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Given that tomorrow is the big day, I decided to beat the rush and get my primary Super Bowl wager in.

The Hilton has been my favorite sports book since I have moved to Las Vegas, and it is the primary venue in which I do my betting.   People often ask me why, but I cannot give a concise answer.

(All photos on this page were taken today as I was placing my wager at the Hilton.)

I think the fact that it was the first Superbook in the world is one of the reasons I am drawn to it.  It has that “we’ve been doing this for a long time and we know exactly what we are doing” feel to it.   It feels like a “professional” sports book.  They aren’t tolerant of people who don’t know what they’re doing.  I don’t have to stand around and wait as Alexis does her “tee-hee, I don’t know how to place bets … I’m just a girl” routine.

They’ll ask her to step aside.

Nobody at the Hilton thinks it’s cute.

While I am far from an experienced sports bettor, I like the efficiency and no-nonsense vibe of the Hilton.

Of course, this is exactly what some people hate about it … but to each his/her own.

Since it is a block east of The Strip, it is also a very quick drive for us eastsiders.  They have a parking lot directly outside of their sports book, and you don’t have to walk through the casino.  It’s easy to just swing by and make a wager.  You can get in and out in 10 minutes from Swenson/Joe W. Brown, and you aren’t even close to Strip traffic (not that there is any these days).

Earlier today, that is exactly what I did … parked in the Joe W. Brown lot and purchased my ticket.

The line for the Steelers is still 6 1/2.  I was going to wait until tomorrow to see if I could book a smaller spread, but I really don’t think that line is going to move.

Last minute betting is also chaotic.  Last year I procrastinated until game day, and it took me over an hour to get my tickets.  As efficient as the place is, The Hilton cannot accommodate every last minute bettor at the same time.

I may go back tomorrow and bet some of the proposition/parlay (a//k/a sucker) bets such as:

• Team to Use Coach’s Challenge First
• Will There Be a Safety?
• Will The First Team That Scores Win The Game?
• Will The Game Be Decided By Exactly 3 Points?
• Will The Game Be Tied After 0-0?

I am not joking.  I have the bet sheet sitting next to me, and these exact bets are available.

This year the Super Bowl bet sheet at the Hilton is 21 pages long. Twenty one pages!!!

There are over 400 different bets … on one game.  Who thinks this stuff up?

The only thing they left out is which quarterback will fart first, and I fully expect that to be on the sheet next year.

Here are the first 3 pages. (If you would like to see all the pages, you may view them here.)

I had to bring the bet sheet home because it’s going to take me at least a couple of hours to go through it all.

Even though they are improbable, some of the prop bets are fun and they make the game more interesting.  I have no idea which team is going to fumble first, but it gives me a reason to yell at the screen when the ball comes loose.

And lest you think I am spouting conspiracy theories and not backing them up, I present to you evidence to the contrary.

I present to you my ticket that has the Pittsburgh Steelers to win by 6.5 points:

To be honest, I have not seen one, single, solitary Steelers or Cardinals game this year.   I’m not familiar with either team whatsoever.  I am wagering on the Steelers for one reason, and one reason only.  I am betting with my city instead of against it.

Vegas doesn’t have an NFL team and hopefully never will, but this town has never pulled for a team as much as it is pulling for the Steelers this year.

A 40-1 Cardinals win is going to cost us dearly, and that is why I am rooting against the Cardinals.

I am a bit conflicted, though.  Part of me thinks the sports books need to get spanked on this one in order to learn a lesson.  That lesson is … don’t get overconfident about anything … such as “The Cardinals cannot possibly beat everyone”.

Obviously they can.

I’m also betting the Steelers for the previous reason stated regarding officiating.

I received a comment on my last article disagreeing with my position on the “conspiracy”, which I fully respect. This is most certainly a topic on which reasonable people can disagree, and I may very well be wrong.

The point made was that the NFL gets nothing out of fixing games for Vegas books.

This would be true … IF you believed that gambling and sports were completely divested of each other’s interests.  I do not believe this to be true.

Sure, the league has to pretend to frown on gambling, but I think the NFL needs the casinos more than the casinos need the NFL.   If people stopped betting on games, viewership would plunge.  How much I do not know, but make no mistake about it … betting puts eyeballs on screens.

Twenty one pages of proposition bets means that large numbers of people will be paying very close attention to every play in the game.

The league simply cannot be oblivious to the fact that one of their key promoters is staring down the barrel of a 40-1 odds loss.

Now, I don’t want to blow it out of proportion either.

If the Cardinals come out with both barrels blazing, they are going to win the game, plain and simple.  I don’t think the game is fixed or pre-determined.  There will be millions of people in every country on Earth viewing the game from 20 different angles.  The game can only be influenced so much before it becomes a complete farce for all the world to see.

However, if the game is close and it comes down to one or two calls that are even remotely plausible … I think Pittsburgh gets those calls.

And let’s face it, worldwide, Steelers fans probably outnumber Cardinals fans 50-1.  Who outside of Arizona is going to object to a couple of favorable calls bouncing the Steelers way and averting some pretty hefty gambling losses?

The Steelers are a revered sports franchise.

The Cardinals are, well, the Cardinals.

I could be wrong.  Hell,  I hope I’m wrong … but like I said, the 2002 Western Conference Finals changed the way I look at professional sports.

Last but not least, let’s not forget what the spirit of the Super Bowl is all about.

Fair play and sportsmanship?

The triumph of the human spirit?

A Cinderella team overcoming adversity on a world stage?

The nation’s best athletes showcasing their talents while establishing absolute supremacy on the football field?

Don’t be ridiculous.

The majority of the globe will be tuning into the Super Bowl to see if the GoDaddy chick finally gets naked.

Enjoy the game.

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