Paddy Power, Ireland’s largest bookmaker, is taking bets on everything from the length of the State of the Union address (as I write this you can still get four-to-one for “over 55 minutes”) to the color of Obama’s tie (huge payoff if it’s yellow).
The big bet seems to be what will be the first cliché in his speech.
For example, if the first words out of his mouth are “I will not seek re-election,” you could win 250-to-one (those are the odds as I write). The more likely “health Care reform” stands at four-to-one. There are also lines on everything from the old Obama standby (“let me be clear”) to the highly doubtful (“always bet on black,” which began at 500-to-one).
