hedging your bets?

Posted by yamsmos on November 5, 2009 · Under Commentary · View Comments 

not sure if there are many gamblers out there… but i have had a long standing debate with a few friends on betting on the team you support, or, as it were, betting against them.

a friend of mine is into the seahawks as much as i am into the sounders. goes to every game, feels sick during much of it, and genuinely bummed out for days if they lose (he is bummed out a lot lately). but he has had a system for the better part of the last ten years that he swears by. he regularly puts down a $20 on whoever is playing the seahawks. needless to say, he has a little extra pocket change these days, as he did last year. oh, and he is a husky football fan as well, so he paid his rent in october – december last year.

his logic, and you can probably already see where i am going here, is that if i am going to watch my team lose, might as well make a few bucks off it. and if the seahawks win, then $20 is a small price to pay for the happiness (or lack of depression) that follows.

you can see the logic… but some of our other buddies chastise him for this. they argue that he isn’t fully supporting the team. he doesn’t fully appreciate the pain of loss that they do so his loyalty is in question. of course this is more banter than anything,  but I do want to raise the question to you lot.

i think we can all agree that whatever you do or don’t bet on the sounders has no outcome on the result, so is it bad for someone to bet against the sounders in order to gain financially should they lose?

oh, and by the way i have $10 on seattle which returns $25.40

  • Aaron

    I’ve actually subscribed to betting against your team for years, using the following method – How much would you pay to see them win?

    For example, if it’s worth $50 to me to see the Sounders beat Houston then I’ll bet $50 on Houston.  If the Sounders win, I got the victory I was ‘buying’ in the first place.  If Houston wins, I get a refund plus some extra $ for the beer I need to feel better.

  • http://seattle.theoffside.com laurie

    But…but…but Yamsmos?  Betting is illegal in the state of Washington! 

    yamsmos Reply:

    that is why i travel to vegas to place my wager, and then travel back.

    i wouldn’t dream to bet via the number of internet sites out there that would let me do it….. if i even wanted to do it. which i never would

    Aaron Reply:

    If I wanted to look at one these sites (purely for reference purposes before I fly to Vegas), which would you suggest?

    yamsmos Reply:

    i have heard, but not confirmed, that there is a site called sportsbetting.com that does some of this activity. but i wouldn’t go there unless i was in vegas…

    that is just me though.,

    Brian Reply:

    Laurie–

    Your wrong betting on a game is 100% legal in Washington State as long as all the money goes to the winner.  If somebody were to take a cut of the bet that is called bookieing and that is illegal.

  • http://seattle.theoffside.com laurie

    Also, on a theoretical level I’d love to do this to remove some of the pain. 

    On a pracital level, my superstitious nature would never allow me to do it.  If my team lost, I’d be certain I’d jinxed them. 

  • Giffy

    I had not thought of this before but it seems like a neat idea. I might have to go throw a few bucks down on Houston…

  • Mark

    I like it!  Nothing works better than drowning your pain in money, especially if that money is used to buy beer…

    Mike Reply:

    Sounds like a Homer Simpsonism… :)

  • http://gosounders.com Mike

    According to SportsBook.com, Houston is heavily favored to win.


    You have to bet 350 dollars to win $100 for a Dynamo win. 
    You bet 100 on Seattle and you win 250 if the Sounders win.

    The over under is 1.5 in total goals scored.
  • Joe

    This seems like the negative mindset that has plagued Seattle fans for years. I’m in an NFL pick’em pool and I choose The Hawks every week even when I know they will likely lose. They’re my team and that’s that. As much as I hate the Stealiars, their fans would never bet against their team. That would be blasphemy.

    If I bet against my team and won, it would feel like dirty money and I know I wouldn’t sleep that night.

    yamsmos Reply:

    unless you spent that money on a lot of booze. you would fall asleep just fine. just sayin

  • jt

    I couldn’t do it due to guilt if I were to admit to said bet in front of the team.

  • http://oi-seattle.blogspot.com Gary

    Crazy way to bet. You have to have better than 50-50 odds or else you just get eaten by the cut over time. Plus, if the other team wins but doesn’t make the spread then you are a loser two ways, and the spread can be quite big in college games.

    Why travel to Vegas to place a bet? Wander into any decent bar in Vancouver BC and the bartender will be able to hook you up with a bookie. Put a bit on deposit and then call in your bets from home as the games come up. They’ll run a nice little bank for you until your next visit. If you do well, you cash out on your next trip up there and score some hookers and blow. Sweet!

    It’ll be awesome when Hongcouver joins the league. Real derby games in the NW.

    RSL was paying $485 on a $100 bet against Columbus. Someone made serious money on that one. Not me –  I had Columbus going to the final. Shows what I know!

  • http://seattle.theoffside.com/team-news/sounders-beat-the-galaxy-no-not-that-way-plus-some-rave-green-links.html Sounders Beat the Galaxy (no, not THAT Way), Plus Some Rave Green Links – - The Offside – Seattle soccer blog MLS

    [...] over at GoSounders wants to know: Do you hedge your bets? (Come on, ‘fess up. You know who you [...]

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