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don't shed any tears for the books....
(from DBCsports):
By Stephen Nover
LAS VEGAS - For the past two years, professional gamblers and their followers did extremely well betting baseball in Las Vegas. In fact, they did so well there was serious talk of Las Vegas bookmakers going to a 20-cent betting line.
Now, as we near the halfway point of this season, there is no more talk of that. The two-year run appears to be halted. Bookmakers are enjoying a good baseball season - so far.
"This season is just the opposite of last season," said Roger Jaynes, a sports book supervisor at Arizona Charlie's. "All the wise guy play and moves are just not coming in.
"We're winning more money that we did last year. The handle has been the same, we're just winning more money."
Other bookmakers agree.
"It's been one of the best baseball seasons starting out I've seen in a long time," said D.Wayne Mauldin, race and sports book director at the Showboat.
Absent this year have been the one-way swings of 30-to-60-cent line movements that always seemed to go in favor of the bettor.
This season there haven't been those huge one-way moves.
"Last year was an aberration," said Pete Korner, oddsmaker and office manager for Las Vegas Sports Consultants. "We always had bad streaks in baseball. There are always two or three streaks where the big groups get hot and there's no defying that.
"They will get hot. That's just part of baseball life. But last year was something unique."
It was so unique a number of offshore books, including several in Costa Rica, did go to a 20-cent line. In Las Vegas, no book went to the higher juice 20-cent line, but a number made subtle changes such as raising the vigorish if the line got higher than minus $1.50.
"That would have driven everybody away," Mauldin said about the possibility of putting up a 20-cent line. "That's really pinching the player."
But it could have happened in Las Vegas if the books started off poorly this season.
"You don't even hear it now," Jaynes said. "It's not even mentioned. It's a dead subject."
Why the turnabout so far this season?
"Law of averages," Jaynes said. "They (the professionals) can't always keep winning. That's why they keep building these places every year, and the linemakers have made a little bit of an adjustment since last year.
"I've noticed some of the totals are higher than last year. A lot of totals went over last year, and they adjusted to that making totals a little higher this year."
The books, though, were mostly hurt last year by the wise guys betting 'sides' and the public cashing three- and four-team parlays. Those parlays usually had the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves in them along with the Boston Red Sox when Pedro Martinez pitched and the Arizona Diamondbacks when Randy Johnson was on the mound.
The Yankees and Braves haven't been their usual dominant selves, while Martinez and Johnson have also proven human.
Two other public teams - the Cleveland Indians and New York Mets - have been up and down this season.
"The playoff teams from last year haven't been playing great baseball," Mauldin said.
Consequentially, there have been a number of surprise teams, including the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners.
"Seattle has played surprisingly well without Ken Griffey," Mauldin said. "They (bettors) thought the Mariners would fall flat on their face without him. They also played the Reds because of Griffey and the Reds have played horrible."
Some big-name pitchers haven't held up either. Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling and Jose Lima all have had disappointing seasons.
Another factor in the book's turnaround from last season is a reduction in professionals and syndicates betting in Las Vegas.
Gaming control has cracked down on messenger betting and done periodic raids. This has helped make the climate uneasy for some of the major betting groups.
"The true wise guys are watching over their shoulders," Mauldin said. "They're scared to death. You have some major groups running scared."
With less 'wise-guy' action, it figures the books would do better.
"The professional element hasn't been what it has been the last couple of years," said Joe Lupo, race and sports book director at the Stardust. "There are less professional playing, and any time that happens we're going to do better."
The betting groups who have been in action have been up and down this season. There have not been any big streaks.
"So they haven't had the followers behind them, which is what killed us last year," said Robert Walker, race and sports book director at The Mirage. "Last year was one of the worst years ever."
The face of handicapping baseball is changing. With hitting playing such a large part, there may be less emphasis on starting pitching than before. There have also been several new parks which bettors had to get a handle on.
Korner said his office isn't doing anything different making the lines.
"We make adjustments on players and teams based on performance," he said, "but there is no overall fixit where we say we'll make all totals half-a- run higher."
Korner said bettors are doing well on totals. It seems the linemaker can't post a total high enough on some teams. But the house is doing much better on 'sides,' although handle is down at a number of sports books, including The Mirage.
Bookmakers will tell you that baseball is a long grind. It's not a huge moneymaker for the house like football is.
"Baseball traditionally is the time of year where you just hold your breath and hope you make it through without any major losses until the football season," Mauldin said.
Even in their worst season, though, the books usually grind out a small profit on baseball. Last year, for example, the hotels held one percent on baseball, according to state gaming figures.
This year, at least through June, the books are on pace to do much better.
