Each day, one of our experts will offer up a best bet (or two or three) that mobile sportsbooks are offering. It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer.
Here is our best bet for Friday, Feb. 17:
TOP PLAY
The play: PGA Genesis Invitational, Jon Rahm better second round than Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland
The odds: +120
The book: Caesars Sportsbook
Time/TV: 3:04 p.m. (ESPN+, Golf Channel)
Our take: With the NBA in its All-Star break and college basketball typically slow on Fridays, you’ve got to hunt a bit for a good bet. But the Genesis Invitational provides us with an opportunity here.
Not only has Rahm been the best golfer in the world in 2023, he’s also been the most consistent. He’s played 15 of his 17 rounds this year under par (and the other two were +1 and +2, both at Torrey Pines). He’s finished top 10 and gained more than 10 strokes against the field at all four tournaments. And then Thursday, Rahm shot a 6-under-par 65, so he’s clearly comfortable at Riviera Country Club.
Contrast that with his playing partners. Cantlay and Hovland are bona fide top 15 players in the world, so this won’t be easy, but neither has been as good or as consistent as Rahm this year. Neither has a top 10; Cantlay missed the cut at the Phoenix Open last week, while Hovland has gained less than a stroke against the field at two of the three tournaments he played this season.
Rahm is the world’s best, has been nuclear hot and is a battle with Max Homa atop the leaderboard. He’s a rare opportunity to get plus-odds on a single round with all of that going for you.
HOW WE’VE FARED
- NBA player prop: Anthony Edwards UNDER 2½ 3-pointers made (LOST)
- NBA: Clippers money line over Suns (WON)
Thursday’s record: 1-1
Total for the week: 4-3, 1 PGA bet pending
Total for February: 14-16, 1 pending
Total for 2023: 39-50, 1 pending
NOTE: If a line or odds are minus, it considers the juice one must lay to place the bet. Ex: Team A is -160 on the money line, one would have to bet $160 to win $100 (or $16 to win $10). OR Team B is a 5-point favorite at -110, one would have to bet $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10.)
Conversely, on positive lines, if Team C is +140 on the money line, $100 would bring in $140 (or $10 to win $14).
