The Poker Lab Rat

Each year I usually add interest to the WSOP with a couple of bets on event winners - and each year the bets are less and less sane. With more than 10,000 poker players at the WSOP in Las Vegas and the sheer number of events this year, I’ve limited myself to Main Event props. 
 
For betting on the World Series Of Poker Main Event 2007 - To Make Final Table - Daniel Negreanu is sitting at around 10.75 at European online sportsbook Gamebookers.com, Phil Ivey at 16.00 and Allen Cunningham and Phil Hellmuth are the next favourites at 19.00.

Interestingly Doyle and son Todd Brunson are both sitting at 34.00 along with Mike Matusow. Odds on long standing pros TJ Cloutier and Mike Caro to make the final table sit at 67.00.

It pays to shop around though as the odds offered vary considerably between sportsbooks.

I guess its a generation thing - or I’m just an old fashioned kinda guy. At mid 30’s I’m too young to be a SOF but when bookmakers list their props for the WSOP Main Event betting maket I like to see players NAMES. Not some kid hiding behind the try hard anonymity of an Online Poker room moniker. I mean what’s with that really? You’re now there competing in the flesh - and for some strange reason I’ve got this urge to shout “grow up!”

“Real people” (like Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott or Men ‘The Master’ Nguyen) rank way up there compared to wanna bes like FLUZAO_BR67, uzzie222, Vo2max111, and of course SHIP_IT_BITCHH who you can get odds of anything up to 200/1 on at Gamebookers. (Did you read that strangely pathetic item on the “Ship It Holla Ballas” crew in May’s Bluff Magazine?)    

Most online bookies like Bet365.com and PaddyPower.com - and even Bodog.com (that ultra-happening US friendly sportsbook and entertainment site) have not included any “moniker kids” in their betting coupons whatsoever. Bet365 at least will give you an “others on request” price if you’re the Mom of one of them and feel an obligation bet coming on… insert snigger here.

So what’s on offer other than outright winner and who makes the final table?

We like top Irish bookie Paddy Power’s offers like 7/1 (8.00) for an Irishman (that’s a Paddy or a Coleen) to make the final table of the main event - a very noble sentiment. Or, (and we like this one) you can bet on the top past champion - ie which former winner makes it the furthest. Paddy has Phil hellmuth at 7/1 (8.00), Chris Ferguson at 8/1 (9.00) and our Oi Oi Oi mate from Aussie, Joseph Hachem at 11/1 (12.00).

Bet365, like me, is confident that no Irish will come near the final table and instead of pandering to a local market, offer odds on a Swede (2.75), a Norwegian (4.50), a Dane (6.00) … and heaven forbid, a female making it to the final table (10.00).

Top US friendly online bookie Bodog has a father-son betting proposition. Doyle vs Todd Brunson. “Which of the following players will last longer in the 2007 $10,000 buy-in Main Event?” Doyle is at Evens (2.00), Todd is at -140 (1.71). Bodog is also offering a whole host of “who will last longest” type bets on the main event in various player combos. Check them out at “2007 World Series of Poker Betting, WSOP Prop Bets at Bodog Sportsbook“.

So where’s the smart money? Probably still in your pocket this year! Check out our earlier blog post on Players to Watch here.