by Jimmy Vaccaro (Twitter @JimmyVaccaro)
June 22, 2010
 
I spent a week in Reno, having a good time and getting paid for it. Not a bad getaway for a few days and I advise anyone that you might want to take a trip before we all get bogged down.

Getting from book to book is a mere 20 minutes apart at the most, and rooms and dining are excellent. Ten miles out of Carson City is the famous Walley’s Hot Springs Resort and Spa. It’s the nuts. Sit in the Jacuzzi, get the one hour Swedish massage. It is like having the horse you bet 10 lengths up with a 100 yards to go.

I got a chance to talk to a lot of people running the books, and as I wrote a few weeks ago, everyone was looking forward to football season.

Although they didn’t give away the family jewels, there was a lot of talk on sweetening up the pot and being creative as we never have before.

I have talked both publicly and privately about a progressive parlay card payout that would be networked through all the sports books in the state. So far, it is me pulling one way and a lot of people going the other way.

Buying insurance on halftimes on selected games, such as they do in blackjack, and utilizing teaser points are other possibilities. This means a 3-team 6-point teaser would be worth 18 points, but you can split the points up any way you want to.

I am going to get one of these changes implemented sooner or later.

Naturally, there was a lot of talk up north about the recent primaries. Now, I know we can’t book these except for "entertainment" purposes. But let this bounce around in your noggin. I can only imagine the buzz and business we could create this November with both the senate race and the run for the governor’s mansion.

Now, a very unscientific "Jimmy" poll would have these following numbers and a few prop bets: I would make Senator Reid 1-3 against Sharon Angle, and his son, Rory, a 7-5 dog against Brian Sandoval.

And here are some prop bets: If both Reids win you get 5-2. If Angle and Sandoval win you get 9-2 for your effort and a price if they split out on the Reids.

Now we know it is just a parlay configuration but can you imagine where we could go with this? I can see it now, a panel of three gamblers on the Jon Ralston show.

After all the off shore outfits had Obama almost an out-price two weeks before the last presidential election and our two guys were still burning up money on something that was almost a foregone conclusion.

I just hope we can all see this come to fruition before we all check out. Can you see a guy walking up to the counter in November with his "Saucelito" in his grubby little hands, saying "Give me Oklahoma-Navy and Angle."

Knowing the face of this guy, which I have seen for almost half a century, he would win the first two football games and would have to sweat out a "recount" on the third leg of his parlay.

Take care,
Jimmy V.