Big Bets Report: Bettor Cashes for $41K Before Final Wild-Card Game

When it’s not your money, it’s easy to say, "Let it ride."

But when it is your money, and you’ve got a solid five-figure win locked in, and there’s a chance to either double that or get absolutely nothing, it’s not quite so easy to say.

A Fanatics Sportsbook customer was in that position this weekend with an eight-leg parlay, and probably made the prudent decision to cash out for more than $40,000.

More on that play, along with a big-bet big sweat, other notable parlay payouts and major wagers, as we recap NFL and college football betting this past weekend.

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Say When

First off, let’s remember that putting $1,000 on eight-leg parlays is an easy way to separate you from your money. Remember the cliché: Parlays are a bookmaker’s best friend.

But there are those who have that sort of disposable income. And in this instance, the Fanatics customer did quite well and will live to fight many more days.

The bettor touched on almost every big game of the past few days, linking the College Football Playoff semifinals to all six NFL wild-card matchups. A thousand bucks at odds of +9532, or just beyond 95/1. 

The lead leg was a piece of cake, as Indiana led Oregon 35-7 at halftime, in a 56-22 victory.

The subsequent six legs all got there, as well, though the bettor got a good sweat from Panthers +6.5 first half, Bills moneyline and Chargers +3.5 first half.

With seven of eight legs in, all that remained was Steelers +4 on Monday night vs. the Texans. If that came through, then the bettor would profit a hefty $95,320.

Instead, the bettor recognized the good fortune involved in getting the first seven legs. Fanatics offered a cashout option of $41,433.81, and the customer took it.

Anytime you can multiply your investment times 40, it’s not a bad idea to consider doing so.

Grin and Bear It

The Bears dug themselves into a 21-3 halftime hole vs. the Packers on Saturday night. Things weren’t much better after three quarters, with Chicago down 21-6 on its home field.

That wasn’t a good sign for the largest reported bet of the weekend: $200,000 Bears +2.5 (-120) at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Stunningly, though, there were 31 points scored in the fourth quarter, and the Bears had 25 of them. Caleb Williams & Co. came back from the grave to post a 31-27 victory.

So the bettor snared a profit of $166,666.67, for a total payout of $366,667.67.

2+2 = 10,000

A Fanatics customer landed a five-figure payday in Saturday’s Rams vs. Panthers wild-card game. The bettor put $124 on a two-leg player-prop parlay, banking on L.A. wideout Puka Nacua and Carolina running back Chuba Hubbard each scoring two or more touchdowns. 

Nacua took care of the first half of that wager, putting up the first two touchdowns of the game as the Rams took a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Hubbard’s half took a little longer to complete, as he scored a second-quarter TD and a fourth-quarter TD in the Panthers’ 34-31 comeback win.

At odds of +8000 (80/1), that turned $124 into $10,044. That’s pretty good ROI for an investment of three hours or so.

Here’s Hoping You Had It

It’s not all about making big bets or cashing out huge on a 10-leg parlay. Which, just to be clear, is rare. Always keep that firmly in mind.

Sometimes, it’s about putting 10 bucks on a single straight bet, backing a long shot or semi-long shot, and getting a solid return on investment.

For example: In Friday’s CFP semifinal between No. 5 Oregon and No. 1 Indiana, in FanDuel Sportsbook’s first touchdown scored market, a defensive TD was +4000. 

On the first play from scrimmage, Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds picked off Oregon QB Dante Moore and ran it 25 yards for the score.

If you put a ten-spot on that, then you cashed out for $400, just nine seconds into the game. If you were a little more daring and put a hundred bucks down, that’s a $4,000 winner.

At Caesars Sports, in the 49ers-Eagles game, San Francisco wideout Denard Robinson was +2400 to score the first TD.

But score the first TD he did, on the first possession of the game. Ten dollars there netted $240, again with a rather short wait to cash in, at 3 minutes, 9 seconds.

Parlay Partay

As noted above, the Bears were squarely on the doorstep of elimination Saturday night. Yet at some point when Chicago was still well behind, a FanDuel customer made an in-game parlay bet of Bears moneyline — to come back and win — and D.J. Moore to score a touchdown.

It was a pizza money wager, all of $14.50, at odds of +4971, so just shy of 50/1. But the bettor also utilized a 25% profit boost, hiking the odds to +6213, just beyond 62/1. 

Crazily enough, the Bears came back to win, clinching it on D.J. Moore’s 25-yard touchdown catch with 1:43 remaining.

So that $14.50 blossomed into $915.44. It’s not five or six figures, but any of us would take that kind of ROI. And that kind of luck.

I Like Big Bets and I Cannot Lie

Major wagers landed from Thursday through Sunday on NFL wild-card odds and College Football Playoff odds. Most notable among them was the aforementioned $200,000 Bears point-spread bet.

Other notable bets:

• $105,000 Bears +4.5 (+110) in-game vs. Packers (Caesars). Chicago not only covered the +4.5, but won outright. So the bettor pocketed $115,500 in profit (total payout $220,500).
• $100,000 Miami -3 (-118) vs. Ole Miss (DraftKings). The Hurricanes eked out a 31-27 win and cover, and the bettor banked $84,745.76 in profit (total payout $184,745.76).
• $60,000 49ers-Eagles Under 44.5 (DraftKings). A 16-point fourth quarter gave this bettor a five-figure sweat. But the Under hit in San Fran’s 23-19 win, and the bettor profited $52,173.91 (total payout $112,173.91).
• $40,000 Oregon moneyline +150 vs. Indiana (DraftKings). This bet was a five-figure donation to the house by halftime of Oregon’s 55-22 blowout loss.

As always, bear in mind that high-rollers have the bankroll to take such risks, and absorb the losses. So keep your wagers and your expectations reasonable. Never 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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