Howdy, A2Z Sports reader! Let me tell you about a bet I made with some friends on Thursday, and how it teed up our weekend in a fashion that none of us could’ve possibly prepared for.
So, this past weekend, one of my roommates had two of his hometown friends visit from Minnesota, and after about two minutes of them standing in our apartment, it became evident that they’d never gambled on sports before. You see, it’s a daily thing for me and my buddies to check betting lines and sprinkle some action on the evening’s events, but since it was Thursday, which marks Thursday Night Football and the end of our school week, we were extra giddy to log into FanDuel and get the evening started.
Almost immediately, I could sense the concerned looks from my roommate’s friends as they viewed our presumable gambling addictions from a third person perspective. So, I took it upon myself to be their Gandolph, guiding them from their wagerless shire and towards the Mordor that is sports betting. Quickly, I talked up the promotions that FanDuel and Draft Kings were offering to new customers. Each sportsbook was offering a free $200 in bets as long as the new user deposited and bet $5-$10 of their own cash. Along with this, FanDuel was giving two free $75 bets to new customers and those who referred them. Now, if you do the math, that gave us $200 + $200 + $150 = $550 of free bets, per friend that was visiting, bringing us to a total of $1,100 of free bets to use to try to pay for our Halloweekend.
Out of the visiting friends, one had some sports knowledge and quickly picked up on how the sportsbooks worked, while the other was like a newborn colt trying to stand for the first time. So, like a good friend always should, I took it upon myself to nourish the latter’s newfound addiction in hopes to win us big money. I used one of his free $200 bets to show him how to build a parlay, and out of the $1,100 in bets we had accumulated with the various promotions, that $200 bet was the only bet that I picked myself. Because of this, I felt immense pressure on myself to make it a big winner, so I put it all on Thursday Night Football, and here’s what I decided for my picks:
- Dalton Kincaid Over 3.5 Receptions
- Stephon Diggs 6+ Receptions (alternate)
- Josh Allen 1+ Passing Touchdown (alternate)
- Mike Evans Anytime TD Scorer
The total odds came out to +559, which aren’t long odds in the slightest, but when you remember that $200 was the wager, the winnings came out to a whopping (for a college student) $1,120. That type of money was sure to supply six friends with three free days and nights of drinking induced fun, but we still had to sweat through the game to see if it would cash or not.
Out of the four legs, the one that I dubbed “A2Z’s pick of the night” was a Mike Evans anytime TD. As it would turn out, the first three legs all hit by the start of the fourth quarter, and we were left hanging on to a strand of hope that Mike would produce a garbage-time TD.
It all came down to the Buccaneers’ final drive, which included two defensive penalties after two failed fourth and long attempts, as well as a dropped pass by Evans in the endzone. Needless to say, we were watching through our fingers as the clock ticked away. Then, with 2:51 left on the clock and another game-deciding fourth and 10 staring Baker Mayfield in the face, this happened:
As the ball sailed through the air and towards number 13, it felt like the moment lasted for an eternity that only ended as we all shouted “Evans!” as he came down with the ball. That miraculous huck-up of a throw won us $1,120, setting us up for the greatest halloweekend of our lives, and guaranteeing hangovers for all six of us for the next three days.
To add to the excitement, a couple of the other free $75 dollar bets had hit, gifting us another couple hundred to spend on the weekend. In the end, I estimate that we netted around $1,800 off of free bets, and I’m shocked to say that we failed to spend it all.
If there were a moral to this addiction-fueled story, it would be this: sports gambling is fun (and maybe even profitable), just as long as you’re smart and responsible enough. If you aren’t responsible with your money, and you feel like you need help, don’t be afraid to reach out. Call 1-800-GAMBLER, or even drop a comment below, and we’d be happy to help however we can