Wednesday, May 05, 2004
World Series Of Poker Betting Lines
22-May POKER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
# To Win the Tournament Odds
1 PHIL IVEY +1200
2 HOWARD LEDERER +1500
3 SCOTTY NGUYEN +1500
4 PHIL HELLMUTH +2000
5 GUS HANSEN +2000
6 ERICK LINDGREN +2000
7 DUTCH BOYD +2000
8 DAN HARRINGTON +2000
9 JOHNNY CHAN +2000
10 BARRY GREENSTEIN +2000
11 CHRIS FERGUSON +2000
12 DANIEL NEGREANU +2500
13 ERIK SEIDEL +2500
14 SAMMY FARHA +2500
15 CHRIS MONEYMAKER +3000
16 LAYNE FLACK +3000
17 ANTONIO ESFANDIARI +3000
18 PHIL GORDON +3500
19 ANNIE DUKE +4000
20 JENNIFER HARMAN +4000
21 MEN NGUYEN +4500
22 AMIR VAHEDI +5000
23 HOYT CORKINS +5000
24 CHIP JETT +3000
25 ANDY GLAZER +6000
26 BARRY SHULMAN +6000
27 T.J. CLOUTIER +6000
28 NOEL FURLONG +6000
29 JASON LESTER +6000
30 BARNY BOATMAN +6000
31 DAVID ULLIOTT +6000
32 KATHY LIEBERT +7000
33 JOHN JUANDA +7000
34 JOSE ROSENKRANTZ +7000
35 PAUL PHILLIPS +7000
36 TOM MCEVOY +8000
37 PAUL DARDEN +9000
38 THOR HANSEN +9000
39 CARLOS MORTENSEN +9000
40 JEFF SHULMAN +9000
41 DOYLE BRUNSON +10000
42 ROBERT VARKONYI +10000
43 TONY G. +10000
44 HUMBERTO BRENES +10000
45 HUCK SEED +10000
46 MIMI TRAN +10000
47 AMARILLO SLIM +10000
48 ALAN GOEHRING +10000
49 GABE KAPLAN +75000
50 BEN AFFLECK +75000
51 FIELD (ALL OTHERS) EV
22-May POKER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
# To Win the Tournament Odds
1 PHIL IVEY +1200
2 HOWARD LEDERER +1500
3 SCOTTY NGUYEN +1500
4 PHIL HELLMUTH +2000
5 GUS HANSEN +2000
6 ERICK LINDGREN +2000
7 DUTCH BOYD +2000
8 DAN HARRINGTON +2000
9 JOHNNY CHAN +2000
10 BARRY GREENSTEIN +2000
11 CHRIS FERGUSON +2000
12 DANIEL NEGREANU +2500
13 ERIK SEIDEL +2500
14 SAMMY FARHA +2500
15 CHRIS MONEYMAKER +3000
16 LAYNE FLACK +3000
17 ANTONIO ESFANDIARI +3000
18 PHIL GORDON +3500
19 ANNIE DUKE +4000
20 JENNIFER HARMAN +4000
21 MEN NGUYEN +4500
22 AMIR VAHEDI +5000
23 HOYT CORKINS +5000
24 CHIP JETT +3000
25 ANDY GLAZER +6000
26 BARRY SHULMAN +6000
27 T.J. CLOUTIER +6000
28 NOEL FURLONG +6000
29 JASON LESTER +6000
30 BARNY BOATMAN +6000
31 DAVID ULLIOTT +6000
32 KATHY LIEBERT +7000
33 JOHN JUANDA +7000
34 JOSE ROSENKRANTZ +7000
35 PAUL PHILLIPS +7000
36 TOM MCEVOY +8000
37 PAUL DARDEN +9000
38 THOR HANSEN +9000
39 CARLOS MORTENSEN +9000
40 JEFF SHULMAN +9000
41 DOYLE BRUNSON +10000
42 ROBERT VARKONYI +10000
43 TONY G. +10000
44 HUMBERTO BRENES +10000
45 HUCK SEED +10000
46 MIMI TRAN +10000
47 AMARILLO SLIM +10000
48 ALAN GOEHRING +10000
49 GABE KAPLAN +75000
50 BEN AFFLECK +75000
51 FIELD (ALL OTHERS) EV
Boxing News : Gerbasi : The Computer Picks Marquez vs. Pacquiao
The Computer Picks Marquez vs. Pacquiao
By Thomas Gerbasi (May 4, 2004)
It’s a bout that has split the boxing world, this Saturday’s featherweight unification battle between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao. Half of the people are picking Marquez, the other half Pacquiao, and each half may swing to the other side before the first bell rings at the MGM Grand. One thing is certain though; this is a great fight, and one that every self-respecting fight fan must check out.
