Bet the Long Shot – November 10

Bettors dream about the big win. The easiest way to get that big win is to bet on the long shot. The long shot is exactly that – a team or player that isn’t supposed to win. A long shot will be offered at very attractive odds, which is why bettors will often consider them.

We will look at a few examples of long shots and even see one from our top handicapper yesterday, Sal Lombardi. The guy is just killing it lately. He added even more to his bankroll thanks to what we could consider a long shot bet last night. These long shot bets are everywhere. Bettors just have to know when to pull the trigger.

The Futures Long Shot

Where you will find some great long shot bets are in futures markets. After Thursday’s trash night football game – a 16-13 Bears win over Carolina – the NFL futures market was unaffected, but bettors can find some interesting long shot bets on the Super Bowl champion.

The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs are the overall favorite at +490. The Chiefs are 7-2 and are definitely a team to consider. The problem with betting on the Chiefs is that no NFL team has repeated as champion since the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots did it way back in 2003 and 2004. 

Knowing how difficult it is to repeat, maybe you like last year’s NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, who are 8-1 so far this season. The Eagles are listed at +500. Again, a solid bet to consider, but what about the Buffalo Bills or the Detroit Lions? 

The Bills were a favorite early on this season, but they’ve dropped to 5-4. That has dropped them down the board to +1500 to win this year’s Super Bowl. Detroit, like Buffalo, has never won a Super Bowl. The Lions have historically been one of the NFL’s worst teams, but this year they are off to a 6-2 start. Like Buffalo, they are also listed at +1500. Is either team expected to win Super Bowl LVIII? No, but both make for interesting long shot bets.

Why Bet the Long Shot

I understand why you might shy away from betting on underdogs. They are underdogs for a reason, right? But, the long shot will win from time to time. In baseball, the underdog will win four of every nine games. That’s enough for an MLB bettor to make some serious bank. Some of those winners aren’t necessarily long shots, but consistently winning on underdogs will grow your bankroll.

The reason why you bet on a long shot is simply the better odds. In the Super Bowl futures market, for example, we can back the Chiefs or Eagles – the safe bet – or we can take a risk. The higher the risk, the bigger the return.

We can stake $100 on the Chiefs to repeat. If they do, we’ll win $490. But, if we take a chance on a long shot like Buffalo or Detroit to win their first Super Bowl ever, that same $100 bet will pay us $1500! That’s why bettors will take chances on a long shot.

Sal Does It Again

So, I mentioned that Sal Lombardi was our top handicapper yesterday. It appears he must have reservations for the top spot. He’s been in that spot quite often lately. Sal made eight picks yesterday and missed just one of them. He won $725 for the day! That’s awesome! One of his bets paid out $200.

Sal bet $100 on the Boston Bruins to cover the puck line against the New York Islanders last night. Remember, last week we covered how to find value betting the NHL puck line. Boston would have to beat the Islanders by two goals to cover. This was a long shot bet.

The Islanders have been one of the NHL’s better defensive teams over the past few seasons. Anyway, oddsmakers set the odds at +200, fairly high for a puck line bet. The Bruins did win by a score of 5-2. Sal took the risk and was rewarded with the higher return.

What else happened on the leaderboard yesterday?

• The 4-0 crew: After Sal’s 7-1, $725 day, the next three cappers on the board all went 4-0 and won $400. The Bookie, Scott Wetzel, and Sports Hub expert James Anderson all had great days. Scott actually took the safe route on the Bruins-Islanders game, betting Boston on the moneyline at -135. Sal, of course, went for the more long shot bet on the puck line. James hit four college basketball picks.
• Italian stallions: Mario Deluca and Gino Russo both went 3-0. Mario had the Penguins at +105 and ended up with $305 in winnings. Gino hit an NBA, a CBB, and an NHL total to win $300. Interestingly, Mario is No. 1 on our 30-day leaderboard and Gino is third. Mario has won 63.7 percent of his bets and $2262 over the last month. Gino has won 63.6 percent of his bets and $1247.
• Top 50: Every single handicapper on our top-50 yesterday won at least $90. That top-50 is loaded with Sports Hub exclusive handicappers. These guys know when to bet on a long shot. Will you be there when they find their next one?

Baseball Awards, JMU Sports, and Giannis

Louisville Slugger has been the premier baseball bat since, you know, forever. Last night, the Silver Slugger awards were presented by the company. If you haven’t been following James Madison University sports, you might want to get on that. Last night, Giannis went off…because he had to.

Here’s what’s trending.

1. Silver Sluggers: Marcus Semien and Corey Seager of the world champion Texas Rangers were awarded Silver Sluggers last night. The Rangers also were named the first-ever AL Offensive Team of the Year. It was the third Silver Slugger for Seager who won two with the Dodgers. It was Semien’s second. He won one with Toronto in 2021.
2. Giannis goes off: The Greek Freak scored 54 points, almost as many as the 70 scored by the rest of his teammates, last night against Indiana. Giannis shot 19-of-25 and hit 16-of-18 free throws, but he couldn’t do it all himself. Milwaukee lost to Indiana 126-124.

3. Jefferson out: Vikings All-Pro WR Justin Jefferson will not play this week and will not play again until his hamstring is 100 percent. Jefferson injured it on Oct. 8. The Vikings have until Nov. 29 to add Jefferson to their active roster.
4. James Madison: So, JMU basketball upset No. 4 Michigan State on Monday. Last night, they went to overtime again and beat Kent State 113-108. The Dukes are off to a 2-0 start. The football program, which is in its second year in FBS, is now 9-0. It’s time to take note of JMU. They could be an interesting long shot bet in either sport.

It’s Long Shot Friday

It’s Friday and you know what that means. Well, it can mean a lot of things, but maybe it’s time to take a risk and find a good long shot bet. Friday also means we are one day away from another full schedule of college football. We’re just two days away from a full day of NFL play. 

Whatever Friday means for you, it’s here. There’s a nice spread of sports on today’s plate. Our Sports Hub handicappers are already at it with dozens of picks in our database for all of today’s action.

What are you betting on?

• Friday night lights: There are two college football games on the schedule. North Texas plays at SMU as a 13.5-point long shot. Wyoming (6-3) is a 5-point underdog at UNLV (7-2).
• NBA: Nine games are on the NBA schedule tonight, led by the ESPN doubleheader. Brooklyn travels to Boston to take on the Celtics in the early game. The struggling Lakers (3-5) are in Phoenix (4-4) to play the Suns in the late game.
• NHL: It’s the calm before the storm in the NHL with six games on Friday night’s schedule. San Jose (2-10-1) is at Vegas (11-2-1) in a matchup of the worst team in hockey against the best. The Sharks are a +430 long shot to win.

• College basketball: The first full week of the college basketball season continues today. There are a ton of games, including several featuring ranked teams. The big game of the day pits No. 12 Arizona at No. 2 Duke tonight. 
• Soccer: Seattle Sounders SC takes on FC Dallas in a deciding Game 3 in the MLS playoffs. There are games in Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, and Ligue 1. Check our database for soccer picks.
• Golf: On the PGA Tour, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship continues with Round 2. Alex Noren’s 61 led Round 1. On the LPGA Tour, Brooke Henderson’s 62 was the best in Round 1 at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. 
• Men’s tennis: The semifinals of both the Sofia Open and Moselle Open will take place today.

Make it a great Friday! If you’re unsure about a certain long shot bet, get some help from the best handicappers in the world. They are all right here at Sports Hub. Check our picks database throughout the day. Our cappers are putting picks in the system all day long. Come back tomorrow for a recap of today’s action.