I’m back in action after spending the last few days in Vegas – just a few casual days of fun with my wife. While I was down there I obviously did the same thing I do every time I am down there – I spent as much time as I could sitting in the sportsbook. This time around it was the Venetian for the most part. While I was sitting there I spent a lot of time thinking about the difference between playing games live and playing online. Here are a few of them:

1. It is great fun watching the games in a crowded sportsbook – I spent most of Sunday afternoon watching the NFL games. It’s always fun watching them in a crowded sports bar, but it’s even better in a sports book. Everyone sitting there has at least a little action on the games, so that heightens the intensity. Every few minutes a group of people erupts in cheers or boos, and you have to spend the next couple of seconds looking around at all the screens trying to figure out which one caused the uprising. Beyond that, every time something happens in one of the games, you can hear several ‘experts’ explaining how they knew all along that that was going to happen.

2. The lines are terrible – It amazes me how little value there is in the posted lines at the books. They are regularly a half point or a point off of what you can find online, and even if they are the same the juice is often ugly. It makes sense – it’s cheaper to run a website than a casino – but it’s frustrating, and it really makes you appreciate the online books and the easy access to them.

3. The timing is terrible – I wanted to bet on the Michigan – Detroit basketball game Sunday morning. I saw the lines posted online late Saturday afternoon. The game tipped off at 9 am pacific time, and the earliest I could bet the game in the book was at 8 am on Sunday. That doesn’t give you much time to analyze the number or watch for any movement. It also leads to a very small window. As it turned out I wish I had been totally locked out of making a bet on the game, but that’s a different story. The early lines and 24 hour access are another reason to really appreciate online books.

4. I know the math well enough to know that point-spread parlays are a bad idea and teasers and super-teasers are even worse. Despite that, I can never resist picking up the cards when I am down there and making a play or three. They are addictive in the same ridiculous way that the video poker machines and the roulette tables are. In the right circumstances bad ideas can be a lot of fun. Besides, when you hit a card with a bunch of teams on it you feel like a genius.

5. There is nothing wrong with free drinks.