Is It football season
already?
24 August 2007
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark: Sorry for the dumb question, but how
do you play a football parlay card? Any help
would be appreciated. Emily M.
The only dumb question, Emily, is an unasked
question. But before I take on your parlay card
inquiry, let's decipher what a straight and a
parlay bet are. You'll see why.
With a straight bet, you simply pick one side or
the other to win the game, plus or minus the
point spread on the board. For example, you
happen to favor The Lions by 3 over Green Bay.
If you take the Lions, giving three (-3 points),
you're wagering $11 that the Lions will beat
Green Bay by more than 3 points. If they do, you
win $10 -- for your handicapping expertise --
but you also receive your original $11 back, for
a total payout of $21.
A parlay bet is a group of straight bets
combined into a single wager, such that the
original wager and its winnings are successively
risked towards the following wagers. With a
parlay bet, all the individual parts of the
parlay must win or at least tie. Here's an
example: You place a two-team NFL parlay on the
Lions and the Rams. If either of those teams
fails to cover the spread, you would lose your
parlay bet. If both teams beat the spread, the
odds being 13 to 5, you would get paid $13 for
every $5 he's bet.
With parlays, if one team doesn't win or at
least tie, you lose the entire amount wagered.
If one of the games ties, then that game is
disregarded and you get paid according to the
number of games you did win.
A "parlay card" is a set of sides, totals,
and/or proposition bets printed on a special
card. The numbers on the parlay card apply only
to bets listed on the card, and can be different
from the numbers listed on the board for the
straight bets. As a rule, you must select at
least three items in order to make a bet on a
parlay card.
You also want to scrutinize your parlay card
closely. Some specify that ties lose, some that
they push, and you might even find the true
rarity, a card where ties actually win. Some
parlay cards avoid ties entirely by ending all
spreads at a 1/2-mark.
As for the house edge, it's based on the number
of games bet on your card and the casino payout.
The more games parlayed, the higher the casino
advantage. Surprised? For instance, three teams
usually pay 6 to 1, with a house edge of 12.50%.
Four teams pay 10 to 1, with an even higher
31.25% casino advantage, and five teams pay 20
to 1, with a house edge of 34.38%. Those are
pretty long odds, Emily, and something a canny
bettor wouldn't be wagering on.
Dear Mark: Because of you, I played craps for
the first time at the AC Hilton a couple of
nights ago. Loved every minute. A question
please if I may. Suppose I place a pass line
bet, and the point is established. Do you always
put down place bets on the 6 & 8 if available?
What if the point is 6 or 8, do you always bet
the non-point 6 or 8? T.M.
"Always" depends on your war chest, and I
haven't a clue how much you can withdraw from
First National Bank of Sealy Posturepedic prior
to your arrival. But typically speaking, a Pass
Line bet with two Come bets should be enough
action.
Out of the vastitude of reasons why I complement
my Pass line wager and odds with a Place bet on
the 6 or 8, two quickly come to mind. First,
it's a wager with a small house advantage, 1.5%,
and second, it's plenty cheap. A Place bet can
be made for as little as $6.
Also, after you put your hard-earned cash to
work on the Pass line (with full odds if
fiscally possible), and the point is a six, yes,
it is common to accompany your Pass line wager
with an additional place bet on its kissing
cousin, the 8.v
Stick only to the outstanding craps bets you
mentioned above. These wagers have house
advantage of less than 1.5 percent, making them
best of show bets in any casino.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: "Numbers make the
games work, the same way they make the universe
function." --Basil Nestor
|
