Getting Even and Getting Odd

Written by Eric Johnson, with help from Jay Rood, Race and Sports Book Director of the MGM MIRAGE in Las Vegas

Okay sports fans... We've been getting some calls and E-mails about the "numbers hung" (that's professional gambling talk for odds) for this weekend's Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open over in town we've all come to know and love: Las Vegas. To help get our heads wrapped around these mathematics (I'm a great example as it took everything I had to get through my business statistics class in college), we rang up Jay Rood, Race and Sports Book Director of the MGM MIRAGE in Las Vegas. A great guy, I had to slow him down a few times to make sure I was comprehending what he was telling me. So to that end...

The big topic of interest seems to be the Chad Reed versus James Stewart head-to-head Match-Up bet. The way the odds are hung in this "prizefight", Stewart is listed at -125. Chad Reed is listed at +105.

"This means James is a slight favorite," said Rood. "To make it simple, if you were to bet $125 dollars on Stewart, you'd get your original money
($125) plus $100 back. So you would make $225."

As far as Reed being a very slight under dog.

"With Chad Reed at +105," explained Rood,"if you bet $100 and he won, you'd get your original money back ($100) plus $105. That would be a $205 winning bet."

And what of the field odds where Stewart is at 6/5 and Reed as 7/5? Rood went on to explain the odds are a bit closer as the two favorite riders are competing on the same track, concurrently, with a number of different riders. "So if you laid down a $5 bet on Stewart, you'd win $6. If you bet
$5 on Reed, you'd win $7," added Rood.

In closing, Rood also made another interesting point...

"I actually see value in a bet placed on a rider such as, say, Ivan Tedesco or even Heath Voss. If Reed or Stewart were to have a bad first night or have a problem with their bike, laying down $1 to win $12 on Tedesco or $1 to win $25 on Voss, could really pay off in a big way."

So there you have it! In the next 72 hours, get on a plane, on a train or in an automobile and hustle on over to Vegas, walk into the MGM Grand Sport Book, look up at the big shiny tote board and throw down a few bills. Being able to fish a few dollars out of your pocket and bet on your favorite rider only adds to the fun and games atmosphere that makes the U.S. Open such a unique and enjoyable motocross race.

Thanks again to Jay Rod and the very informed Scott Ghertner at the MGM MIRRAGE for helping people (READ: Me!) who can't help themselves.