But who will win? Thankfully, through the wonders of modern technology, Title Bout Championship Boxing, the premier boxing simulator, is here to help us determine who is more likely to be crowned unified featherweight king come Saturday night. How I love to take the easy way out.
If you’ve followed the way we do things with these type of breakdowns, we run the fights through the sim’s autoscheduler 100 times to get a decent statistical sample. Now since Marquez is rated as a boxer and a slugger in the program, we ran 100 fights with JMM as a slugger, and 100 as a boxer.
The results were surprising, not because of who won, but by the margins of victory. With Marquez fighting as a boxer, Pacquiao won 79% of the 100 matches, with 75 of those victories coming by knockout. Marquez only won 20% of the bouts with 16 early wins. When Marquez fought as a slugger and took the fight to the “Pac-Man” the results were even worse, with the Philippine bomber winning 84% of the 100 bouts, with all but one win coming by KO or TKO. Marquez won 15 of his 16 bouts in this second hundred by knockout.
So it looks like a blowout for Manny Pacquiao, but that’s why they fight ‘em. Let’s step into the ring at the MGM Grand. Your referee is Mr. Fair but Firm, Joe Cortez.
ROUND ONE – Both men are in peak condition and are raring to go as they wait for the first bell to ring. Pacquiao comes out bobbing and weaving as he approaches the center of the ring. Marquez rips off a quick 1-2 to the head and the crowd erupts. Pacquiao shakes it off and shoots in with a flush left to the jaw and Marquez falls to the canvas just 44 seconds into the fight. Marquez rises at the count of five and Cortez waves him back into action. Marquez backpedals into the corner with his guard held high as Pacquiao moves in. Marquez is trying to clear his head and he is moving well. Pacquiao tries the left again but Marquez catches it on his shoulder. He isn’t able to elude the left hook to the body by Pacquiao though, and he grunts upon impact. Pac-Man lands a left to the top of the head and follows it up with a right uppercut, putting JMM in trouble again. Marquez still has to survive 45 seconds, and he just eludes a sweeping left that could have ended it. Pacquiao is putting his punches together beautifully, but Marquez is hanging tough. The bell rings, ending a wild opening round. ROUND TO PACQUIAO BY TWO POINTS
ROUND TWO – The fighters meet at ring center and trade quick combinations. Pacquiao comes in wide and gets nailed with a crisp uppercut to the jaw. Pacquiao staggers briefly. Marquez moves in and throws with both hands. Pacquiao shoots out his left again, backing Marquez up. Now it’s Marquez’ turn to get rubber-legged. 1:30 left in the round, and for the first time in the fight, the boxers clinch. After the break Marquez moves in with a lightning fast right that nails Pacquiao, who begins to bleed from his lip. Pacquiao backs out with his hands down and pays for it, as Marquez puts him down with a left hook to the jaw. Pacquiao is up at three but his legs are unsteady. 30 seconds left. Marquez misses a wild left hook but lands with a brutal straight right. Pacquiao staggers to the ropes as the bell rings, saving him. ROUND TO MARQUEZ BY TWO POINTS
ROUND THREE – The fans have yet to sit down in this one, and the fighters barely hear the bell to begin the round. Pacquiao’s right eye is swelling up, and he clinches as Marquez moves in. Marquez nails Pac-Man with a heavy left hook, sending water spraying from his head. Pacquiao answers with a wild right that misses and Marquez makes him pay with a right of his own. As he moves in for the kill Marquez gets nailed with an uppercut to the jaw and the tide has turned again. Pacquiao lands a stiff 1-2, but Marquez answers with a combination of his own as the two wage war. Marquez lands a short uppercut on the inside and follows it up with a screaming left hook that hurts Pacquiao. ROUND TO MARQUEZ
