Looking for Winter Olympics odds, winners, and results? Look no further. I've been doing the down and dirty research that nobody else wanted to. Looking at events you've never even heard of. Finding trends, value, and situations in which the oddsmakers just didn't give their best efforts.
Below, you'll find all 102 events by date in the order the gold medal will be awarded. As events are completed, we'll update with the winner and his/her odds.
Not only will we make some money now, but we can also use this as a case study for Olympics to come. How often do big longshots hit? Are odds-on favorites essentially locks? Which events are worth taking risks on? We'll soon find out.
First up are the medal odds.
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Most Gold Medals
Favorites: Norway -150, Germany +225, USA +700
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) Sorry to break it to you folks, but Team USA is going to have a tough time topping the gold medal list this year. Norway's dominance in the ski sports gives them a huge advantage and makes them a strong bet even at -150.
Most Medals
Favorites: Norway +110, Germany +200, USA +375
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) Once again, Norway is an excellent bet. Me and some of my sharp Olympic syndicate members got down heavy at +140 and moved them to +110, but they are still a good bet at that price., which has $5,000 limits for this bet, has Norway at -155. Out of every Olympic bet, this one is my favorite.
(Winners and medals table to be updated the following day to prevent spoilers)
Now for the individual events.
The Ultimate Winter Olympics Hockey Betting Guide
Michael Leboff goes country-by-country to find some wagers to make for the hockey slate ahead.
Saturday, Feb. 10
Biathlon: Women's 7.5 km Sprint
Favorites: Laura Dahlmeier (Germany) +350, Anastasiya Kuzmina (Slovakia) +500, Darya Domracheva (Belarus) +550, Kaisa Makarainen (Finland) +550
The Pick: Biathlon can be a tricky sport to handicap (trust me.) You can be the best skier of the bunch, but you better not miss too many targets or else you'll rack up penalties. Go with Dahlmeier. She's favored in all of the biathlon events, but provides the best payout here. Her near 90% shooting accuracy combined with skiing prowess makes her the best in the world.
Winner: Laura Dahlmeier (Germany) +350
Cross Country Skiing: Women's Skiathlon
Favorites: Marit Bjorgen (Norway) -120, Charlotte Kalla (Sweden) +225, Heidi Weng (Norway) +750
The Pick: appears to be getting a wee bit lazy on this, as the odds mirror the 2014 podium. However, a lot can change and Heidi Weng of Norway has been very strong in recent World Cup events and provides a lot of value at +750.
Winner: Charlotte Kalla (Sweden) +225
Short Track: Men's 1500m
Favorites: Hwang Daeheon (Korea) +200, Lim Hyojun (Korea) +250, Charles Hamelin (Canada) +350
The Pick: With these races being notorious for slips, falls, and DQs, taking the favorite is a risky play. Charles "Chucky" Hamelin is an accomplished veteran who is still performing well in the World Cup circuit and has value at +350.
Winner: Lim Hyojun (Korea) +250
Ski Jumping: Men's Individual Normal Hill
Favorites: Kamil Stoch (Poland) +180, Richard Freitag (Germany) +350, Daniel-Andre Tande (Norway) +450
The Pick: You can't go wrong with any of these three, as they've all been racking up podiums in the World Cup. This is a good event to go with the favorite, though, as Kamil Stoch won two golds in Sochi and has won five of the past nine World Cup events.
Winner: Andreas Wellinger (Germany) +1000
Speed Skating: Women's 3000m
Favorites: Ireen Wust (Netherlands) +200, Martine Sablikova (Czech Republic) +250, Antoinette De Jong (Netherlands) +500, Ivanie Blondin (Canada) +500
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) This ~4 minute race was won by Blondin of Canada at the World Cup a couple weeks ago, moving her odds from 7/1 to 5/1. The favorite, Wust, may be focusing on the 1500, which is why you should take her countrymate Antoinette De Jong or Blondin for value at +500 a piece.
Winner: Carlijn Achtereekte (Netherlands) Not among 15 names listed
Sunday, Feb. 11
Alpine Skiing: Men's Downhill
Favorites: Aksel Lund Svindal (Norway) +300, Beat Feuz (Switzerland) +300, Dominik Paris (Italy) +600
The Pick: Aksel Lund Svindal, former Olympic Super-G champ, and Beat Feuz have been going back and forth on the World Cup circuit. However, Thomas Dreßen has had his fair share of success as well, including a victory just a few weeks back. At +1400, he has the 7th-best odds of the group.
Winner: Aksel Lund Svindal (Norway) +300
Biathlon: Men's 10 km Sprint
Favorites: Johannes Thingnes Bo (Norway) +110, Martin Fourcade (France) +150, Emil Hegle Svendsen (Norway) +2200
The Pick: You'll soon find out that literally every individual men's biathlon has Thingnes Bo and Fourcade somewhere between +100 and +200 with nobody else having shorter than 15/1 odds. For these, you'll need to make a strategy. There are four medals to be had and I'm willing to say that they will either split them 2/2 or 1/3. You could bet on Bo for all four. You could bet on Fourcade for all four. You could bet on both for all four and pray that someone else doesn't steal a gold. You could also bet on whoever has longer odds for each one. This is up to you, but I'm going to copy/paste this for each of their events.
Winner: Arnd Pfeiffer (Germany) +5000
Cross Country Skiing: Men's Skiathlon
Favorites: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (Norway) +100, Dario Cologna (Switzerland) +275, Martin Johnsrud Sundby (Norway) +500
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) The banning of Russian Sergei Ustyugov, who had +350 odds, has opened up the chances for Høsflot Klæbo to win his first gold. However, this is not his best event and I believe the reigning Olympic champ, Dario Cologna, has value at +275.
Winner: Simen Hegstad Krueger (Norway) Not among 25 names listed
Freestyle Skiing: Women's Moguls
Favorites: Jaelin Kauf (USA) +225, Perrine Laffont (France) +350, Britteny Cox (Australia) +400
The Pick: Unlike some of the other events, this discipline is not dominated by just one or two athletes. There have been several winners on the World Cup this year and I'll be going with Yulia Galysheva of Kazakhstan at +1200. She's placed at three of seven events this season, just one less than Kauf, including one victory.
Winner: Perrine Lafont (France) +350
Luge: Men's Singles
Favorites: Felix Loch (Germany) -110, Wolfgang Kindl (Austria) +230, Semen Pavlichenko (Russia) +700
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) Roman Repilov has the fourth best odds at +900 and is a strong value pick if you want to fade the heavy favorite, Loch.
Winner: David Gleirscher (Austria) +3300
Snowboarding: Men's Slopestyle
Favorites: Marcus Kleveland (Norway) +400, Max Parrot (Canada) +450, Mark McMorris (Canada) +550
The Pick: (Update: They added Max Parrot after initially omitting him for some reason) This is a very even field and an event that has plenty of room for error. With 13 riders having 12/1 odds or shorter, is not letting themselves get screwed over on this one. If you're looking to stay on the safe side, go with Mark McMorris. If not, try Stale Sandbech, 2014's silver medalist, at 12/1.
