Each day, one of our experts at bet.NOLA.com will offer up a best bet (or two or three) that mobile sportsbooks in Louisiana are offering. It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer.
A reminder for those who haven’t signed up yet: Caesars is offering a deal through bet.NOLA.com in which one can get a risk-free bet up to $1,500. In other words, if you were to lose your first bet after you sign up, you will receive a credit for one bet equal to the amount of your bet up to $1,500.
Here are the best bets for Saturday, June 18:
TOP PLAY
The play: Jon Rahm in 3-ball vs. Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa
The odds/bet: +175 ($20 to win $35)
The book: Caesars Sportsbook
Time/TV: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (NBC)
Our take: One thing we learned thus far in this major championship is the demise of Jon Rahm has been greatly exaggerated. Maybe it’s because it’s a major. More specifically, maybe it’s because it’s the U.S. Open, where Rahm has a first- and third-place finish the past three years.
Whatever it is, although he enters Saturday just behind Morikawa for the overall lead and is tied with McIlroy at -4, it has been Rahm that seems to be able to avoid trouble more than any other. And on “Moving Day,” expect the defending champ to be just a bit better than anyone else.
As well as McIlroy has been playing, and it was quite the comeback Friday after a double-bogey save on the third hole to drop from -3 to -1, that one hole shows he can – and most likely will – find trouble in the final two rounds. It only takes a hole or two to change a champion into a top 5.
Meanwhile, Morikawa certainly is playing the best golf he has played in many months, but something isn’t quite right. Maybe it’s his putter. Maybe it’s his body language. Whatever it is, Saturday will tell us a lot to see if he has a real chance of winning Sunday. (Although he has a very favorable paring with Joel Dahmen.)
Still, Rahm seems to be the most ready, and not only do we expect him to have the best day of these three, but he very well could have the best round of the day in what could be challenging conditions with the weather.
ANOTHER CWS UPSET
The play: College World Series, Arkansas over Stanford
The odds/bet: +100 ($10 to win $10)
The book: Caesars Sportsbook
Time/TV: 1 p.m. (ESPN)
Our take: Already the College World Series has seen both seeded teams lose in their openers on Friday. Make it three in a row, as the Razorbacks just seem to be playing as that “team of destiny.”
The Cardinal has been anything but impressive thus far, while Arkansas has had maybe the most interesting tournament thus far of those left standing. They’ll have to have another day of blasting the baseball, but that’s just another day for them.
HOW WE’VE FARED
Friday’s best bet
- College World Series: Notre Dame over Texas ML (WON $22)
Friday’s profit/loss: +$22 (1-0)
Total for the week: +$136.10 (6-2, 1 U.S. Open bet pending)
Total for June: +$165.20 (20-14, 1 pending)
Total for 2022: +$169.30 (156-160, 1 pending)
NOTE: If a line or odds are minus, it considers the juice one must lay to place the bet. Ex: Team A is -160 on the money line, one would have to bet $160 to win $100 (or $16 to win $10). OR Team B is a 5-point favorite at -110, one would have to bet $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10.)
Conversely, on positive lines, if Team C is +140 on the money line, a $100 would bring in $140 (or $10 to win $14).
