National Football League

Bettor hits big: Turns $50 three-leg parlay into 'life-changing' money with Mavericks' win

Published May. 31, 2024 1:41 p.m. ET

When you’ve just turned $50 into $98,750 of profit, you can be forgiven for wanting to celebrate a little bit.

Such was the case Thursday night for a fortuitous Caesars Sports customer.

"I’m a bit tipsy right now," said the bettor, who wished to remain at least somewhat anonymous after the windfall, understandably so.

The big winner pulled away from the party for a few minutes to discuss the three-leg parlay he made in late December, and the life-changing money he’s now taking to the bank.

‘Huge Fan of the Mavs’

Back on Dec. 29, the UCLA graduate student made a trek to Las Vegas. While waiting for a buddy to meet him for lunch at Paris Las Vegas, he played a little roulette and won $200.

From that, he took $50 to a betting kiosk at the sportsbook and made his parlay wager:

Kansas City Chiefs to beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl, at +1800
Michigan to beat Washington in the College Football Playoff national championship game, at +550
Dallas Mavericks to win the Western Conference, at +1500

Punching those prices into a parlay resulted in odds of +197500. In other words, 1975/1.

"I’m a huge fan of the Mavs, for more than 20 years, and a huge fan of [Patrick] Mahomes," he said. "And I live in L.A., so I watched Washington, and I trusted the team [to reach the CFP final]."

The Michigan-Washington leg of the parlay was the first to convert. The Wolverines blew out the Huskies 34-13 in the title game. Then came Mahomes and the Chiefs edging the 49ers 25-22 in overtime in the Super Bowl. Kansas City won three consecutive playoff games as an underdog to claim the Lombardi Trophy.

Then, it was a 3.5-month wait. Dallas converted the final leg with its 124-103 rout over Minnesota in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals Thursday night. That gave the Mavs a 4-1 series win and the Western Conference crown.

And it gave the bettor a massive $98,750 profit on his modest $50 investment.

"Dallas was always my biggest fear," he said afterward, before re-pledging his allegiance to Mahomes. "I am the biggest Patrick Mahomes fan ever. I went to the AFC Championship Game in January 2019, when the Chiefs lost to Tom Brady and the Patriots.

"But for me, that was the game that made me realize that Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback we will ever see. From that moment on, I just felt that Kansas City should be favored in any single game because of Mahomes."

Mavericks dominate Game 5 vs. the Timberwolves, Advance to the NBA Finals

Helping Pay for the MBA

Two years ago, the student and sports fan moved from Costa Rica to Los Angeles to attend UCLA and study for his Masters in Business Administration. On June 14, he’ll graduate with his MBA. So this is a well-timed windfall.

"It is life-changing. The MBA [program] has been the best two years of my life, and I’m about to start working," he said. "But hell, this $100,000 will help cover some of the money I spent these last two years."

And because people have asked: He could’ve hedged on his bet to lock in at least some profit, but he decided to ride it out.

"Zero dollars hedged. I would’ve maybe hedged in Game 7," he said.

Thankfully, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the Mavs didn’t force his hand.

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.

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