ROUND FOUR – Pacquiao looks like he’s been through hell, while Marquez is unmarked. Both men actually decide to box for the first minute of the round, with JMM holding a slight edge. Midway through the round Pacquiao gets nailed again by a big Marquez uppercut and shakes his head in disgust. Pacquiao fires back and scores effectively, but just when he’s getting into a rhythm, Marquez wisely holds. Marquez lands a stiff jab and now Pacquiao is bleeding from a large cut over his right eye. Corte is watching Pacquiao carefully as his face is showing the effects of Marquez’ punches. ROUND TO MARQUEZ
ROUND FIVE – Marquez comes out jabbing but just when you thought he was going to coast to a win, Pacquiao explodes with a savage hook to the jaw, and Marquez is down for the second time in the fight. Cortez counts, and a clearly hurt Marquez needs the ropes to get up at the count of nine. Here comes Pac-Man, drilling Marquez with a 1-2 to the head. Pacquiao has Marquez on the ropes and two minutes to pull victory from the jaws of defeat. Pacquiao throws a series of blows but Marquez is able to deflect them. He isn’t able to get out of the way of a right cross to the head though. One minute to go, Pacquiao shoots two jabs through Marquez’ gloves and sends in a howitzer of a right hand that lands with a thud. Marquez’ legs start to sag and Cortez jumps in to halt the bout before any further damage can be done.
The time is 2:10 of round number five. Your winner…by technical knockout…the IBF and WBA featherweight champion of the world…Manny Pacquiao.
At the time of the stoppage, Marquez led 38-36 on all three judges’ scorecards.
The Computer Picks Marquez vs. Pacquiao
By Thomas Gerbasi (May 4, 2004)
It’s a bout that has split the boxing world, this Saturday’s featherweight unification battle between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao. Half of the people are picking Marquez, the other half Pacquiao, and each half may swing to the other side before the first bell rings at the MGM Grand. One thing is certain though; this is a great fight, and one that every self-respecting fight fan must check out.
But who will win? Thankfully, through the wonders of modern technology, Title Bout Championship Boxing, the premier boxing simulator, is here to help us determine who is more likely to be crowned unified featherweight king come Saturday night. How I love to take the easy way out.
If you’ve followed the way we do things with these type of breakdowns, we run the fights through the sim’s autoscheduler 100 times to get a decent statistical sample. Now since Marquez is rated as a boxer and a slugger in the program, we ran 100 fights with JMM as a slugger, and 100 as a boxer.
The results were surprising, not because of who won, but by the margins of victory. With Marquez fighting as a boxer, Pacquiao won 79% of the 100 matches, with 75 of those victories coming by knockout. Marquez only won 20% of the bouts with 16 early wins. When Marquez fought as a slugger and took the fight to the “Pac-Man” the results were even worse, with the Philippine bomber winning 84% of the 100 bouts, with all but one win coming by KO or TKO. Marquez won 15 of his 16 bouts in this second hundred by knockout.
So it looks like a blowout for Manny Pacquiao, but that’s why they fight ‘em. Let’s step into the ring at the MGM Grand. Your referee is Mr. Fair but Firm, Joe Cortez.
