In Week 5, the NFL saw more twists and turns than a hotel parking garage, and the chaos of comeback weekend was not great for the guests, as multiple underdogs — Titans, Commanders, Panthers, Broncos, Jaguars — overcame double-digit deficits to win outright.
“I don’t remember a weekend where you saw so many games where the team losing was able to come back from double-digit deficits,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Sports Book Director. “There really weren’t a lot of marquee marquee games this past weekend, but you saw a lot more parity in the league, and a lot of these teams played well, which was really good for our side of the counter.”
Also good for the book? The UFC 320 handle, which saw several large five-figure bets. A six-figure bet tied to both favorites, Magomed Ankalaev and Merab Dvalishvili, also came in. In a boon for the house, Ankalaev was unsuccessful, losing to underdog Alex Pereira.
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 the STN Sports Books…
NFL
Although it was a profitable NFL weekend for the Sports Books, it was the hometown team that did oddsmakers no favors. Guests bet with their wallets, not their hearts, last weekend, as 55% of the tickets were tied to the Colts beating the Raiders.
Indy backers were rewarded as the Raiders got lit up faster than the neon marquee. Following the 40-6 defeat, the Raiders might need to call a special session to address their issues.
“With as bad as they’ve looked so far and the nine interceptions that Geno Smith has thrown, for our guests, the Raiders are usually a ‘bet on’ no matter what, but they look to be a complete ‘bet off’ right now,” Esposito said. Las Vegas seems to have some reprieve, though, as they play the Titans, a legit bottom-dweller, this week.
“This is a game where I could see guests jumping back on them and giving them one more chance,” Esposito opined. “I could clearly see that we end up needing the Titans as one of our bigger afternoon decisions this week, even though it’s not a marquee, marquee game. It’s more a product of they’re playing the Titans than guests really love the Raiders.”
Indiana Jones
Make no mistake about it, the Indianapolis Colts are one of the biggest surprises of the season so far with a 4-1 record. The Daniel Jones-led Colts enter this week as favorites of nearly a touchdown against the 2-3 Arizona Cardinals, who have lost their games by a combined five points, including a one-point loss to hapless Tennessee last week in the most unserious game since Cards Against Humanity.
“I think it’s a really bad spot for the Cardinals,” said Esposito. “When you lose a game like that and you have to go travel against a red-hot team, I think we’re clearly going to be Cardinals fans on Sunday. I thought they were done with Indiana Jones movies, but man, Indiana Jones is looking pretty good right now.”
The Colts’ profile continues to go up like the RISE Festival. Still, Esposito’s favorite bet of the weekend isn’t the Colts, but rather “whoever we need.” Okay, okay, all jokes aside, it’s the Steelers, who enter as favorites of less than a touchdown. Pittsburgh is coming off a bye and hosts the Browns, who played overseas last week and no longer have Joe Flacco’s services.
“I think it’s a really tough spot for the Browns. They are really good defensively, but they’re definitely still challenged a little bit offensively,” Esposito said. “We’re going to be huge Browns fans on Sunday. I think when everybody starts to think about everything, it’s just tough. I mean that travel against the team that is well rested really magnifies that situation.”
WNBA Finals
The Las Vegas Aces refuse to fold. Following a very average start to the WNBA season, the Aces saw their championship future odds rise to 25-to-1 odds. The Mercury, for that matter, was a smart value play.
“We’re not in great shape with either team as far as future book goes. Unfortunately, we post a loss to both,” Esposito said. “I think it’s just the product of so much action on the Lynx and the Liberty. The people look for the next kind of team for value, and that was the Mercury. And in the Aces case, our local guests just back the local teams, especially when they’re good, and the Aces are good.”
The Aces look better than Glen Powell as a Las Vegas Motor Speedway grand marshal. Through the first two home games of the WNBA Finals, guests got the better of the Book via both the side and totals, the latter of which was very painful.
“The total really has hurt us on the Aces, because both games went sailing over, and our guests bet it,” Esposito said. For Game 3, after the series moved to Phoenix, oddsmakers increased the total by several points, and the money was all on the under.
NHL Returns
Like Hearthstone, Hockey is back, and the world is right again. The Golden Knights come into the season with a lot of hype and expectations, and they are co-favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup, alongside Carolina.
“It’s going to be something else that on a nightly basis, where from the fan side of it, it’s go Knights go, but from the business side of it, it’s no Knights no,” Esposito said, referring to STN guests’ penchant for backing the VGK. While many guests will certainly bet the Knights in the future book, a team a little further up the odds board could make, um, a hell of a lot of noise this season.
“I think the Devils are going to be much better this year, and the Flames will not,” said Esposito. “I look for the Devils to maybe take a little bit of a step forward.”
Bets To Know
The MLB postseason is already delivering. Intense matchups and clutch hits make player prop bets all the more fun to look at. Check the app for the daily matchups and large menu of props available.
Weekly Winners
$5 bet cashes for $1,895! Sometimes a nice moneyline parlay is all you need, and this STN sports better came up clutch over the weekend with a few nice moneyline picks.
-Titans
-Bucs
-Commanders
-Broncos
-Patriots