An old time phone clerk of mine named "Sheppy" used the reference that, "The boys got their bettin? shoes on" when there was a lot of action.
This weekend at Lucky?s, Sheparoo was batting a 1000. We got carted out on a few big plays ? namely Michigan State and our own UNLV ? but cashed on a big game on Sunday when the Bengals failed to cover against the Browns.
But this is after the fact and all we do is put the final scores in and go to the next round.
But a bookmaker needs action to create action. You "earn" on a game when there is substantial action and to get this type of result you need play.
I will try and simplify it. Team A gets a bet of $2,200 and Team B goes bare. Either you are going to win $2,200 or lose $2,000.
Yes, you got the best of it but the norm is the only thing you can wring out of this bet.
But let us say that you have $9900 on Team A and $7,700 on Team B. Basically you are still $2,000 high on Team A but the "earn" now kicks in. Team A wins $9,000 but Team B pays you $7,700 so you only lose $1,300. If Team B wins you pay $7,000 but Team A pays you $9,900 so you?ve now won $2,900 and you?re getting something like +220 on a bet.
Now, to get this type of play you must take a lot of bets and there is some art and science that goes along with the drill. Sometimes moving numbers faster in order to get the followers weak numbers, or letting some numbers move slower because you think it?s not a premium bet will work, always with the understanding you could get rid of it in an instance if the circumstances called for it.
Understand that a "bad" number is going to fall now and then, but you play on.
And the sense of what I?m getting this opening month of the season is that money is moving the money, which is the bottom line of bookmaking.
Remember you are the first to act and then we have to react by moving slow, fast or standing pat. Those are our choices.
Your choice is that you get to play first. In either case, we both better have a good pair of shoes until February, from what I have been seeing in the first four weeks.
By the way, which coach goes first: Phillips, Zorn or Mangini?
