It’s official: Pat McAfee was a winning gambler this football season.
Despite missing both of his Super Bowl picks, the FanDuel personality ended the year with a combined betting record of 62-61.
That record swung wildly back and forth throughout the season, but finally ended up in the green when the dust settled. Things could have gotten ugly if McAfee had placed a larger slate of Super Bowl bets.
Pat McAfee loses $30,000 coin toss bet
McAfee went all in on novelty prop betting for this year’s Super Bowl. He bet $30,000 on the coin toss alone.
Novelty props have small limits for the average gambler. The typical Hoosier wouldn’t be able to bet that kind of money on the coin toss.
However, since McAfee works for FanDuel, he was able to get the company to approve his massive wager.
Although McAfee’s overall football betting record ended in positive territory, his NFL record finished dead even at 48-48.
McAfee releases his picks as part of the Hammer Dahn portion of The Pat McAfee Show.
After the rest of his co-hosts picked Kansas City’s spread, McAfee jumped on the wagon to make it the show’s unanimous Super Bowl pick, ending his Super Bowl betting slate with just those two wagers.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pat’s Picks: Chiefs -3, Coin Toss lands on tails
Pat’s Explanation:
“I feel like people have forgot [sic], the Chiefs are the Chiefs. Although the Chiefs didn’t cover all god damn year, and they cost us all a lot of money, okay? If you look at what they did in the championship game, and if you look at what they did in moments when they had to play well, they just do. And Tom Brady is an immovable object, I understand. He will be in the Super Bowl, that’s how it goes. But this seems to be something that is much more powerful than anything we can fully understand. That whole team has an it-factor to them.”
Final Score: Buccaneers 31, Chiefs 9
Did Pat Win? No, 0-2. Pat McAfee loses both his big coin toss bet and his spread bet.
Pat McAfee’s rollercoaster gambling year
Pat’s Picks may have ended at about even, but that wasn’t the case for most of the season.
McAfee started off the football year on fire. His betting record was sitting at 33-20 after the first handful of weeks.
November was a turbulent month for the former Indianapolis Colts punter. Within a few weeks, that 33-20 record quickly dipped to 42-41.
McAfee spent the rest of the season just barely skating by. His betting record swung in both directions during the final weeks of the NFL regular season.
Pat’s NFL picks ultimately finished dead even at 48-48.
In the end, his college football picks were what gave him a winning overall record.
During the first half of the college football season, McAfee was a regular on College GameDay, where he released a weekly set of picks.
Those picks stopped coming back in mid-November, but his 14-13 record during the first chunk of the season was enough to push his overall betting record over the top.
Here’s a look at McAfee’s final records for the 2020-2021 football season:
- NFL: 48-48
- College Football: 14-13
- Combined: 62-61
Should you take Pat McAfee’s betting picks?
You were a winner this season if you took all of McAfee’s football betting picks. That is, assuming that you bet the same amount on all of your wagers.
So should you be hopping on Pat’s Picks every week? The answer varies from person to person.
The vast majority of “expert picks” out there are not winners. In general, it’s a good rule of thumb to never pay for any set of “locks” that you might find out there on the internet.
Even free picks should be approached with caution.
It’s next to impossible to be a big winner in the long run when it comes to sports betting. Even professionals in the sports world like Pat McAfee and Colin Cowherd are barely breaking even in the best case scenario.
However, that’s not to say that free picks don’t have any value. If you’re a fan of the Pat McAfee Show, then taking some of Pat’s Picks could be a fun way to follow the show throughout the year.
Just don’t expect to get rich off of McAfee’s or anyone else’s set of expert picks. As always, practice responsible gambling by setting limits for yourself and never betting what you’re not willing to lose.
PlayIndiana tracked Pat’s Picks throughout the entire college football and NFL seasons, so thanks for checking back in every week to see if McAfee could keep his head above water.
We will see you next season.
