Remember the Alamo Bowl
They say you’ll always remember your first. Whether it’s a first kiss, first bet, first love, or first arrest the memory is seared into your brain for eternity. This past Saturday during the Valero Alamo Bowl I witnessed college football history. No, it wasn’t TCU’s historic bowl comeback down 31 points that punctuated a boring bowl season I’m referencing but rather a gambling moose of epic proportions, live and uncensored, a mere meet in front of my face. This is my cautionary tale of gambling gone astray…
Working as a handicapper/journalist covering sports from a gambling perspective precludes me from going to a lot of games. Little to say when PayneInsider hit me up asking if I’d be interested in going to the college football playoff game in Dallas followed by the Alamo Bowl both in a 48 hour span I jumped at the chance. With itinerary booked and our gracious host Jose arranging all the proper ticket arrangements I became a kid in a candy store anxious to take in live college football played at its highest level. If only I’d known ahead of time the deal I was making with the devil…
Fast forward to the morning of New Year’s eve…comfortably dreaming about winners in my room at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio when I was jolted awake by a phone that wouldn’t stop ringing. Friends, gambling colleagues, twitter; you name it everyone was going crazy with the news that unfolded hours before just a few blocks from the hotel. TCU all everything quarterback Trevone Boykin had been involved in some sort of altercation placing his status for the game very much in jeopardy. For the briefest of moments I was pissed; how could the player I most wanted to see live be so selfish with his off field actions? Eventually that feeling subsided after maybe twenty seconds remembering I’m not really a fan of anything except the teams I bet and I got to digging into the situation. News continued to circulate and most books kept the number up amid speculation so like anyone trying to gain an edge I jumped in full bore at 2 different shops where the game was still open with bets on side and total:
Wager details for ticket number 160310996-1:
| Wager Type: | Spread (or run line) |
| Wager Status: | Loss |
| Risk / To Win Amount: | Accepted 12/31/2015 8:19 AM – EST |
| Lost: | |
| Sport / Period: | College Football / Game |
| Selection: | Oregon 1/2/2016 6:45:01 PM – (EST) +1 -110 |
| * Event Notes: | |
| LIVE_AVAILABLE ALAMO BOWL |
Wager details for ticket number 160310996-2:
| Wager Type: | Total |
| Wager Status: | Loss |
| Risk / To Win Amount: | Accepted 12/31/2015 8:19 AM – EST |
| Lost: | |
| Sport / Period: | College Football / Game |
| Selection: | TCU/Oregon 1/2/2016 6:45:01 PM – (EST) Under 79½ -110 |
| * Event Notes: | |
| LIVE_AVAILABLE ALAMO BOWL |
| INTERNET / -1 | Ticket# 108999494 Jan 2 03:56:24 PM |
CFB | STRAIGHT BET [278] OREGON +1-110 |
– | LOSE | Dec 31 05:15:31 AM |
Feeling like I’d pulled one over on mr bookmaker I texted Payne to get down as well (He’ll later say that my laziness in not walking across the hallway to bang on his door instead of texting saved him hours of potential therapy sessions to get over the game’s improbable finish).
Later in the day (or the next I forget) official word of Boykin’s suspension came to pass and I realized that there was now an outstanding middle opportunity in play here once books re-opened an adjusted line. Having a substantial position between multiple books on Oregon +1 with a smaller bet on the total I knew the world was truly my oyster.
Trust me when I say the gambling gods don’t take kindly to hubris and had other plans for me…
The next two days meant decision time. Fortunately there were two college football semifinals lacking drama to keep my mind at ease while liquid refreshments flowed at Jerry’s World continuing well into the wee hours of New Year’s eve festivities at the W in Dallas. Mind you watching Alabama’s systematic destruction of Michigan St was almost as gratifying as watching Stanford pulverize Iowa, two teams that I thought were grossly overrated by the college football community.
Friday meant a lengthy drive back to San Antonio from Dallas in a rental car from hell where Payne damn near killed the both of us in a rainstorm between Austin and our final destination. However I digress since you’re here to read about my bitter misfortune and gambling demise not hungover car rides across the state.
Saturday started innocently enough, heading down to the breakfast buffet at the Marriot to get things going on gameday. Everyone knows a sports bettor without his strength can’t be expected to will in a big boy wager later in the day. On my elevator ride back up to the room I thought the universe was giving me the perfect sign; a group of Duck players were piling into the elevator with me and I could see the focus. Unfortunately Byron Marshall’s inclusion was the real sign that I too might be lost for the season, a broken version of my once strong self.
After polishing off a few more beers at a local establishment called Charlie Wants a Burger, Payne, Jose, and I started off for the dump known as the Alamo Dome. I call it a dump for obvious reasons but we haven’t gotten to the part where the venue contributed to crushing our gambling dreams. Amid a sea of Oregon and TCU fans we trekked through 40 degree temperatures and a downpour to the scene of the crime. For fans that attend games regularly I applaud your loyalty because waiting at the gate in weather for security checks shows your true level of commitment. Once water logged, it was time to head to the seats.
