Las Vegas Oscar Odds: Get An Edge On The Academy Awards Office Pool

Tired of losing your Academy Awards bets year? It’s sure a drag at the COED offices, but that’s mostly because we keep betting on movies that don’t get nominated. We have a $500 bet going on Iron Man 3 for Best Picture because–well, it was popular, and it was clearly the best picture of the year even if you didn’t  like that thing with the Mandarin, and there has to be some kind of write-in movement. Right? We think we got a shot there.
Anyway, more professional types will want to check out the numbers by oddsmaker John Avello–who’s built a real reputation with his work for Wynn Las Vegas. We don’t agree with everything he’s gone with in the major categories. For example, we think Judi Dench has a better chance for Best Supporting Actress than Avello claims. Same for Jonah Hill in Wolf of Wall Street, but we’ll also concede that Avello is making reasonable forecasts on the winners.
The important thing is that Avello’s annual predictions can keep you from flying completely blind. That’s true even if the Academy Awards are a weird thing where an actor’s fortunes can depend on if Bradley Cooper didn’t accidentally snub some 76-year-old screenwriter back in 2003. Hollywood is cruel, but John Avello just follows the odds…
Best Picture

• 12 Years a Slave:  2 to 5
• American Hustle:  4 to 1
• Gravity:  5 to 1
• Dallas Buyers Club:  15 to 1
• The Wolf of Wall Street:  30 to 1
• Captain Phillips:  50 to 1
• Philomena:  75 to 1
• Nebraska:  85 to 1
• Her:  150 to 1

 

Best Actor

• Matthew McConaughey:  1 to 2
• Chiwetel Ejiofor:  4 to 1
• Leonardo DiCaprio:  5 to 1
• Bruce Dern:  25 to 1
• Christian Bale:  30 to 1

Best Actress

• Cate Blanchett:  1 to 5
• Sandra Bullock:  10 to 1
• Meryl Streep:  14 to 1
• Amy Adams:  18 to 1
• Judi Dench:  25 to 1

Best Supporting Actor

• Jared Leto:  1 to 4
• Michael Fassbender:  5 to 1
• Barkhad Abdi:  15 to 1
• Jonah Hill:  25 to 1
• Bradley Cooper:  30 to 1

Best Supporting Actress

• Lupita Nyong’o:  4 to 5
• Jennifer Lawrence:  8 to 5
• June Squibb:  15 to 1
• Julia Roberts:  20 to 1
• Sally Hawkins:  25 to 1