Winner: Red Gerard (USA) +650
Speed Skating: Men's 5000m
Favorites: Sven Kramer (Netherlands) -275, Peter Michael (New Zealand) +250, Ted-Jan Bloemen (Canada) +400
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) Kramer is likely the best speed skater of all time, but you should consider taking Ted-Jan Bloemen, who just broke the world record in this distance in December.
Winner: Sven Kramer (Netherlands) -275
Monday, Feb. 12
Alpine Skiing: Women's Giant Slalom
Favorites: Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) +200, Viktoria Rebensburg (Germany) +225, Tessa Worley (France) +350
The Pick: It's tough to go against an American favorite, but Shiffrin is not as good at the giant slalom as she is in the normal slalom. Value-wise, Federica Brignone of Italy is a strong pick at +800.
Winner: Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) +200
Biathlon: Men's 12.5 km Pursuit
Favorites: Johannes Thingnes Bo (Norway) +130, Martin Fourcade (France) +130, Emil Hegle Svendsen (Norway) +2200
The Pick: Literally every individual men's biathlon has Thingnes Bo and Fourcade somewhere between +100 and +200 with nobody else having shorter than 15/1 odds. For these, you'll need to make a strategy. There are four medals to be had and I'm willing to say that they will either split them 2/2 or 1/3. You could bet on Bo for all four. You could bet on Fourcade for all four. You could bet on both for all four and pray that someone else doesn't steal a gold. You could also bet on whoever has longer odds for each one. This is up to you, but I'm going to copy/paste this for each of their events.
Winner: Martin Fourcade (France) +130
Biathlon: Women's 10 km Pursuit
Favorites: Laura Dahlmeier (Germany) +225, Darya Domracheva (Belarus) +550, Kaisa Makarainen (Finland) +550
The Pick: I'll be going with Anastasia Kuzmina. At +650, she has the fifth-best odds for this particular discipline, in which she's won two of the five races this season on the World Cup circuit. Dahlmeier has the most recent victory, but this is a good race to fade her in.
Winner: Laura Dahlmeier (Germany) +225
Figure Skating: Team Event
Favorites: N/A
The Pick: This is the only event without odds posted, unfortunately. Given the format, I doubt there will ever be odds posted. I would say go Norway, but they don't really have any good figure skaters, so go USA!
Winner: Canada
Freestyle Skiing: Men's Moguls
Favorites: Mikael Kingsbury (Canada) -275, Dmitriy Reiherd (Kazakhstan) +650, Matt Graham (Australia) +1200
The Pick: Mikael Kingsbury is rightly an odds-on favorite and should be considered a safe bet, as he's won six of seven moguls events in this year's World Cup. The one time he was defeated was actually the most recent race, when he came in second to Ikuma Horishima of Japan. Horishima has the sixth-best odds at +1400 if you want to take a flier on him.
Winner: Mikael Kingsbury (Canada) -275
Ski Jumping: Women's Normal Hill
Favorites: Maren Lundby (Norway) +100, Katharina Althaus (Germany) +400, Daniela Iraschko-Stolz (Austria) +500
The Pick: I'm going to go with the favorite Maren Lundby. Kind of a boring pick, but she's been lights out as of late, winning six of her past seven events and coming in first or second in all 11 events this year. Some victories have been by wide margins and I believe the 23-year-old Norsewoman will take home the hardware in her second Olympic Games.
Winner: Maren Lundby (Norway) +100
Snowboarding: Women's Slopestyle
Favorites: Julia Marino (USA) +300, Jamie Anderson (USA) +350, Enni Rukajarvi (Finland) +400
The Pick: Can't go wrong with two Americans at the top of the list, but I'll be taking Jamie Anderson at the slightly better +350 payout. Anderson won the inaugural slopestyle gold at Sochi and has won five X Games golds in the discipline, including this past year's.
Winner: Jamie Anderson (USA) +350
Speed Skating: Women's 1500m
Favorites: Miho Takagi (Japan) -125, Ireen Wust (Netherlands) +400, Heather Richardson-Bergsma (USA) +700
The Pick: Miho Takagi has been consistently posting the best times in the world, approaching Richardson-Bergsma's world record of 1:50.85 set back in 2015. While I want the American to win, Takagi is going to win and set a world record.
Winner: Ireen Wust (Netherlands) +400
Tuesday, Feb. 13th
Alpine Skiing: Men's Alpine Combined
Favorites: Alexis Pinturault (France) +200, Marcel Hirscher (Austria) +300, Peter Fill (Italy) +1100
The Pick: Combining downhill and slalom, this event is tough to pick. Pinturault has been strong in the World Cup of this particular discipline, but slalom specialist Marcel Hirscher is a good pick at +300. He generally only competes in slalom, but is an odds-on favorite in both that and giant slalom. As long as he doesn't do horrible in the downhill portion, he should be able to take this one home.
Winner: Marcel Hirscher (Austria) +300
Cross Country Skiing: Men's Individual Sprint Classical
Favorites: Johannes Hosflot Klaebo (Norway) -500, Calle Halfvarsson (Sweden) +1100, Baptiste Gros (France) +1500
The Pick: Now, who am I to go against -500 chalk? I'm not actually going to bet on Hosflot Klaebo at -500, but if you are looking to take a risk, Emil Iverson (+1600,) Allen's son, lost to him by less than a second just a couple weeks ago.
Winner: Johannes Hosflot Klaebo (Norway) -500
Cross Country Skiing: Women's Individual Sprint Classical
Favorites: Stina Nilsson (Sweden) +100, Maiken Caspersen Falla (Norway) +165, Katherine Harsem (Norway) +1200
The Pick: Sweden's Stina Nilsson is a strong skier, but she's not the force that her male counterpart Hosflot Klaebo is. She has a couple of victories this season, but also a fifth place thrown in. She's not a machine. I'm going to go out on a limb here and go with Kathrine Harsem and America's Sadie Bjornsen (+2000) for value, as both have done very well lately.
Winner: Stina Nilsson (Sweden) +100
Curling: Mixed Doubles
Favorites: Canada +140, Switzerland +500, China +500
The Pick: (Full Breakdown)This is the first co-ed curling event in Olympic history and fittingly, Canada is the favorite. They are odds-on favorites and reigning gold medalists in both the men's and women's side. However, Switzerland, who just won the mixed world championships, has good value at +500.
Winner: Canada +140
Luge: Women's
Favorites: Natalie Geisenberger (Germany) -175, Dajana Eitberger (Germany) +500, Tatjana Huefner (Germany) +650
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) Luge is Germany's bread and butter. They have a decent chance at a sweep, but take Eitberger or Huefner for value over their countrymate Geisenberger.
