Viva Las Vegas

I have been going to Las Vegas for over 25 years and have a second home there.  Besides a solid game of Texas Hold 'Em and a joy for the luck involved in roultette, yours truly enjoys making substantial sports wagers.

Some of my sports bets are legendary.  In 2008, I bet college football and that Washington would cover a +49 spread to USC.  (For those of you who are uneducated in the sports book, that means Washington got 49 points and had to be within that margin of USC for me to win an 11/10 bet.)  USC won 56-0 and I lost by seven points. 

I have been more prone (and successful) to pick upsets in both professional boxing and mixed martial arts.  I picked Shane Mosely to beat up Oscar De La Hoya and Brock Lesnar to defeat Randy Couture.  Both wagers netted me good money.

With professional football playoffs this Sunday, I have two bets for you to consider.  Indianapolis is a -7.5 favorite at home against the surging New York Jets while New Orleans is a slight favorite at -4 in The Superdome against the Minnesota Vikings.

COLTS -7.5  Look for Peyton Manning to end the glorious run of the Jets and their rookie quarterback, Mark Sanchez.  Manning picked apart a similar Baltimore Raven defense last week and the Indy defense is very underrated.  Sanchez' goal is not to win the game; it's not to lose thegame.  This means a successful running game, conservative passes and a desire to let the defense score some points on turnovers.  Manning and company should be too deep for all that.  The Colts will score on this defense and stop the Jets running game.  My pick: Colts, 21-10.

SAINTS -4.  The Minnesota Vikings brought in Brett Favre to win a Super Bowl.  The 40-year-old quarterback dismantled a solid Cowboys team last week, but they weren't playing in the Superdome.  And on his best day, Tony Romo isn't Drew Brees.  The Saints led the NFL in offense last year and improved dramatically on defense this year.  Reggie Bush is playing over his head.  I see a shootout but in the end, Favre throws a few interceptions.  My pick: Saints, 31-24.

Be advised I'm not advocating sports wagers or gambling.  However, if you need to contact me this weekend, I'll be in the sports book at the Red Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.