Had a very fun weekend to get away from the oddness and seriousness of what happens to me in Wisconsin. Headed out to West Lafayette, Indiana to see the alma mater play Purdue in football, which went well enough. Seats and the tailgate were quite good as well, as I met up with a couple of Boiler graduate friends that also came in for the weekend.
A Bucky win and a fun night out is a great combination.
For Saturday, we met up at a nearby BW-3, and one of my friends helped me get set up with a Draft Kings sports betting account. For doing so, the $75 I deposited into my account got matched with a free $75 bet from DraftKings, and my friend also got a $75 free bet. Then I took advantage of having a $6 bet on the Marlins making the MLB playoffs (at +230, as a hedge against a higher-odds bet I made in March to have the Cubs make the playoffs), and then I got another $200 in free bets (in the form of 8 $25 bets).
I know the idea behind these promotions – get you in the door, and you inevitably become a regular bettor and deposit more money over time. But I still don’t see how DraftKings can make this work long-term if they’re still offering these deals in most states. Out of that $75 I put in, I took out $175 after Saturday’s college football action. Yes, my bets went OK for the weekend, but it’s not like I was on an epic run, and I still have another $140 in that account after putting in all of those free bets.
Honestly, the big winner was probably that BW-3 that me and a couple of friends hung at. We got food and drink for both the early afternoon, and for a later session in the evening. But I also took a couple of hours off to recharge (both myself and my phone) and then walk around town on a sparkling 80-degree day.
I also couldn’t help but ignore the large number of new high-rise, nice-looking apartments near campus, and in downtown Lafayette across the river. This seems to be the trend in college towns and nearby metro areas these days. West Lafayette even has a higher-end apartment complex called the Hub near campus, just like we do in the Mad City.
On Sunday, I got a chance to check out another Boiler tradition – the Triple X diner.
Good stuff, although I was glad I got in early before the small place got crowded. Also reasonably-priced vs what I’m used to in Madison. Then I drove toward home, dropped in to an Illinois Tollway Oasis to drop some NFL bets and a couple of other MLB futures (this time through my Caesar’s app, in an account I previously had funds in), and got back on the highway home.
Quick sidelight - gas prices were definitely higher in Illinois and Indiana. Often exceeding $4 a gallon in Illinois and around $3.80 or so in Indiana. I'll also note that both Illinois and Indiana have sales tax with their gasoline, which likely helps when it comes to paying for things, but also makes it cost quite a bit more than it does here in Wisconsin.
In my last hour of driving, I heard the Packers fall behind the Saints early on. Then I got home, and the Pack stayed down until the early 4th Quarter. But then something strange happened on the way to an injury-marred loss.
That was a pleasant surprise, wasn’t it? And not a bad way to end a sports-centric weekend that made for a good break from what is often an infuriating larger world. Top it off with getting surprisingly good grub from City BBQ (complete with a $5-off coupon for a birthday I had 3 weeks ago!), and I can’t complain whatsoever.
Now it’s time to get back to normal in a more normal work week….Well, at least until the Brewers can win 1 more game and clinch the division. Would have been nice if that happened this weekend, but I guess I couldn’t get it all. That’s OK, I got plenty of good things from those 3 days, and I hope you did too.
Between Sen. Menedez's evident failure of faith in our banking system (weird, your blog is showing me an ad for Gold Bars as I type this, that is some wild ad matching tech!), and that marvelous ABC/WaPo Biden poll, plus beautiful Midwestern warm fall weather, I had a GREAT weekend too! Not the least bit infuriated, either... I may just have to check out those betting sites, BTW. I had no idea the initial deals were so good.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with those online betting deals is you have to be in the state that the book is able to operate in, so you have to drive to the state involved. In Wisconsin, your only chance to get anything is to physically go to Potawatomi or Oneida or some other tribal casino that has had its compact changed to allow sports betting. And the deals aren't nearly as good, from what I've seen.
ReplyDeleteAs for polls - I'm trusting voting results over anything that involves people picking up calls from weird phone numbers. Especially in silly season when corporate media networks are chasing headlines and horse races.
The voting results have been heavily leaning Dem for all of 2023 (especially in Wisconsin), and in pretty much any other swing state for the last 6 years.