Oscar Locks 2023 - These Will Cost You Though

These are the big Academy Awards "locks" where the favorite is almost guaranteed to win.  The problem is, the risk versus reward is rather extreme.  For example, -1000 means that a $100 bet will pay out $10.  Sure, you're almost certain to walk off with a $10 profit, but you also need to be able to afford the off chance of losing that $100.

The good news for gamblers is there aren't a whole lot of high priced favorites.  This means more competitive categories and the potential for higher payouts.

Rot     95th Academy Awards - Best Supporting Actor     Moneyline
501     Ke H. Quan - Everything Everywhere All at Once         -5000
502     Brendan Gleeson - The Banshees of Inisherin         +1200
505     Brian Tyree Henry - Causeway         +2800
506     Barry Keoghan - The Banshees of Inisherin         +1200
507     Judd Hirsch - The Fabelmans         +3300

Ke H. Quan losing is about as likely as you winning the lottery.  Let that one sink in.

There's only one problem.  You'll need to bet $500 just to win $10.  Ouch.  Many books limit Oscar bets to a maximum of $250 or less.

Rot     95th Academy Awards - Best Cinematography     Moneyline
625     All Quiet on the Western Front         -1000
626     Elvis         +400
627     Empire of Light         +700
628     TAR         +2200
629     Bardo or False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths         +3300

All Quiet on the Western Front is a "lock".  You'll never see the top-ranked MLB team with the best pitcher in the league starting anywhere close to a -1000 favorite against the worst team with the worst starter.  That's how big a favorite -1000 represents.  But we'd still put this one at around an 85% chance of happening.  Remember those big snow storms that were supposed to happen when we were kids and the storm went out to sea?  Well...

Rot     95th Academy Awards - Best Picture     Moneyline
401     The Fabelmans         +1600
403     TAR         +3500
404     Everything Everywhere All at Once         -1500
408     Women Talking         +10000
411     The Banshees of Inisherin         +1500
417     Top Gun: Maverick         +1500
419     Elvis         +10000
421     Triangle of Sadness         +10000
422     Avatar: The Way of Water         +10000
424     All Quiet on the Western Front         +800

This year's Best Picture category features a rare lock.  Typically this category has at least two competitive options.  Here we have "Everything Everywhere All at Once" coming in at -1500.

More Oscar 2023 Locks

These are listed in order from largest to smallest.

Rot     95th Academy Awards - Best Visual Effects     Moneyline
680     Avatar: The Way of Water         -3000
681     Top Gun: Maverick         +900
682     Black Panther: Wakanda Forever         +800
683     All Quiet on the Western Front         +2000
684     The Batman         +3300

Rot     95th Academy Awards - Best International Feature Film     Moneyline
645     All Quiet on the Western Front         -2200
646     EO         +1200
647     Argentina, 1985         +600
648     The Quiet Girl         +1200
649     Close         +3300

Rot     95th Academy Awards - Best Animated Feature     Moneyline
620     Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio         -2500
621     Marcel the Shell with Shoes On         +1000
622     Puss in Boots: The Last Wish         +900
623     Turning Red         +1500
624     The Sea Beast         +2000

Rot     95th Academy Awards - Best Director     Moneyline
301     Steven Spielberg - The Fabelmans         +450
304     Daniel Kwan - Everywhere Everything All at Once         -1500
308     Todd Field - TAR         +1400
313     Ruben Ostlund - Triangle of Sadness         +5000
323     Martin McDonagh - The Banshees of Inisherin         +1200

- Jordan Bach, Gambling911.com