Winner: Natalie Geisenberger (Germany) -175
Short Track: Women's 500m
Favorites: Choi Min Jeong (Korea) +200, Elise Christie (Great Britain) +275, Kim Boutin (Canada) +350
The Pick: The event where anything can happen. There's a good chance some of these favorites don't even make it to the final race. Do yourself a favor and don't bet on anyone with shorter than 10/1 odds. Arianna Fontana (+1200) has medaled twice in this event at the Olympics and provides great value. If you want to get even riskier, Shim Sukhee (+4000) is worth a flier.
Winner: Arianna Fontana (Italy) +1200…Boom!
Snowboarding: Women's Halfpipe
Favorites: Chloe Kim (USA) +250, Kelly Clark (USA) +325, Maddie Mastro (USA) +400
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) Arielle Gold (+650) is the owner of the 5th-best odds, but has some solid value compared to the young Kim and aging Clark.
Winner: Chloe Kim (USA) +250
Speed Skating: Men's 1500m
Favorites: Kjeld Nuis (Netherlands) +100, Koen Verweij (Netherlands) +200, Sverre Lunde Pederson (Norway) +800
The Pick: Denis Yuskov of Russia just set the world record in this event and would've been the favorite, but he was BANNED. I like Koen Verweij at +200, who has consistently been right on the heels of Yuskov. Depending on how fast the track is, we could be looking at world record.
Winner: Kjeld Nuis (Netherlands) +100
Wednesday, Feb. 14
Alpine Skiing: Women's Slalom
Favorites: Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) -400, Petra Vlhova (Slovakia) +1000, Frida Hansdotter (Sweden) +1000
The Pick: This is America's most likely gold according to the odds. Since there are no Norwegians in the running, I'll be Patriotic and hope Shiffrin takes home the gold. Wendy Holdener (+1100) is a good punt play.
Winner: Frida Hansdotter (Sweden) +1000
Biathlon: Women's 15 km Individual
Favorites: Laura Dahlmeier (Germany) +175, Darya Domracheva (Belarus) +650, Kaisa Makarainen (Finland) +650, Dorothea Wierer (Italy) +650
The Pick: Sorry Laura, but you're just not worth the bet at +175. Though Dahlmeier is the reigning world champ in this event and several others, she is no lock. She finished 48th in her most recent 15 km individual race due to errant shooting, which goes to show why +175 is a poor price. Dorothea Wierer has been shooting the lights out this season and could won the aforementioned Dahlmeier disaster race.
Winner: Hanna Oberg (Sweden) +15000
Luge: Doubles
Favorites: Eggert/Benecken (Germany) -2000, Wendl/Arlt (Germany) +700, Penz/Fischler (Austria) +1200
The Pick: (UPDATE: originally had posted -200 odds by mistake and then adjusted to -2000. Props to anyone who got them -200 before the move.)
Original Pick: The Eggert/Benecken team has won eight of nine events this season that were not single runs. Though these races are often decided by less than a second, they seem to always come out on top. If you're not down to lay -200, the Sics brothers from Latvia are punt play at +2000.
Winner: Wendl/Arlt (Germany) +700
Nordic Combined: Men's Individual Normal Hill 10 km
Favorites: Akito Watabe (Japan) +175, Jan Schmid (Norway) +750, Jarl Magnus Riiber (Norway) +750
The Pick: When you get lower down the list, you'll notice that these are the exact same odds as the large hill version of the event. That's not a typo. Bet on Watabe, the favorite, for both. The best ski jumper on the Nordic combined circuit, he's able to give himself a massive edge before the skiing portion, which he's also among the best in. I'd be shocked if he didn't come home with at least one gold.
Winner: Eric Frenzel (Germany) +1000
Snowboarding: Men's Halfpipe
Favorites: Shaun White (USA) +185, Ayumu HIrano (Japan) +400, Yuto Totsuka (Japan) +400
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) Though all of the hype is around Shaun White, I went for value with Australia's Scotty James at +1200. It looks like others have listened, too, because he's moved to +500 since my original breakdown.
Winner: Shaun White (USA) +185
Speed Skating: Women's 1000m
Favorites: Nao Kodaira (Japan) -165, Heather Richardson-Bergma (USA) +700, Miho Takagi (Japan) +700
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) Kodaira set the world record in her most recent World Cup race in December. America's HRB is a good skater, but she'll be lucky to break 1:13. Kodaira, on the other hand, may be setting her eyes on the high 1:11s.
Winner: Jorien Ter Mors (Netherlands) +800
Thursday, Feb. 15
Alpine Skiing: Men's Super-G
Favorites: Aksel Lund Svindal (Norway) +250, Kjetil Jansrud (Norway) +400, Hannes Reichelt (Austria) +650
The Pick: Aksel Lund Svindal is one of the greatest skiers of this era, but he's at the end of his career. I'm surprised at these odds, because his Norwegian countrymate, Kjetil Jansrud, is almost undeniably better at this discipline right now. Jansrud was atop last season's World Cup super-g standings and is sitting there this season, as well. He won the super-g gold in Sochi and has a great +400 payout for someone who should be favored.
Winner: Matthis Mayer (Austria) +1000
Biathlon: Men's 20 km Individual
Favorites: Martin Fourcade (France) +125, Johannes Thingnes Bo (Norway) +180, Emil Hegle Svendsen (Norway) +1800
The Pick: Literally every individual men's biathlon has Thingnes Bo and Fourcade somewhere between +100 and +200 with nobody else having shorter than 15/1 odds. For these, you'll need to make a strategy. There are four medals to be had and I'm willing to say that they will either split them 2/2 or 1/3. You could bet on Bo for all four. You could bet on Fourcade for all four. You could bet on both for all four and pray that someone else doesn't steal a gold. You could also bet on whoever has longer odds for each one. This is up to you, but I'm going to copy/paste this for each of their events.
Winner: Johannes Thingnes Bo (Norway) +180
Cross Country Skiing: Women's 10 km Freestyle
Favorites: Charlotte Kalla (Sweden) +100, Marit Bjorgen (Norway) +185, Ragnhild Haga (Norway) +1100
The Pick: Color me crazy, but I believe Ragnhild Haga has a ton of value at +1100. She has a victory and several other podium finishes this season. None of these skiers have been consistently winning so Kalla and the aging Norwegian superstar, Bjorgen, are not good bets in my mind at such small payouts.
Winner: Ragnhild Haga (Norway) +1100…Boom!
Figure Skating: Pair Skating
Favorites: Savchenko/Massot (Germany) +110, Wenjing/Cong (China) +130, Tarasova/Morozov (Russia) +450
The Pick: Figure skating is a very risky event. The two favorites both have routines that can result in very high scores—scores the other teams just won't be able to touch. However, there are of course risks of falls and other mishaps that will drastically hurt those scores. I'd go with the team of Wenjing/Cong, but tread very lightly.
Winner: Savchenko/Massot (Germany) +110
Luge: Team Relay
Favorites: Germany -1600, Austria +900, Latvia +1400
The Pick: Umm…Germany.
