Every friend group in their mid-20s walks into Las Vegas with an arrogant confidence. Each individual tries to convince themselves they are a part of the one special group who will defy all the odds and cash enough bets to take the whole state of Nevada down. We were no different.
Walking into a Vegas sportsbook for the first time, I noticed smoke gleaming down from distant lights with a room full of sports bettors trying to bankrupt the casino.
As I gazed at the massive screens displaying every betting line, I saw the furious lineup to place sports bets on various golf tournaments and random horse races. It made me feel like I was in sports bettors paradise.
A Car Salesman From St. Louis Crushing Blackjack
After witnessing the sportsbook, my friend Zach and I headed across the street to play blackjack where we met a car salesman from St. Louis at the tables.
This guy was on a heater and used unconventional tactics like standing on 16 when the dealer was showing a face card.
The car salesman staring down at his chips slightly tilted his head and whispered: “Sometimes … you just have to eat soup with a fork.” I’d never heard that saying before and I laughed uncontrollably. It was such an absurd statement and yet a perfect Vegas expression I will always remember.
From The Casino To A Rap Concert
We eventually snagged concert tickets for a rapper named Future at the UNLV campus. When arriving on the arena’s floor, the girls in front of us looked very familiar. We recognized the girls from our history betting on women’s college sports.
My friend Ty concluded it was the UNLV women’s basketball team. Ty decided to blatantly scream “12-0 in the Mountain West Conference” but when the team turned around, it was emphatic confusion across their faces.
In that moment we realized it was actually the UNLV women’s volleyball team, not basketball. Just by looking at their bleak body language, you could tell they didn’t have a great year and were clearly not 12-0 in the Mountain West. An embarrassing yet honest sports betting mistake.
On To The Big Game
I had to put the previous night’s debacle behind me because it was Super Bowl Sunday – Chiefs vs Eagles. All week I was leaning Philadelphia, but then I had a theory. I couldn’t picture a world where Patrick Mahomes would be career 1-2 in Super Bowls, so Chiefs moneyline (+105) was the official play. After sweating out the first half, the Chiefs came clutch, winning me enough currency for a free plane ticket home.
Getting back to the hotel at a ridiculous time after the game, I was thinking how in the world am I going to create a recap video about the Super Bowl for Odds Shark?
A half-hour later when my friends started to snore, I had enough excited energy to slip out of bed and begin filming Take 1 of my video.
After watching my recording, an echo was piercing through every word; the tiny hotel washroom wasn’t going to work so I decided to film outside the hotel room.
Here was the final result:
@oddssharkbetting SUPER BOWL PROP BETS RECAP… #n#nflf#footballs#sportsbettingtiktokf#fypsuperbowl #rihanna ♬ original sound - Odds Shark
If you were wondering why this video sounded like I was in the middle of a somber Vegas hallway the morning after a Super Bowl, praying after every word I spoke that it was quiet enough so a hotel guest wouldn’t storm out of their room telling me to “shut up, it’s 5 a.m.”, well, now you have your answer.
Not Only A Win At The Sportsbook But Views As Well
The final video ultimately surpassed 100k views on Instagram.
I never get view-happy because I don’t feel it’s healthy long term, but when engagement on the post was unexpectedly growing, all I could do was shake my head and grin. I was battling that early morning and I was battling the physical exhaustion of Vegas during Super Bowl weekend, but in the end, man, I’m glad I made that video.
As the saying goes – What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas
You lose track of time; windows are nowhere to be found and the glistening slots make you want to reload your credit card at the nearest ATM. As I reflected on my Super Bowl Vegas weekend, it was an awesome time that resulted in an empty wallet and a Chiefs moneyline victory that I donated back to the casino playing blackjack instead of paying for my flight home.
So, what did I learn from my experiences?
I learned that betting in Las Vegas either at the casino or inside the sportsbook is a different betting beast. What I would suggest to anyone gambling in Vegas for the first time is two things:
- Don’t be afraid to fade yourself.
- Don’t be afraid to bet against the crowded sportsbook that apparently has an “inside scoop” on random horse races or golfers shown on the smallest TV screens.
These two rules will help you survive because when you are betting in Vegas, always remember that sometimes in both gambling and life … you just have to eat soup with a fork.
