It’ll be cold in St. Louis for tonight’s Game 7 of the World Series, but bookmakers from Vegas to the Caribbean are sweating profusely.On Sept. 29, the M Resort, one of Cantor Gaming's properties, took a $100,000 bet on the Cardinals to win the World Series at 15-to-1 odds. The wager was placed by professional handicapper Adam Meyer, who has emerged as one of the most successful sports investors in the world.
Meyer placed the bet on the Cardinals after they secured the National League Wildcard berth. He elected not to hedge his bet in the first-round series against the favored Philadelphia Phillies.
"Obviously, the Phillies were the monster," Meyer told
Covers.com in a phone interview. "I felt like if we could get over that series, without hedging, then there are plenty of opportunities to hedge in the Brewers."
He took advantage of those hedge opportunities, with a $250,000 bet on Milwaukee to win early in the NLCS.
The Cardinals, of course, prevailed in six games, putting Meyer in a spot to hedge his position further. He liked the matchup the Cardinals had in Game 1 of the World Series and placed another $250,000 on St. Louis. Then, after the Cardinals won the first game, evening out Meyer's losing hedge bet on the Brewers in the NLCS, he bet $500,000 on the Rangers, who had gone from around -185 favorites to +110 underdogs to win the World Series.
Overall, Meyer's hedges locked in a minimum profit of $450,000, with a maximum win of $900,000.
"I'm considering placing a few hundred thousand on the Rangers tonight," said Meyer at around 3 p.m. ET Friday. "I have this theory about when a team wins dramatically, more times than not, they don't come through the next night."
Meyer plans on watching Game 7 at home with his kids, just like he did during Thursday's incredible Game 6.
"Last night, wow, was just one of the more incredible things I've seen," Meyer said."I was a bad dad and let my kids stay up and watch it with me. My daughter (Madison, 15) wasn't into it, but my boys (Blake, 12, and Dylan, 10) were watching every pitch."
If the Cardinals do win, Meyer will donate $100,000 to a cancer charity and give another $15,000 away to one of his Twitter followers
@realmoneysports during his radio show.
Meyer also cashed a multi-million-dollar bet on the Green Bay Packers to win the Super Bowl last year. He's become such a force in the gambling world that only six Las Vegas sportsbooks will even take his action, he said. Others have reduced his limits to $5,000. But not the M Resort.
Cantor Gaming did not return emails or phone messages asking for comment on Meyer's bets.
Meyer is not the only gambler in line for a big bankroll boost if the Cardinals complete their improbable run with a win tonight.
An unidentified St. Louis man, who already won $125,000 when the Cardinals reached the World Series, is one win away from another $250,000 payday. Both bets were placed at the MGM Grand in September, according to a
Deadspin.com report.“Not much left to say about it,” said MGM sportsbook director Jay Rood. “But anytime you get to book a Game 7 of the World Series, it’s a good thing, especially with all the drama of this series. It should produce a very big handle.”
Covers.com member Buddha385 will win $120,000 from an offshore sportsbook if the Cardinals win. But after Thursday night’s Game 6 emotional roller coaster, the 45-year-old South Carolina resident feels lucky just to have survived.
“I really did think it was over, especially after Furcal hit that little tapper back to the mound in the bottom of the 8th. Too many blown opportunities,” Buddha385 wrote in an email. “I have a cold, so I had already switched to NyQuil and was ready to go to bed. From there, it was just a formality.”
When the Cardinals tied it in the ninth inning, he switched back to sweet tea and vodka.
“Then, they give it right back in the 10th, and it was back to NyQuil,” he added. “Freese's home run was just awesome! I almost sprained my ankle (celebrating). I'm getting some Maalox for tonight's game, which I'll be watching at home again.”