I don't think I mentioned here the biggest sports bet I have ever (and probably will ever) make. A sportsbook at a website called mansion.com launched a "little" promotion that allowed a limited number of signups a risk-free bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers' opening game of the NFL season. The bet was $1100. If you won the bet, you'd win $1000 on top of your bet. If you lost, they would refund your $1100. So here's the scenario. One of my friends and I had placed this large risk-free bet because our bankrolls could afford it and sat down last night to watch the most exciting NFL game I'll ever watch ... due to the money on the line! The game was intense ... we both placed our bets before we knew the main QB Ben was out of the lineup, so we needed Pittsburgh to win by 5 points or more. After the first half we were up by 4 points: so far so good!

In the 3rd quarter, Miami scored a touchdown which put them ahead by 3. Worse yet, Pittsburgh had a good march down the field stopped when they fumbled the ball on the one yard line!!! At that point, we figured our bet was lost ... but we were in for a real treat at the end of the game starting with a Pittsburgh interception which they would soon convert into a TD. Now we were up by 4 again with enough time on the clock that Pittsburgh couldn't just run the clock down.

Pittsburgh marched up field but got stopped at the 25 yard line or so and tried for a field goal - a $1000 field goal for each of us watching. To our dismay, he missed it. At this point, there wasn't that much time on the clock left, and we were worried that Pittsburgh wouldn't try to score anymore points on their next posession ... just try and burn the clock.

But then! Miami threw ANOTHER interception which the Steelers returned for another TD! Boy were we happy with that!

Pittsburgh held on to that score winning the game 28-17 and I'm now $1000 richer. w00t!

Heraldk