Gambling
U.S. Open 2023: This high-stakes bet on Brooks Koepka is an all-time head-scratcher
Kevin C. Cox
We are not here to tell people how to spend their money. Sports betting should be fun if you’re doing it responsibly, and if you want to make negative EV (expected value) bets, that’s up to you (though we have a column of experts here to help you make proper bets).
That being said, we came across the story of one head-scratching U.S. Open bet that we just couldn’t help but write about.
Vegas Insider’s Patrick Everson reported on the wager made via Prophet Exchange, a regulated exchange in New Jersey, about a bettor who is risking $27,600 that Brooks Koepka won’t win the U.S. Open. The return? Only $1,705. The moneyline on the bet is -1600.
Let’s get that straight. Someone is so confident that Koepka—who won his fifth major just three weeks ago and led after 54 holes at the Masters—is such a lock not to win at Los Angeles Country Club that they were willing to bet a damn car on it. And they’d only get a new set of tires in return. To quote Sebastian Maniscalco, “why would you do that?!”
Look, this gambler might be correct. You know, Koepka’s only been … checks his notes … the most dominant player at major championships since Tiger Woods. And maybe LACC is too much of a thinking-man’s golf course for someone who usually excels by virtue of his brute strength.
Nope, we can’t rationalize it. This is just a non-seniscal way to spend your money. C’mon man … we could’ve suggested a nice charity who would’ve loved to have taken your cash.