You
can bet on a player to finish among the top four, but the odds
then are divided
by four. For example, if you take Sergio Garcia at
40-1 to finish in the top
four, then no matter whether he finishes
first, second, third or fourth, you’re
paid at 10-1. There are also
head-to-head bets. Say Davis Love III and Jesper
Parnevik are paired
together one day. You pick one of them to win (there are
odds on each
guy). If you parlay several such bets into trifectas and quinellas
(or
whatever they call them here), and all your guys win, you can have a very
nice payday. And then there are “six-shooters” where the bookie gives
you a
group of six players and you pick the top finisher. If all that’s
too
complicated for you, then you can pick the top American, the top
Euro or the top
player from the rest of the world.
The
wagering on the Open this year is expected to approach $30
million—and by an odd
coincidence some of that money will be mine. You
see, the local Ladbrokes parlor
is on Bell
Street, right
across from the pet shop, and one day
Millie dragged me over there
against my will. Once inside, I began thinking how
well Phil Mickelson
has been controlling his irons this year. I was able to get
him at odds
of 33-1. Without Woods.
