BTSC Bookie: Betting the winner of Super Bowl LIV

It is time for the Super Bowl LIV installment of BTSC Bookie! This is a chance for the BTSC community to collectively choose where to place an imaginary wager of “BTSC Bucks.” I will remind everyone of the rules one last time before voting on specific bets.

Before I get into the procedure of things, I want to remind everyone that gambling addiction is a serous problem numerous people face. Like many things in life, gambling can be a fun and safe exercise if done in moderation, while obsessive gambling can have destructive and life-altering consequences. If you or anyone you know is suffering from a gambling addiction, help is available HERE.

The Process

• We will start with $500 in BTSC Bucks for the season. If we bust, we may borrow from the BTSC Bookie, but will have to pay 20% interest each week it isn’t paid. It’s a steep price, but there are consequences to failure. For the entire 2019 season, we never came close to busting!
• Bets this week will be on either against the spread or moneyline options for the Super Bowl as well as the over/under.
• There will be all the betting options for users to place a vote on the moneyline or against the spread and a separate option for the over/under. The values are as of Tuesday evening and they are locked in throughout the voting. The polls will run until Sunday at 6:15 PM. The top result for each bet will have a $100 wager placed.

Last Week’s Wager

Since there was no bet placed this past weekend, we will review the results of the Divisional round where we went 3-0 with our choices! We started off strong picking the Chiefs to beat the Titans by at least 7.5 points. With the commission of -105, we earned $47.62 above the original bet. For the other game, the vote was for the 49ers defeating the Packers by at least 7.5 points. With the commission of -110, we earned $45.45 of this wager. The final wager was an over/under and the choice was for the Titans and Chiefs to go over 52.5 points. This successful wager also brought in another $45.45. In all, we gained $138.52 for the week.

Week 18 Balance: $1,223.00

Week 19 Net Gain/Loss: +$138.52

Week 19 Total: $1361.52

Super Bowl LIV Options

When is comes betting on a narrow point margin, the payout is the main item to consider. With the point spread being only one point, there isn’t a scenario where your bet can win if the team does not (it can only push in a one-point game). With this in mind, it is clearly the best option to place a bet with the most favorable payout. I will not take the option away because otherwise we will never learn. So if you want to bet on the Chiefs, betting against the spread gains a larger payout (-115 vs -120) while a bet on the 49ers is better to bet on the straight-up win (+100 vs -105).

For this week, payouts are listed in parenthesis. We will place a $100 on the top vote getter for picking the game and $100 on the over/under for a total of $200. If you wish to vote more than once, clear your “cookies” on your browser and vote again. If you wish to vote on last week’s prop bets for the Super Bowl, the polls are still open.