Bad beats test bettors’ temper, bankroll

In a fit of rage, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin rushed onto the field to scream at his punter. The Giants had just coughed up a game they seemingly had sewed up, what we as bettors define as a bad beat.

It was a brutal beat. Almost simultaneously, something similar was unfolding in Indianapolis, where linebacker Tyjuan Hagler scooped up an onside kick and sprinted 41 yards for a touchdown to deliver a win and cover for the Colts.

The Giants, 2½- to 3-point home favorites, blew a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter. DeSean Jackson's 65-yard punt return for a touchdown as time expired lifted the Philadelphia Eagles to a stunning 38-31 victory.

The Colts, who closed as 4½-point favorites, got a bizarre score of their own to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 34-24.

Imagine the good fortune of being on the right side of both lucky breaks. But for bettors on the misfortunate side of one or both of those results, it was a cruel way to lose.

It was a Sunday that surely had more than a few people swearing off NFL wagering forever.

I called Jimmy Vaccaro, director of operations for Lucky's sports books, to get his reaction. The late game -- the New England Patriots were favored by 14½ points over the Green Bay Packers -- was about to kick off.

Vaccaro has been around Las Vegas books for about 40 years. He's the Dr. Phil of sports betting, except that Vaccaro has more hair and makes a lot more sense.

How should bettors handle bad beats like the ones just witnessed?

"It's an adrenaline rush that goes to your head," Vaccaro said. "You wanted to blow your head off. You're sick as a dog. But you've got to regroup. You have to maintain some sort of composure.

"The pro gets something to eat and goes to sleep. The screwball rushes to the counter and bets everything he has on Patriots minus-14½. In this racket, you better come from a different breed if you take it seriously. You need to have a temperament that is a little unique."

Bad news for those who went all-in by laying the points with the Patriots. The Packers showed up, and New England barely held on for a 31-27 victory.

Here's some old news: The books beat the bettors again. With the Patriots failing to cover, Vaccaro said it was a "very big day" for Lucky's and, presumably, all other sports books.

The Dallas Cowboys were a severe disappointment to the betting public. Despite leading 27-7 in the third quarter, the Cowboys needed a last-minute field goal to hold off the Washington Redskins, 33-30.

Rex Grossman played surprisingly well, passing for 322 yards and four touchdowns as Washington's new starting quarterback. The money was overwhelmingly on Dallas, which opened as a 6-point favorite and closed at 9 and 9½.

"That was our biggest parlay game," Vaccaro said. "When you win a key game like that, it takes about 35 percent of the cards out of action immediately."

I spent half the afternoon complaining about the Cowboys' collapse. But I was equally disappointed in New Orleans and St. Louis. Drew Brees and the Saints, 2-point underdogs, looked soft in a 30-24 loss at Baltimore.

The so-called sharp bettors were on Seattle and the New York Jets. The Seahawks were a bust. The Jets made a dramatic defensive stand against Ben Roethlisberger to pull out a 22-17 victory over Pittsburgh, which closed as a 3½-point home favorite.

So which bad beat of this NFL season ranks as the worst? It's a question I debated with a group of guys. We settled on Sunday's Eagles-Giants game.

"I had Jacksonville, which gave up a TD on the onside kick," said Las Vegas handicapper Barry Holthaus of EOG.com. "But being on the Giants, especially at minus-2½, was three times as bad and was the worst beat of the season when you consider all that had to happen."

Without getting into great detail, Michael Vick took over and Jackson finished the job on a punt return that should never have happened, and the Eagles won by scoring 28 points in the final 7:18.

Coughlin was outraged, and Giants backers were shockingly left empty-handed.

In the worst of times, it takes a unique temperament to survive as an NFL bettor.

Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts the "Las Vegas Sportsline" weeknights at midnight on KDWN-AM (720) and thelasvegassportsline.com.