In sports betting, major wagers will always get attention from the public masses. For many of us, it’s kind of a way to live vicariously through high-rollers.
Some people even find satisfaction in rooting for those bets to lose.
But all of us can root for a winning wager when the amount bet is more relatable — a play that any of us could afford to make. And you can’t get much more relatable than pocket change.
Just ask the Fanatics Sportsbook customer who turned two quarters into more than $3,500.
More on that winning wager, notable parlay hits and other interesting plays as we recap betting from the past week or so.
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Mix and Match
At some point before the Nuggets-Thunder game on Feb. 27, a bettor put the extremely unusual sum of 50 cents on a 10-leg parlay. The ticket included an NBA player prop, a host of UFC results from the Feb. 28 Mexico City card, and three PGA Tour player props in the Cognizant Classic.
As you can see, the Fanatics customer didn’t just load up on favorites. Four of the five UFC plays were not only on underdogs, but sizable underdogs.
That helped ramp up the odds to a massive +732697, or in easier-to-digest terms, about 7327/1.
Somehow, all 10 legs came through. So, that couch-cushions-change bet turned into $3,663. You’ll be hard-pressed to find better ROI than that.
College Hoops Heaven
On Sunday morning, ahead of the final regular-season games in college basketball, a Hard Rock Bet customer put all of $1 on a 19-leg college basketball parlay.
And honestly, if you’re gonna put real American money on 19-leg parlays, then $1 is probably the proper amount.
The parlay was a mix of moneyline favorites — meaning those teams just had to win, by any margin — and total points scored. Odds were a huge +305930, or about 3060/1. But the bettor also utilized a profit boost, hiking the odds to 4590/1.
Somehow, all 19 legs came in.
The bettor got a great sweat out of the Iowa-Nebraska game, after taking Huskers moneyline -300. Nebraska led by six, 68-62, with 1:10 remaining, but got dragged into overtime when Iowa rallied to tie it at 70.
The Huskers then got it sorted out and won 84-75, saving the parlay ticket. And the bettor’s one dollar turned into $4,590.
Fore Score
Last weekend’s Arnold Palmer Invitational produced at least two big wins for PGA Tour bettors.
First up: A Fanatics Sportsbook customer put $500 on Daniel Berger +7500 to be the first-round leader at Bay Hill.
Berger then shot a blistering 9-under 69 on Thursday. The bettor banked a hefty profit of $37,500 (total payout $38,000).
At DraftKings Sportsbook, a bettor put $900 on Akshay Bhatia +6200 to win the Arnold Palmer.
As it turned out, Bhatia went to a playoff against Berger. Both players finished at 15-under 273, three shots clear of the field.
The playoff ended quickly, with Bhatia’s par beating Berger’s bogey on the first hole. That gave the bettor a windfall of $55,800 (total payout $56,700).
Saturday Night Fights
UFC 326, held Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena here in Las Vegas, produced a healthy five-figure payday for a Fanatics customer.
The bettor put $1,000 on a six-leg parlay, picking the winner in each of six bouts — two underdogs and four favorites.
Add those up, and you’ve got odds of +2805, or just beyond 28/1. All six fighters got the job done, and the bettor claimed $28,050 profit (total payout $29,050).
Six-Figure Funding
Back in college basketball, a Hard Rock Bet customer put together a $250 nine-leg parlay on Saturday. Eight legs were against the spread, and one was on the moneyline:
- Missouri +4.5 vs. Arkansas
- Virginia Tech +12.5 vs. Virginia
- Davidson -2.5 vs. St. Bonaventure
- Georgia Tech +6.5 vs. Clemson
- Butler moneyline -125 vs. DePaul
- North Carolina-Asheville +11.5 vs. High Point
- Citadel +10.5 vs. East Tennessee State
- Marquette +11.5 vs. UConn
- Louisiana Tech -12.5 vs. Delaware
The parlay had odds of +29291 (about 293/1), but the bettor utilized a profit boost, taking those odds all the way to +43936 (about 439/1).
All nine teams got through, with a couple of close calls. The closest: Missouri, a home underdog that took Arkansas to overtime tied at 70.
In sports betting, it’s often said that overtime is where underdogs go to die. And Unders, too. But Missouri kept it close in the extra five minutes and covered by a half point in the 88-84 loss.
So the bettor’s $250 turned into $110,090. Not a bad day’s work.
Nets Gain
We’ll wrap this up with a move made in prediction markets, which, while controversial, are gaining popularity as a means to trade on sports.
On Saturday night in the NBA, the Nets were getting run out of the gym by the Pistons in Detroit. Four minutes into the third quarter, Brooklyn trailed 77-54.
At that point, a Kalshi customer decided to take a flier on the Nets, who had just a 1% chance of winning. The trade was for $393.96.
The Nets slowly chipped away, but were still down by 10 with 5:29 remaining. Brooklyn just kept pushing, though, and ultimately pulled off a stunning 107-105 victory.
That turned the customer’s original $393.96 investment into $23,104. After such extraordinary good luck, perhaps buying a lottery ticket was in order.