Ian McMillin's Blog

We are back with the curling bets. In order for me to maximize my focus and decision making abilities, I decided to do two 8-hour darkness retreats starting at midnight Thursday and Friday. I think that DraftKings got wind of this, and they responded by not listing any of the Men’s Curling markets until the day of. I was planning on writing this blog on Thursday to cover the 2:05 AM curling slate on Friday, but I would have had to interrupt my second darkness retreat, which is non-negotiable. 

DraftKings is hellbent on preventing me from getting my picks out, so this blog will have to be short in order to get them out on time. I will be using Fanduel odds out of protest, and because Fanduel is giving better odds on the play of the day.

Play of the Day: China +2.5 -113 Fanduel

The Chinese have had a rough go of it so far, but I like them to rebound against the Swiss. Switzerland has looked good in wins against the US and the Czech Republic, but those are two of the weakest sides in the tournament. China has faced tougher competition in Great Britain and Norway, and they will be hungry for their first win. I don’t know if the Chinese will be able to win outright, but I like them to keep it within two points against the Swiss. 

Parlay: China +2.5, Canada -1.5, Germany +1.5, Norway ML +768 Fanduel

We have gone over the China leg already. I think that Canada gets a signature win against a strong Swedish side. The Canadians have looked good and are coming off a nice win against the US, while Sweden has only played once, losing in a close one to Italy. I think that Sweden will have to shake off the rust to start off, which an elite Canada team will exploit to take an early lead. 

Germany and Italy are evenly matched, and this pick is a gut-feeling one more than it is backed by evidence. I think that the curling fan in me is rooting for an Instant Classic in this matchup, with either team only winning by a point. 

Call me crazy, but I am a skeptic of Czech curling. I picked against them in the mixed-doubles, and I will pick against them here in the Men’s. Norway is a solid team, and I think that Coach Thomas Loevold will have the boys ready to curl. 

I want to get one more curling blog in before this Olympics ends, but DraftKing’s shenanigans are making it hard to get the blogs written in a timely manner. Hopefully my use of Fanduel will show them that I don’t mess around, and that I will only return to Draftkings when Fanduel inevitably screws me over or if Draftkings would like to sponsor the blog.