ROUND ONE – Both men are in peak condition and are raring to go as they wait for the first bell to ring. Pacquiao comes out bobbing and weaving as he approaches the center of the ring. Marquez rips off a quick 1-2 to the head and the crowd erupts. Pacquiao shakes it off and shoots in with a flush left to the jaw and Marquez falls to the canvas just 44 seconds into the fight. Marquez rises at the count of five and Cortez waves him back into action. Marquez backpedals into the corner with his guard held high as Pacquiao moves in. Marquez is trying to clear his head and he is moving well. Pacquiao tries the left again but Marquez catches it on his shoulder. He isn’t able to elude the left hook to the body by Pacquiao though, and he grunts upon impact. Pac-Man lands a left to the top of the head and follows it up with a right uppercut, putting JMM in trouble again. Marquez still has to survive 45 seconds, and he just eludes a sweeping left that could have ended it. Pacquiao is putting his punches together beautifully, but Marquez is hanging tough. The bell rings, ending a wild opening round. ROUND TO PACQUIAO BY TWO POINTS
ROUND TWO – The fighters meet at ring center and trade quick combinations. Pacquiao comes in wide and gets nailed with a crisp uppercut to the jaw. Pacquiao staggers briefly. Marquez moves in and throws with both hands. Pacquiao shoots out his left again, backing Marquez up. Now it’s Marquez’ turn to get rubber-legged. 1:30 left in the round, and for the first time in the fight, the boxers clinch. After the break Marquez moves in with a lightning fast right that nails Pacquiao, who begins to bleed from his lip. Pacquiao backs out with his hands down and pays for it, as Marquez puts him down with a left hook to the jaw. Pacquiao is up at three but his legs are unsteady. 30 seconds left. Marquez misses a wild left hook but lands with a brutal straight right. Pacquiao staggers to the ropes as the bell rings, saving him. ROUND TO MARQUEZ BY TWO POINTS
ROUND THREE – The fans have yet to sit down in this one, and the fighters barely hear the bell to begin the round. Pacquiao’s right eye is swelling up, and he clinches as Marquez moves in. Marquez nails Pac-Man with a heavy left hook, sending water spraying from his head. Pacquiao answers with a wild right that misses and Marquez makes him pay with a right of his own. As he moves in for the kill Marquez gets nailed with an uppercut to the jaw and the tide has turned again. Pacquiao lands a stiff 1-2, but Marquez answers with a combination of his own as the two wage war. Marquez lands a short uppercut on the inside and follows it up with a screaming left hook that hurts Pacquiao. ROUND TO MARQUEZ
ROUND FOUR – Pacquiao looks like he’s been through hell, while Marquez is unmarked. Both men actually decide to box for the first minute of the round, with JMM holding a slight edge. Midway through the round Pacquiao gets nailed again by a big Marquez uppercut and shakes his head in disgust. Pacquiao fires back and scores effectively, but just when he’s getting into a rhythm, Marquez wisely holds. Marquez lands a stiff jab and now Pacquiao is bleeding from a large cut over his right eye. Corte is watching Pacquiao carefully as his face is showing the effects of Marquez’ punches. ROUND TO MARQUEZ
ROUND FIVE – Marquez comes out jabbing but just when you thought he was going to coast to a win, Pacquiao explodes with a savage hook to the jaw, and Marquez is down for the second time in the fight. Cortez counts, and a clearly hurt Marquez needs the ropes to get up at the count of nine. Here comes Pac-Man, drilling Marquez with a 1-2 to the head. Pacquiao has Marquez on the ropes and two minutes to pull victory from the jaws of defeat. Pacquiao throws a series of blows but Marquez is able to deflect them. He isn’t able to get out of the way of a right cross to the head though. One minute to go, Pacquiao shoots two jabs through Marquez’ gloves and sends in a howitzer of a right hand that lands with a thud. Marquez’ legs start to sag and Cortez jumps in to halt the bout before any further damage can be done.
The time is 2:10 of round number five. Your winner…by technical knockout…the IBF and WBA featherweight champion of the world…Manny Pacquiao.
