Benjamin Eckstein's Ace Action

LAS VEGAS - ACES & FACES!!!

Basically a video poker game, similar to Jacks or Better, but the payouts are different for a Royal Flush and on four of a kind hands. And the bonus payouts apply to four of a kind hands made up of Aces or the Face cards. Of course the Royal Flush is the best possible hand, but you gotta bet the MAX coins. If you bet the max and hit the Royal, you’re looking at a payout of 800 coins. DELICIOUS! If you bet less than the max and catch a Royal, you would only get back 500 coins. Still a bundle, but not nearly as good. And the four of a kind payouts give you back more than most other games. Four Aces brings back 80 coins, four of a kind of any face card jingles 40 coins into the hopper. So, the moral of this story is, ACES & FACES RULE!!!

TEACH ME SOMETHING!!!

Saw a story about a school teacher in New York City that bet $90,000 and change on Morocco to make the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Morocco made it, and apparently, the kid, a twenty-something volleyball coach, walked away with over a MILLION BUCKS! So, I have some thoughts, and, some questions. I was born & raised in NYC and NEVER met ANY teacher that could drop NINETY EIGHT THOUSAND LARGE on a bet. NEVER! Not saying it didn’t happen, but have you checked the school teachers average salary in New York. Well, I have. The starting point is $45,000 and change, and goes up to $95,000 depending on years of service. The average salary is around $67,000. So, this kid, even if he built up a nice little bankroll, is gonna bet a number that could potentially be TWO YEARS worth of salary? C’MON! Maybe it happened. Maybe it didn’t. But if it did, I’m sending out LOVE to the kid, and would ask that he email me, ben@americasline.com, for a SENIOR handicapping spot on our staff!

WINNERS ONLY!!!

SIXTEEN & OH is a tough number to ignore. The last 16 games in this storied Army/Navy rivalry have gone Under. So, you gotta go low tomorrow right? Not necessarily. Why? Well, we looked at Army’s work at the end of the season and the Cadets scored 34 against Connecticut and 44 against Massachusetts. Not the strongest competition in the country, but they are still finding the end zone. Army has the #2 rushing attack (304.4 yards per game) in the nation, but Navy knows how to rumble on the ground as well. The Midshipmen have the #7 rushing game (239.5 yards per game), but the YUGE problem for Army is, they’re 115th nationally against the run. The entire world is going low. The O/U total opened at 33.5 and has dropped to 32.5. So, we’re gonna tickle the Over. But the best part of the whole story is the uniforms. The Army’s uniforms will honor the 1st Armored Division and feature a ‘mud splatter’ effect. Navy will show up in an astronaut-themed uniform. My Dad was Army, so gotta root for the Long Grey Line and MORE than 32 points.

Benjamin Eckstein is a nationally syndicated sportswriter/oddsmaker. His column, America’s Line, with the Ecks & Bacon appetizer, has run in the New York Daily News and over 100 other papers since 1988. You can follow him online at www.americasline.com. He is beloved by most, when he picks winners, and detested by others, when he picks the occasional loser. If you wanna piece of Eck, hit his email... ben@americasline.com.