Looking for Green: Masters Betting Weekend Arrives at NJ Sportsbooks
Here comes another 2020 NJ sports betting bonus, the Masters.
The November rendition of this vaunted golf major has become a cherished event for Garden State bettors. It’s taking place Thursday through Sunday at Augusta National, with the Green Jacket pursuit creating enormous wagering green.
With the return of NASCAR, the juggled NBA and NHL playoffs and a baseball season that survived, bettors have enjoyed an extensive run of late summer and fall major sports makeups.
This one also fills a void for bettors who would normally be wagering NBA and college hoops, or at least futures, by this point.
Here’s a look at some of the Masters odds as the event draws near.
FanDuel Sportsbook + Masters odds movement
Since Friday, Dustin Johnson has shortened from +1200 to +950 on Monday and then +850 on Tuesday morning at FanDuel Sportsbook. Tiger Woods, the defending champion and a five-time winner, has moved the other way, from +3000 to +3700. His presence nonetheless draws betting attention to this event.
Matthew Wolff (+4000) is the book’s biggest liability in the outright winners market, meaning that some big gamblers took a pop on him. He has a good long game, just like tournament favorite Bryson DeChambeau, and if his approach game puts him in position to score, he could be a threat, or at least a strong bet across the board.
On Monday, FanDuel reported that the top three golfers in terms of handle were DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Johnson.
DeChambeau was leading the bet count, followed by Woods and Justin Thomas (+1400).
Here is a look at some of the Masters odds from FanDuel Sportsbook:
Which golfer is your favorite bet to finish in the Top 10 this weekend at #TheMasters?
All Masters markets: https://t.co/iqdzSP6iMI pic.twitter.com/u63wGrcobZ
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) November 10, 2020
The operator also unveiled a novel category, taking its top six players out of the mix and forming another betting pool. It’s called “betting without.”
Koepka (+750) was leading this group as of Wednesday morning, followed by Patrick Cantlay (+1100).
DraftKings Sportsbook has Masters props galore
DraftKings Sportsbook is offering an extensive Masters betting menu. While little has changed in its Top 6 and odds from FanDuel, the board has been lit up with prop-betting options.
Here is a look at some of the highlights.
Matchups come in pairs. Top names vie for betting dollars, as do middle-of-the-road participants. A gambler can create as many one-on-one matchups as he/she wants, many in the -110-payoff category.
Will there be a playoff?
Yes is +300, No is -10,000.
There are nationality props, best round of the tournament overall and best round of the tournament on each day.
How about who will be the top lefty?
There is no value on a Bubba Watson pick at -250, but abundant if one likes Phil Mickelson at +200, Yuxin Lin at +1600 or Mike Weir at +2500.
There are props for leaders after the first, second and third rounds. While the first-round leader is difficult to predict, the ultimate winner is usually in the hunt after three rounds. Players wanting to predict a three-round leader before the tournament starts may figure that a big name will have enough time to be in front.
Last year, Woods was not the leader after three rounds but was only a couple of strokes off.
Where else to find Masters betting value
Look for Top 10 and Top 20 finishes. They pay less than the difficult decision of selecting an outright winner but widens the ability to win.
DeChambeau is +188 to finish in the Top 5 and a reasonable +100 to hit the Top 10 at DraftKings. Asking one of the hottest golfers in the game to just do fairly well is a reasonable expectation at odds that are even better than a typical NFL game (of -110).
A big bet on a golfer to hit the Top 10 or even Top 20 (Tyrrell Hatton is -120 on that prop, for example) is an excellent use of funds.
And then there’s group betting, one’s own tournament within the tournament.
Pick the overall winner between DeChambeau, John Rahm, Johnson and Rory McIlroy and collect odds of between 2-1 and 3-1.
Some handicapping observations
Trust your hunches. Computer models showing a particular golfer to win can’t predict what happens next. They can’t foresee a putt that lips out or a player being a little off on a given day.
Take reports connecting a certain player with a course with a grain of salt. Yes, DeChambeau’s long game is suited for Augusta. But it’s been suited for everywhere else too.
These players are the best in the world, and when someone gets hot with the putter, it’s lights out.
Watson also is +400 in FanDuel’s grouping of top former champions. That list includes Mickelson at +800, Danny Willett at +2200 and Weir, the 2003 champion, at +10,000. These are excellent odds regardless of who is selected, because the competition is only in this group.
Props for the Masters course
Numerous props for the following hole pop up, especially when sentimental favorite Woods appears. The charismatic Woods is not playing his best golf but is the defending champ and attracts props like a magnet. He has also inspired more overall prop betting on particular holes.
If you go that route, most holes result in pars, but here are some that may change the landscape, and props may pop up.
The top birdie opportunities are all par fives. On all of them, the pros have a chance to reach the green in two or be very close, setting up the birdie chance.
Last year, there was a drop-off of three strokes between the winner and Top 10 and seven strokes for the Top 20.
This Masters has a smaller field than most. This presents a better chance for golfers to hit the Top 10 and Top 20, as there will be fewer multiple-player ties at the finish.
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