At the time of the stoppage, Marquez led 38-36 on all three judges’ scorecards.
Daily Racing Form - Horse Racing -Sports Betting News
Derby winner one hot ticket
By DAVE TULEY
Not only was Smarty Jones a popular Kentucky Derby winner as the highest-paying Derby favorite in history, richly rewarding his backers that used him in all the various pools, but he was also a popular bet in Nevada's future books.
Smarty Jones, a Pennsylvania-bred who took the road less traveled through the Arkansas Derby, flew under the radar for a good portion of the spring, and his odds hovered in the 100-1 to 200-1 range for a lot longer than his bluegrass-blooded counterparts. To illustrate further how little many people thought of his chances, Smarty Jones wasn't included as an individual interest in the first two pools of Churchill Downs's parimutuel Kentucky Derby Future Wager.
But those who got on the Smarty Jones bandwagon sure cashed in Saturday. John Avello, who runs the biggest future book in the state, for the Caesars Entertainment properties, said Smarty Jones ended up making his future book a loser.
Avello has more liability on Smarty Jones, as he was bet down from 35-1 (the lowest price of the 20 Derby entrants) to 20-1 to sweep the Triple Crown.
"It's a minus pool," he said, pointing out that if any horse were to pull off the Triple Crown, that it would be a loss for his book. "But he has to get there, or else we lock up all the money."
Truth be told, no one who has booked odds to win the Triple Crown has had to pay back a penny in the past 25 years, since Affirmed pulled the trick in 1978.
But that doesn't mean Avello will be cheering against Smarty Jones.
"I like the horse and I'm not cheering against him," Avello said. "If he does it, he does it. A Triple Crown winner would be great for the sport."
Avello said Monday that he was still working on updating the odds for Smarty Jones to win the Preakness and Belmont. He said it would be around -400 (bet $4 to win $1) that he won't do it, and +300 (bet $1 to win $3) that he would, but Avello needed more time to look into how many horses Smarty Jones is likely to face and what his odds will likely be in each race.
Avello had set the over/under on the Derby running time at 2:02, with bettors laying -115 each way, and had received pretty even action until the hour right before the race when a downpour hit Churchill Downs. Avello said bettors pounded the over, betting it up to -160, and cashed when Smarty Jones won in 2:04.06 over the sloppy track.
Derby Day an overall winner
Even with some losing propositions, Nevada had a very successful Derby Day. Statewide handle on the Derby itself was $4,773,917, up 9.3 percent from last year's $4,368,264.
Overall handle for Saturday on all races from coast to coast was $9,170,046, down 1.4 percent from last year's $9.3 million. Many books experienced slowdowns during the day with their tote systems, but any major crashes didn't occur until well after the Derby.
Six shooters earn Series berths
Derby Week started out great for a half-dozen horseplayers in the Derby Coast to Coast Shootout, held concurrently at The Orleans, Gold Coast, and Suncoast last Wednesday and Thursday. The contestants put up a $300 entry fee and then made 14 live-money $60 wagers over the two days.
The winner was Matthew Rentze, who turned his $840 bankroll into $6,210.60. Since the plays were made through the parimutuel system, Rentze kept his winnings plus added $15,750 in prize money. He edged out tournament guru Joe Hinson, who finished with a bankroll of $6,000 for prize money of $7,650.
Shin Kim ($5,649.70 bankroll, $5,400 prize) was third, and then Hinson was fourth with a second entry that finished at $3,486 and earned him an additional $3,600.
Two weeks ago, Hinson qualified for the Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship with a victory in the Bally's Moolah tourney, and his second-place finish at the Shootout earned him a spot in the $1 million Horseplayers World Series, to be held Jan. 27-29 at The Orleans.
With 130 players in the Shootout, there were six World Series berths up for grabs. John Mataya ($3,360 bankroll, $2,250 prize) was fifth, while Gerald Benowitz ($2,479.20 bankroll, $1,350 prize) was sixth.
