Any smart punter knows that taking longshot bets isn’t the smartest move. Longshot bets are referred to as such for a reason, after all. Namely that they are incredibly unlikely to produce any results. But sometimes crazy punters decided to face the odds, embrace Lady Luck and shoot for the starts. These are some longshots bets that would have produced incredible payouts.
Even still, it is always recommended that real money odds be approached cautiously. Smarter bets are far more likely to give long term benefits.
2011 – St. Louis Cardinals At 999-1
When thinking about odds most punters are put off when the numbers exceed a certain threshold. This is only smart, so who would even consider odds as outrageous as 999-1? Very few, and rightly so.
In 2011 the St. Louis Cardinals had been assigned such odds. The team was 4 games behind the Atlanta Braves, meaning they had just about no chance of winning the World Series. But yes, sometimes Lady Luck really does decide to throw a spanner in the works.
After the Atlanta Braves collapse the St. Louis Cardinals bounced back, managed to overcome the Texas Rangers and defied the https://sportsbetnrl.net/odds/. This means that if someone put a $100 bet on the team to win they would have been paid out 99,910.
2000 – Rulon Gardner At 2,000-1
999-1 odds are insane, so how about 2,000-1? In 2000 the Olympic Wrestling world saw an upset so big that it almost seemed like a glitch in the Matrix. Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner was virtually unheard of, having never managed better than 5th in any international competition. His opponent was Alexander Karelin, a behemoth pro that had never lost a single fight in over a decade.
How Gardner came out on top is an absurdity that may never be explained. Needless to say, those that bet on the underdog were certainly smiling. A $100 bet would have paid out an absurd $200,010.
2015 – Leicester City At 5,000-1
We’re getting into the truly ridiculous now, with odds so lopsided that it really does seem like a miracle. In the 2015 Premier League virtually no one expected Leicester City to even make much of an impact, never mind walk away with the title. After all, how could the bottom of the barrel underdog hope to perform against the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea?
Faith in Leicester City was so low that the odds of winning initially stood at 2,000-1, and even a nonsensical 5,000-1. Who in their right mind would take those odds with a smile on their face? Chances are that someone did, and it probably isn’t even necessary mentioning what a $100 bet would have produced.
1980 – U.S Hockey 1,000-1
These odds aren’t as crazy, but the results more than insane. The story of the 1980 United States Hockey team beating the Soviets is legend, and rightly so. The ragtag US team beat a world renowned Soviet power squad, defying expectations to the point of disbelief. Yes, sports miracles do happen.