The Bowl, According to Fezzik

Avoid Super Bowl "needle-in-the-haystack" propositions and "donkey bets" and you could enjoy a profitable Sunday. So says Fezzik, the single-named sports bettor and blackjack player who is one of the hottest personalities/properties to hit Las Vegas sports gambling since Sonny Reizner lit up the Castaways' Hole-in-the-Wall Sports Book on a site now occupied by the Mirage. Fezzik finished second in the Stardust Invitational this year -- going 7-0 one week -- and was runnerup in Leroy's College Football Challenge. He originally made a name for himself locally through broadcasting, filling in last winter for Larry Grossman on "You Can Bet On It" and regularly appearing on Stardust Line radio shows. Fezzik also has had an online presence for several years and hosts a popular forum called Fezzik's Place. Some have likened him to the World Poker Tour's Barry "Robin Hood" Greenstein in that both heavy hitters like giving things away. Fezzik, who plays blackjack for a living, has been handing out plays, taking his lumps and laurels as he goes. Friday night he appeared at a Las Vegas Hilton Super Bowl seminar and offered advice for proposition players. Hitting needle-in-a-haystack props can be likened to catching lightning in a bottle or nailing a keno 12-spot; it happens, but rarely. Sure, the Bus can run for six TDS and 100 yards, but is it likely? "Look for props you can answer 'yes' or 'no,''' Fezzik suggested. Fezzik notes bookmakers often get harried as the public storms about seeking propositions -- known to fill 20 or more pages a pop -- and mistakes frequently are made. "Shop around (for the best prices) and read everything carefully," he said, noting that yardage figues next to a name don't necessarily ask the same thing at different stores. Additionally, Fezzik advises avoiding donkey bets, such as those that ask if there will be an overtime. "There hasn't been a Super Bowl overtime in 39 years," Fezzik said. Another tip from the Fezzik files is to "play your correlations." "If you bet there will be a score in the first 6:30 in the game, then bet under on first quarter punts," he said. Fezzik, whose name is derived from a comic strip chatacter, predicted a 24-23 Pittsburgh victory, meaning Seattle would cover and the total would land on 47.