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The wiseguys, the sharks, the know-it-alls, or the bookmakers. Call them what you want but their is a group of people in Las Vegas that have one job - set betting lines in the house's favor. Their goal is to make sure the casinos don't lose money. This same group of people believe in Houston even more than when they jumped out to an early lead in the West with a ten-game winning streak. The betting lines are courtesy of Bovada:
The Astros odds to win the World Series have increased from 20/1 to 18/1, the eighth-best among Major League teams. The Nationals are currently at the top of the board at 6/1 odds.
At the moment, Vegas thinks the Astros are better bet to win the World Series than a few notable teams - Angels (20/1), Pirates (33/1), Yankees (22/1), Red Sox (25/1), and Mariners (25/1).
The Astros currently sit a third-best bet to win the American League pennant at 7/1, only trailing the Tigers (11/2) and Royals (13/4). Houston is the best bet to win the American League West at 3/2 odds, over the Angels at 2/1 and the Mariners at 11/4.
Dallas Keuchel is also listed with the second-best odds to the American League Cy-Young award at 5/2 odds, trailing only the Mariners' Felix Hernandez at 3/2 odds.