This article is part of our Betting Advice series.
The new PBA Tour season began today with a pre-tournament qualifier (PTQ) for the PBA Delaware Classic. The winner of the tournament will get a head start on the competition for the PBA Player of the Year award.
E.J. Tackett enters the season as the big favorite to capture his third straight PBA Player of the Year award and fourth overall. Anthony Simonsen, Jason Belmonte and Kyle Troup are the other top contenders, and I expect that the majority of the smart money will be wagered on them, as they offer more favorable odds with the talent to match.
Of course, you can never know for sure if a different veteran will have a bounce back year or if a new star will emerge. We always want to look for opportunities where we might be able to bet a little and win a lot. With that in mind, I asked the preeminent voices of the bowling betting world, Big Mike and Brooklyn Rob of the Sweep the Rack Podcast, to share their favorite longshots to win Player of the Year. For this article, I broke down the eight odds-on favorites at BetRivers Sportsbook, and the three of us shared our favorite +4000 or higher longshots. We also discussed the topic on last night's podcast episode.
For more on bowling betting, be sure to follow on X (@RotoWireBowling & @TheSpatula300).
PBA Player of the Year Award Favorites
EJ Tackett -250
At -250 odds, the books are giving Tackett implied odds of 71% to win his third straight PBA Player of the Year award. He dominated in 2023, winning five titles on his way to nearly half a million dollars in tournament earnings. In 2024, despite not winning a title until April, he once again led the PBA in scoring average, Tour points and money earned for a second straight season. There's no doubt that he belongs atop the list of favorites, but at -250 there's no value in making this bet.
Anthony Simonsen +250
In 2023, Simonsen posted a historically consistent season that would have been enough to win the Player of the Year award most years. He won multiple titles and finished top 10 in all 17 title events. His Tour points, earnings and scoring average were second to only Tackett. Last year, he won another three titles and finished second in earnings and third in Tour points. Simonsen is arguably the most versatile bowler in the world, as he has proven that he could even throw a backup ball consistently at the highest level. He's a lot closer to Tackett than these odds indicate, and this is my favorite bet to make right now.
Jason Belmonte +350
From 2013 to 2022, Belmonte won the Player of the Year award seven times in 10 years. In what would be considered a "down" year for him, he still finished with the second highest average (behind only Tackett) and fifth most Tour points in 2024. Until he proves otherwise, Belmo is still part of the "Big 3" of the sport, and it would not be a shock to see him return to his winning ways and claim an eighth POY award in 2025.
Kyle Troup +400
2021 Player of the Year Kyle Troup was an early favorite to win the award again last season, after defeating Simonsen in the championship match to win the U.S. Open and beating Tackett to win the Just Bare PBA Indiana Classic. However, a disappointing showing at the World Series of Bowling led to him slipping outside the top five in Tour points. He's still a player trending in the right direction, and a multiple-title season ending with another Player of the Year award wouldn't be surprising.
Marshall Kent +900
Speaking of bowlers who are trending up, how about Marshall Kent? Kent joined the PBA in 2014 but appears to just be hitting his prime now. He went from 41st in Tour points in 2022 to 14th in 2023 and 2nd in 2024. If you think we'll see him take another step forward this season, then you're getting good value at +900. I think it's more likely that he'll regress to being outside the top five players, so I'll be avoiding this bet.
Packy Hanrahan +1700, Matt Russo +2000, Jesper Svensson +2000
Next comes a run of lefties at much longer odds. Last year, Hanrahan, Russo and Svensson established themselves as the top left-handers in the game with their powerful two-handed release.
Hanrahan has finished in the top 13 in Tour points each of the past three seasons, climbing as high as sixth in 2023. Russo had his breakout season in 2024, winning a title and finishing seventh in Tour points. Of all the lefties, Svensson had the highest average and cashed in the most tournaments in 2024.
Unfortunately, the odds might be stacked against them. A lefty hasn't won Player of the Year since Patrick Allen in 2005.
PBA Player of the Year Award Longshot Picks
Big Mike's Picks
Dom Barrett +5000
Barrett has the major pedigree to win big events. He's a guy I could see winning a major and a title and walking into a Player of the Year award. He's one of the few Hall of Fame talents on Tour that has not won a POY award.
Tomas Kayhko +20000
I like Kayhko because he seems to be in the hunt a lot, particularly at big events. As a two-handed bowler, he has an advantage over most one-handers, and his odds are huge for a big payout if it hits.
Brooklyn Rob's Picks
Ryan Barnes +6600
Barnes is a prime candidate for a Rookie of the Year-type season but Player of the Year? Could he be the first ever PBA pro to win ROY and POY in the same year? I think it's possible with his father PBA Hall of Famer Chris Barnes as his touring roommate, mentor and coach. Ryan has the physical talent, confidence and pedigree to make instant waves on the PBA tour and what better way to do that than with a POY and ROY? Ryan is fresh off qualifying in Tour Trials and a 2025 Team USA trials victory.
Jakob Butturff +15000
Everyone loves a comeback story and Butturff could be prime for one in 2025. He previously was runner up to Player of the Year in 2019. In 2023, he finished 4th in Tour points. Butturff faced some challenges both on and off the lanes in 2024 and fell to 38th in points, but he has been doing a lot of work this offseason and is in a great place for a 2025 run.
The Spatula's Picks
Andrew Anderson +4000
Anderson was the 2018 Player of the Year, breaking up an eight-year run of dominance by Jason Belmonte and E.J. Tackett. After a couple years outside the top 25, Anderson bounced back in 2024, finishing 15th in Tour points and winning both the regular season's PBA Elite League Most Valuable Player and the Mark Roth PBA Elite League Playoffs MVP. A move from MOTIV to 900 Global could prove to be valuable in taking his game to the next level with the variety of bowling balls available amongst all the Brunswick brands.
Eric Jones +6600
For my other pick, I wanted to choose a player who could be "the next big thing." I love Rob's Ryan Barnes pick, but I'll mention another name that you can expect to hear about on Tour for years to come. As a non-member, Eric Jones won a PBA Regional Tour title in Oct. 2020 at the age of 15 years and 263 days, becoming the then-youngest player to win a regional. (Brady McDonough, also as a non-member later won a regional at the age of 15 years and 137 days old.) Jones's game continues to improve, and he took another step towards stardom with a fifth-place finish in the PBA World Championship and sixth place finish in the PBA Tournament of Champions. Last year, he had to earn his way into tournaments through PTQs, but by finishing 28th in Tour points he is now exempt and gets priority entry all season.
