Place your bets on the 2018 Diamondbacks

Last year, 35 people entered the SnakePit Casino, and bravely chanced their arms on the outcome of the 2017 season for the D-backs. Once more, the house came out on top, so I would like to thank them for their hypothetical contributions, which will fund a new cabana beside the pool at SnakePit Towers. 12 people turned a profit, two came away even, but 21 ended up down, by amounts ranging from S$100 to S$1,1500. Overall, the amount lost was just over S$8,000, though that was a considerable improvement over 2016, when bettors ended up more than S$23,000 in the hole. Will this year go any better?

Here’s where we find out, as we welcome you to our 6th annual betting frenzy. For those who need a refresher, let me top up your glass...

How it works

I’m bankrolling each of you with S$1,500 in SnakePit Dollars [actual value 0.00000000000001 cents], which you can divide up and wager on the lines as you think fit. I’ll accept entries up until the first pitch on March 29.

In an “over/under” bet, a sports book will set a number, and bettors can choose on which side of that number the actual result will fall. The most common such is the total points in an NFL game, but it can be run on just about any sporting statistic. If you win, you get double your money [actually, it’s typically a shade less than double, the difference being the house edge, but we’ll just say double for our purposes here]. If you lose... Well, I trust I need not draw you a picture, but it involves a vice and Joe Pesci, if my recollection of Casino is correct.

To place a bet, you simply put your lines and amount wagered on each, in the comments below. For ease of my inputting them into the spreadsheet, entry lines should be in the form:

• Diamondbacks - Wins, S$300, OVER

which means you are betting Arizona will win more than the specified number. However, so you don’t just throw it all on one bet, you can bet no more than S$500 on any single wager, so you’ve got to have at least three lines. You can have more, of course, by betting less than the limit. Here are the bets on offer, from bovada.lv. All player lines are transferable, so if anyone is traded, the line goes with them. Only regular season games are counted too - I hope this becomes a factor in October!

We’ll have updates about every month, as we go through the season, keeping score as the lines move back and forth from over to under. Last year, Makakilo was the overall winner, but nobody was successful with all their bets: do you feel good/lucky enough to break the bank in 2018? Here are the wagers available this season.

The available bets

• Diamondbacks - Wins 85.5
• Paul Goldschmidt - BA .299
• Paul Goldschmidt - HR’s 31.5
• Paul Goldschmidt - RBI’s 105.5
• Paul Goldschmidt - Runs Scored 105.5
• A.J. Pollock - HR’s 14.5
• A.J. Pollock - BA .280
• A.J. Pollock - Stolen Bases 26.5
• David Peralta - BA .290
• Jake Lamb - HR’s 27.5
• Jake Lamb - RBI’s 89.5
• Steven Souza - HR’s 24.5
• Steven Souza - RBI’s 70.5
• Zach Greinke - Wins 14.5
• Zach Greinke - Strikeouts 195.5
• Zach Greinke - ERA 3.30
• Robbie Ray - Wins 13.5
• Robbie Ray - Strikeouts 219.5
• Robbie Ray - ERA 3.30

There was an additional line on Archie Bradley saves, at 19.5, but the under on that was so obvious, I’m not even going to list it. I am seriously thinking of signing up for an account at Bovada to bet on this, because it seems basically like free money. Anyway, the 19 other lines available should give you plenty of scope, so bet in the format explained above in the comments, and explain your decisions as you see fit!