The Book got blasted by a storm last week, as NFL favorites won 14 of 15 games, and almost all of them covered the spread, too. It was a loss of historic proportions for the oddsmakers.
“It was one of the worst Sundays I can remember from our side of the counter in a very long time, not including playoff games,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Race and Sports Book Director. “Our guests got an early holiday present. It was just a Sunday dominated by favorites, and we needed a lot more puppy love than we got. It was just such a good day for our guests, and we applaud them.”
In a bit of bad luck (for the Book, at least), the Packers were the one underdog who covered last Sunday, but they were heavily bet and among the most popular ‘dog bets. The weekend saw multiple five-figure and six-figure wins.
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…
Football Movement
It’s fair to say the experts love Kirk Cousins back in the Midwest. The Minnesota Vikings have been in quarterback hell for a while, and on Tuesday, they welcomed an old friend: Kirk Cousins. Yes, the Raiders dealt Cousins to Minny and will begin ushering in the Fernando Mendoza era! But back to Minnesota: it became clear the book thinks highly of Cousins, as the spread for the Vikings’ next game at the Packers dropped nearly a field goal after the trade. Their odds in the future book dropped, too.
“They’re phenomenal defensively, but when I look at the other teams in that division, offensively they take a backseat,” Esposito said of the pre-Cousins offense. “Justin Jefferson has been invisible. Jordan Addison’s been invisible. They can’t really run the ball.” Based on the massive life shift, Kirko Chainz could be just what the doctor ordered.
After a weekend where favorites clearly dominated, Esposito likes another chalky bet next week. His favorite bet of the week: The Los Angeles Rams. “I don’t like to lay chalk, big chalk, but I don’t see a scenario where the Cardinals can move the ball against the Rams,” he said.
And laying points the Rams are, coming in as nearly a double-digit favorite, even without their two top receivers. The way the oddsmaker sees it, the Rams’ defense might hold the Cardinals basically scoreless—and let us not forget this is a revenge game, since the Cardinals have already beaten the Rams in one of the biggest upsets of the season. “You’re talking about Beck’s first start against Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett. I know they’re at home, but with no Michael Wilson, no [Marvin] Harrison, no real running game, I don’t see it. I just don’t see them moving the ball. It’s just a really, really bad spot for Beck to get his first start,” he said. “I hate to lay the number, but I think the Rams are a good bet.”
He also thinks the Falcons, coming off a bad loss in Spain, could get chopped up this week as they face the Chiefs. “I think it’s a terrible spot for the Falcons, actually,” he said. “And I like the Steelers getting more than a field goal against the Bengals.”
Last Man Standing
The NFL Last Man Standing contest, which guarantees an aggregate payout of $150,000, could be over before the dishes are done. Of the initial 6,855 entries, only six remain. In the college ranks, a contest that pays out an aggregate of $100,000, only seven of the initial 3,121 entries remain active. Think about that: It’s still two weeks from Thanksgiving, and only 13 people remain combined. These contests may very well be over before the turkey tryptophan kicks in!
NHL Trend
We’re only touching the surface of the NHL season, but a hockey trend has developed quickly and has been a money maker for guests. It shouldn’t be a stunner, but teams playing the second day of a back-to-back are losing at an incredible pace. According to a recent study, over the past 20 seasons, teams on the front end of the back-to-back are getting 56.6% of the games. The following day, they’re being outscored by 0.28 goals a game and getting just 50.8% of the points.
Bets To Know
UFC 334 is THIS Saturday, and STN has all the action. Sides, total rounds, special bets, and more.
Weekly Winners
See it to believe it. An STN Sports bettor at Red Rock Resort turned a $1 bet into a $1,992.91 PAYDAY with this 12-team parlay over the weekend.
✅ Liudmila Noskova (-143)
✅ Coco Gauff (-143)
✅ Kenta Miyoshi (-167)
✅ Maxime Krueger (-143)
✅ Geoffrey Blancaneaux (+115)
✅ Ozan Baris (-175)
✅ Andres Martin (-175)
✅ L. Maxted (-182)
✅ T. Tirante (+133)
✅ M. Linette (+170)
✅ S. Kozlov (+143)
✅ C. Ugo Carabelli (+102)
12 legs. 12 winners. +199191 odds.