Super Bowl: Prop bets help take sting out of books’ rough day

When Ben Roethlisberger found Hines Ward in the back corner of the end zone for a touchdown late in the first half of the Super Bowl, new life was breathed into the Steelers' comeback hopes.

The play also helped fill the pocketbook of Melissa Klemaske, who was watching the game at the Las Vegas Hilton.

The Las Vegan hit two proposition bets on the play.

One of her wagers was Roethlisberger throwing a second-quarter touchdown pass, which paid a solid plus-130. Klemaske also bet Ward would score a touchdown in the game at plus-175.

Klemaske and her cousin-in-law Justin Klemaske had 11 prop tickets between them as they waited in line to collect winnings after the game.

"I didn't care who won anyway," said Justin Klemaske, who recently moved to Las Vegas. "(Betting props) made it a lot more fun to watch the game."

Sometimes, having too many tickets -- or too much fun -- can make wagerers lose track of all the bets in their pockets.

"Tim," a Scottsdale, Ariz., resident, was enjoying his first Super Bowl in Las Vegas.

He said he did "pretty well" betting proposition wagers on Sunday, but he is going to be in for a surprise when he tries to cash one of his tickets.

Tim described in detail how he caught a lucky break late in the game to win a prop bet on Pittsburgh tight end Heath Miller's first catch going for more than 7½ yards.

Tim talked about how Miller hadn't caught a pass in the game before grabbing a 15-yard reception on the Steelers' last drive in the final minutes.

The only problem is that Tim apparently had missed Miller's catch for a loss of 3 yards midway through the third quarter.

Sorry, Tim.

As for the books, the props once again were a successful venture.

"The props for us were the bright spot," said Jimmy Vaccaro, director of operations for Lucky's sports books. "The favorite and over was disastrous, but the props took some of the sting out of it."

Jay Kornegay, sports book director at the Hilton, gave a similar impression of the action at his book, which posts in excess of 300 proposition wagers.

"I thought they were going to be a lot worse than they were because we had so many of the marquee players going over and a lot of guys scoring and some unusual things, like the 2-point conversion and the defensive score, happening," Kornegay said. "We did a little better than I thought, but still not enough to overcome Packers and over."

Kornegay and Vaccaro mentioned the successful 2-point conversion as a winning proposition for the players.

Aaron Rodgers went over the totals for completions and yards, both of which were popular bets. The books also lost when Green Bay safety Nick Collins returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Bettors favored the value of the game featuring at least one defensive or special teams score (plus-145).

The books also did well on a few props.

Roethlisberger's first pass attempt was an easy completion on a swing pass, but bettors, possibly acting on a recommendation from Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman on a radio interview last week, preferred to wager his first throw would fall incomplete (plus-190).

Kornegay also said bettors lost when wide receiver Greg Jennings' first reception was under 11½ yards.

The losing tickets are the ones bettors tend to remember the most. Even Melissa Klemaske, as she was waiting in line to cash in her winnings, was lamenting the losing ticket she was holding on Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu intercepting a pass at plus-250.

At least she knew that ticket wasn't a winner.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.