With the NFL preseason well underway, baseball entering the final third of its season and the WNBA resuming, things around here are getting more “Ludacris” than an F1 entertainment lineup.
With all that in mind, let’s quickly review the past week in sports and peek at what’s ahead on the STN Sports app and at the STN Sports Books…
Football
NFL Preseason games don’t count, but they matter. Sure, the starters don’t play all the time — or don’t play at all in some cases — but the handle on preseason games increases every year, largely due to the published information out there regarding quarterback rotations. Knowing ahead of time who will be under center at certain moments of the game can be the difference in winning or losing.
“The under seems to be a popular play in these games. You tend to see lower totals in the preseason than you do the regular season,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Race and Sports Book Director. “You clearly get sharp and sophisticated play now in preseason. They don’t brush off the preseason. Because of the information that’s out there, that clearly becomes a game changer for the bettor, especially the sharp bettor.”
Repeat: Pay attention to published quarterback rotations. Not doing so could get you cooked like a meal at Seventy Six Tavern. See, you don’t need a politician to give you a tax-free tip.
The Minnesota Vikings might already be in a quarterback quandary. On Tuesday, word came out that J.J. McCarthy has a torn meniscus in his right knee and will require surgery. Now, the Vikings have to worry about QB depth, which likely means they won’t be playing presumed starter Sam Darnold much at all in the final two preseason games for fear of him getting hurt, too.
Minnesota’s quarterback room is more shaken than a California fault line, and the bettors have noticed. The spread in this Saturday’s game against the Browns has already moved a few points. That, however, shouldn’t come as a surprise. Oddsmakers are always keen to move lines much faster in the preseason than in the regular season.
“You’re not overly concerned about staying on the number three. There’s really no such thing as a key number in preseason,” Esposito said. “You’re going to see more dramatic line moves and adjustments on the side and total and much quicker moves.”
Last Man Standing Contests
The Olympics are over, but the competition is only starting! Signups for the Last Man Standing competitions in both the NFL and college football are underway.
The rules: Each entry costs $25, and guests must sign up in person at any Station Casinos Sports Book. Any contestant who purchases four entries will receive a fifth free. While still active in the competition, guests must turn in their weekly picks in person. Active participants must select one game against the spread for each entry.
The winner of the Last Man Standing competition of the college variety will win a guaranteed minimum of $100,000, and the NFL’s Last Man Standing winner will take home a guaranteed minimum of $150,000. In our humble opinion, there’s no question that STN’s Last Man Standing competitions are the best bang for your buck in the city.
MLB
All season long, baseball bettors have been cashing tickets like a Palace Station BINGO customer, and many are doing so by going against the abysmal White Sox. On Monday, the lowly Chicago South Siders took on the Yankees, who have been one of the most-bet teams of the season. The ticket count was astronomically high for the Bronx Bombers, a team fighting for the league’s best overall record. This should have been a game that New York could sleepwalk through, but something interesting happened: the White Sox won 12-2. It was the most profitable baseball day for the sportsbooks all season.
“It was a phenomenal game for our side of the counter,” Esposito said. “I don’t think there was a ticket that came across the counter on Monday that didn’t have the Yankees on it, or the Yankee run line on it.” The White Sox win destroyed all straight Yankee bets and an abundance of parlays. Not even Miss Cleo could have predicted a Sox win.
Olympics
The gold medal games for basketball in the 2024 Olympics couldn’t have gone better. In both the men’s and women’s tilts, the U.S. won but didn’t cover. “On the men’s side, the fact they didn’t cover was great,” Esposito said. “On the women’s case, having them win but not cover was actually best case scenario because there was some moneyline money on France.”
With the French women’s squad coming in as 15.5-point underdogs, the moneyline payout would have been nearly as substantial as the $4.2 million MegaKeno progressive, which is waiting to blow.
Bets To Know
As we mentioned earlier, NFL preseason doesn’t count, but it matters. Look for lines for all the games to get excited for the regular season action, as well as lookahead markets with futures and more.
Weekly Winners
It’s a home run ticket (three, that is). Congrats to this STN Sports bettor on Tuesday who had a feeling three players would hit a homer during their respective games. $5 ticket to collect $723!
-Anthony Santander over .5 HR +375
-Jake Burger over .5 HR +335
-Alex Bregman over .5 HR +600