played on that card. Gimmicks were at the top of their desires and reflected in all of the props we used for this weekend's games. We would write five or six tickets on a prop, but the money was usually trumped by one bet from down south.
Regional bias was not evident as they all used Texas Tech in their parlays against hometown Nevada. Cheering was on a par with every book I have ever been in. But the noise meter went off the chart when Urban Myer kicked the field goal to put the Gators up by 23.
Bottom Line: The strong appeal of football is universal, and Reno is just as anxious as anywhere to get the season started.
Would I come back? All they have to do is ask.
Next Week: Different guys, same results. Wager all the games you want.
Take care, Jimmy Vaccaro
Other than one football season when I was running the sports book at the Atlantis in Nassau, the Bahamas, the other 33 have been spent in Las Vegas. That is, up until this last weekend when I was in Reno, checking action at the Lucky's books here.
Nice city!!! Fine accommodations, for sure; Weather you would sign a contract for. But betting attitudes here are as different as the north and south that separates the cities.
Four-teamers with two-run lines attached are as common as the soup of the day in any deli. Bettors actually wait for people in front of them to get done with their transaction to get their bet in. Limit bets are as scarce as a winning six-teamer. A drink ticket is worth much more than a 5-star restaurant meal.
Yes, booking here is quite different than I anticipated, for sure. Some smarts are here, but they are few and far between. Most books are tied to a static line and the moves in Reno are harder to get at. In Vegas, a stray line can actually be found more easily, if that's possible.
Two hotels here that stand on their own two feet are the Atlantis and the Peppermill. But there was never even an opinion from the books at those places that stood out.The Grand Sierra Resort showed all the games on big screens in the theater and drew a big crowd. Limits are fair, while contests are abundant and done quite well.
Moves were ignored on parlay cards, and they could care less about any service release or two-point moves played on that card. Gimmicks were at the top of their desires and reflected in all of the props we used for this weekend's games. We would write five or six tickets on a prop, but the money was usually trumped by one bet from down south.
Regional bias was not evident as they all used Texas Tech in their parlays against hometown Nevada. Cheering was on a par with every book I have ever been in. But the noise meter went off the chart when Urban Myer kicked the field goal to put the Gators up by 23.
Bottom Line: The strong appeal of football is universal, and Reno is just as anxious as anywhere to get the season started.
Would I come back? All they have to do is ask.
Next Week: Different guys, same results. Wager all the games you want.
Take care, Jimmy Vaccaro