Wednesday was a strange day in and out of the Tuley’s Takes office.
It was pretty uneventful early, but then right before I had to pick up my son Maddux after school (Wednesday is his chess club), all hell broke loose with a bunch of things I was juggling and then the Nevada Gaming Control Board issued a revised press release that the state’s Super Bowl betting figures that were released on Monday was inaccurate as the sportsbooks won $5,455,375 (3.6% hold) in Super Bowl LVII instead of the originally reported $11,287,594 (7.4% hold). I also wanted to get this Thursday column posted early because I’m doing an overnight in-person sleep study at the Las Vegas Sleep Center starting at 8 p.m. PT Wednesday. For some reason, they wouldn’t agree to let me come in at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. when I usually go to bed!!!
As for Wednesday night’s action, my NHL 1P Over Best Bet was after I originally posted this, so I’ll update that later. However, we also did a little “dog-or-pass” experiment as I explained in yesterday’s column that the Hornets were a “swagger play” after snapping a 7-game losing streak on Monday, but I personally passed because they were 6-point home favorites vs. the Spurs, who were on a 13-game losing streak of their own. I wrote that a lot of people say I should bet the chalk when I can’t make a case for the underdog, but it’s burned me too many times over the years that I choose to pass because I feel doubly bad when I lose on a favorite because not only do I hate losing money, but then I also kick myself because I’m supposed to be the guy to find live dogs. Anyway, the Hornets ended up closing as 5-point home faves and covering in a 120-110 victory, so hopefully some followers laid the points anyway. It’s obviously a small sample of one game, but I’ll continue to bring up these situations and we’ll see how they perform and maybe you’ll all turn me into a chalk bettor! Moving on, my Best Bet for Thursday is below and I’ll add the nightly recaps from Wednesday’s betting action if/when I’m allowed to access my laptop or when I’m released in the morning.
Wednesday Recaps
CBB: No. 10 Tennessee beat newly anointed No. 1 Alabama 68-59, but it wasn't an upset as the Volunteers won (and covered) as 3-point home favorites (game stayed Under the betting total of 146 points). No. 11 Marquette beat No. 16 Xavier 69-68, but didn't cover as a 7-point home fave.