LAS VEGAS — As a foundation of his baseball wagering, professional bettor Dennis Rhinevault takes progression positions on top-10 teams in series against bottom-six squads.
The Chicago native revealed his arsenal of tactics, as Van Smith, to me for a 2019 sports-betting book. Since then, under his real name, he has divulged insights and strategies here.
He also bets the NHL, NBA, NFL and college football.
This season, that MLB play — in which he taps ESPN’s weekly power ratings — has returned four units of profit. Overall, baseball has returned 14 profit units. His usual bet is $1,000.
At least once in such series, he noticed over the years, a game sails Over its total. When the first game ends Under, he bets the next one Over. If it goes Under, he’ll double-down on Over in the third game.
To start this week, that angle was 10-1, with 7.5 units of profit.
He pens records in notebooks. He examines July 14. The White Sox lost 9-0 in Atlanta. That total was 9.5.
The next day’s total was 8. He bet Over.
“White Sox win 6-5,” Rhinevault says. “That’s the meat and potatoes of it.”
Betting a favored team progressively gets expensive. Totals prices, however, are far friendlier, thus their appeal.
He shops at BetMGM, Caesars, Circa Sports, Station Casinos and the Westgate SuperBook.
Recently, Rhinevault studied when the first game of those series went Over. How often did the next go Under?
That play would be 5-1, with 1.7 units of profit. He hasn’t employed it, though, because he’s still experimenting with it.
A punter’s life.
“It’s a small sampling, just this year,” he said. “I haven’t gone back to previous seasons yet because I haven’t had the time.”
BACK TO WORK
The graduate of Lyons Township has been busy. Rhinevault, 64, has returned to his front-of-the-house restaurant career.
He started out tending bar at Sweetwater, now Gibson’s, on North Rush. He’d matriculate to several high-end restaurants for Jack Binion, son of Vegas pioneer Benny Binion.
Rhinevault bet sports on the side and became every bookie’s dream client. However, we’ve documented an epiphany that transformed his wagering fortunes.
Having invested wisely, he retired to Vegas in 2016 and earned his living expenses, and plenty more, betting sports.
To mitigate recent stock-market volatility, though, Rhinevault took a general-manager post at Off The Strip, a chophouse bistro featuring three bars, two levels and a show kitchen, in the LINQ Promenade.
Moreover, for nine months, 48-hour weeks have seen him shed 20 pounds.
“Always up front, greeting every [patron], thanking them when they leave,” he said. “I have a lot of good stories to tell, so that’s fun. I enjoy it, and I very much missed it.”
For five seasons, he had Golden Knights tickets. Last season, he split them with a friend. He worked the night of the Stanley Cup Final’s Game 5, when Vegas clinched the magnificent trophy.
From his Veer Towers high-rise home, across the Strip from the LINQ, he had walked to the restaurant, as he was certain driving home in the likely celebration mayhem would be impossible.
“Turned out it was a nuthouse afterward only in Toshiba Plaza, near the arena,” he said. “They didn’t go onto the Strip. After the Bulls won all those titles, Chicago streets were clogged. A madhouse.”
He was in Chicago, too, when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, ’13 and ’15. He had befriended previous coach Denis Savard, whom the Hawks sacked four games into the 2008-09 campaign.
“He was a good friend to me, very nice to me,” Rhinevault said. “I didn’t hold anything against the Blackhawks; it’s business.
“And I credit [Golden Knights owner Bill] Foley and his management team. Some say the NHL rigged the [expansion-draft] process for them, but I don’t think new teams should have to spend 10 years in purgatory or be the ’62 Mets.”
EGGHEADS, EGADS
Rhinevault has adopted broadcasting legend Brent Musburger’s signature baseball play, of betting on a team after a third consecutive victory.
His records show it was 189-158, with 2.5 profit units, through last Saturday. On Sunday, Seattle (a 4-3 loser at Toronto) and Cincinnati (beat Arizona 7-3) fit that template.
He implores all bettors to shop diligently for odds and prices, and optimize rewards programs.
Rhinevault and his girlfriend, Sandra, get their meat and potatoes at Barry’s Downtown Prime (Circa), Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen (Caesars Palace) and Edge Steakhouse (Westgate), on the many points he accrues.
He’s eager for Peter Luger Steak House to open at Caesars.
Rhinevault distributes free plays on his website, VSLasVegas.com.
For this NFL season, he will co-host a Friday podcast, “Suits, Tats and Winners,” with friend Rick Manarino, in which they’ll provide picks. Dennis wears tailored suits; Rick wears two sleeves of tattoos.
Baseball was good to Rhinevault last season, netting more than 20 units. With this year’s new rules, he guessed game scores would increase by half a run; they’ve received a 0.62-run bump.
In 1991, with a bartender-pal at PJ Clarke’s in Chicago, Rhinevault marveled at Twins starting pitcher Jack Morris going the distance in a 10-inning, 1-0 victory over the Braves in Game 7 of the World Series:
“My favorite baseball game I’ve ever seen, so I don’t need all the runs. But I really like these changes. It’s a better game. I enjoy it more. To me, it takes some of the power away from these analytics eggheads upstairs.”
