Super Bowl Sunday is upon us in the United States, one of the most watch shows in television every year. Last year’s Super Bowl, an estimated 110+ million people watched the game and of course the commercials. Each year Vegas comes up with some of the weirdest things you can wager on and of course this year is no exception.
Image from filmofilia.com
Here is an article Odd Super Bowl Bets 2013 written by Trevor Whenham with some of the craziest bets for this year’s game.
“Who will be shown first during the game?
On the surface this one is a decent deal — at least compared to a lot of prop bets. Both John and Jim are at even money. Like the zero in roulette that throws off the value of the numbers, though, there is a third option here that distorts the value. You can get +400 that the two coaches will first be shown at the same time on a split screen.
How many times will “Harbaugh” be said during the game?
The total here is 20.5, with the “over” at -140 and the “under” at +110. Halftime or pregame isn’t included here — just the actual game time itself. There will be plenty of opportunities — both head coaches plus their parents and families will get some attention. Still, this is a lot of times, and the novelty of the brother angle will wear off after a quarter or two. I’d lean towards the under, but maybe I’m just contrary.
How many times will the game be referred to as the “Harbaugh Bowl,” the “Har Bowl” or the “Super Baugh” during the game?
The total here is 2.5, with the under the strong favorite at -140 compared to even money on the over. The public has this one right, I think — it will get mentioned, but not that much. I like the under.
Who will be mentioned more by full name during the game?
Both Jim and John are at -120 in this one. This is yet another attempt by the oddsmakers to prove how stupid some bettors can be — in this case any bettor who bets on this game. There is no reason to think that this is anything other than a coin flip because there is no reason to give on guy the edge over the other. That means that you would win about 50 percent of the time over the long term, but would have to pay $120 when you lose and only win $100 when you are right. If you think that sounds even remotely attractive, then give me a call because I’ll take that bet all day, every day.
How long will the postgame handshake or hug last between the brothers?
The mark is set at 7.5 seconds here, with the price at -120 on both sides. This one is close to another lousy coin flip proposition, but you could make an argument that the over is more attractive. 7.5 seconds isn’t that long, the two are reasonably close, and one way or the other one guy’s brother is going to be a newly crowned Super Bowl winner. I don’t think there is any real value, but the over is the right side.
Will either Jack or Jackie Harbaugh (father and mother) be shown wearing a 49ers or Ravens logo at any time during the game?
The “no” is the obvious answer here. They have said repeatedly that they aren’t taking sides, and they seem too classy to be like Brady Quinn’s sister — A.J. Hawk’s wife — and wear a custom made half and half jersey. The problem, obviously, is that the under is at -500. It might be the obvious choice, but it’s not attractive at that price.
There is more to this game than the Harbaugh’s — there are musicians, too
Will Beyonce be joined on stage by Jay Z during the half time show?
No. Simple as that. They may be married, but Jay Z is far too much of a star to show up for an unannounced cameo — and to steal some of his wife’s thunder. It’s not like he needs the exposure. He’s freaking Jay Z. The no is at -150, but I think it’s a safe bet.
Will Alicia Keys add at least one new word to the “National Anthem”?
I’d love to know what people think if they bet the “yes” here (+200). Will they figure that Keys will get confused and add in a word in the heat of the moment? Or will they figure that she will just randomly throw in a word to make some sort of a bizarre statement? It seems very unlikely that she would sing the song live instead of lip syncing it — Beyonce did it at the inauguration, so she has a recent precedent — so the no seems like the right side, though it is at -300.
Will Alicia Keys be booed during or after the “National Anthem”?
Really?!? Maybe I’m just an out of touch Canadian, but I can’t figure why they would boo her. It’s the anthem. She can sing. Maybe people expect the whole stadium to be filled with New York haters. I don’t see it. Yes is at +500, so not a lot of people see it happening, either.”
I guess for some people just watching the game is not entertaining enough but they have to wager on every aspect of the game.
Enjoy the game or at least hopefully the commercials will be entertaining this year.
Muses from the front range of the Rocky Mountains
FrontRangeScribbles 
Vegas doesn’t offer odds on these things unless they know they have a realistic shot of making money, but I look at some of them and wonder how.
Tim
As the saying goes Vegas wasn’t built on winners.