Since people can only qualify once for the World Series, Hinson's second spot would normally have gone to the seventh-place finisher, Rick Soriano ($2,450.55 bankroll, $1,125 prize), but Soriano has already qualified, so the eighth-place finisher, Ed Spaunhurst ($2,391 bankroll, $1,125 prize), lucked out.
Derby money still up for grabs
The Stratosphere held a twin quinella promotion on Saturday with a $3,000 jackpot, but no one put together the top two finishers of Churchill's ninth race, the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, with Smarty Jones and Lion Heart in the Derby on the same ticket, so it carried over until Sunday, and no one hit it that day either.
The prize fund is up to $4,326 for Wednesday's twin Q. Robert Jaynes, director of the Stratosphere's sports book, said he'll try to keep the bet on West Coast races.
The twin Q at the Station Casinos was hit Saturday. The pool was supposed to be $10,000 for Derby Day, but with carryovers from Thursday and Friday's races, the jackpot stood at $14,429. With Smarty Jones and Lion Heart in the Derby and the favorite in Churchill's 12th race finishing second to an 8-1 shot, 48 people had the winning combination, and it paid $300.60 apiece.
NBA bankroll leans on Lakers again
With the understandable emphasis on the Derby (plus with most of the NBA's first-round series ending early with dominant performances by the favorites), I haven't made any bankroll plays since having the Lakers -1 last Wednesday vs. the Rockets. That win improved - and I use the word loosely - my record to 5-9-1 for a net loss of 4.9 units (based on laying 1.1 units to win 1).
I'll fire away again on the Lakers +4 1/2 this Wednesday vs. the Spurs. The Lakers nearly knocked off the Spurs in the first game of their series on Sunday, leading after three quarters, before a 10-0 run helped lead the Spurs to an 88-78 victory.
After the Spurs were favored to win that game by 4 1/2, I expected to see a lower line for Wednesday because of the public's feeling that the Lakers would need to get a split in San Antonio, so I think it's a bargain that the line is again 4 1/2 and I'll gladly take the points for a 1-unit play
Derby winner one hot ticket
By DAVE TULEY
Not only was Smarty Jones a popular Kentucky Derby winner as the highest-paying Derby favorite in history, richly rewarding his backers that used him in all the various pools, but he was also a popular bet in Nevada's future books.
Smarty Jones, a Pennsylvania-bred who took the road less traveled through the Arkansas Derby, flew under the radar for a good portion of the spring, and his odds hovered in the 100-1 to 200-1 range for a lot longer than his bluegrass-blooded counterparts. To illustrate further how little many people thought of his chances, Smarty Jones wasn't included as an individual interest in the first two pools of Churchill Downs's parimutuel Kentucky Derby Future Wager.
But those who got on the Smarty Jones bandwagon sure cashed in Saturday. John Avello, who runs the biggest future book in the state, for the Caesars Entertainment properties, said Smarty Jones ended up making his future book a loser.
Avello has more liability on Smarty Jones, as he was bet down from 35-1 (the lowest price of the 20 Derby entrants) to 20-1 to sweep the Triple Crown.
"It's a minus pool," he said, pointing out that if any horse were to pull off the Triple Crown, that it would be a loss for his book. "But he has to get there, or else we lock up all the money."
Truth be told, no one who has booked odds to win the Triple Crown has had to pay back a penny in the past 25 years, since Affirmed pulled the trick in 1978.
But that doesn't mean Avello will be cheering against Smarty Jones.
"I like the horse and I'm not cheering against him," Avello said. "If he does it, he does it. A Triple Crown winner would be great for the sport."
Avello said Monday that he was still working on updating the odds for Smarty Jones to win the Preakness and Belmont. He said it would be around -400 (bet $4 to win $1) that he won't do it, and +300 (bet $1 to win $3) that he would, but Avello needed more time to look into how many horses Smarty Jones is likely to face and what his odds will likely be in each race.