Before we get to the game itself I should add that I wasn’t going to be greedy with Oregon +1. I mean, that was flat out stupid so I came back with a smaller play on TCU +7 (-115). Don’t get me wrong, I love a real bet to get the adrenaline going but when every sharp guy I talk to is jumping over man, woman, and child to bet the dog you error on the side of self preservation.
| INTERNET / -1 | Ticket# 109166197 Jan 2 03:56:24 PM |
CFB | STRAIGHT BET [277] TCU +7-115 |
/ | WIN | Jan 2 11:06:00 AM |
Once the game kicked off I started feeling good. Oregon looked to be light years faster than the home team piling on the early points. One TD, two TD, three TD, meant a very comfortable 21-0 lead at the end of the first with the Ducks offense looking unstoppable. Then it happened, the fateful QB keeper where the face of Oregon football went down like a pile of bricks in a violent collision. Adams was able to get off the field under his own power thankfully but at that point I realized change was in the air if was done for the day. Oregon ultimately ended up getting to the half with a 31-0 lead providing hope that even if TCU got things going in the 2nd half it would be too little too late. Man, what a clown I was for that thought process…
At halftime, like any prudent bettor would do, we tried to get an adjusted number. Naturally the cell reception inside the Alamo Dome felt like a third world country so logging into a sportsbook was out of the question. Payne and I agreed that no matter the number TCU at -2.5 or better was an absolute hammer given the decided crowd advantage and an Oregon offense looking more like a Yugo than a Ferrari without it’s engineeer. (later we found out the halftime line was PK which only made the whole experience that much worse).
Oddly enough I was at peace with not being able to get the halftime bet in thinking I’d just be throwing away money on a sure fire rocking chair victory. Silly, dumbass, Todd: “YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO THINK ANYTHING COMES EASY EVEN UP 31-0 catching 1.”
The second half eventually kicked off and that’s where time elapsed photography would have paid dividends. Both Payne and Jose feared making eye contact with me as TCU chipped into their deficit followed up each time by Oregon offensive play calling that appeared doomed from inception. Things snowballed and I could just imagine the live line opportunities slipping through my fingers with a win probability close to 99.8% at the break ebbing closer to zero by the snap.
Eventually TCU scored to trim the lead to 3 with a shade over three minutes left after a successful two point conversion. In the back of my head I hung onto the unrealistic notion that somehow Oregon could finally pick up a first down or two bleeding the clock to zero rather than giving TCU one more chance.
That’s when it happened; two of the worst play calls you’ll ever see in the games final stages. Oregon ran on 1st down and Coach Patterson elected to preserve his timeouts. Leave it to Oregon to throw the ball on subsequent snaps meaning the Horned Frogs defense got off the field in under a minute keeping both timeouts in their back pocket.
It was at this juncture I simply blacked out…unfortunately it wasn’t from polishing off a 30 rack of LoneStar Beer rather because I knew a heart breaking end was inevitable. TCU field goal and lookey there we had overtime in the future!!! (Motherfucker cocksucker son of a bitch).
I won’t even bother reliving the overtime periods in all their glory other than to say I’ll never understand why an offense that put together one drive all half elects to kick the extra point in hostile territory rather than trying to win the game 39-38. TCU obviously banged a 46 yard field goal to take the game to triple OT and we know where the story went from there
This was the image that will forever haunt my dreams and be associated with TCU football as long as we both shall live.
Handling losses is part of being a bettor however I’d be lying if I said this one didn’t sting something fierce. I headed out the doors of the miserable Dome a good 5-6 steps behind my friends thinking about the riches that could have been if things unfolded the way they should have in almost every other bowl game played in the history of this great planet
The rest of you reading this are probably hoping there was drunken debauchery, hookers, or an all night bender to soften the blow. The exact opposite was true as I trudged back to my room to watch the Cactus Bowl while I sobbed uncontrollably into my hotel pillow (the sobbing didn’t happen as such yet feel it adds a more pathetic tone to the story).
After that fateful Saturday night deep in the heart of Texas I vowed that I too will always remember the Alamo. While my fate was still better than the men who gave their lives defending the real Alamo back in 1836 I too felt as though a part of me died inside that man made monstrosity sharing it’s historic name at the hands of a man named Bram Kohlhausen, a 5th year starter making his first ever college start.
In the 48 hour aftermath following the game there were countless people around San Antonio that tried to talk to me about the game but I refuse to believe the event ever took place. My entire ordeal was finally put to bed in a cab ride to the airport where a former Michigander welcomed both Payne and me into his car with a line that will forever haunt me, “Did you boys happen to catch that game on Saturday?” The way Payne tells the story is that might have been the single greatest unintentional one liner someone delivered the entire trip.
We all are able to ultimately leave the scene of the crime since time heals all wounds but the moose I endured live in person will forever leave an indelible mark on my sports gambling soul.
