The summer is supposed to be a down time for sports betting. Not a time for arguably the greatest gambling streak ever.
While the sports betting industry lay half asleep in the July sun, dreaming ahead to those fall football days, the Detroit Tigers turned the “Dog Days of Summer” into an Over bettors paradise by topping the total in 19 straight games. Detroit’s Over run came to an end Thursday night in a 4-2 win at Minnesota that stayed Under the 8-run total.
From June 17, an 8-4 loss to Cincinnati that played Over the 6.5-run total, to July 8, a 5-4 victory at Seattle to trump the 7.5-run number, the Tigers earned $17,660 for dime bettors ($1,000) backing the Over during that incredible totals streak. The length of that Over stretch and those huge earnings puts the “Total Topping Tigers” of 2015 at the top of the betting mountain in terms of the greatest runs in sports betting history.
Of course, we can only go back as far as our wagering records will allow, which means we don’t have game-to-game odds on the 1916 New York Giants’ 26-game winning streak. But it’s safe to say if we did, the Giants would have been hefty moneyline favorites in most of those games and they wouldn’t come close to the money earned during Detroit’s 19-game Over run.
Don’t think we’re right? Let’s compare the Tigers’ Over run against the 2002 Oakland A’s 20-game winning streak – now famously depicted in the 2011 film Moneyball - which actually earned just $9,590 for MLB dime bettors from August 13 to September 4, 2002. The Athletics, made out to be underdogs in the movie, were moneyline favorites in all of those 20 games with prices peaking at -330 just before the streak ended.
The Tigers’ Over explosion was not only a product of their own offense – averaging 5.79 runs per game in that span – but also a porous defense on the other side of the ball, allowing 6.42 runs against during those 19 games. Detroit’s contests were tabbed with an average total of just over eight runs during the streak, topping the number by an average of 4.21 runs per game.
Covers Expert Jesse Schule is one of the savvy handicappers to ride the Tigers' Over run to the bank. He played the Over with Detroit nine times during that stretch, including eight Overs between June 26 and July 8. He says he was amazed at how little oddsmakers adjusted to the streak, even toward the end of its run.
"One thing that I think separates this historic run from others is that it appeared to be completely ignored by the bookmakers," Schule says. "Despite going Over in 18 straight games prior to Wednesday's game in Seattle, I was able to get a total of 7.5."
"When I am following a trend, I am careful to avoid 'being late to the party'. What I mean by that is, if a team wins 10 in a row, but the price goes up after each win, you end up with an inflated line," he adds. "It didn't look as though the bookmakers raised the number at all to adjust for the fact Detroit's games continued to sail Over the total."
Detroit’s 19-game Over streak is the longest totals run we have on our betting records, going back to 1999, overtaking the 2005 Florida Marlins’ 15-game Over run, that stacked $13,390 for $1,000 totals bettors. The longest Under streak in that time frame is a tie at 14 games between the 2004 Milwaukee Brewers and the 2001 Seattle Mariners, who also hold the second-longest MLB winning streak since 1999 at 15 games.
The Tigers’ amazing Over run of 2015 also holds up against the biggest betting streaks in the major sports (that we have recorded). Its closest competition comes from the NHL, where the 2003-04 Carolina Hurricanes stayed Under the total 15 times in a span of 19 games, with four pushes, between December 3 2003 and January 11, 2004. That stretch earned $13,650 for NHL dime totals bettors but may not qualify as a true "winning" streak, since there were four pushes against the number.
The 2005-06 New Jersey Devils won 15 straight games from March 28 to April 29, 2006 – spanning the regular season and NHL playoffs. Hockey bettors placing a $1,000 wager on each of the Devils’ games during that tear took in $13,020 in profits, including a 3-2 shootout win in Ottawa as +223 underdogs that started the improbable ride.
Detroit’s Over success has made 2015 a crazy year for sports betting streaks. The Atlanta Hawks made betting history this past NBA season with a mind-blowing 15-game ATS roll from December 27, 2014 to January 23, 2015 – the longest NBA ATS winning run since the 1990-91 season (as far back as our ATS records go).
Atlanta backers would have bought up the Hawks’ spreads at different prices, but with most NBA lines priced around -110 (they climbed even higher toward the end of the streak with the market blindly siding with Atlanta), basketball bettors are looking at a best-case return of $13,650. However, since books padded Atlanta’s vig during this run, the 15-game ATS streak likely earned much less.
Here’s a look at the biggest betting streaks in each of the major sports:
NFL
ATS: 1985 New England Patriots – 14 games
Over: 2010 Dallas Cowboys – 12 games
Under: 2003 Buffalo Bills – 11 games
NCAAF
ATS: 2013 Auburn/1985 Bowling Green/1995 Ohio State – 11 games
Over: 2008 Oklahoma/2009 NC State - 9 games
Under: 2008 Tennessee/2006 Stanford – 10 games
NBA
ATS: 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks – 15 games
Over: 1990-91 Minnesota Timberwolves – 13 games
Under: 1996-97 Houston/2003-04 L.A. Lakers/2014-15 Milwaukee – 12 games
NCAAB
ATS: 2010-11 George Mason Patriots – 14 games
Over: 2008-09 Green Bay Phoenix – 14 games
Under: 2008-09 Eastern Illinois Panthers – 15 games
MLB
Moneyline: 2002 Oakland A’s – 20 games ($9,590 on $1,000 bet)
Over: 2015 Detroit Tigers – 19
Under: 2001 Seattle/2004 Milwaukee – 14 games
NHL
Moneyline: 2005-06 New Jersey Devils – 15 games ($13,020 on $1,000 bet)
Over: 2014-15 Buffalo/2002-03 Detroit/2011-12 Pittsburgh – 10 games
Under: 2003-04 Carolina Hurricanes – 15 games
