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STN Sports Weekly Rundown
May 11, 2022
COVID vaccinations ain’t got nothing on the long shots from the weekend. Sports are in full swing right now, and no favorite is safe. On Saturday, a massive, massive long shot in Rich Strike won the Kentucky Derby. Later than night, boxing’s biggest name (depending on who you ask) went down as a 6-to-1 favorite. On Monday, the Dodgers, Brewers and Padres — all prohibitive baseball favorites — took home an L. With all that seared into your betting brain, let’s quickly look over the sports landscape and take a peek at what’s ahead on the court, on the ice, on the track and on the STN Sports App and at the Station Casinos Race and Sports Book.
Horsing Around
If you couldn’t be at Churchill Downs on Saturday, the Station Casinos Race & Sports Books were the place to be. “The electricity in the room was contagious throughout the property,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Race & Sports Book Director. Guests made wagers, sipped mint juleps and wore more hats than Bartolo Colon.
While most guests tossed their money on Epicenter and Zandon, some bettors actually threw support behind 80-to-1 longshot Rich Strike. Green Valley even paid out $14,870 to guest for a trifecta box. A Red Rock bettor took home a $2,050 for a $6 bet on an exacta box. Still, it seems that most people (including all the other jockeys) were flabbergasted by the result, as the longest shot in a century won the Derby. Hell, Rich Strike wasn’t even in the race until Friday! “There was a stunned silence over the crowd in the book,” Esposito said. “I think from our side of the counter and the guest side, it was definitely a win-win overall and just an unbelievable atmosphere in the book that day.”
Upset City
Down goes Canelo! Canelo Alvarez, arguably the biggest name in boxing (relax, Fury fans!), got beat pretty badly by Dmitry Bivol on Saturday night, which was a windfall for the Sports Book. “Sometimes you get action on the underdog, but this was one of those fights where we saw considerable action on the favorite,” Esposito said.
Alvarez entered the fight as a huge favorite at -650 (bet $6.50 to win $1) but he was never really in the fight. Bivol, meanwhile, entered the bout at +450 (bet $1 to win $4.50.) “Canelo is an extremely popular fighter, and having him fighting on Cinco De Mayo weekend is big. Plus, it’s the same weekend as the Kentucky Derby and Mother’s Day, it’s kind of a perfect busy weekend for both race and sports,” Esposito said. “It’s just a different animal when there’s a major prize fight here in Vegas.”
The Ice Guys
News flash: The Colorado Avalanche are really good. On Monday night, the Avs became the first team to advance in the NHL playoffs, doing so in a sweep and in workman-like fashion. The rest of the series are more up in the air than a NASA shuttle. The Rangers’ struggles against the Penguins is a surprise… at least from the oddsmaker’s standpoint. “I really thought they were kind of a sleeper team a little bit. I mean, the Penguins are a very talented team and they’ve been there before, but I’m a little bit surprised that they’ve struggled as much as they did,” Esposito said. “Again, the Eastern Conference seems much more wide open than the West.” Another team surprising to the Book’s top line maker is the Kings, who are giving Edmonton all they can handle.
“Some of these dogs are live, including Dallas, even though they let one slip away at home,” he said. “Wide open offenses are sometimes suspect this time of year. I think the teams that play better defense and dump and chase and have an understanding that it’s a different animal in the postseason, those are the teams that are going to have the most success.”
Hoop Scoop
Much like the NHL, the NBA has its fair share of competitive series. All and all, though, it’s been good for the guests. One of the major factors impacting some NBA Playoff series has been star player’s injuries. Without Joel Embiid, the Heat overwhelmed Philly like a Vegas dust storm in Games 1 and 2. The Sixers evened the series after his return in Games 3 and 4. With him in the lineup, the Sports Book adjusted the line by 3.5 points. “We saw the same thing with Ja Morant,” Esposito said. “One player like that, especially in the NBA, seems to alter the odds. It’s kind of similar to how the NFL looks at a quarterback.”
East v West
The Dodgers, Mets and Yankees were all expected to be good before the season started, and, well, they are. The Angels, on the other hand, are one of the surprises of the year, as they are leading the AL West. Because of this, the Station Casinos Sports Book and STN Sports App decided to have a little fun, posting a Big Apple (Mets/Yankees) vs L.A. (Dodgers/Angels) prop. Who will have more combined wins? The line is a pick ‘em. “We really went back and forth with this prop. Some of us had the Southern California teams as a favorite, some of us had New York,” Esposito said. “We really felt that pick was the right number. You look at how well the Angels are playing and this became a very competitive prop.” Seriously, the Angels haven’t been this competitive since Joseph Gordon-Levitt was in the stands looking for ghosts and Danny Glover was coaching Tony Danza.
Bets To Know
The Silver and Black is back on the board! This week, the Station Casinos Race & Sports Book posted lines for all the Raiders games this season (before any other book in town, we might add). Odds are definitely expected to fluctuate as the full schedules come out today.
The Raiders – who have one of the most extensive travel schedules in the league next season – are currently favored in six games, underdogs in 9 games and they’re a toss up against the Chargers and against the Patriots. Their win total is set at 8.5.
STN Sports Weekly Winners
Big bet, BIG win. This STN Sports bettor cashed a 6-team parlay and won $72,000 off a $1,000 bet on May 8! Wow.
- – 76ers -2 -120 B(+.5)
- – Heat OV 207 -120 B(+.5)
- – Dodgers -1.5 -150 (W Buehler/J Steele)
- – Lightning -1.5 +200
- – Kings UN 6.5 -115
- – Kings +135