When 300 Super Bowl props are not enough, we list even more

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Bettors take in basketball games at the LVH Superbook.
Photo: John Katsilometes

One of the great scenes we’ve never seen is the “War Room” at the Las Vegas Hilton Superbook as Sports Book Director Jay Kornegay and his crew compose the Super Bowl prop list.

“What about a prop listing Mike Wallace’s total reception yards against Mike Wallace’s total number of years on ’60 Minutes?’ ”

“That’s crazy!”

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Stevenson Sylvester celebrates after defeating the New York Jets in the NFL AFC Championship football game in Pittsburgh on Jan. 23, 2011.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Stevenson Sylvester celebrates after defeating the New York Jets in the NFL AFC Championship football game in Pittsburgh on Jan. 23, 2011.


Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) is congratulated by teammates after throwing the game-winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLIII.

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) is congratulated by teammates after throwing the game-winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLIII.

Green Bay Packer fans celebrate as their team cruises to a 48-21 victory against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome in the NFL divisional playoff round. Partly because of Green Bay's national fanbase, the Packers have become bettors' favorite team in the playoffs.

Green Bay Packer fans celebrate as their team cruises to a 48-21 victory against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome in the NFL divisional playoff round. Partly because of Green Bay's national fanbase, the Packers have become bettors' favorite team in the playoffs.

Jay Kornegay, pretending to study a betting sheet so I can take a photo of him.

Or, is it? That prop is not listed among the crush of 300 options on the Hilton’s 25-page list, which is printed double-sided to save paper (but not your sanity). Kornegay is largely credited with expanding the betting options for the Super Bowl in the years NFC teams were annually poleaxing their opponents from the AFC. He reasoned, correctly, there needed to be some variety of wagering interest not directly connected to a 55-10 outcome.

That’s how such deliciously innovated prop bets as the total receptions by the Packers’ Greg Jennings vs. total goals scored by the New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens were envisioned. Will Green Bay amass more total yards than all of the Big 10 basketball teams playing Sunday? You can make a wager, either way.

Of course, these types of oddball Super Bowl props have been offered for years, helping draw national media attention to Vegas for the quirky wagering options, where broadcasters are happy to report, “Only in Vegas can you bet the total field goals in the Chelsea-Liverpool soccer match against the total number of field goals made in the Super Bowl!”

One of Kornegay’s favorite stories centers on the infamous Bubby Brister appearance for the Broncos in the 1999 Super Bowl. At the time, Kornegay (a huge Broncos fan known to wear a beaten-up John Elway jersey during Super Bowl Sunday) was the sports book director at Imperial Palace and set an over/under prop on whether Brister would make a single rushing attempt.

As it happened, John Elway was pulled by Denver coach Mike Shanahan late in the 34-19 rout of the Falcons. Brister took over for two kneel downs, which count as official rushing attempts. Problem was, those final plays were not shown on the game telecast, as cameras were tightly trained on Elway, who happened to be crying on the sideline. There was rampant confusion at the I.P. sports book by bettors who had money tied into those Brister kneel downs.

"One guy, who was crazy, accused me of calling Shanahan on the sideline and telling him to pull Elway and put in Brister,” Kornegay once recalled in an interview hearkening to that game.

Such is the emotional roller coaster of the sports bettor, and if you are at all interested in prop bets not listed on the prop sheet, I’ve got a few. Listed below are a collection of Las Vegas-specific betting options, with the Hilton’s own posted over/under totals and other pertinent numbers noted where applicable. Oh, and the number on the Mike Wallace/Mike Wallace prop would be 40, the total number of years Wallace appeared on “60 Minutes.”

As they say, move the chains:

• Total number of businesses operating at Neonopolis by the end of 2011 vs. total tackles by Troy Polamalu (4½).

• Total number of candidates in the Las Vegas mayoral election (18) vs. total rushing yards by Aaron Rodgers (20½).

• Number of children treated per month for autism (83, down from 110) in Gov. Brian Sandoval’s new budget vs. total receiving yards by Green Bay’s Greg Jennings (81½).

• Sunday’s official high temperature in Las Vegas vs. total rushing yards by Green Bay (76½).

• Forrest Griffin’s official weight for his UFC 126 encounter with Vitor Belfort (205) vs. total net rushing yards for both teams.

• Age of Cher (64), performing her final shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace this weekend vs. total receiving yards by Green Bay’s Donald Driver.

• Age of Don Rickles (84), performing at The Orleans Showroom March 19-20 vs. total yards of first two punts by Green Bay’s Tim Masthay.

• Number of hours of community service Bruno Mars is required to perform as a result of his arrest on drug charges in September (200) vs. total rushing yards by both teams.

• First reception by Pittsburgh’s Meweilde Moore (3½) vs. total UNLV football victories in 2011.

• Statewide unemployment rate at the end of 2011 vs. total rushing yards by Ben Roethlisberger (11½).

• Total number of rooms at Palms Place (600) vs. total yards for both teams (666½).

• Rainfall in Las Vegas, in inches, for 2011 vs. total sacks (5).

• Total number of Las Vegas nightclub events hosted by any Kardashian in 2011 vs. total yards of Hines Ward’s first reception (7½).

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats.

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