"I might be the captain of the Titanic that goes down, but I'll still be a hero."
Although it might seem like hyperbole, it's a succinct way to describe Scott Berry's mindset as his hometown St. Louis Blues head into Sunday's Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
After all, Berry has been the talk of the gambling world the past few weeks, after news surfaced of his $400 wager on the Blues to win the Cup at 250-1 odds, a bet he placed in January in Las Vegas. That ticket could win $100,000.
But instead of the potential payout for his ticket, the discussion has centered around whether he should hedge his bet and guarantee himself some profit. Should he fly to Vegas and put down money on the Boston Bruins? Should he sell the ticket through PropSwap, a third-party marketplace not associated with any casinos that allows bettors to buy and sell futures bets?
His answer has been a resolute "no."
"The fate of the Blues will be the fate of me," Berry told ESPN via phone. "You never say never [for hedging], but I woke up Friday morning with the feeling the Blues are going to win this in six. That's how I feel."
Berry said he has received several offers to buy his ticket on PropSwap during the Stanley Cup Final, ranging from $26,420 to the current high of $75,000 (minus 10 pct fee) , but he has turned them all down. He admitted during an interview on Daily Wager that he considering hedging after the Blues lost Game 1 but hasn't since then.
"I feel like I'm in this with the team, and I don't want to lay any of it off," Berry told ESPN. "I put the bet down in January for $400 to win $100,000. That was the bet. ... I'm very superstitious and don't want to ruin any juju."
Berry has heard all of the Twitter comments and has seen friends -- and bettors -- suggest that he hedge his bet, particularly with the Blues up 3-2 in the series and the Bruins large underdogs (+250 series price at Caesars Sportsbook) for the first time in the series.
"I've gotten calls from friends who live in San Diego, and they're saying I'm the talk of the water cooler," Berry said. "Friends I haven't talked to in years giving me advice on hedging. In my opinion, I've already won. It's kind of crazy how it's all panned out. It's been a wild ride."
Berry has been to every home game throughout the playoffs and even attended Game 2 of the Final in Boston, but he watched Game 5 at a restaurant in St. Louis with 15 friends and family members.
"Everyone was pretty loud during the game, but until those final seconds ticked off, I was trying to keep my emotions in check," he said. "I didn't say a word the entire game, but once the final seconds ticked off, I celebrated."
The CEO of his company even sent an email encouraging employees to wear blue when the Blues play, and Berry has done a multitude of interviews with national and local broadcasts, including a local station that filmed him watching Game 5. He is a die-hard Blues fan, like so many sports fans are about their teams, so the extra attention and stress have worn on him, but he knows the journey is almost over.
"I got really emotional after witnessing the Blues win Game 2, their first Stanley Cup win ever," Berry said. "It kind of hit me. I'm looking forward to it being over, hopefully with a happy ending, and talking to people after this is all done, hopefully with the Cup on Market Street."
Berry will attempt to get a ticket to Game 6 on Sunday, but he doesn't want to pay the exorbitant prices currently offered on the secondary market. If he isn't at the game, he'll be watching with friends and family again.
"If I end up being the Texas Tech bettor 2.0, then so be it. I'll live with it," Berry said. "This has been an incredible ride, to say the least. In my opinion, the $400 I spent was well worth this experience. I feel like I've already hedged in a sense. The money is a great bonus if the Blues win the Cup ... but in my opinion, I've already won."