Behind the Bets: The silent killer
With NFL favorites on the rampage, bettors stand to make a bundle on parlays
All the talk in the sports-betting world these days is about the kind of run the NFL favorites have been on. It's undeniable, they are winning at an extraordinary clip. That, of course, means the books have to adjust or continue losing. And this week you can see how they're managing by taking at look at the inflated lines: Three teams -- public franchises Chicago, Indy and San Diego -- opened as double-digit favorites. And the Colts' 12-point spread is against the no-longer-slouching Niners. Meanwhile, two more teams -- the Cowboys and Saints -- opened as nine and 9½-point faves, respectively. Who are the Saints playing? The Falcons, for god's sake!
Point is, the books are desperate to make people pay for the privilege of laying the points.
But we're so focused on straight bets, we (meaning I) have ignored the book's silent killer so far this season: parlay cards.
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