(from DBCsports):
By Stephen Nover
LAS VEGAS - For the past two years, professional gamblers and their followers did extremely well betting baseball in Las Vegas. In fact, they did so well there was serious talk of Las Vegas bookmakers going to a 20-cent betting line.
Now, as we near the halfway point of this season, there is no more talk of that. The two-year run appears to be halted. Bookmakers are enjoying a good baseball season - so far.
"This season is just the opposite of last season," said Roger Jaynes, a sports book supervisor at Arizona Charlie's. "All the wise guy play and moves are just not coming in.
"We're winning more money that we did last year. The handle has been the same, we're just winning more money."
Other bookmakers agree.
"It's been one of the best baseball seasons starting out I've seen in a long time," said D.Wayne Mauldin, race and sports book director at the Showboat.
Absent this year have been the one-way swings of 30-to-60-cent line movements that always seemed to go in favor of the bettor.
This season there haven't been those huge one-way moves.
"Last year was an aberration," said Pete Korner, oddsmaker and office manager for Las Vegas Sports Consultants. "We always had bad streaks in baseball. There are always two or three streaks where the big groups get hot and there's no defying that.
"They will get hot. That's just part of baseball life. But last year was something unique."
It was so unique a number of offshore books, including several in Costa Rica, did go to a 20-cent line. In Las Vegas, no book went to the higher juice 20-cent line, but a number made subtle changes such as raising the vigorish if the line got higher than minus $1.50.
"That would have driven everybody away," Mauldin said about the possibility of putting up a 20-cent line. "That's really pinching the player."
But it could have happened in Las Vegas if the books started off poorly this season.
"You don't even hear it now," Jaynes said. "It's not even mentioned. It's a dead subject."
Why the turnabout so far this season?
"Law of averages," Jaynes said. "They (the professionals) can't always keep winning. That's why they keep building these places every year, and the linemakers have made a little bit of an adjustment since last year.
"I've noticed some of the totals are higher than last year. A lot of totals went over last year, and they adjusted to that making totals a little higher this year."
The books, though, were mostly hurt last year by the wise guys betting 'sides' and the public cashing three- and four-team parlays. Those parlays usually had the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves in them along with the Boston Red Sox when Pedro Martinez pitched and the Arizona Diamondbacks when Randy Johnson was on the mound.
The Yankees and Braves haven't been their usual dominant selves, while Martinez and Johnson have also proven human.
Two other public teams - the Cleveland Indians and New York Mets - have been up and down this season.
"The playoff teams from last year haven't been playing great baseball," Mauldin said.
Consequentially, there have been a number of surprise teams, including the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners.
"Seattle has played surprisingly well without Ken Griffey," Mauldin said. "They (bettors) thought the Mariners would fall flat on their face without him. They also played the Reds because of Griffey and the Reds have played horrible."
Some big-name pitchers haven't held up either. Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling and Jose Lima all have had disappointing seasons.
Another factor in the book's turnaround from last season is a reduction in professionals and syndicates betting in Las Vegas.
Gaming control has cracked down on messenger betting and done periodic raids. This has helped make the climate uneasy for some of the major betting groups.
"The true wise guys are watching over their shoulders," Mauldin said. "They're scared to death. You have some major groups running scared."
With less 'wise-guy' action, it figures the books would do better.
"The professional element hasn't been what it has been the last couple of years," said Joe Lupo, race and sports book director at the Stardust. "There are less professional playing, and any time that happens we're going to do better."
The betting groups who have been in action have been up and down this season. There have not been any big streaks.
"So they haven't had the followers behind them, which is what killed us last year," said Robert Walker, race and sports book director at The Mirage. "Last year was one of the worst years ever."
The face of handicapping baseball is changing. With hitting playing such a large part, there may be less emphasis on starting pitching than before. There have also been several new parks which bettors had to get a handle on.
Korner said his office isn't doing anything different making the lines.
"We make adjustments on players and teams based on performance," he said, "but there is no overall fixit where we say we'll make all totals half-a- run higher."
Korner said bettors are doing well on totals. It seems the linemaker can't post a total high enough on some teams. But the house is doing much better on 'sides,' although handle is down at a number of sports books, including The Mirage.
Bookmakers will tell you that baseball is a long grind. It's not a huge moneymaker for the house like football is.
"Baseball traditionally is the time of year where you just hold your breath and hope you make it through without any major losses until the football season," Mauldin said.
Even in their worst season, though, the books usually grind out a small profit on baseball. Last year, for example, the hotels held one percent on baseball, according to state gaming figures.
This year, at least through June, the books are on pace to do much better.