Winner: Germany -1600
Snowboarding: Men's Snowboard Cross
Favorites: Alex Pullin (Australia) +350, Pierre Vaultier (France) +350, Alessandro Hammerle (Austria) +450
The Pick: Where's Shaun Palmer at?!? With this race having the potential for spills, taking a favorite is risky. Several boarders have come away with victories this season, but Pierre Vaultier has been the most consistent. I just can't suggest taking him at +350. Omar Visintin (+500) of Italy has been solid over the past couple of seasons and has essentially the same chance of winning in my mind.
Winner: Pierre Vaultier (France) +350
Speed Skating: Men's 10000m
Favorites: Sven Kramer (Netherlands) -325, Ted-Jan Bloemen (Canada) +250, Jorrit Bergsma (Netherlands) +900
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) Sven! Sven! Sven! Kramer is a legend, but his compatriot Jorrit Bergsma is an excellent value pick at +900. Bergsma decided to focus on this distance and is not racing in any other events. He won the 10k gold in Sochi and clearly doesn't want his buddy Kramer taking it away from him.
Winner: Ted-Jan Bloemen (Canada) +250
Friday, Feb. 16
Cross Country Skiing: Men's 15 km Freestyle
Favorites: Dario Cologna (Switzerland) +200, Martin Johnsrud Sundby (Norway) +350, Maurice Manificat (France) +400
The Pick: I hate not taking a Norwegian when it's a viable option, but Dario Cologna is going to win this. The Swiss Army Knife has won this event in two consecutive Olympics and has been very hot as of late in world cup events.
Winner: Dario Cologna (Switzerland) +200
Freestyle Skiing: Women's Aerials
Favorites: Xu Mengtao (China) +115, Hanna Huskova (Belarus) +500, Danielle Scott (Australia) +700
The Pick: Mengtao has a big advantage over her competitors because she's doing a trick (back full-full-full) that only a couple women can do. This technical edge allows her to get the highest maximum score possible, but she just has to land it. Twice. She's come up short twice at the Olympics before and there's some chatter that she can't handle the big stage. That's why I'll take America's Ashley Caldwell at +1600. She's basically the only other competitor doing the bFFF and will pay out handsomely if she can nail it.
Winner: Hanna Huskova (Belarus) +500
Skeleton: Men's
Favorites: Sungbin Yun (Korea) -325, Martins Dukurs (Latvia) +275, Axel Jungk (Germany) +650
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) There's a reason you can find Martins Dukurs on Latvian stamps. He's good. Damn good. Too good to be +275. This was the second Olympic bet I placed, one of my favorites of the entire Games.
Winner: Sungbin Yun (Korea) -325
Snowboarding: Women's Snowboard Cross
Favorites: Chloe Trespeuch (France) +400, Charlotte Bankes (France) +450, Lindsey Jacobellis (USA) +500
The Pick: Lindsey Jacobellis knows that it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings.
She infamously lost this event when she showboated back in 2006 and she has yet to return to the final race at the Olympics since. I'll go with Michela Moioli, the Italian who has tied for the 5th best odds at +600. She has been on top of her game recently with four wins, a second, and a third place finish in her past six races.
Winner: Michela Moioli (Italy) +600
Speed Skating: Women's 5000m
Favorites: Martina Sablikova (Czech Republic) +120, Claudia Pechstein (Germany) +350, Esmee Visser (Netherlands) +400
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) Sabilkova is trying to three-peat in this event, but it will be tough for the aging Czech. In the most recent running of this event, Sablikova, Pechstein, and Ivanie Blondin (+500) were the only racers to break seven minutes. Only one 5000m race has been held this world cup season so handicapping the times will be difficult. While she won't be approaching her world record time of 6:42:66, she should be able to hold off her competitors.
Winner: Esmee Visser (Netherlands) +400
Saturday, Feb. 17
Alpine Skiing: Women's Super-G
Favorites: Lindsay Vonn (USA) +110, Sofia Goggia (Italy) +350, Lara Gut (Switzerland) +700 (2/13 update: Vonn +200, Gut +400, Goggia +500)
The Pick: Action over the past week has been on Lara Gut, who has moved from +700 to +400. She won the most recent Super-G event on the world cup circuit. This particular event has been a toss-up all season, though, with six different winners in six races. If you're pulling for America, the improved value on Vonn might be the pick for you. I'm going to go with Austria's Anna Vieth (+1100) who won the gold in Sochi. She had an injury a couple of years back, but has come back strong this season and is one of the aforementioned six winners.
Winner: Ester Ledecka (Czech Republic) +15000
Biathlon: Women's 12.5 km Mass Start
Favorites: Laura Dahlmeier (Germany) +225, Darya Domracheva (Belarus) +400, Kaisa Makarainen (Finland) +450 (2/13 update: Dahlmeier +110, Kuzmina +550, Domracheva +650)
The Pick: With Dahlmeier winning two golds already, here odds have moved close to even money. With this race likely to be rather hectic, I don't like betting near even money. I actually like Darya Domracheva, who had been dominating on the world cup for years until she was sidelined with mono for a while. She's won a mass start on the world cup this year and seems to be back to her normal self.
Winner: Anastasiya Kuzmina (Slovakia) +550
Cross Country Skiing: Women's 4x5 km Relay
Favorites: Norway -600, Sweden +400, Finland +1200
The Pick: Enig og tro til Dovre faller. Alt for Norge.
Winner: Norway -600
Figure Skating: Men's Singles
Favorites: Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan) +200, Nathan Chen (USA) +200, Javier Fernandez (Spain) +400 (2/13 update: Shoma Uno +100, Chen +175, Hanyu +200)
The Pick: Where did the days of Evegeni Plushenko go? After an impressive showing in the team event, Shoma Uno went from unlisted to an even-money payout. Talk about an overreaction! Nah, he's pretty good, but I'm not betting on him. Spain's Javier Fernandez can still be had at +400 and has won two of the past three World Championships.
Winner: Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan) +200
Freestyle Skiing: Women's Slopestyle
Favorites: Johanne Killi (Norway) +300, Jennie-Lee Burmansson (Sweden) +350, Maggie Voisin (USA) +450
The Pick: I hate going against Norway, especially when there are two potential winners (Killi, Tiril Sjåstad Christiansen +550,) but I'm going to do it here. At least I'd get something out of them losing a potential gold. Anyways, I really like Jennie-Lee Burmansson. Just a mere 15 years of age, she's basically the Chloe Kim of Sweden. She's one of the five winners on the world cup this year and also has two second place finishes, which has allowed her to top the event's season leaderboard.
Winner: Sarah Hofflin (Switzerland) +1200
Short Track: Women's 1500m
Favorites: Choi Min Jeong (Korea) -165, Shim Sukhee (Korea) +200, Kim Boutin (Canada) +700 (2/13 update: Jeong -110, Sukhee +250, Elise Christie +600)
The Pick: Minus-money in a short track event? Fat chance. After making the 500m final, Elise Christie's odds jumped from +3300 to +600. You may remember her from the 2014 games in which she crashed and subsequently received death threats. There goes all of her value. I'll take this opportunity to go with Sukhee at +250. This is a solid price for a unpredictable event. She's always right there with Jeong and they may employ some teamwork in order to guarantee themselves a gold.
