Patrick Everson
FOX Sports Betting Analyst
NBA playoff odds — and some futures bets that go with them — are closing in on crunch time. And let’s not forget Stanley Cup odds, too, with both leagues heading toward their championship series.
One DraftKings Sportsbook customer certainly hasn’t forgotten. How’d you like to be in his spot, holding a $13 bet that could become more than a quarter of a million dollars?
Read on for more on that wager, along with a $400,000-plus bet that hit, some fun parlay payouts and other notable bets and major wagers tied to NBA and NHL playoffs betting.
Let It Ride?
At some point before last year’s WNBA Finals, a DraftKings Sportsbook customer put all of 13 bucks on a five-team championship futures parlay:
• Liberty to win the WNBA title
• Dodgers to win the World Series
• Eagles to win the Super Bowl
• Oilers to win the Stanley Cup
• Thunder to win the NBA Finals
The first three legs are in. And as fate would have it, the last two teams are now favored to win their respective championships.
Oklahoma City will be a solid series favorite against the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks. Edmonton is a modest series favorite vs. Florida in a rematch of last season’s Stanley Cup Final, won by the Panthers.
The odds on that five-leg parlay: +2082680, or in easier-to-digest form, about 20827/1. If OKC and Edmonton get there, the customer turns $13 into a whopping $270,761.40.
He also has a cash-out option, right now sitting at almost $75,000.
Decisions, decisions!
Big Believer
In Thursday night’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, the New York Knicks were on the brink of elimination, trailing 3-1. But among those confident in Jalen Brunson & Co. was a DraftKings customer with a huge bankroll.
The bettor put $418,200 on Knicks -4 (-112), banking on the home favorite to win and cover.
New York did that and then some, posting a 111-94 rout to extend the series.
So the customer pocketed a massive win of $373,392.86 (total payout $791,592.86). Don’t forget that 86 cents.
Not a bad night’s work for that high-roller.
Parlay Partay
Let’s bring this back to something more relatable to the average sports bettor.
In Knicks-Pacers Game 4 on Tuesday night, a FanDuel Sportsbook customer put together a six-leg single-game parlay heavy on Tyrese Haliburton props:
Haliburton filled up the box score with 32 points — including five 3-pointers — 15 assists and 12 rebounds. The Pacers won 130-121 to fulfill the moneyline leg of the parlay, and the game sailed over the total of 219.5 points.
And that’s how you turn $25 into $8,690.
I Like Big Bets And I Cannot Lie
As the NBA playoffs point toward the NBA Finals, some big futures bets either cashed or moved a step closer to doing so. At DraftKings Sportsbook, one customer is all over Oklahoma City.
On April 28, the bettor put $100,000 on Thunder -175 to win the Western Conference. That wager cashed on Wednesday night when OKC eliminated Minnesota 4-1 in the best-of-7 series. The customer profited $57,140 (total payout $157,140).
But wait. There’s more.
The same customer has two major wagers on the Thunder to win the NBA Finals:
• $105,000 Thunder +160
• $100,000 Thunder +130
The first bet would profit $168,000 and the second $130,000 if the Thunder — now -750 favorites to win the championship — claim their first NBA title.
That’s a $298,000 potential profit and a total payout of $503,000.
In Thursday’s Pacers-Knicks Game 5, Caesars Sportsbook saw two big plays, one a winner and one a loser:
• $105,000 Under 223.5 points (-105). A 111-94 New York win, for 205 points, was a victory for the bettor, too, who profited $100,000 (total payout $205,000).
• $110,000 Pacers +4.5. Indiana fell flat at Madison Square Garden, making that wager a big donation to the house.
A hopefully helpful reminder: These big bets are often made by high-roller customers who can absorb such a loss. Regular Joes and Janes like you and me cannot.
And as for those parlays? Well, as they say: Parlays are a bookmaker’s best friend. So keep it reasonable. Wager responsibly. Don’t bet more than you can afford to lose.
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on X: @PatrickE_Vegas.
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