Cowboys win, cover vs. Packers; Orleans horse contest result; preview of NHC qualifier this weekend
Thursday night's Packers-Cowboys game lived up to most of its hype as the Cowboys won 37-27 and secured the inside track to having home field throughout the NFC playoffs.
Of course, it didn't work out as most people expected as Brett Favre suffered a rare injury and was replaced admirably by Aaron Rodgers. Still, the two teams battled with the Cowboys building a 27-10 lead but the Packers battling back as they have all year.
It was especially entertaining for gamblers as the game went back and forth in the second half in relation to the 7-point spread in favor of the Cowboys. Green Bay added another TD in the third quarter to get inside the number at 27-24, then the Cowboys added a TD to pulled ahead 34-24 midway through the fourth quarter, then a Mason Crosby booted a 52-yard field goal to bring the Packers within 34-27 and put the game right on the closing number.
I took in the second half of the game at the movie theater in North Las Vegas's Cannery Casino, which shows the game on a 60-foot movie screen. It was a great place to watch the game, though it was clear that most of the guests weren't bettors as they started filing out when the Cowboys kicked the field goal to go up 10 late but with the Packers having nearly a minute to get the back-door cover.
As it was, the Pack turned the ball over on down and the Cowboys won 37-27 and gave bettors the favorite/over that bookmakers usually despise in standalone games.
For a more preview of this weekend's NFL games, check out the Tuesdays With Tuley column with the NFL ATS Standings (which the Packers topped before losing Thursday, though they're still tied for the best record with the Patriots as both are 9-2 with the Pack having a push in its additional game).
Gordon Jones wins Orleans tournament
On Thursday, the Orleans hosted a $100 buy-in Horseplayers Holiday tournament with the top 10 finishers earning berths into the Horseplayer World Series on Jan. 24-26.
The field drew 355 contestants who made 12 mythical $20 win-and-place wagers on Thursday's races.
Finishing atop the leaderboard with a score of 1,842 was Gordon Jones, a well-known handicapper on the California circuits from his days with the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner and most recently as the house handicapper at Sam's Town Hotel in Las Vegas and co-host of the Sam's Town-sponsored "Track Talk" radio show that can be heard locally on Saturdays and Sundays at 7:30 a.m. PST on KLAV AM-1230 and online at samstownlv.com.
Jones, aka "The Professor," won the top prize of $12,425 in addition to earning the HWS berth, which is worth another $1,000. Something tells me this tournament will be a main topic of conversation on the programs this weekend, especially since Patrick McQuiggan, another handicapper on the show, finished seventh to also win a spot in the World Series and collect $1,775 in prize money.
Jim O'Nail finished second with a score of 1701.60 to claim the $7,100 runnerup prize, while Robert Ruben was third at 1,375.40 to earn $5,325 and Mark Urbanski was fourth at 1,284 to collect $3,550. Fifth through eight place each earned $1,775 and included Robert Slegers, Turf Paradise publicity director Howard Hong, McQuiggan, and Joel Cohen. Alvin Dufauchard Jr. and Tony Vinella finished ninth and 10th, respectively, to nab the last two HWS berths.
In another note, Ruben has also qualified for the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship that is being held the same weekend at the Red Rock Casino on Jan. 25-26. The Orleans had previously announced that anyone qualifying for the NHC could use a proxy in the HWS.
NHC qualifier up next
For those who want to get involved in the exciting (and increasingly lucrative) world of horse racing tournaments, the Green Valley Ranch in Henderson will be hosting an NHC qualifying tournament this Saturday. The entry fee is $250 with each player making 15 mythical $2 win-and-place wagers with eight of the races being mandatory and the other seven being player's choice. In addition to all entry fees being returned as prize money (note: the same format was used at the Red Rock last month when 103 players entered and the top prize was $12,875), the top two finishers will earn NHC berths.
Steve Davidowitz, author of "The Best and Worst of Thoroughbred Racing," will be signing books as well as hosting a seminar starting at 8 a.m. in the race book.
Of course, it didn't work out as most people expected as Brett Favre suffered a rare injury and was replaced admirably by Aaron Rodgers. Still, the two teams battled with the Cowboys building a 27-10 lead but the Packers battling back as they have all year.
It was especially entertaining for gamblers as the game went back and forth in the second half in relation to the 7-point spread in favor of the Cowboys. Green Bay added another TD in the third quarter to get inside the number at 27-24, then the Cowboys added a TD to pulled ahead 34-24 midway through the fourth quarter, then a Mason Crosby booted a 52-yard field goal to bring the Packers within 34-27 and put the game right on the closing number.
I took in the second half of the game at the movie theater in North Las Vegas's Cannery Casino, which shows the game on a 60-foot movie screen. It was a great place to watch the game, though it was clear that most of the guests weren't bettors as they started filing out when the Cowboys kicked the field goal to go up 10 late but with the Packers having nearly a minute to get the back-door cover.
As it was, the Pack turned the ball over on down and the Cowboys won 37-27 and gave bettors the favorite/over that bookmakers usually despise in standalone games.
For a more preview of this weekend's NFL games, check out the Tuesdays With Tuley column with the NFL ATS Standings (which the Packers topped before losing Thursday, though they're still tied for the best record with the Patriots as both are 9-2 with the Pack having a push in its additional game).
Gordon Jones wins Orleans tournament
On Thursday, the Orleans hosted a $100 buy-in Horseplayers Holiday tournament with the top 10 finishers earning berths into the Horseplayer World Series on Jan. 24-26.
The field drew 355 contestants who made 12 mythical $20 win-and-place wagers on Thursday's races.
Finishing atop the leaderboard with a score of 1,842 was Gordon Jones, a well-known handicapper on the California circuits from his days with the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner and most recently as the house handicapper at Sam's Town Hotel in Las Vegas and co-host of the Sam's Town-sponsored "Track Talk" radio show that can be heard locally on Saturdays and Sundays at 7:30 a.m. PST on KLAV AM-1230 and online at samstownlv.com.
Jones, aka "The Professor," won the top prize of $12,425 in addition to earning the HWS berth, which is worth another $1,000. Something tells me this tournament will be a main topic of conversation on the programs this weekend, especially since Patrick McQuiggan, another handicapper on the show, finished seventh to also win a spot in the World Series and collect $1,775 in prize money.
Jim O'Nail finished second with a score of 1701.60 to claim the $7,100 runnerup prize, while Robert Ruben was third at 1,375.40 to earn $5,325 and Mark Urbanski was fourth at 1,284 to collect $3,550. Fifth through eight place each earned $1,775 and included Robert Slegers, Turf Paradise publicity director Howard Hong, McQuiggan, and Joel Cohen. Alvin Dufauchard Jr. and Tony Vinella finished ninth and 10th, respectively, to nab the last two HWS berths.
In another note, Ruben has also qualified for the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship that is being held the same weekend at the Red Rock Casino on Jan. 25-26. The Orleans had previously announced that anyone qualifying for the NHC could use a proxy in the HWS.
NHC qualifier up next
For those who want to get involved in the exciting (and increasingly lucrative) world of horse racing tournaments, the Green Valley Ranch in Henderson will be hosting an NHC qualifying tournament this Saturday. The entry fee is $250 with each player making 15 mythical $2 win-and-place wagers with eight of the races being mandatory and the other seven being player's choice. In addition to all entry fees being returned as prize money (note: the same format was used at the Red Rock last month when 103 players entered and the top prize was $12,875), the top two finishers will earn NHC berths.
Steve Davidowitz, author of "The Best and Worst of Thoroughbred Racing," will be signing books as well as hosting a seminar starting at 8 a.m. in the race book.
Comments