Winner: Choi Min Jeong (Korea) -165/-110
Short Track: Men's 1000m
Favorites: Hwang Daeheon (Korea) +300, Shaolin Sandor Liu (Hungary) +400, Sjinkie Knegt (Netherlands) +500, Wu Dajing (China) +500, Shaoang Liu (Hungary) +500 (2/13 update: Daehon +250, Sandor Liu +500, Knegt +500, Dajing +500)
The Pick: Give me Shaolin Sandor Liu. I'm hungry from some Hungary gold. Hopefully him and his brother can pull a little shake and bake on Hwang Daeheon and Lim Hyo-Jun (+550,) the 1500m winner, of Korea.
Winner: Samuel Girard (Canada) +1100
Skeleton: Women's
Favorites: Jacqueline Loelling (Germany) -120, Elisabeth Vathje (Canada) +350, Tina Hermann (Germany) +450 (2/13 update: Loelling +175, Janine Flock +450, Vathje +600)
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) Janine Flock of Austria has moved from +1600 to +450 over the past week, while both Lizzy Yarnold and Larua Deas of England have gone from 25/1 to 7/1. All three have done well in training runs, while the favorite Loelling hasn't done very well. Loelling does have the track record though, so it is a bit puzzling. It's possible the Germans aren't going all out in practice, as neither her nor Tina Hermann have posted great times. I still like Loelling, but sprinkle a bit on Yarnold or Deas if you're nervous.
Winner: Lizzy Yarnold (Great Britain) +2500/+700
Ski Jumping: Men's Large Hill
Favorites: Kamil Stoch (Poland) +180, Richard Freitag (Germany) +350, Daniel-Andre Tande (Norway) +450
The Pick: Stoch didn't have a great showing in the normal hill and apparently hadn't been doing very well in practice, either. I believe that he can redeem himself in the large hill, as he truly has been the best jumper this season.
Winner: Kamil Stoch (Poland) +180
Sunday, Feb. 18
Alpine Skiing: Men's Giant Slalom
Favorites: Marcel Hirscher (Austria) -225, Henrik Kirstoffersen (Norway) +650, Alexis Pinturault (France) +900
The Pick: America's Ted Ligety (+1000) won this event in 2014, but has torn an ACL and had back surgery over the past couple of years. He's been skiing this season to prepare for this event, but has just one podium (a third place) in four starts. I like Hirscher and took him earlier (and will probably again later,) but #TeamNorway's Henrik Kirstoffersen is a good value play at +650, as he is always right on Hirscher's heels.
Winner: Marcel Hirscher (Austria) -225
Biathlon: Men's 15 km Mass Start
Favorites: Johannes Thingnes Bo (Norway) +125, Martin Fourcade (France) +125, Emil Hegle Svendsen (Norway) +1600, Simn Schempp (Germany) +1600
The Pick: Literally every individual men's biathlon has Thingnes Bo and Fourcade somewhere between +100 and +200 with nobody else having shorter than 15/1 odds. For these, you'll need to make a strategy. There are four medals to be had and I'm willing to say that they will either split them 2/2 or 1/3. You could bet on Bo for all four. You could bet on Fourcade for all four. You could bet on both for all four and pray that someone else doesn't steal a gold. You could also bet on whoever has longer odds for each one. This is up to you, but I'm going to copy/paste this for each of their events.
Winner: Martin Fourcade (France) +125
Cross Country Skiing: Men's 4x10 km Relay
Favorites: Norway -275, Russia +250, Sweden +650
The Pick: #TeamNorway
Winner: Norway -275
Freestyle Skiing: Men's Slopestyle
Favorites: Øystein Bråten (Norway) +325, Henrik Harlaut (Sweden) +375, Andri Ragettli (Switzerland) +550
The Pick: Now, everything inside me says to take the strange character named Øystein Bråten of lovely Norway. And…I like him as a safe bet. Value-wise, I like his compatriot Ferdinand Dahl at +1200. Dahl can be inconsistent, but can stomp some gnarly runs when he's hot.
Winner: Oystein Braten (Norway) +325
Freestyle Skiing: Men's Aerials
Favorites: Anton Kushnir (Belarus) +275, Qi Guangpu (China) +275, Maxim Burov (Russia) +325
The Pick: Jia Zongyang has the fourth best odds at +500 in what I believe is basically an even playing field among the top four candidates. Pure value wise, Zongyang is worth taking compared to the three favorites. He's won three of the six aerial events at the world cup this year and is slightly behind Burov in the standings.
Winner: Oleksandr Abramenko (Ukraine) +3300
Speed Skating: Women's 500m
Favorites: Nao Kodaira (Japan) -275, Lee Sang-hwa (Korea) +375, Brittany Bowe (USA) +1400
The Pick: I like Kodaira, but in this short race, the reigning two-time champ Lee Sang-hwa has value at +375. She lost to Kodaira by less than a quarter of a second back in December and will surely be right there with here in Pyeonchang, Sang-hwa's home country.
Winner: Nao Kodaira (Japan) -275
Monday, Feb. 19
Bobsleigh: Two-Man
Favorites: Francesco Friedrich (Germany) +175, Justin Kripps (Canada) +210, Nico Walther (Germany) +450 (2/15 update: Friedrich +240, Kripps +275, Johannes Lochner (Germany) +275)
The Pick: Very tight top three here. I'll be praying for Justin Kripps of Canada to keep Germany away from the gold. He has a victory and several other podiums this season in what has been an unpredictable world cup.
Winner: Kripps and Lochner tie for gold
Ski Jumping: Men's Team Large Hill
Favorites: Norway +115, Poland +125, Germany +350
The Pick: Enig og tro til Dovre faller. Alt for Norge. With three very strong jumpers, Norway has the most balanced team of the bunch. Poland is top heavy and relies on Stoch too much.
Winner: Norway +115
Speed Skating: Men's 500m
Favorites: Ronald Mulder (Netherlands) +350, Kai Verbij (Netherlands) +500, Havard Holmefjord Lorentzen (Norway) +800, Jan Smeekens (Netherlands) +800
The Pick: Speed skating has been a tough sport for me so far. I faded Kramer in the 5000m with Bloeman and Kramer won. Kramer was terrible in the 10k, but my pick Bergsma lost to Bloeman by two seconds. This is going to be a very tight race, with the leaders separated by hundredths of a second. Not risky pick: Mulder. Risky pick: Alex Boisvert-Lacroix (+1100) of Canada, who has a victory in the 500 this season and actually leads the overall world cup standings.
