The window has closed and the bettors are clutching their tickets, anxiously awaiting the results of the SC17 Student Cluster Competition. We’ve seen big changes in the betting line over the last few days. In our first odds round-up, NTHU, Tsinghua, and Team Poland were early favorites at around 4 or 5 to 1. But as more (virtual) money has been played, we’ve seen the lines move.
As we’re closing out the pool, the betting favorites are Team Poland at 3.9 to 1 and Team Georgia at 4.6 to 1. Following closely behind are the Asian powerhouse teams NTHU and Tsinghua at 5.6 to 1 and 7.7 to 1 respectively.
There are some experienced teams that probably deserved more action from bettors. Defending SC16 champion USTC, for instance, should definitely not be a 199 to 1 underdog. The same applies to team Nanyang and Illinois – these are both teams on the upswing.
But who can tell what the betting public is thinking? It’s a combination of logic, emotion, and just plain “I gotta hunch” thinking. We’ll see how it all plays out.
I’ll be writing up a comprehensive “Who Won & Why” article in the days following the competition. In this story, we’ll look at the top finishers and compare what really happened to what our bettors thought would happen. If you ask me, there are a lot of bettors who will be tearing up their stubs in anger and crying in their beer when the final results are revealed, but I could be wrong. Stay tuned…..