Game of Thrones odds: Who will rule Westeros by the end of season 8?
"When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die."
That's what Cersei Lannister said to Ned Stark all the way back in the first season of HBO's Game of Thrones. And she was right, especially on the series that's heading toward its final season.
What it also means is there should be a winner of the game by the end of the eight-episode run that starts Sunday. That's why some bookmakers have posted actual odds on who will claim the Iron Throne, so naturally, we had to take our shot at the best picks.
As always, we warn you: SPOILER ALERT AHEAD!!
Here are the odds we're using:
And here are the picks:
Jon Snow +350
Have we gotten too consumed by all the fan theories? Maybe we've had too much time to ponder the show's outcome, and we're overthinking it. It's "A Song of Fire and Ice." Jon Snow (or Aegon Targaryen) is the embodiment of Fire and Ice. He's finishing with the throne. The odds won't give you a huge payout, but George R.R. Martin telegraphed his pass with the book's title. – Henry McKenna
Cersei +2500
I have a hunch that Gendry winds up on the Iron Throne because it seems like a no-brainer to me that he's the actual true-born son of Robert and Cersei that Cersei claims died -- Gendry says that all he remembers about his mother is that she had yellow hair, and we know Cersei's only weakness is for her children, so she wouldn't be able to kill one of them even if she'd rather it be a full-blooded Lannister incest baby ruling Westeros. I think Gendry's going to get a super cool arc in Season 8 and possibly wind up marrying Arya, but I just can't bet on a relatively minor character at +700. A better pick seems like Cersei herself at +2500. Yes, she seems like a pretty safe bet to die, but she has always seemed like a pretty safe bet to die and she has lasted this long. She as cunning as anyone in the show, she's more or less the incumbent to the throne, and she's just about the only character who's not ready to risk her life fighting the Night King. I feel like there's zero chance the Iron Throne doesn't change hands multiple times in the final season, but I also feel like it's better than a 25-to-1 shot Cersei winds up back in charge by the end of it. -- Ted Berg
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Night King, +1000
Spoilers abound in this little writeup, so be warned I guess, but I'm taking The Night King at +1000. Not necessarily because I believe it will be a satisfying end to the show, but because I am totally buying into the theory that Bran and The Night King are one and the same, so by betting on The Night King you're essentially getting in on the favorite, Bran, with longer odds.
This will require the house to pay out on both bets, but I could see this being one of those things where the casino or whatever decide it's worth it in free publicity to pay out on both bets, so they do it, and websites will write stories about them, and yeah there's something a little sad about all that but that's not your problem as you're cashing in that lovely +1000 bet on the Icy Boy. -- Nate Scott
Arya Stark, +1600
Arya’s ambitious, she’s a capable warrior, and, most importantly, she possesses the arguably the coolest power on the show. The ability to wield multiple faces, if used aggressively, should allow her to take any rival empire down. -- Nick Schwartz
No one, OFF THE BOARD
This REALLY bugs me. Why is there no bet for "no one"?! I've seen it on other odds lists. Anyway, I think it should be like +1000, and I would throw a large amount of money on that.
This is the show that gave us The Red Wedding, which killed off Ned Stark quickly, which turned a dragon -- one of Dany's children!!! -- evil and that let Littlefinger live for far longer than he should have. So wouldn't it make sense that the army of the undead and our heroes fight it out and no one wins? What if the survivors realize this battle over being king and queen was pointless and a democratic Westeros is the way to go, so they have one of the remaining dragons burn the Iron Throne? No, that's too happy of an ending for GoT. But I think betting on no one winning and everyone dying seems fitting.
If you need me to take one of the bets, I'm with Nate: The Night King and Bran are one and the same, and therefore you'll win some money with +1000 odds. -- Charles Curtis
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