It may be the calendar's shortest month but with the Super Bowl, the Winter Olympic Games and the start of the NASCAR Nextel Cup season all packed within its 28 days, February figures to be long on both wagering options and activity.
As expected, the oddsmakers at
The Greek Sportsbook are right in the middle of this three ring circus, offering a myriad of prices on events on the gridiron, the ice surfaces and snowy slopes of Torino, Italy, and the racetrack, too.
In terms of wagering, nothing will match Super Bowl XL, at Ford Field in Detroit, February 5. The NFL Championship, which is second only to soccer's quadrennial World Cup in terms of betting volume, will test bettors with as many as 400 wagering propositions. In fact,
The Greek Sportsbook posted so many betting options last year that it took 28 pages just to download the information, enough paper to get you on the Sierra Club's watch list of enemies of trees.
The first Super Bowl bet - which team will win the coin toss - will be decided before the opening kickoff, while the last - which player will be named the game's MVP - will be determined well after it is over. In between will be dozens, if not hundreds, of over/under propositions on individual and team rushing and passing yardage, sacks, interceptions, fumbles and field goals, as well as special pointspread offers and the always popular prop on which player will score the Super Bowl's first touchdown. There'll be wagers on penalties and coaching challenges, whether teams will score in the final two minutes of each half, if there will be a safety or successful two-point conversion, and who knows what?
If last year, when oddsmakers at
The Greek Sportsbook established a new record for wagering options is any indication, the choices this year will be constrained only by the imagination of the price makers which, it seems, is limitless.
More traditional bettors probably will concentrate on the game's side and total, the two wagers that, despite increased competition, still account for over 80 percent of all Super Bowl action. Throw in halftime sides and totals and even quarter sides and totals and that's more than enough action for most bettors.
Looking for a betting angle? Of the previous 39 Super Bowl games, two-thirds, or 26, have been won by the favorite. That means that just one-third, or 13, have been won by the underdog. But here's where it gets really interesting: Of those 13 underdog winners, 11 have won outright, meaning that if you're going to chase the dog, it's probably wiser to pass up the points in favor of the odds on the money line.
Whether you win or lose on the Super Bowl, you may want to test your wagering acumen on the 2006 Winter Olympics, slated for a Feb. 10-26 run in tourist friendly Italy.
Typically, neither players nor bookmakers like to make or take bets on sports they barely know. But with a name like
The Greek Sportsbook, hey, if you want to make a wager, we're here for you. In fact, you can expect a wide range of betting options, from team sports such as hockey to speed skating, figure skating and skiing.
Granted, you're probably not up to snuff on the top contenders in the Giant Slalom or luge but you may want to risk a few crumpets on which nation will win the Gold Medal in hockey. Canada, where hockey isn't just the national sport but a national obsession, is the defending Olympic champion and appears to be the team to beat. But the Czech Republic took Gold at the World Championships and Sweden, the USA and, of course, Russia, also have strong teams.
Figure skating had its betting profile raised in 1994 when, prior to the Olympics, Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by henchmen representing Tanya Harding, turning the otherwise "artistic" event into a whirlpool of wagering activity.
For the record, Oksana Baiul of the Ukraine took home the Gold as the 2/1 favorite with Kerrigan second at odds of 7/2. Harding, 12/1, was off the board, although a nude wedding night video, a failed singing career, a bizarre rescue, an attempt at boxing and an almost predictable string on domestic violence complaints have managed to keep Harding's name in the news far longer than the 15 minutes she deserved.
Since the Kerrigan-Harding dustup, figure skating has been near the top of the Winter Olympic Games A-List of wagering priorities, a fact only fueled by controversy involving judging in the pairs competition at the 2002 games.
Another February staple is the opening of the NASCAR Nextel Cup racing series. This year's 36-event schedule rolls out of the garage with the running of the Daytona 500, Feb. 19.
But why wait?
The Greek Sportsbook already has prices posted on which driver will win the 2006 championship as well as who will park the Rookie of the Year trophy on his mantle.
Carl Edwards, who finished a threatening third in the standings last year in his first full season on the Nextel Cup circuit, and Jimmie Johnson, who wound up fifth after runner-up finishes the previous two seasons, look like the men to beat for the 2006 title. Both opened at odds of 5/1.
Edwards won four races last season, a total exceeded only by champion Tony Stewart (five) and runner-up Greg Biffle (six). Edwards actually finished knotted with Biffle for second, 35 points behind Stewart, but lost the tiebreaker because Biffle had more victories.
Johnson, who also had four victories, was in contention until the final weekend of the season.
Stewart, who won his first NASCAR driving championship in 2002, was the most consistent driver on the circuit, registering a Nextel Cup best 17 Top 5 and 25 Top 10 finishes to go along with his five triumphs.
Biffle and Jeff Gordon join Stewart at odds of 6/1. Biffle is part of the powerhouse Jack Roush stable of Fords that also features Edwards, Mark Martin (fourth last year), 2003 champion Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray.
Gordon, a four-time champion, won four races last season, including the prestigious Daytona 500, but was frustrated by inconsistency, notching just eight Top 5 finishes. Gordon and Johnson team up for Hendrick Motors.
The aforementioned Martin, like his teammate Kenseth, had only one victory last season but was usually in the hunt each week.
Kurt Busch, the 2004 champion who finished 10th in the standings last season, popular Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Ryan Newman are three more who could contend for the championship. Busch moves from Roush Racing to succeed the retiring Rusty Wallace as Newman's teammate at Penske South. Wallace, the 1989 Nextel Cup champion, leaves the sport the winner of 55 races.
Ricky Rudd, who holds the NASCAR record with 788 consecutive starts, also has retired but there will be a bumper crop of rookies joining the top circuit this season. The most promising might be two-time Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr., who will team with Earnhardt.
Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley will learn Nextel Cup intricacies at the wheel of Stewart with Joe Gibbs Racing. Meanwhile the duo of Reed Sorenson and David Stremme will be driving Dodges for Chip Ganassi.
Gibbs, the coach of the Washington Redskins, won't be the only man with NFL experience on the racetrack. NFL Hall of Fame quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman will employ two-time series champion Terry Labonte and Tony Raines to pilot their No. 96 Chevrolet.
And, just in case the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics and NASCAR Nextel Cup Series aren't enough to get your wagering beans percolating, remember, there's also the ongoing saga of the NBA, NHL and college basketball.
By now, teams in both the NBA and NHL have begun to separate themselves into two categories, contenders and pretenders. In addition to seeking out daily bets, this also is a good month for reassessing your future book action and scooping up any remaining bargains.
Things are progressing on college hardcourts as well, with teams on the bubble seeking to pad their resumes in hopes of gaining an invitation to next month's Big Dance. Again, this could be a good time to make a well-placed future book wager, a bet that not only has value in and of itself but also provides flexibility, offering options for ways to bet the conference tournaments and/or next month's Big Dance.
What's more,
The Greek Sportsbook also continues to offer wagering on boxing, golf, tennis, soccer, horse racing, rugby, cricket and pool, as well as the upcoming Academy Awards.
As months go, February may be short, but for bettors, it's also sweet.
