Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Sun

A week ago, the University of Washington was attracting as much attention from gamblers as any team on the college football betting board.

Having opened an 11-point underdog against California, the Huskies were bet to as low as a 7 1/2-point underdog by game time -- a big move for a college football betting line.

Washington was also a popular selection in the Leroy's College Challenge, a season-long contest open to the public for a $250 entry fee (deadline was last Friday).

Getting 9 1/2 points on the contest line, Washington was the ninth-most popular choice in the "Challenge."

The Huskies let their backers down, however, losing 56-17 to Cal.

Las Vegas handicapper Patrick Bartucci was on the correct side of the game, sending out a pick of Cal minus the points to his clients via his newsletter last week.

Even so, Bartucci isn't about to start piling on against Washington. He expects the Huskies to bounce back this week and cover the 13-point spread against Idaho.

Bartucci, a specialist in Pac-10 football and the NFL, also likes Oklahoma as an underdog against UCLA -- wait for the line to hit 7 points, he said -- the New York Jets minus-6 points against the Miami Dolphins, and the Philadelphia Eagles minus-13 1/2 against the San Francisco 49ers this weekend.

Like the Huskies, the Jets and the Eagles are coming off disappointing losses this past weekend.

"The (Huskies) are playing Idaho at home -- you've got to like them there," said Bartucci, online at patricksfreepress.com. "You've got to think (coach Ty) Willingham's troops are going to get off the schneid."

Some gamblers might have overreacted to the news of Cal quarterback Nate Longshore's injury in the team's opener, Bartucci said.

"If you study Cal, you know that (replacement QB) Joe Ayoob was going to be the starter down the road anyway," Bartucci said. "He's all-world, and (coach Jeff) Tedford loves him.

"A lot of general bettors might have been thinking that Cal's starting quarterback is out, so they're in trouble. But in reality it was closer to a platoon situation."

In the NFL, Bartucci expects the Jets to regroup after their 27-7 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs -- a team Bartucci expects to advance to the AFC title game against the Indianapolis Colts.

"Kansas City probably has the best offensive line in the conference," he said. "It reminds me of Denver's lines in the Terrell Davis years. ...

"The Jets' defense is a little small, but they're very quick and talented."

Pending the latest news on quarterback Donovan McNabb's health, Bartucci likes the Eagles to come back strong from their Monday night loss to a tough Atlanta Falcons team, he said.

And though he has already bet some money on the Jacksonville Jaguars plus 9 points against the Colts, Bartucci said he "loves" Jacksonville at plus 10 points, if the line goes that high -- and he plans to make a correspondingly bigger bet if the number does hit 10.

Leroy's contest

The Leroy's "Money Talks Invitational" football handicapping contest is generating interest not only on the Strip, but also in "faraway places," as some local bettors euphemistically refer to offshore sports books.

BetCRIS.com, a sports book based in Costa Rica, has set odds on each of the invitational's entrants to win the event, as well as weekly betting lines on head-to-head matchups.

"We're writing a good amount of business on it," BetCRIS chief executive officer Mickey Richardson said.

BetCRIS has accepted between $40,000 and $50,000 in wagers on the winner of the contest, with the highest individual bet coming in at $3,000, according to Richardson.

Last week's opening-round matchup between professional bettor Fezzik and Steve Makinen of StatFox.com generated "substantially more" than that total, Richardson said, with individual wagers as high as $5,000.

Makinen, an underdog in the matchup, defeated Fezzik to advance. The invitational includes 16 handicappers who each put up $2,500, with Leroy's adding another $10,000 to the prize pool. The winner will collect $40,000 and the runner-up will receive $10,000.

The current favorite is Nick Bogdanovich (6-1) followed by the East Coast bettor known as "Krackman" (6 1/2-1). Ron Boyles is favored against Doc Moseman in this week's matchup (8 p.m. at the Riviera sports book).

Some of the contestants operate handicapping businesses whose customers wager with BetCRIS, Richardson said.

"Traditionally, all those (contestants) are pros with a proven ability to pick winners," Richardson said. "Some of those guys, or their clients, are making money betting with us. I figure if I can make some money off them, then, hey, I'm a better person for it."

Wagering on the outcome of handicapping contests is not permitted in Nevada, per state gaming regulations.

Stardust update

In the $10,000 Stardust Invitational football handicapping contest, Big Al McMordie (4-3) advanced past David Stratton (3-4) in the opening match. At 9 p.m. Friday at the Stardust, professional gamblers Fezzik and Ron Boyles square off.