This article is part of our Betting Advice series.
A very busy February PBA schedule continues this week with the 2024 Just Bare PBA Indiana Classic. It is the fourth of five consecutive weeks with PBA titles on the line, perfectly filling the gap between the end of the NFL season and the beginning of March Madness.
This week's competition will take place on the 37-foot Viper oil pattern at David Small's Championship Lanes in Anderson, Indiana. That pattern was also used at the 2023 PBA Kokomo Classic and the 2022 Storm Cup. A quick look at the top of the leaderboards for those tournaments suggests that when we tune into the finals on FS1 this Saturday night we might see a lefty win a title for the first time this season.
Several of the world's top left-handers are on my radar, and as I navigate through the BetRivers Sportsbook app I'm enticed by another new, unique way to bet on the PBA action. This week we can bet on who will have the highest finishing position out of several groupings of five players. For example, in Group A, I can choose the top finisher between E.J. Tackett (+250), Anthony Simonsen (+275), Jason Belmonte (+350), Bill O'Neill (+450) or Packy Hanrahan (+550). For what it's worth, I do like Packy's outlook, as the lone lefty of the group, but if you think he's going to beat the four superstars in his group, then I think you're better off betting him to win the tournament outright at +1100. There are other group picks that do offer good value though.
PBA Just Bare PBA Indiana Classic Matchups - Group Best Finishing Position
Jakob Butturff, Group B +350
It has been a slow start to the season for Butturff. He began with finishes of 44th, 51st and 32nd place before breaking through with a sixth-place finish in Missouri. I can only speculate that the slow start could be related to lingering injury issues that kept him out of the 2023 Pan American Games and caused him to drop in the 2024 PBA Elite League draft. He certainly looked healthy last week, and keep in mind that we're talking about the top lefty in Tour points the past two seasons.
Matt Russo, Group C +400
With a fourth-place finish this past Sunday at the PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic, Russo has the hot hand and some extra confidence heading into this week's action. Last year, he had a solid top 10 finish on the Viper pattern at the Kokomo Classic, which is better than the other Group C players. Give me the long shot and the lone lefty of the group.
All odds via BetRivers Sportsbook as of February 19th
PBA Just Bare PBA Indiana Classic Winner Best Bets
Graham Fach +3000
Last week we played it "safe" and cashed on Anthony Simonsen +500. This week we're taking a bigger gamble and hoping for a big payday with a couple of long shots. Fach, who hasn't won a title since 2016, appears to be on the verge of re-emerging as a title contender. Though he only finished 45th in Tour points last year, he established himself as an up-and-coming player as a member of the Portland Lumberjacks Elite League team. He was the Players Championship qualifying leader after 24 games and in the top five for the Missouri Classic through two rounds of qualifying only to fade away down the stretch. I think it's just a matter of time until he puts it all together.
Justin Knowles to finish 1st or 2nd +2000
Sticking with the lefty theme here, Knowles is off to a strong start this season, sitting 13th in Tour points through four tournaments, right behind Fach. Yet 25 other players are favored to win over Knowles, which means we're getting good value here. You could also take him to win it all at +4000, but I'll play it this way and dream of a Fach over Knowles title match.
Obviously, the odds tell you that these bets are very unlikely to hit. The beautiful thing is that if either player makes it to the stepladder then you'll have a great opportunity to hedge your bet and come out a winner either way. And if they don't make it, then we'll be back with new picks before the finals at @RotowireBowling and @TheSpatula300 on X (Twitter).
2024 Just Bare PBA Indiana Classic TV Schedule
All times listed are local (Eastern Standard Time)
- Tuesday, Feb. 20 Qualifying Round 1 (six games) at 10 a.m. - BowlTV
- Tuesday, Feb. 20 Qualifying Round 2 (six games) at 6 p.m. - BowlTV
- Wednesday, Feb. 21 Qualifying Round 3 (six games) at 10 a.m. - BowlTV
Cut to top 32 (pins carry over)
- Wednesday, Feb. 21 Elimination Rd. 1 (six games) at 6 p.m. - BowlTV
Cut to top 24 (pins carry over)
- Thursday, Feb. 22 Elimination Rd. 2 (six games) at 10 a.m. - BowlTV
Cut to top 12 (pins carry over)
- Thursday, Feb. 22 Elimination Rd. 3 (six games) at 6 p.m. - BowlTV
Cut to top five
- Saturday, Feb. 24 PBA Indiana Classic Finals at 7:30 p.m. - FS1
