Sucker's Bet: Predicting a Win on 'American Idol'
Paula Abdul may have been shocked by his departure last night, but some of the country's top betting sites predicted Chris Daughtry's ouster from 'American Idol.'
Pinnaclesports.com, the largest online sports betting site, significantly dropped its odds on Daughtry after his shaky performance on the show Tuesday night. His odds of getting booted started at 12 to 1 before Tuesday, but then fell to even odds going into Wednesday night's elimination. More warnings came from Gambling911.com, which warned that Daughtry could be voted off. Zabasearch.com also predicted a Daughtry departure.
But other online sites that had been accurate 'A.I.' indicators were just as shocked as Paula. Both Wagerweb.com and Screensavers.com banked on Daughtry staying in the top spot, with Elliot Yamin being voted off. Both were proved wrong last night.
Considering Pinnacle.com's track record, here are the tentative odds to win going into next week:
| Taylor Hicks | 5/8 (i.e., win $5 for every $8 bet) |
| Katharine McPhee | 5/2 |
| Elliot Yamin | 5/1 |
Zabasearch.com also has Taylor Hicks tentatively in the top spot, and with their accuracy, it looks like Hicks might be busting his crazy dance moves in the winner's circle, much to Simon's dismay.