Now that most of the storylines in Game of Thrones have progressed beyond the point that George R.R. Martin has reached in his ongoing A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels, all bets are off in terms of what might happen next.
Of course, that’s just a figure of speech. What we really mean to say is – it’s time for the betting to begin!
You see, up until now, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were working from some very popular source material, which meant lots of people had a good idea of where the plot was headed.
Sure, there were some digressions here and there, but for the most part, the show remained true to the broad strokes of Martin’s novels.
These days we’re in spoiler-free territory, and not even those smug book-readers know what’ll happen next.
Though Season 6 has just begun, we’ve already seen one major twist, and you can be sure there will be more to come.
Like those intimidating fellas who run the Iron Bank of Braavos, Vegas oddsmakers never pass up an opportunity to make a buck, so naturally, they’re now taking bets on the likelihood that several major characters will win “the great game” and sit atop the Iron Throne.
Check out the odds in the gallery below, and whatever you do, don’t sleep on Hodor – people like a politician of few words:
Jon Snow: 5/2
The odds favor the bastard son of Ned Stark (or, if you believe certain theories, Rhaegar Targaryen). It may seem unlikely for a dead man to become king, but hey, who would’ve guessed that Donald Trump would have a real shot at being president? Anything can happen, folks!
Daenerys Targaryen: 3/1
Obviously, the Khaleesi has a good chance of being the first female on the Iron Throne. It’s a fairly safe soon have one more title to add to her incredibly long list.
Tyrion Lannister: 7/1
Tyrion is like the Bernie Sanders of this race. He’s a long shot, but a lot of people really, really like him, and sometimes that’s all it takes.
Petyr Baelish: 15/2
Never underestimate Littlefinger! The man might be the smoothest talker in Westeros.
Bran or Rickon Stark: 16/1
Bran, maybe. Rickon, not so much. Has anyone even seen that kid lately?!
Margaery Tyrell: 18/1
She may have married two kings, but we still have a hard time picturing Margaery on the Iron Throne.
Sansa Stark: 20/1
Now here’s a longshot bet we could see paying. The girl’s got pluck, and how much the writers have put her through, she’s definitely earned a happy ending.
Varys: 20/1
The guy’s well-connected, but we can’t imagine him on the Iron Throne. He just doesn’t have the balls. (Sorry.)
The Night’s King: 30/1
Remember this terrifying SOB? Hey, he IS already a king, and he DOES have a massive army. It could happen!
Stannis Baratheon: 33/1
Decent odds, considering as far as we know, the dude is dead.
Arya Stark: 50/1
Everyone loves Arya, but the girl would have to overcome a LOT to make it to the Iron Throne.
Cersei Lannister: 50/1
She’s definitely seen better days, but you can’t underestimate the former queen’s thirst for power and revenge.
Ramsay Bolton: 66/1
Ugh. We really can’t imagine this one happening, if only because the things Ramsay would do as king would be too horrific for television. Even Game of Thrones.
Hodor: 500/1
Sure, it’s unlikely, but at the end of the day, Hodor, Hodor, Hodor – Hodor, Hodor, ya know?