Question of the Day - 18 January 2021

I'm not that big a sports fan. I like bets where a small wager could win a big amount. Progressive slots, or a game like Let it Ride where a Royal Flush pays 1000 to 1. I know, the odds, the odds. 

Any game of skill is far more exciting than any game of chance and I've played every game there is or ever was.

Losing $500 or so on a positive VP game is no big deal. But I will sweat out a $50 football bet. Go figure!

Although I'm a football and baseball fan, this answer doesn't fit me. For me it's playing Video Poker and being dealt 3 Aces on TDB, DDB or SSDB. I'm rarely dealt all 4 and with that you have it already. The rush for me is pressing the button and hoping for the Ace, and hopefully kicker.

I define "Bang for the Buck" as potential payback per $ at risk.  A $10 pass line bet and $50 behind the line, while still slightly in the house's favor, is real close to a total "True Odds" bet.  

Some casino's used to offer up to 100X bets, but I haven't seen one of them in a while.

Just my opinion... 

I took the questioner to be asking about a single bet...for the buck..the "adrenalin kick."  For me, one sports bet (or similarly one lottery ticket) and I am a 'winner' for hours.  I'm jazzed until I learn the results, which may not be until the next day.  I don't get in a hurry to find out.  Weird, I know.

My mom used to say (mostly in regard to wrapped presents under the Christmas tree) "anticipation is more fun than realization."  I find it to be true in a lot of situations.

Candy

To me & my lovely spouse the thrill is playing a game where we have studied the game so that you can make the bet with the lowest house vig—craps betting pass line / coke bets with full odds—and combining this with a skilled shot giving you a long term edge over the house. It takes a lot of work but can be worth it

I enjoy most gambling but sports is 
a little different, you can get all analytical or it can be social with friends.  

By far the biggest bang for the buck was in "No Country For Old Men" when Anton Chigurh forces the gas station owner to call a coin flip for his life (it is strongly implied).

Casinos don't offer that sort of bet because of silly licensing regulations or some such.

Craps looks complicated, but playing the pass line is actually very easy; you only have to remember nine words to learn how, and I can teach anyone how to play the pass line in less than ten minutes.  If you don't believe me, shoot me an email.  For me, there's a lot more excitement in playing craps on a full table than stressing out by betting on other people engaging in a sport that you are not participating in, or hoping for a big hit with a low probability of success.  In craps, on a full table, there are about 30 pass line decisions per hour and the house edge on the pass line bet is only 1.4%.  On a $10 table, that results in an average cost of $4.20 per hour ($10x30x1.4%)in the long run, less if you subtract the benefit of free drinks while you are playing.   In my view, two hours of excitement for less than ten bucks can't be beat.

I'm no closer to heaven than when I'm sitting at a two deck BJ table with a $5 minimum playing with three or four other cheapskates.
In the nine or so days we are in Vegas, I can talk to people from all walks of from all over the world.
And every once in a while I come out even.

Many of the casinos used to have a $1 keno bet that could win you $100,000 - you know it was a very long shot. I think it was $1 and you pick 12 numbers. The power ball and 6-49 games have tremendous odds stacked against you, 12 out of 80 is worse. The Wizard of odds probably has the math but I am sure its out of sight. 

Vegas is no place for kids - but we used to pass through with our kids from time to time. We would give each kid the keno brochure and have them pick numbers for 4 games. The kids would watch the numbers and we could have a nice quiet lunch or dinner, the kids wouldn't fight, etc, we used to get complements on how well behaved and quiet our kids were. Best $16.00 I could ever spend. 

We did hit a $100 once and that covered an afternoon at the pinball hall of fame, two virgin Pina Claudia's, and a pay per view movie that night - while mom and dad went out for a few hours. It was also the perfect ending to Vegas Vacation when Sid Caesar scored the big one.

As shown by the comments, it really does depend on what excites you. If you sat my wife down at a sports book she would be completely disinterested, yet penny slots does it for her. I prefer horseracing. I could spend an entire afternoon with a $50 bankroll and enjoy the excitement of several races. That's why there are so many forms of gambling. The casinos will take your bet on anything the state doesn't ban.

I really miss playing keno while eating breakfast in the hotel coffee shop. I could get in about 3-5 games depending on how fast or slow the service was that morning... either the keno runner or the wait staff.

Pat Higgins:"...coke bets with full odds..." What's a coke bet?

Beyond the single bet on one game is the multi-game parlay; going for that bigger win runs over more hours & maybe even days. You'll be more into each game if you know enough to believe which team will win. Many years ago, the best parlay bet in Vegas was a 229-1 payout on an 8-team NFL parlay at the Plaza. I was sure about 5 games, so I covered every possible result (8 of them) of the other 3 games. At $2/bet, that cost $16. One by one, 4 of my 5 picks won, & the 3 games that I had covered both sides resolved. With 7 of 8 games in the bag, I needed the Rams to win by 4 points to win my bet. The game wasn't on TV; all I could do was watch a game that was playing & keep looking at the thin strip at the bottom of the screen for scores on other games. The Rams were tied at the end of the game & went to overtime. One team would most likely kick a field goal & win by 3, so I thought I would lose. After what seemed like an eternity, the screen showed the Rams won by 6. A $442 profit. Yay!