Winner: Havard Holmefjord Lorentzen (Norway) +800
Tuesday, Feb. 20
Biathlon: Mixed 2x6 km/ 2x7.5 km Relay
Favorites: Norway +200, France +275, Germany +350
The Pick: I am dreading this event to be honest with you. Norway is favored, but Germany has been stronger in the biathlon so far. This will be a big event as far as the gold medal race is concerned and Germany has the best woman in the field to go with two solid chaps on the men's side.
Winner: France +275
Figure Skating: Ice Dance
Favorites: Papadakis/Cizeron (France) -110, Virtue/Moir (Canada) +170, Shibutani/Shibutani (USA) +500
The Pick: This isn't skating, it's dancing. When it comes to dancing, apparently the French team of Papadakis/Cizeron are pretty good. This is their first Olympics, but they posted a world record score for this event just this year. They've scored over 200 total points four times over the past few months, while no other team has done it in history. Seems like a good event to take the favorite.
Winner: Virtue/Moir (Canada) +170
Freestyle Skiing: Women's Halfpipe
Favorites: Cassie Sharpe (Canada) +300, Marie Martinod (France) +300, Maddie Bowman (USA) +400
The Pick: There are a couple of Yankees I like for this event, and neither one is Maddie Bowman. Brita Sigourney (+550) has the fourth best odds and has been hot as of late. She won the latest halfpipe event and came in second place in the one before that. She's also coming over a silver medal at the X Games. For a longshot, Devin Logan (+3300) doesn't seem properly priced. She has a second and third place finish this season and won silver in Sochi in the slopestyle discipline so you know she comes up big on the big stage.
Winner: Cassie Sharpe (Canada) +300
Nordic Combined: Men's Individual Large Hill
Favorites: Akito Watabe (Japan) +175, Johannes Rydzek (Germany) +600, Jan Schmid (Norway) +750(2/18 update: Johannes Rydzek +150, Watabe +225, Eric Frenzel +250)
The Pick: Following the normal hill results, there was some serious odds movement for the large hill. Both events originally had the exact same odds, but that has changed drastically. I already have a bet pending on Watabe (though at a bad price,) but may sprinkle some more on Jarl Magnus Riiber, whose odds have dropped to +900.
Winner: Johannes Rydzek (Germany) +600/+150
Short Track: Women's 3000m Relay
Favorites: South Korea -110, China +300, Netherlands +300
The Pick: South Korea has been quite strong in the short track on their home ice and this event should be right in their wheelhouse. They have two of the best skaters, while the other countries really only have one.
Winner: South Korea -110
Wednesday, Feb. 21
Alpine Skiing: Women's Downhill
Favorites: Lindsay Vonn (USA) -120, Sofia Goggia (Italy) +225, Tina Weirather (Liechtenstein) +900
The Pick: With practice runs in the books, Lindsay Vonn is feeling a bit cocky. She ended up with the third best time, but slowed herself down on purpose. Listen…if you're gonna talk the talk, you better walk the walk. And you have one gold medal in 12 career Olympic starts…maybe just finish the training in first? If you think she can put her money where her mouth is, then by all means go for her. The woman with the fastest training time, Stephanie Venier of Austria, can still be had at 25/1 which is madddd value.
Winner: Sofia Goggia (Italy) +225
Bobsleigh: Two-Woman
Favorites: Kaillie Humphries (Canada) +200, Elana Mayers Taylor (USA) +250, Jamie Greubel Poser (USA) +250
The Pick: Unlike the men's side, America has a legit shot at gold here. I'll be hedging my bets here and going with Stephanie Schneider (+400) of Germany. Her and her partner had the two fastest track times in the training rounds and although consistency is key for this sport, this high end speed makes them the team to beat.
Winner: Not the Germans I picked, awesome! Mariama Jamanka +600
Cross Country Skiing: Women's Team Sprint Freestyle
Favorites: Norway +115, Sweden +130, USA +400 (2/19 update: Sweden -180, Norway +125, USA +550)
The Pick: With Sweden's Stina Nilsson winning the individual sprint, her team's odds have improved dramatically since opening. Like I care. Norway still has MK Falla, KR Harsem, and depending on how they set their team up, Marit Bjorgen—the winningest woman in Winter Olympic history.
Winner: USA +400/+550
Cross Country Skiing: Men's Team Sprint Freestyle
Favorites: Norway -275, Russia +400, Italy +700
The Pick: Lol. Norway could be down by a minute and Klaebo would still be able to come back for the win.
Winner: Norway -275
Freestyle Skiing: Men's Ski Cross
Favorites: Marc Bischofberger (Switzerland) +375, Jean-Frederic Chapuis (France) +400, Alex Fiva (Switzerland) +600
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) The odds have really changed since the original breakdown last month. They still have Alex Fiva listed as an American which has likely caused uneducated bettors to take him and push his odds from 16/1 to 6/1 over the past month. Originally, I liked Paul Eckert of Germany at 40/1, but hes down to 12/1. Now, I like Terence Tchiknavorian of France at 25/1. He has two seconds and a third this season and sits in 5th in the world cup standings compared to his 11th-best odds.
Winner: A different 25/1 guy…great! Brady Leman (Canada) +2500
Speed Skating: Men's Team Pursuit
Favorites: Netherlands -155, Italy +650, Norway +650 (2/19 update: Netherlands -250, South Korea +275, Norway +700)
The Pick: The Dutch have dominated the speed skating events this Olympics and this will be no different. South Korea did have the fastest time in the quarterfinals, but I reckon the Dutch weren't going all out quite yet.
Winner: Norway +650/+700
Speed Skating: Women's Team Pursuit
Favorites: Japan -500, Netherlands +450, Germany +900 (2/19 update: Netherlands -225, Japan +160, Canada +2000)
The Pick: What an odds change! This is really hard because Japan has the world record and was such a heavy favorite going in, but the Netherlands posted a slightly faster semifinals time. Like I said before, the Dutch have dominated speed skating at Pyeongchang, but I think this odds change was an overreaction that opened up some value on Japan at +160.
Winner: Japan -500/+160
Thursday, Feb. 22
Alpine Skiing: Men's Slalom
Favorites: Marcel Hirscher (Austria) -140, Henrik Kristofferson (Norway) +225, Andre Myhrer (Sweden) +1400 (2/20 update: Hirscher -225, Kristofferson +275, Michael Matt (Austria) +1600
The Pick: Hirscher has been dominant this Olympics with two golds so far. His win in the giant slalom over Kristofferson wasn't even close, really. Based on the odds, it is expected to be a two man race again and unfortunately, I don't have the faith in my Norwegian pal to bet on him.
Winner: Andre Myhrer (Sweden) +1400
Biathlon: Women's 4x6 km Relay
Favorites: Germany -200, France +400, Ukraine +900 (2/20 update: Germany -250, France +400, Italy +800)
The Pick: Germany had the lead in the mixed relay after the women were done, but their men ended up blowing a big lead and ultimately coming in fourth place. I've learned that biathlon can be a troublesome sport, especially when trying to handicap it. All it takes is a few missed shots and everything changes. That is why I like Italy at +800. Germany has Laura Dahlmeier, but if she isn't the best in her leg, it's a very wide open field. Too much to pass up on Italy at that price.
