The Right To Parlay

[Ed. The following post was written by Parlay-expert and nutritional advisor, Hathachips.]

Now I may not be as dedicated to the sports gambling world as our good friend, James Jonathan Mac, but I have been known to place a few CHIPS down on sporting events, especially in parlay fashion.   What can I say, it’s my bread and butter and it makes me love or hate teams I would normally not care for.

Last week for instance I was rooting for Chad Henne of The Miami Dolphins #1 to throw a pick six vs. the Saints in order for the Saints to cover.  Now being a huge Michigan fan, I wouldn’t normally wish Chad Henne such peril, but I had already won my first 3 games and this was my last hope in cashing in, which I did.

There are multiple ways to go about betting a parlay, you can take anywhere from 2 games to 12 in most sports books, betting spreads, over/under or the money line.  The more teams picked, the higher the payout but your chances to win decrease brutally.  I will sometimes throw down a 8,10 maybe 12 gamer just for shits and giggles. I mean, $5 to win $9,000?  Who doesn’t love that!?!?!  FACT: I have never won, yet.  Anyways, here are some tips and guidelines I use whilst betting the parlay card.  Here is a typical payout chart to the right:

Deciding between the point spread, over / under or the money line? The saying “beggars’ can’t be choosers” does not apply here in sports gambling (unless your sports book site blows chimp).  Deciding what to pick is entirely up to the bettor.  If a game that could go either way, then stick to the over / under.  You know a team is going to dominate but are questioning if the other team can even make a 1^st down or get a run in, then pick the spread.   Don’t like the spread but you know who will win, then take the money line. Tips of the trade, used by yours truly:

• Start small: play parlay cards that have 2 to 4 picks.  4 picks pays 10 to 1 on sportsbook.com so a $10 wager to win $100 is a good starter.  I like to take my best bets which could be anywhere from 6 to 15 games depending on the week and pick out the top 4.  Put the most $ on these and enjoy the games, simple as that.
• Stick with familiar teams: Being a fan of Michigan, I tend to throw down more cash on the other Big Ten teams.  I may hate Ohio $tate, but they have covered the spread all but 2 of their 8 games, so it’s worth it to lay down some CHIPS on them.  Teams that get a lot of heavy TV coverage are good to go with also because you can learn their tendencies easier as well as watch them ruin your life, or help you win.  50/50.
• Avoid games played in Hawaii: Why?  Because Hawaii blows, their games all kick off at 4am and winning your first 3 bets and waiting on Hawaii to finish up will send anyone into a drunken football watching rage.  Just e-pinion.
• Intangibles: Yes, I said it.  Intangibles as much as they make me laugh, they play a part.
• Moxie?: Does the team your betting on have a kid with, say…MOXIE? Of course teams do, they all do, but will it matter vs. the opposition?  Tate Jonathan Forcier, Golden Tate, Colt McCoy and many players in the past (Braylon Edwards, Charles Woodson) all have a tendency to bring teams back against the better teams.  Use them to your advantage.
• NIGHT GAMEZ! – Yes it’s weird, but home teams playing at night tend to have a better chance to win. I assume it’s because the visiting team has to wait around all game and the home crowd is 3 sheets to the wind once they fill the seats. (Take home team dogs in Knight GAMEZ!)
• Youth: The less experienced, the better chance of FAIL. Simply put.
• Injuries: Any key players out? Say Timothy Jonathan Tebow is out for a game because he got swine flu circumcising a kid from Indonesia, The moxie fhas multiple games at different times, don’t overload.  Always take the top options at that given time slot first. or Florida is out and if they are a heavy favorite, pick the dog to cover.  It’s worked the last few weeks with his brain injury.
• Weather forecast: This is used in favor of the Over/Under bets.  Shit weather has a 80% chance of hitting the Under (made up stat).  It’s always crucial to check the weather forecast in games you can’t pick a favorite in. (Home games for the Steelers)
• GRIT: Is the team gritty? If yes, pick them.
• Betting websites: Always look to the experts.  Jamie Mac provides an in depth look at what bets are most feasible with excellent points as to why.  Checking the matchup history, team scoring average, etc… are all well worth it when choosing your parlay.
• PICKS by Time: When picking, there are multiple ways to go. Pick all noon games, 3:30, whatever it will keep your tracking more centralized as well as interesting.  But when the card

With that said, I have some favorites for this weekend that could go the way I plan. Here’s what I’ve wrapped up as parlays for both today and tomorrow’s action:

Uconn -7.5 vs. Rutgers – Uconn is back home coming off a tough loss at WVU and the Rutgers are terrible.  Uconn is also top dog in covering the spread so far this year.

CHIPS (Central MICH) +6 @ Boston College: The CHIPS R LOOSE!  The best team in the MAC is going to BC where a comparable fan base to the Eastern Michigan Eagles supports their team.  I see CMU winning this one outright, but the spread is important to take due to my uncertainty level for the out of conference away game.

Michigan State (46.5) @ Minnesota: The over looks really good here.  It’s a night game so the Gophers will be fired up to prove something to their fan base of goofballs.  MSU is 38-15-1 in their 54 road games and Minnesota is 34-16-1 in their last 51 home games.  Cereal? Yes.

Georgia +15.5 vs. Florida: Florida is on a 2 game losing streak against the spread and this game is not in their comfortable backyard.  Tebow will continue in his lackluster, post concussion ways and probably only win this one by 2 TD’s.

Oregon +3 vs. U$C: Oregon is a beast at home and making them the dog in this game can guarantee a straight up win like you wouldn’t believe. NIGHT GAME!!!!!111!

Duke @ Virginia (46.5): Duke likes to play terribly but have been winning games this year because they were lucky enough to outscore the opposition.  Even though rain is projected, I can see this one ending up at least 7 points over 46.

NFL:

Cleveland @ Chicago (40) Cleveland is terrible, they won’t score more than 7 and the Bears suck most of the time.  A quite 21-7 win for the Bears seems logical.

Giants vs. Philly (44): Both teams like to score in bunches and the Giants just got p’wnd last week so look for them to put up 30 on their own.  OVERRRRRR!

NY Jets -3 vs. Miami: The Jets lost in a nail biter last game and will be looking to redeem themselves vs. the vulnerable Dolphins w/ their rookie QB Chad Henne at the helm. Sorry Hen-dog.

Indy – 12 vs. San Fran: No other way to put it then INDY HAS BEEN DOMINATING!  They have covered the spread in their last 5 games by an average of 13.4 points.  Not to mention they are playing at home for the 1^st time in 3 weeks.

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