‘Bad Beat.’ Two of the most infuriating words in the English language. No, scratch that; they are two of the most infuriating words in the ‘gambling language.’ (If there is one?) They are two terms that when separate, can bring on simpler meanings of their own. But when they are combined together…..they bring on a whole new definition, that makes degenerates (like myself) quake in their boots.

What is a ‘bad beat,’ you may ask? Well, according to Bleacher Nation, it is defined as;

“….those gut-wrenching scenarios where your carefully crafted bet crumbles under the weight of an improbable, last-minute twist.”

It is one of those moments in time where you think you’re going to come out victorious, but some last-second plot twist from the ‘Gambling Gods’ makes you wish that you thought otherwise. It doesn’t matter if it’s a random tackle in the end-zone that results in a safety, or even a blocked extra-point that ruins your over; ‘Bad Beat’s’ can strike at ANY MOMENT of ANY DAY!

The worst ‘beats’ that you could possibly come by though…..they aren’t the ones that happen in a game. They aren’t the ones that decide a single contest, or change a single score in a blink of an eye. NO! They are the ones that are drawn out. They are the ones that take MONTHS to be decided, sort of like David Montgomery’s season rushing total, which ended up being decided…..by ONLY HALF A YARD.

David Montgomery’s season total rushing prop was O/U 775.5 yards.

He just underwent season-ending knee surgery, and will finish the season with…….

775 rushing yards.

Worst beat ever? 🤢 pic.twitter.com/s6JRS2h8K7

— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) December 17, 2024

THAT…..that may be the worst ‘beat’ I’ve ever seen in my entire life. In my 5+ years of gambling (legally) in the United States, I don’t think I’ve seen anything worse than that. Sure, I’ve had a few ‘bad beats’ not go my way in the past. I had Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns miss his 25.5 point total by a half a point, which ended up costing me a 12-leg parlay worth $2,500. I had a seven-leg parlay go up in flames, all because of the RIDICULOUS ending to the Virginia Tech/Miami game earlier this year.

But THIS?!?!? This has to be the biggest ball-busting affair in the history of sports gambling. If you had Monty’s over on the year, with the way that the Lions had been playing……you probably thought you were sitting pretty. You probably thought that it was going to be a cake walk. But THEN…..he ends up getting injured right at 775, and the ‘hook’ does you in. The ‘hook’ ends up sending you down a pit of despair that you were not expecting.

Five months of waiting…..and it’s all for not.

It’s a sad way to go out, it really is. Granted, under bettors are probably sitting pretty at this moment. They’re probably wiping the sweat off of their brows, and saying to themselves; “woah, that was close.” But for the over bettors out there…..they’re going to need a few days (or even weeks) to shake off this loss. This is going to stick with them for a while, like a barnacle on the underside of a whale.

So in the end, if you know someone who lost this over……I would suggest offering them a hug. They are probably in mourning, and they probably need it. But as always, what do I know? I’m just a guy from the Midwest, with a beer and a laptop, trying to make sense of this world.