Ian McMillin's Blog

In my last blog, I announced that I was moving over to FanDuel to protest DraftKing’s antics that deliberately prevented me from publishing my curling blog in a timely manner. After thinking it over, I realized that by moving away from DraftKings, I am actually giving them exactly what they wanted. Let’s be real: DraftKings hasn’t stayed alive this long by letting razor-sharp gamblers continue to bet on marquee sports. DraftKings wanted me to get mad at them and move to Fanduel, so that I could bankrupt Fanduel (a morally upstanding company) instead. Unfortunately for them, I saw right through this little ruse. 

Oh, and the aforementioned blog that Draftkings was terrified of me publishing? It went 4-0. We have yet to miss a curling pick on the Ian McMillin Blog, and, if I’m understanding Newton’s First Law of Motion correctly, we never will. 

Play of the Day: China ML +105 on DraftKings

We rolled with the Chinese in the last blog, and they didn’t let us down. I have seen online that, in curling, it is typical of the Chinese to have great skill but lack strategy. This is reflected in their rocky start in this tournament, but after getting some in-game experience, the Chinese have started to string a couple wins together. They beat the United States and the Italians easily, but lost their most recent match to the Czech Republic (!?).

We all know that I am not high on Czech curling, so I hope the Chinese feel a little embarrassed and see this upcoming match against Germany as an opportunity for redemption. Germany hasn’t done anything to wow me this tournament, but at the same time they have put in some respectable performances, with solid wins against Sweden and Italy. If China can execute their gameplan, then I think their talent will be what separates them from the Germans. 

Parlay: Sweden ML, Canada ML, Switzerland ML, China ML +389 on DraftKings

Aside from the China pick, we are going with the favorites here. Sweden plays the Czech Republic, which is an auto-fade for me. I am not a believer in Czech curling, and the Swedes are a talented team that has had a rough go so far. With that being said, I don’t know if the Swedes will cover -2.5, so maybe throw a couple bucks on Czech spread to hedge if disaster strikes. But the official pick here is Sweden. 

Canada have established themselves as the bad boys of curling, and I am a big fan. Every sport needs a good villain, and the scandal surrounding Canada’s Marc Kennedy has brought a lot of attention to curling. I even heard a rumor that the Canadian men’s curling team is to blame for the condom shortage at the Olympic village, but that strikes me as a good thing. The boys are winning on and off the ice, and I think they will use that momentum to dominate Norway.

Finally, the Swiss curling team ran a little under the radar to start the tournament, but have put together some strong results, including a 9-5 masterclass against Canada. Italy hasn’t done anything special, and I think the Swiss cruise to a win and even cover -1.5. 

I think I’ll be able to get in one more curling blog before the end of the tournament. I’ve found that the slow pace of curling actually makes it a really fun sport to gamble on, and I will miss it when it is gone. If anyone knows of a sportsbook that will have odds on The Rock League, then let me know.