Super Bowl Secrets

Even Las Vegas sports bettors -- who used to trumpet their playsto anyone who would listen -- are playing it close to the vestand hiding under heavy cloaks these days. No one ... except maybe Steve Fezzik ... wants to give anythingaway. In this age of the Super Information Highway, everyone islooking for even the tiniest edge; gleaning an advantage is likefinding gold. Some sports gamblers, mostly NFL players, relocate to Las Vegasduring their chosen seasons and then crawl out of the woodworkor the off-Strip studio apartments they rent when it's time forthe big game, in this case the Super Bowl. I bumped into one such creature t...

...he other day who provided a fewpointers, anonymously of course. Where he got the info he didn't say and I didn't ask. This is top secret stuff, you know. "Obviously, the Super Bowl is different than most games," hesaid. "It ain't a game against the Lions in Week 11 when you take iteasy offensively if you're up two touchdowns in the fourthquarter while Detroit punts on fourth and four with five minutesleft. "Everyone wants to make a big play. "The losing team is desperate and will deviate from its gameplan to make big plays. "As a result, Super Bowl second halves, and particularly fourthquarters, have been very high scoring in re...

...ent years." Our gambler continued: "Over 13 1/2 in the fourth quarter has occurred 7 of the last 8years and 13 of the last 17. "Fourth quarters have seen 17, 37, 26, 17, 10, 17, 30, and 14points scored. "There has been more scoring in the second half than the firsthalf in 7 straight years and 12 of the last 17. "Second half totals in recent years have been 31, 37, 46, 20,31, 40, 30, and 24. "I bet over 13 1/2 in the fourth quarter and more scoring in thesecond half than the first. "I don't see a scenario where I would be under in the secondhalf and will consider an over bet there and/or some in progressovers in the second half."