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COUNTDOWN

NFR Betting

Dec 11, 2019

NFR Betting

You never need an excuse to go to the South Point Hotel & Casino. But the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo certainly provides plenty of good ones. The viewing parties, the nightly go-round buckle presentation and live concert in the South Point Showroom, the World Series of Team Roping going on in the Equestrian Center. And of course the party atmosphere across the casino floor.

The place is just thick with the rodeo lifestyle.

But this week, I found 5,000 new reasons to come to the South Point. All of you need to get over to the sports book – or to one of the sports betting kiosks located around the property – and throw down 10 bucks on the $5,000 Daily NFR Jackpot Card.

Seriously. This is a really good deal. I’m really disappointed that it took me until Tuesday to figure it out.

For those familiar with sports betting, the card is kind of a like a parlay bet. Except that on standard parlay wagers, the bettor has to get every selection correct in order to win. In this case, it’s the entrant who correctly picks the nightly go-round winner in the most events. Entrants pick one Wrangler NFR contestant in each event, so the best possible score is 7-for-7.

NFRBETTINGExcept that this whole week, nobody has gone 7-for-7. In fact, nobody has gone 6-for-7, and only once – in Tuesday’s sixth go-round – has an entrant gone 5-for-7. That entrant won the whole $5,000 enchilada that night. Every other night so far, the winners – including ties on a couple of occasions – have gotten either 3 or 4 correct.

I’ve covered the NFR in some form or fashion since 1994. I feel pretty comfortable with my NFR knowledge. So Tuesday afternoon, I made certain to stop by the South Point and plunk down my $10 for a Jackpot Card. After giving it a close look, though, I realized it’s very much worth it to do multiple cards.

First, in each event, the card offers 10 choices – nine individual contestants, and the other six contestants bundled in an “All Others” choice. That’s huge value right there. You’re getting six of the best cowboys or cowgirls on the planet, with one choice.

Just look at barrel racing, for example. Among those placed in the “All Others” option are: Emily Miller, first in the NFR average and third in the world standings through six go-rounds; Amberleigh Moore, who’s second in the world standings and in the past three years finished second, fourth and third in the world, respectively; Ivy Conrado-Saebens, second in the average; and 2017 world champion Nellie Miller, who’s third in the average and fifth in the world standings.

There are similar opportunities in the “All Other” categories in other events. So for Tuesday’s go-round, I filled out three Jackpot Cards, and for the majority of the events on each card – at least four – I chose “All Others.” My best card ended up with three correct picks, and I was razor-close to four, as I had Clay Smith and Jade Corkill in team roping; they took second at 4.2 seconds, behind Riley and Brady Minor’s 4.0.

Alas, Tuesday was the first night anybody got five events correct. So no money for me. But again, I’m telling you, the value is there. If you fill out 10 of these cards – at a cost of $100 – and even one of them hits four or five correct, you could win $5,000. And even if you tie with two or three or four other entrants, you’d still win $1,250 minimum.

I don’t know about you, but I feel pretty good about a 1,200 percent return on investment. So good, in fact, that I’m going back to the South Point right now, Wednesday afternoon, to fill out a few more cards. Happy NFR Wagering, folks!

For more on how the South Point’s NFR Jackpot Card came to be, as well as other fun NFR wagering and picks opportunities available, take a look at the Wrangler NFR special section in Thursday’s Las Vegas Review-Journal or go to reviewjournal.com.