Winner: Belarus +2200
Freestyle Skiing: Men's Halfpipe
Favorites: David Wise (USA) +275, Alex Ferreira (USA) +300, Aaron Blunck (USA) +400 (2/20 update: Blunck +250, Wise +300, Ferreira +300)
The Pick: Could very well be looking at the first American sweep of the games, as they have the only four skiers with shorter than 10/1 odds. With Blunck qualifying with the top score, his odds have improved from +400 to +250. Blunck does not have the track record of Wise, though, and I think this odds movement opens up a good opportunity for bettors. Wise won gold in Sochi, at this year's X Games, and many other events over the past few years.
Winner: David Wise (USA) +275/+300
Hockey: Women's
Favorites: USA -120, Canada +100, Finland +1600
The Pick: Last Olympics, Team USA totally blew it by allowing two goals within the final five minutes of the gold medal game to Canada before eventually losing in overtime. As you can see, the oddsmakers really expect there to be a rematch. I hope there is. Today, we spell redemption U-S-A.
Winner: USA -120
Nordic Combined: Men's Team Relay 4x5 km
Favorites: Norway -120, Germany +130, Finland +1600 (2/20 update: Germany -225, Norway +175, Austria +1600)
The Pick: After a disappointing showing in the first two events, especially on the jumping portion, the Norwegian team's odds have taken a hit. They've had the better group of athletes this world cup season, though, which is why I like Norway at this inflated price of +175.
Winner: Germany +130/-225
Short Track: Women's 1000m
Favorites: Choi Min Jeong (Korea) -130, Kim Boutin (Canada) +140, Shim Suk-hee (Korea) +550 (2/20 update: Jeong -140, Boutin +300, Suk-hee +550)
The Pick: Shim Suk-hee did not make me proud when she didn't even make it past the quarterfinals of the 1500m that I took her in. Well, in my mind, that just makes her more hungry (and more rested) than the field. She can win in this event and I'm not expecting Jeong to win again at minus money.
Winner: Suzanne Schulting (Netherlands) +2500
Short Track: Men's 500m
Favorites: Wu Dajing (China) +125, Shaolin Sandor Liu (Hungary) +300, Samuel Girard (Canada) +800 (2/20 update: Dajing +125, Liu +300, Hwang Daeheon (Korea) +350)
The Pick: South Korea's Hwang Daeheon was favored in the other two short track events, but won neither. However, bettors clearly grabbed him at +900 a couple of weeks ago when they could. I like Lim Hyojun, who won gold in the 1500m earlier in the games. He can still be had at 11/1 and has had success in this event on the world cup this season.
Winner: Wu Dajing (China) +125
Short Track: Men's 5000m Relay
Favorites: South Korea +200, Canada +275, Netherlands +500 (2/20 update: South Korea -120, Canada +225, China +450)
The Pick: Tough to fade South Korea in their home track even with the line movement. They have arguably the two best speed skaters overall and will have the whole place cheering for them.
Winner: Hungary +1100
Friday, Feb. 23
Alpine Skiing: Women's Combined
Favorites: Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) +120, Wendy Holdener (Switzerland) +275, Federica Brignone (Italy) +550 (2/21 update: Shiffrin -250, Holdener +550, Brignone +1400)
The Pick: America's golden girl, Mikaela Shiffrin has seen some serious movement since the opening lines. She'll be looking to combine her dominance in the slalom with her above-average downhill skills for the combined gold and I think she should be able to do it. If taking the favorite ain't your thang, Norway's Ragnhild Mowinckel has silvers in both the downhill and giant slalom and is clearly excelling in Pyeongchang. She's available at 20/1, the sixth best odds.
Winner: Michelle Gisin (Switzerland) +1800
Biathlon: Men's 4x7.5 km Relay
Favorites: Norway -175, France +350, Germany +550 (2/21 update: Norway -165, Germany +250, France +275)
The Pick: must be pretty confident that the race will come down to these three nations because the next best odds are Sweden and Austria at 40/1. Germany's men's squad has had a strong showing at the Olympics, with a gold from Arnd Pfeiffer, a silver from Simon Schempp, a 3rd, 5th, and 6th from Benedikt Doll, and a 4th, 9th, and two 11ths from Erik Lesser. Very, very balanced and consistent team.
Winner: Sweden +6600
Figure Skating: Women's Singles
Favorites: Evgeniia Medvedeva (Russia) +105, Alina Zagitova (Russia) +170, Kaetlyn Osmond (Canada) +400
The Pick: Evgeniia Medvedeva is good. Real good. She's won 13 of the 15 international events she's completed over the past three seasons and came in second place in the other two…so yeah…bet on her.
Winner: Alina Zagitova (Russia) +170
Freestyle Skiing: Women's Ski Cross
Favorites: Sandra Naeslund (Sweden) -165, Fanny Smith (Switzerland) +600, Marielle Berger Sabbatel (France) +800
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) The original odds way back had Heidi Weng, a cross country skier, with the second best odds…whoops! Winning seven of nine events on the world cup this year, Sandra Naeslund is a safe bet. In the two she didn't win, she came in third, so she's been able to be extremely consistent in a non-consistent sport by nature.
Winner: Kelsey Serwa (Canada) +2000
Snowboarding: Women's Big Air
Favorites: Anna Gasser (Austria) +300, Julia Marino (USA) +350, Reira Iwabuchi (Japan) +400 (2/21 update: Gasser -225, Marino +100, Iwabuchi +800)
The Pick: Talk about terrible odds…an even payout for Marino while Gasser is -225?!? Yuck. Gasser's odds have skyrocketed since her huge qualifying score of 98. She's won all three world cup events she's competed in this year and has been very dominant over the past two seasons. I wish I saw this before the odds change, but Gasser is easily the best.
Winner: Anna Gasser (Austria) +300/-225
Speed Skating: Men's 1000m
Favorites: Kjeld Nuis (Netherlands) +100, Kai Verbij (Netherlands) +300, Havard Holmefjord Lorentzen (Norway) +400 (2/21 update: Nuis -140, Lorentzen +300, Verbij +650)
The Pick: Nuis won the 1500m in convincing fashion and posted a track record, while Lorentzen won the 500m by a hundredth of a second. For those who aren't good at math, this distance is right in the middle, but should favor Nuis. He has been the best in this length and, while not winning every time he hits the track, he is always right towards the top and can occasionally win by wide margins as he did in the 1500.
Winner: Kjeld Nuis (Netherlands) +100/-140
Saturday, Feb. 24
Alpine Skiing: Team Event
Favorites: Switzerland +225, Austria +275, Sweden +300 (2/22 update: Sweden +175, Switzerland +225, Austria +500)
The Pick: This is the first time this event will be held at the Olympics and it's a bit confusing. Essentially, it's a bunch of head to head races on courses that are right next to each other. There's heats, quarterfinals etc., so the best team may not be the best bet. I Like Austria at +500. They have the most gold medals and tied for the most medals in alpine events so far and should make it far in this.
