Okay motocross fans… We’ve been struggling with the recent “numbers hung” (that’s professional gambling talk for odds) for this weekend’s Rockstar U.S. Open of Supercross over in the town we’ve all come to know and love: Las Vegas. To help get our heads wrapped around these mathematics (I’m a great example as it took everything I had to get through my business statistics class in college), we rang up Jay Rood, Race and Sports Book Director of the MGM MIRAGE in Las Vegas. A great guy, I had to slow him down a few times to make sure I was comprehending what he was telling me. So to that end…

The big topic of interest seems to be the Chad Reed versus James Stewart head-to-head Match-Up bet. The way the odds are hung in this “prizefight”, Stewart is listed at -125. Chad Reed is listed at +105.

“This means James is a slight favorite,” said Rood. “To make it simple, if you were to bet $125 dollars on Stewart, you’d get your original money ($125) plus $100 back. So you would make $225.”

In closing, Rood also made another interesting point regarding No Fear rider Heath Voss…

“I actually see value in a bet placed on a rider such as, say, Heath Voss. If Reed or Stewart were to have a bad first night or have a problem with their bike, laying down $1 to win $25 on Voss, could really pay off in a big way.”

So there you have it! In the next 72 hours, get on a plane, on a train or in an automobile and hustle on over to Vegas, walk into the MGM Grand Sport Book, look up at the big shiny tote board and throw down a few bills. Being able to fish a few dollars out of your pocket and bet on your favorite rider only adds to the fun and games atmosphere that makes the U.S. Open such a unique and enjoyable motocross race.

Good luck to No Fear riders Heath Voss and Dan Reardon.

In closing, thanks again to Jay Rod and the very informed Scott Ghertner at the MGM MIRRAGE for helping people (READ: Me!) who can’t help themselves.

-Eric Johnson