NOVEMBER 15 2008
AMERICANWAY 55
goingtobetogivecustomersthechanceto
comeinandbeatthebookies.”
Becausemanyindependentcasinoshave
beenconsolidatedandnowfallunderafew
owners,oddsnolongervaryasdramati-
callyfromonesportsbooktothenextas
theyusedto,butthereisstillawiderange
ofstyles.TheBellagioattractsahigh-roller
crowd,thehigh-techMGMGrandismore
contemporary,andtheMirageisopen,laid-
back,andoldschool.Allfeaturemultiple
massivevideoscreens,freedrinks,and,of
course,bettingwindowsanddigital-odds
boards.“It’sverydauntingtocomeinfor
thefirsttimeandseealltheLEDlightsand
action,sowehavebrochuresthatexplainall
thedifferentbets,”saysWalker.
Mostgamesorsportscanbebetinmyriad
ways.Footballhasapointspread,amoney
line,anover/under,betslimitedtothefirst
orsecondhalf,and,inbiggames,betssuch
asfirstteamtoscore.Baseballhasarun
line,amoneyline,andanover/under.Ifall
thissoundsconfusing,itis,whichiswhythe
brochuresandstaffaretheretohelp.But
thebottomlineisthatit’shardtogowrong,sincemostbetsaredesignedtoresemble
coinflips.
Take$10toablackjackorcrapstable
andthereisagoodchanceitwilllastyou
onehand,maybenotevenaminutelong.Betitonafootballorbaseballgameand
youjustboughtthreehoursofexcitement,winorlose.Evenashepassesthetorchto
Rood,Walkerhaslostnoneofhisenthusi-
asmforhisparticularcasinofiefdom.“Let’s
sayyougotoamovie,”hesays.“Youmight
likeit;youmightnot.Buteitherway,you’re
out$10.Youputitonabasketballgame
andyougetthesameentertainment,plus
aroundafifty-fiftychanceofdoublingyour
WHEN
(aNdWHat)
to BEt oN
To experience
a Vegas sports book at
its most exciting, go for a big
event. As Robert Walker says of the
hierarchy, "It's professional foot-
ball, then college football, then
nothing else. Only the NCAA tourna-
ment comes close." The number one
event is the Super Bowl, followed by
college bowl games and any Saturday
or Sunday game during football sea-
son. The next biggest party events
are: the first four days of March
Madness, the Kentucky Derby and
the Breeders’ Cup, the World Series,
the NBA Finals, title fights, and
any sporting event actually held in
Vegas, be it ProRodeo, Supercross,
or NASCAR. Visitors often like to bet
on future events, like next season's
World Series or Super Bowl. Winning
tickets can legally be cashed by mail
from home at later dates, so you do
not have to stay to see the event.
Sports you cannot bet on in Vegas
include the Olympics and high school
sports, as well as oddities that
may be wagered on overseas, such as
elections and the Academy Awards.
money.Ifyouhaveawageronagame,and
Idon’tcarewhatsportitis,itmakesitmore
exciting.You’repartofthegame.Itreallyis
thenextbestthingtobeingthere—maybe
better.Idon’tthinkthereisabetterenter-
tainmentvalueoutthereanywhere.”
Continued frompage 50
LARRY OLMstEd
is a contributing editor to half a dozen pub-
lications, including
Cigar Aficionado
,
Lexus Magazine
, and
Elite
Traveler
.
Recipient of
four
consecutive
NYC’s
“GoldenApple
Awards”
for Food
Safety and
Cleanliness.
Wine
Spectator’s
“Best of Awardof
Excellence”
Since 2001
Who said you can’t be in
twoplaces at once?
Enjoy a trip toBrazil
without leavingNewYork.
The steakhouse even
vegetarianswould love.
Heading toNewYork?
TriBeCa
Riodizio Churrascaria
221West Broadway
Bet.White& Franklin Streets
212.925.6969
ChurrascariaTribeca.com
Theater District
316West
49th Street
Bet. 8th& 9thAvenues
212.245.0505
plataformaonline.com
5x775.07.24.08 7/24/08 5:08 PM Page 1