Avello had set the over/under on the Derby running time at 2:02, with bettors laying -115 each way, and had received pretty even action until the hour right before the race when a downpour hit Churchill Downs. Avello said bettors pounded the over, betting it up to -160, and cashed when Smarty Jones won in 2:04.06 over the sloppy track.
Derby Day an overall winner
Even with some losing propositions, Nevada had a very successful Derby Day. Statewide handle on the Derby itself was $4,773,917, up 9.3 percent from last year's $4,368,264.
Overall handle for Saturday on all races from coast to coast was $9,170,046, down 1.4 percent from last year's $9.3 million. Many books experienced slowdowns during the day with their tote systems, but any major crashes didn't occur until well after the Derby.
Six shooters earn Series berths
Derby Week started out great for a half-dozen horseplayers in the Derby Coast to Coast Shootout, held concurrently at The Orleans, Gold Coast, and Suncoast last Wednesday and Thursday. The contestants put up a $300 entry fee and then made 14 live-money $60 wagers over the two days.
The winner was Matthew Rentze, who turned his $840 bankroll into $6,210.60. Since the plays were made through the parimutuel system, Rentze kept his winnings plus added $15,750 in prize money. He edged out tournament guru Joe Hinson, who finished with a bankroll of $6,000 for prize money of $7,650.
Shin Kim ($5,649.70 bankroll, $5,400 prize) was third, and then Hinson was fourth with a second entry that finished at $3,486 and earned him an additional $3,600.
Two weeks ago, Hinson qualified for the Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship with a victory in the Bally's Moolah tourney, and his second-place finish at the Shootout earned him a spot in the $1 million Horseplayers World Series, to be held Jan. 27-29 at The Orleans.
With 130 players in the Shootout, there were six World Series berths up for grabs. John Mataya ($3,360 bankroll, $2,250 prize) was fifth, while Gerald Benowitz ($2,479.20 bankroll, $1,350 prize) was sixth.
Since people can only qualify once for the World Series, Hinson's second spot would normally have gone to the seventh-place finisher, Rick Soriano ($2,450.55 bankroll, $1,125 prize), but Soriano has already qualified, so the eighth-place finisher, Ed Spaunhurst ($2,391 bankroll, $1,125 prize), lucked out.
Derby money still up for grabs
The Stratosphere held a twin quinella promotion on Saturday with a $3,000 jackpot, but no one put together the top two finishers of Churchill's ninth race, the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, with Smarty Jones and Lion Heart in the Derby on the same ticket, so it carried over until Sunday, and no one hit it that day either.
The prize fund is up to $4,326 for Wednesday's twin Q. Robert Jaynes, director of the Stratosphere's sports book, said he'll try to keep the bet on West Coast races.
The twin Q at the Station Casinos was hit Saturday. The pool was supposed to be $10,000 for Derby Day, but with carryovers from Thursday and Friday's races, the jackpot stood at $14,429. With Smarty Jones and Lion Heart in the Derby and the favorite in Churchill's 12th race finishing second to an 8-1 shot, 48 people had the winning combination, and it paid $300.60 apiece.
NBA bankroll leans on Lakers again
With the understandable emphasis on the Derby (plus with most of the NBA's first-round series ending early with dominant performances by the favorites), I haven't made any bankroll plays since having the Lakers -1 last Wednesday vs. the Rockets. That win improved - and I use the word loosely - my record to 5-9-1 for a net loss of 4.9 units (based on laying 1.1 units to win 1).
I'll fire away again on the Lakers +4 1/2 this Wednesday vs. the Spurs. The Lakers nearly knocked off the Spurs in the first game of their series on Sunday, leading after three quarters, before a 10-0 run helped lead the Spurs to an 88-78 victory.
After the Spurs were favored to win that game by 4 1/2, I expected to see a lower line for Wednesday because of the public's feeling that the Lakers would need to get a split in San Antonio, so I think it's a bargain that the line is again 4 1/2 and I'll gladly take the points for a 1-unit play
