When PointsBet USA’s oddsmakers look at the 2021 World Series odds board, to say they very much like what they see would be an understatement.
Gone are the three biggest liabilities, in the Cardinals, White Sox, and Giants. Gone, too, are the next two biggest liabilities. The Dodgers and Red Sox bowed out in the NLCS and ALCS, respectively.
What’s left is a win-win situation for the book: The Atlanta Braves vs. the Houston Astros. PointsBet sports analyst Mike Korn provided his insights on World Series betting, with Game 1 Tuesday night in Houston.
Braves World Series Odds and Action
Back on July 10, Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a torn ACL. Atlanta was 44-45 at the time, and its World Series futures odds subsequently stretched to +5,000 (50/1). If you had the foresight to take a flier on the Braves at that point, well, welcome to your hedge opportunity!
“The Braves came into the season at +1,000 to win the World Series and got out to as far as +5,000 [around] mid- to late July,” Korn said. “With Acuna getting injured, the Braves really flew under the radar in terms of futures action throughout the second half of the season and into the playoffs.”
By the time the postseason rolled around, the NL East champs were +1,200. The Braves were nowhere near being the favorite, but they were miles from their low point. Then Atlanta dispatched Milwaukee 3-1 in a best-of-5 division series. The Braves followed by taking down the defending champion and World Series favorite Dodgers 4-2 in the best-of-7 NLCS.
Now, with the World Series futures book reduced to the actual price to win just this one series, Atlanta is +120. That’s a far cry from +5,000.
Astros World Series Odds and Action
Houston, meanwhile, had fairly short World Series odds all season, yet also failed to draw much betting interest at PointsBet. The Astros’ longest price was on Opening Day at +2,200. They entered the postseason as the +420 second choice to the Dodgers and are now the -140 favorite against Atlanta.
“In terms of futures [bets], the Astros were in the shadows of the White Sox, Yankees, and Red Sox throughout the regular season and into the playoffs,” Korn said. “Both teams have flown under the radar all year. The book was happy with both pennant outcomes.”
So, while books generally want to avoid favorites winning championships, in this case, an Astros win is just fine with PointsBet USA. That’s more than can be said for its bookmaking brethren at Caesars Sportsbook. In June, Caesars took a $2 million bet on Astros +1,000 from Houston furniture magnate Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale. That’s a lurking $20 million payout.
PointsBet USA has no such concerns. All Korn and his co-workers want is a long, entertaining series.
“We are seeing great two-way action on the World Series,” Korn said. “More bets coming in on the Astros, but more handle coming in on the Braves, which is causing a slightly bigger liability on their side. The book will be rooting for a seven-game series, in hopes of attracting as much action as possible.”