Winner: Switzerland +225
Cross Country Skiing: Men's 50 km Mass Start
Favorites: Johannes Hosflot Klaebo (Norway) +300, Alexey Poltoranin (Kazakhstan) +350, Iivo Niskanen (Finland) +350 (2/22 update: Niskanen +250, Poltoranin +275, Dario Cologno +400, Martin Johnsrud Sundby +400)
The Pick: I am fuming right now. My boy Klaebo has a few golds to his name and all of the sudden decides to pack his bags and head back to the motherland. I did look at these odds a few days ago and he was down to the 5th or 6th best, which makes sense considering he's a sprint specialist, but I wanted as many Norwegians in the hunt as possible. I guess I'll have to settle for Martin Johnsrud Sundby, who won this event in its only running last world cup season. I would not be surprised if a long shot took this home, but given the lack of data to go off of, I'm not going to take a random stab at a 30/1 shot.
Winner: Iivo Niskanen (Finland) +350/+250
Curling: Men's
Favorites: Canada -125, Sweden +225, Switzerland +1400
The Pick: Canada and curling is like Canada and hockey. They go well together, is what I'm getting at. I liked Switzerland in the mixed event, but I'll take Canada as slight odds-on favorites in the men's and women's sides. The men will be looking for a four-peat.
Winner: USA +2000
Snowboarding: Men's Big Air
Favorites: Max Parrot (Canada) +400, Mark McMorris (Canada) +400, Marcus Kleveland (Norway) +550 (2/22 update: Parrot +150, McMorris +300, Carlos Garcia Knight +600)
The Pick: A few contenders didn't make it through qualifications (arghh Kleveland,) opening the door for the two Canadians. Much like the case in snowboard slopestyle, there were a ton of high scores in the qualifying round. That didn't carry over to the finals and I don't think it will here, either. Carlos Garcia Knight, who was originally unlisted, had the top qualifying score and has moved to +600. No chance. Mark McMorris is a strong bet at this price given his experience and long list of hardware in this event.
Winner: Sebastien Toutant (Canada) +700/+1200
Snowboarding: Men's Parallel Giant Slalom
Favorites: Nevin Galmarini (Switzerland) +400, Alexander Payer (Austria) +500, Andrey Sobolev (Russia) +500 (Galmarini +400, Benjamin Karl +550, Payer +600, Sobolev +600)
The Pick: This is a toss up, folks. There have been nine races in this event on the world cup this season with eight different winners. Galmarini is the one rider with two wins. That explains why there are 10 guys with odds of 12/1 or shorter. I honestly would not bet on this, but if you do, take Radoslav Yankov at 12/1. He won the world cup last season and is currently in 4th, yet has the 10th best odds at 12/1.
Winner: Nevin Galmarini (Switzerland) +400
Snowboarding: Women's Parallel Giant Slalom
Favorites: Ester Ledecka (Czech Republic) -150, Julia Dujmovits (Austria) +650, Ina Meschik (Austria) +900 (2/22 update: Ledecka -250, Dujmovits +700, Ramona Hofmeister +800)
The Pick: HEY ESTER! THANKS FOR TAKING THAT SKIING GOLD MEDAL FROM ANNA VIETH. This race is her specialty and she's won all but two events this season in which she has competed in. For hedging purposes, I like Ramona Hofmeister from Germany +800. She has a couple of wins, a couple of seconds, and a third place this season, helping her sit at 2nd place in the overall standings.
Winner: Ester Ledecka (Czech Republic) -150/-250
Speed Skating: Men's Mass Start
Favorites: Seung-Hoon Lee (Korea) +100, Joey Mantia (USA) +300, Koen Verweij (Netherlands) +800 (2/22 update: Lee -115, Mantia +450, Sven Kramer +700)
The Pick: This event is wacko. There's points you get for sprinting in certain sections and overall time calculated into it so yeah…it's confusing. Lee has won several of these races, but I don't feel like the big names always compete in this because they are focusing on their specialty event. Sven Kramer had a very disappointing 10k and will likely be looking to redeem himself. He's moved from 11/1 to 7/1 since opening.
Winner: Seung- Honne Lee (Korea) +100/-115
Speed Skating: Women's Mass Start
Favorites: Kim Bo-reum (Korea) +200, Irene Schouten (Netherlands) +300, Francesco Lollobrigida (Italy) +500, Ivanie Blondin (Canada) +500 (2/22 update: Bo-reum +250, Schouten +250, Lollobrigada +700, Blondin +700)
The Pick: Give me Francesca Lollobrigida of Italy. She's always racking up top-5s in this event on the world cup and anything could happen in the Olympics. Seven bills is a good payout for sure.
Winner: Nana Takagi (Japan) +800
Sunday, Feb. 25
Bobsleigh: Four-Man
Favorites: Johannes Lochner (Germany) +125, Nico Walther (Germany) +400, Francesco Freidrich (Germany) +450 (2/22 update: Lochner +175, Walther +225, Friedrich +250)
The Pick: Looks like Germany will win this… Lochner actually has been bad in the training runs, but Walther and Freidrich have been pretty consistent. I would consider Walther at +225 and if you were hoping for a long-shot, Benjamin Maier of Austria has posted the fastest run in track history and is available at 28/1.
Winner: Francesco Friedrich (Germany) +450/+250
Cross Country Skiing: Women's 30 km Mass Start
Favorites: Marit Bjorgen (Norway) -165, Heidi Weng (Norway) +350, Ingvild Flugstad Ostberg (Norway) +800, Charlotte Kalla (Sweden) +800 (2/22 update: Bjorgen -165, Kalla +250, Krista Parmakoski +600)
The Pick: This race could ultimately decide the gold medal race between Norway and Germany. For the love of Pete, Marit Bjorgen—end your illustrious career with a W. Give Norway that much needed gold and ski off into the sunset.
Winner: Marit Bjorgen (Norway) -165
Curling: Women's
Favorites: Canada -120, Sweden +450, Great Britain +650
The Pick: Like the men, the Canadian women have a knack for curling. They won the World Championship quite easily, not losing a single match in the entire tournament. You could try taking a longshot, but no team has done anything to suggest they can beat Canada.
Winner: Sweden +450
Hockey: Men's
Favorites: Russia +100, Canada +450, Sweden +450
The Pick: (Full Breakdown) A couple of weeks back, I broke down this event and Russia was +200. The odds have definitely changed a bit. At the time, I liked Team USA at +900, but had not realized they were in Russia's group…I TAKE IT BACK. I don't like Russia aka Olympic Athletes of Russia at an even payout, but I do like Canada at +450. They probably have the easiest preliminary draw in Group A and could definitely pull off a one game upset over team OAR if they happen to face off for the gold.
Winner: OAR +100
Photo via Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
