After sitting through the reimagined (read: awkward) VANS Pipe Masters event that wound down the 2022 winter season on the North Shore, surf betting fans are chomping at the bit for the return of the Billabong Pro Pipeline. How could they not be? The epic WSL World Championship Tour (WCT) event last January/February was a massive success. The waves showed up, and the winningest surfer to ever compete at the Banzai Pipeline (Kelly Slater) claimed victory in theatrical fashion. He did so just days away from his 50th birthday. It was awesome. Will the 2023 edition deliver similar drama? Expectations are certainly high, which is why thousands of you are online and searching for the latest Billabong Pro Pipeline odds and predictions. You couldn’t have come to a better place to make your picks, as Action Sports Betting (ASB) closed out the 2022 WCT season with the highest winning percentage of the entire WSL betting industry. Will the streak continue into the year ahead? Let’s review our picks for the favorites, sleepers, and long shots for the real Pipe Masters contest.
Note: The Action Sports Betting (ASB) crew will be on-site at Ehukai Beach Park to cover the Billabong Pro Pipeline. That means we will be in the middle of the action, and will be updating this article in real-time as we gain insight into who’s hot, who’s not, who may be injured, and who may have partied a little too hard the night before their heat/s. Check back often for updates!
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Betting Preview for the WSL WCT Billabong Pro Pipeline Men’s Surfing Competition Running from January 29 to February 10 2023
Where: Ehukai Beach Park, Oahu
When: Waiting period runs from January 29 to February 10, 2023
Betting Lines: View sportsbooks offering WSL betting odds
Streaming Broadcast: WSL website / WSL YouTube
Online Commentary: BeachGrit
Surfing Podcast for Post-Event Reviews: SurfSplendor
FAVORITES
John John Florence: 4/6 Odds
WCT Ranking: No.12
We didn’t expect John John Florence to return to competition before 2023, after being sidelined mid-season of 2022 with yet another knee injury. That’s why we didn’t list him as a favorite to win the Haleiwa Challenger in December. He unexpectedly returned, and won the event for the second year in a row. Furthermore, he did so with authority. Can he now chalk up an another victory at the Billabong Pro Pipeline, to follow up his win here in 2021? Of course he can. There’s no need to embellish more than that.
Gabriel Medina: 5/1 Odds
WCT Ranking: No.13
We don’t know what’s more exciting – seeing John John and Kelly Slater (above and below) back in action at Pipeline – or witnessing the inevitable comeback of 3X WCT Champion Gabriel Medina. Medina had been on hiatus after taking time to focus on his mental and physical health. He’s now back, fit, focused, posting insane clips, and bullying WCT hopefuls. To mark his return to competition, Medina sauntered on to the Mens Challenger Series’ Corona Saquarema Pro last November and won.
The Brazilian’s record at Pipeline speaks for itself, having garnered second place finishes in 2021, 2019, 2015, and 2014 along with a victory in 2018. A win to begin the 2023 season could arguably make Medina the most fierce competitor in WSL history – that’s exactly the kind of accolade that fuels his fire.
Kelly Slater: 8/1 Odds
WCT Ranking: No.17
There’s isn’t a WSL betting expert free of bias in making a 2023 Billabong Pro Pipeline winner prediction after watching Slater win it in 2022. He has to be included as a favorite to win it again this year, even if it is his last legitimate opportunity to do so, right? We’re putting some (maybe not all) money on the GOAT to hoist the trophy by the time the show comes to a close at Ehukai Beach Park.
SLEEPERS
Seth Moniz: 10/1 Odds
WCT Ranking: No.23
Moniz exchanged blows with Kelly Slater in the final of the 2022 Pro Pipeline, coming in a very close second. Had the young Hawaiian stuck one of this key barrels (the one where he rode prone at the end) he could have spoiled Slater’s fairytale ending. How has Moniz performed at the WCT’s Pro Pipeline prior to last year? He holds a 17th (2021), a 9th (2019), and a 13th (2018). Seth also boasts a 4th place finish at this wave, when he made the finals at the 2020 Volcom Pipe Pro. All in all, he doesn’t have a great record here, but he has matured along the way and is ready to claim his first victory.
Barron Mamiya: 15/1 Odds
WCT Ranking: No.18
Mamiya was an early season standout in 2022. He almost knocked Kelly Slater off the block at the Pro Pipeline until Slater pulled off an excellent last second ride. That didn’t shake the young wildcard, as he went on to win the next event in Hawaii a week later – the Hurley Sunset Pro. Those two results essentially secured his position on the 2023 WCT schedule. While Mamiya remains to be a question mark at non-Hawaii events for the season ahead, he is a consistent standout at Pipe and can win this thing as a solid sleeper contender.
LONGSHOTS
Griffin Colapinto: 20/1 Odds
WCT Ranking: No.7
San Clemente native Griffin Colapinto is either on the verge of greatness, or the Jordy Smith trajectory of unrealized potential. There’s no questioning his ability in mid-range performance waves, but charging left at a maxing Pipeline wave is another story. Still, Colapinto did make the finals at the VANS Pipe Masters last month, coming in second against an in-form Balaram Stack. He also came in second at Pipe in 2019, when he inevitably lost to Gabriel Medina. Coming into the event, Griffin has an average heat score of 12.98. and an average wave score of 3.42. These scores land the Californian in long-shot land, but it wouldn’t be a complete surprise to see him on the top of the podium.
Joao Chianca: 30/1 Odds
WCT Ranking: No.32
Like Barron Mamiya (above) Brazilian Joao Chianca stole the stage early in the season of 2022, although unlike his peer, he fell off the tour at the mid-year cut. His highlight reel centered on the Billabong Pro Pipeline, as he nearly defied the odds to beat John John Florence. Ultimately, JJF was too much to handle, but Chianca proved he was not to be taken lightly. He backed this fact up by joining fellow long-shot Colapinto in the finals at the 2022 VANS Pipe Masters, where he came in fourth. Coming into 2023, Chianca has an average heat score of 13.2. and an average wave score of 3.66. On paper he is better off than Colapinto, but he doesn’t have the tenure nor experience to push him higher up as a pick to win.
2023 BILLABONG PRO PIPELINE MEN’S WINNER PREDICTION
Gabriel Medina returns to the 2023 WSL World Championship Tour with a thunderous roar, and wins the Billabong Pro Pipeline.
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