2018 Gambling Olympics: Adam Levitan an Underdog to Win One $1,500 Tennis Game

The Highlights

• Before the official Gambling Olympics, some of the participants will compete against each other in preliminary events.
• One of these events is a tennis match between Adam Levitan and Brandon Adams.

The 2018 Gambling Olympics is a two-day 12-person contest taking place in Las Vegas on July 9-10. The buy-in is $2,500, and the winner gets $10,000.

Before, during and after the Gambling Olympics, we will provide extensive coverage via participant profiles, event breakdowns and live in-person analysis. Be sure to follow all the action in the Gambling Olympics section of the site.

Introducing the 2018 Gambling Olympics

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Tennis Bet: Levitan vs. Adams

One of the preliminary events leading up to the Gambling Olympics is a tennis match between Adam Levitan and Brandon Adams in tennis, but this isn't your standard tennis match. For Adams to win the bet, he has to go 6-0, 6-0 in straight sets. For Levitan to win, all he has to do is win a single game. If that happens, will he and Adams continue the match to see who actually wins the best-of-three series (and by how many games)? Maybe, depending on whether there are other side bets made on the event.

Levitan and Adams are playing for $1,500.

Will Adam Levitan Win a Game Against Brandon Adams?

• Yes: +120
• No: -160

This isn't the first tennis bet for either of these guys.

Well, it's the first one Levitan has been a part of in which both players are using a tennis racket.

That's right, Levitan played against Stephen Bass, a former pro tennis player, who used a frying pan. Levitan was close to victory but lost in one for the ages: 6-1, 5-7, 1-6. He had four match points in the second set but ran out of steam.

Meanwhile, Adams has played in multiple high-stakes matches, including one with poker pro and former tennis stud Patrik Antonius back in 2011, ultimately losing 6-0, 6-1. Adams was a 10-1 dog and could have won $300,000 but instead lost $30,000 for his troubles. While preparing for his match with Levitan, Adams has apparently been unimpressed with the competition.

In fact, Adams has seemingly gone out of his way to insult Levitan multiple times.

Analysis

When asked about the match, Levitan said he believes his stamina woes won't come back to haunt him.

One thing about the frying-pan match was that fitness became a huge factor. I just couldn't move deep in the second set and third set. In this match, fitness shouldn't be as big of a factor since I'm just trying to win one game. I've been playing about two times per week for the last five weeks or so. I feel OK about my game but really have no idea how good Brandon is outside of some YouTube clips. I think the line is fair considering he knows how good I am based on the tape from the frying-pan match.

As Peter Jennings has noted before on “The Three Donkeys” podcast, Levitan's opponent never takes a challenge lightly and is no doubt training hard for the match. In talking about his preparation for the Gambling Olympics, Adams seemed most focused on the tennis bet:

Q: How many hours of prep are you putting into this?

Adams: Limited. Need to play Yahtzee and Acey-Deucey for the first time. Also need to fortify mental game ahead of Levitan tennis prop and engage additional action at a more reasonable line of -10 games -130.

If Adams is willing to give -130 odds at -10 games, he must be confident. And if he's confident, I am too.

The pick: Adams -160