With the NFL regular season now in the books and all the division winners set, here’s a parlay you probably wish you’d bet back in August: all eight division winners.
With a few surprising teams rising to the top, Fanatics Sportsbook figured it’d be nice to let all of us know what we missed: A $10 parlay on Patriots, Steelers, Jaguars, Broncos, Eagles, Bears, Panthers and Seahawks would’ve paid out … (drumroll please) …
$2.35 million.
What a way to start the new year. Although so far, no sportsbooks have reported anyone making such a bet early enough to get such outlandish odds, in the range of 235,000/1.
Still, per usual, there were plenty of intriguing bets that did come through over the past few days.
More on a major wager that cashed out big on Ole Miss, along with fun parlay payouts and a huge hedge bet, as we recap NFL and college football betting this past weekend.
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Sugar Sweet
College Football Playoff quarterfinal odds drew a ton of action on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The largest reported play landed on the final matchup, No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
A Fanatics Sportsbook customer dropped $350,000 on Ole Miss moneyline +185.
It didn’t look great at halftime, with Georgia up 21-12 and seemingly in control. But the second half was pure entertainment from both teams, as Ole Miss made it a game.
The lead changed hands three times during a 30-point fourth quarter, and the Rebels ultimately won 39-34.
So the bettor collected a hefty $647,500 in profit, for a total payout of $997,500.
Parlay Partay
While it appears no one got a preseason bet down that correctly picked all eight division winners, a Caesars Sports customer went 7-for-7 on a $50 division futures parlay wager made on Nov. 28.
At that point, five of the seven divisions involved were still very much in play, with only the Broncos and Patriots heavy favorites to win.
The parlay went right down to the wire in Sunday night’s Ravens vs. Steelers regular-season finale. Pittsburgh won 26-24 when a final-second Baltimore field goal went wide right.
That turned 50 bucks into a healthy windfall of $67,328.
Divisional Dollars
As shown above, picking seven or eight NFL division winners this season required a tremendous amount of luck. It’s one of the reasons why they say parlays are a bookmaker’s best friend.
But if you tamped it down some and just tried to pick a couple division winners, and you liked to take fliers on long shots, then this was your kind of season.
A DraftKings Sportsbook customer put all of 10 dollars on a two-leg parlay: Bears to win the NFC North and Panthers to win the NFC South.
DraftKings didn’t clarify when the bet was placed. But more than likely, it was after Chicago and Carolina both started the season 0-2, in order to get such long shot odds of +67500 (675/1).
But both teams ultimately delivered, turning pizza money into steak-dinners-for-a-while money, as the bettor won $6,750.
Similarly, a Fanatics customer hit a three-teamer of Bears, Jaguars and Panthers as division winners, turning $10 into $3,825.
Living on the Hedge
Last week’s Big Bets Report included a mention of Circa Survivor, the huge NFL contest put on each year by Circa Sports in Las Vegas. In case you missed it, here’s a quick primer on the contest:
It’s $1,000 per entry, 10 entries max. And this year’s field attracted a record 18,718 entries. That made the pot a massive $18.718 million.
Six entries made it all the way to Week 18 and five of those entries had their final pick win. So five contestants picked up $3.74 million apiece. That’s absolutely life-changing money.
But with that much on the line, you’d be crazy not to place a hedge bet against your final pick. One contestant took the Vikings in Circa Survivor because the Packers were resting starters for the playoffs, making Minnesota a huge favorite.
Just in case, though — because this is the NFL, and strange things tend to happen — the contestant also put a whopping $700,000 on Packers moneyline +355.
So, either way, the contestant would exit a millionaire. If the Packers pulled off the upset, the bet would’ve netted about $2.5 million. Since the Vikes won, the contestant claimed $3.74 million, minus the losing $700,000 bet, for a net win of $3.04 million.
Here’s Hoping You Had It
It’s not all about making big bets or cashing out huge on a 10-leg parlay. Which, just to be clear, is rare. Always keep that firmly in mind.
Sometimes, it’s about putting 10 bucks on a single straight bet, backing a long shot or semi-long shot and getting a solid return on investment.
For example: At FanDuel Sportsbook, Ravens backup tight end Devontez Walker was +6500 to score the first touchdown of Sunday’s game against the Steelers.
Four minutes into the game, Walker scored on a 38-yard TD pass from Lamar Jackson to make it 7-0.
If you’d put a tenner on that, then you’d have an extra $650 in your wallet today. A hundred-dollar bet would’ve netted $6,500.
Fantastic Finish
How about doing a modest two-leg parlay, instead of praying to the betting gods for half-a-dozen or more things to happen?
A Fanatics customer put $75 on both the Jaguars and the Texans recording a defensive or special teams touchdown in Sunday’s games.
Midway through the second quarter vs. the Titans, Jacksonville safety Antonio Johnson had a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown. One leg down.
The second leg didn’t arrive until the final play of Colts-Texans, and in stunning fashion.
With 12 seconds left, Houston took a 32-30 lead on a Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal. On the ensuing possession, Indy was forced to resort to a series of laterals, in a desperate attempt to score.
Instead, Texans defensive tackle Tommy Togiai grabbed a fumble and ran 17 yards for a touchdown as Houston won 38-30.
So the bettor — who utilized a 33% profit boost to hike the odds to +3462 — turned $25 into $2,671.49.
Parlay Partay, Part II
If you’ve got $800 laying around, there are countless better ways to spend it other than on a nine-leg parlay. But regardless, just bet responsibly. Don’t get in over your head.
A Fanatics customer was hopefully mindful of that while stringing together a parlay that included College Football Playoff and bowl games, NBA matchups and four NFL games.
Like anyone else who needed the Steelers on Sunday night, this bettor got a huge sweat on the parlay’s final leg. Pittsburgh, a 3.5-point home underdog, got the outright win 26-24.
At odds of +26374 — or about 264/1 — the bettor’s 800 bucks evolved into a massive $211,795.
I Like Big Bets and I Cannot Lie
Major wagers landed from Thursday through Sunday on NFL Week 17 odds and College Football Playoff odds. Most notable among them was the aforementioned $350,000 Ole Miss moneyline bet.
Other notable bets, all reported by DraftKings:
- $300,000 Patriots -13.5 (-112) vs. Dolphins. New England rolled 38-10, and the bettor profited $267,857 (total payout $567,857).
- $100,000 Alabama moneyline +200 vs. Indiana. The Crimson Tide got smoked 38-3, so that’s a six-figure donation to the house.
- $52,500 Seahawks -2.5 (-105) vs. 49ers. Seattle won 13-3, and the bettor won $50,000 (total payout $102,500).
- $52,500 Jaguars -13.5 (-105) vs. Titans. Jacksonville posted a 41-7 rout, giving the bettor a $50,000 win (total payout $102,500).
- $55,000 Broncos -12.5 vs. Chargers. With Denver’s 19-3 victory, the bettor bagged $50,000 profit (total payout $105,000).
- $50,000 Steelers moneyline +160 vs. Ravens. As noted above, Pittsburgh indeed won outright, and the bettor netted $80,000 profit (total payout $130,000).
As always, bear in mind that high-rollers have the bankroll to absorb such losses. So keep your wagers and your expectations reasonable. Never bet more than you can afford to lose.
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on X: @PatrickE_Vegas.
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