Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
02/15/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The great thing about sports is that despite how much people like to dissect and overanalyze them, it is impossible to predict everything.
For example, if someone had told you before the season that both the Phoenix Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings would head into the Olympic break as serious, legitimate playoff contenders, you probably would have had a hard time taking that person seriously. These are two clubs, after all, that haven't finished above fourth place in the Pacific Division since the lockout, and neither has appeared in the playoffs since 2001-02.
Yet here we are, with the Coyotes fourth overall in the Western Conference with 79 points, a mere point ahead of the Kings in the standings. So much for predictions.
Phoenix's emergence as a team that has gone from bankruptcy to playoff possibility is the biggest and most pleasant surprise the season has offered. While the NHL was busy doing its best to keep the club in the desert, eventually purchasing the franchise itself so it could find an owner that would, the Coyotes have put together a squad that features a solid mix of veterans and young guns that wins with defense.
The formula that Phoenix is following is one that could lead to a successful postseason run. For the troubles the club sometimes has on offense, it still manages to win the close contests and is seventh in the league with just 2.44 goals allowed per game.
The cherry on top? The Coyotes are 22-9-2 at Jobing.com Arena this season, one of the top home marks in the league. Take that Ontario.
Phoenix's objective over the Olympic break should be finding a way to add some firepower to the offense, especially since 18-goal scorer Scottie Upshall went down with a torn ACL in his right knee in late January.
"We've got a lot of points out here by not scoring much here lately, which is a credit to our goaltending and the way we defend as a group but at some point you've got to have some people on the offensive side chip in," said Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett after the Coyotes' 3-0 loss on Saturday in their final game prior to the break.
Still, few could have predicted the season Phoenix has produced so far. Certainly not former head coach Wayne Gretzky, who stepped down from his role prior to the season because of the team's financial troubles.
Another of The Great One's former clubs, the Kings, have also made headlines this year. While its rise up the standings isn't as shocking as defensive- minded Phoenix, Los Angeles is still poised to end a six-year playoff drought and has taken to lighting the lamp at a rapid pace. After averaging just 2.46 goals per game last season, Los Angeles has upped that total to 2.90 in 2009-10.
Certainly the offseason acquisition of Ryan Smyth has helped, as the forward has 19 goals and 38 points in 46 games despite missing time with an upper-body injury. The 33-year-old veteran has also sparked fourth-year center Anze Kopitar, who with 28 goals in 61 games is already just four tallies shy of matching his career high set in 2007-08.
Mix in 45 points in 61 games from defenseman and 2008 second-overall pick Drew Doughty, and a league-leading 35 wins out of goaltender and U.S. Olympian Jonathan Quick, and the Kings' success this year shouldn't come as too big of a surprise.
"The team has done a great job of maturing and coming together," Quick told his team's Web site after a 3-0 victory on Saturday. "Right from the summer, we put a big emphasis on gelling together as a team and coming together as a team, and I think it has really showed this year, so far. We've played some great hockey."
Guess not everybody is surprised by what the Kings have done this season.
CROSBY GETS HIS SCORING ON
Heading into the season, there wasn't much that Pittsburgh Penguins star center Sidney Crosby hadn't already accomplished.
The 22-year-old, who will serve as an alternate captain for Team Canada in the Olympics, led his club to a Stanley Cup championship last year and has already captured both a Hart and Art Ross Trophy in his career. Yet, the new face of the NHL still found a milestone to hit for the first time this season.
Crosby goes into the Olympic break tied with Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin for the most goals in the league with 42. Owner of 301 assists in his four-plus NHL seasons, it marks the first time Crosby has reached 40 goals in the NHL.
"I'm obviously happy," said Crosby after reaching the 40-goal mark on Friday versus the Rangers with a pair of markers. "I want to put pucks in the net, that's part of my role. I am definitely happy I have been scoring."
Crosby, third in the NHL with 78 points, surpassed his previous career-high of 39 goals scored as a rookie in 2005-06, and has already shown a slick ability to set up his teammates for goals. If he can keep up this scoring pace he is well on his way to becoming the complete player the league hoped he would turn into when he was taken first overall by the Penguins in 2005.
In fact, he might already be there.
It is also worth mentioning that Ovechkin, considered Crosby's rival by many, has posted 47 assists on the season, seven shy of his career high set twice before, including last year.
Let the rivalry continue.
STREAK IN JEPORDAY
One thing that never comes as a surprise is the Detroit Red Wings making the playoffs. However, that run is in some jeopardy this season.
Detroit's run of eight straight Central Division titles is likely to end, as it currently trails first-place Chicago by 19 points, and what is more surprising is that the Red Wings hit the break tied for ninth in the West, one point behind the eighth seed. That means that if the season ended now, Detroit would miss the playoffs for the first time in 19 seasons.
The Red Wings haven't missed the postseason since 1989-90, winning four championships over its 18-season run that is the longest active playoff streak in U.S. professional sports.
So what is wrong with Detroit, which won its most recent title as early as 2008?
It started in the offseason when the salary cap put a crunch on Motown. Detroit lost a handful of players from last year's squad, including Marian Hossa (71 points in 2008-29), Mikael Samuelsson (40 points) and Tomas Kopecky (19 points) to free agency, as well as Jiri Hudler (57 points) to Russia and the KHL.
Still a talented bunch, the Red Wings also haven't been able to stay healthy. They have lost over 280 man games to injury this season, with the likes of Dan Cleary, Jason Williams, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom, Valtteri Filppula and Andreas Lilja all missing time.
The club is starting to get healthy now, though. Only Lilja remains on injured reserve (due to post-concussion syndrome), while Holmstrom has a troublesome knee that will cause him to miss the Winter Olympics for Sweden.
But, with Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom all healthy and in the mix, let us not count out the Red Wings just yet.
<< Kansas remains No. 1
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas is once again the top team in the
latest Associated Press men's college basketball poll, while Kentucky moved up
to No. 2 after Syracuse lost on Sunday to Louisville.
The Jayhawks (24-1) sit atop
<< Benzema set to face Lyon
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema could play
against former club Lyon on Tuesday night after receiving the all-clear to
return to training.
He was ruled out of Saturday's 3-0 La Liga success against X
<< Kyle still waiting on Killie offer
Kilmarnock, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kilmarnock's in-form striker Kevin
Kyle is still waiting to find out whether he will be offered a new contract to
stay at Rugby Park next season.
The 28-year-old Scotland international has scored n
<< Nade faces uncertain future at Hearts
Edinburgh, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Striker Christian Nade faces
disciplinary action from Hearts following a reported dressing-room incident
with teammate Ian Black.
The 25-year-old Frenchman reportedly clashed with Black
Nats agree to minor league deal with OF Taveras >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals have signed
outfielder Willy Taveras to a minor league deal.
The 28-year-old had been acquired by Oakland from Cincinnati on February 1,
but was immediately designated f
Radwanska, Zvonareva among Day-2 winners in Dubai >>
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seventh-seeded Agnieszka
Radwanska and last week's Pattaya City champion Vera Zvonareva were among
Monday's winners at the $2 million Dubai Tennis Championships.
The Polish Radwansk
Stamkos leads NHL's Three Stars >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos,
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton and Dallas Stars goaltender
Marty Turco have been named the NHL's 'Three Stars' for the week ending
Februar
Ron the Greek back for Risen Star Stakes >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lecomte Stakes winner Ron the Greek returns
to action Saturday in the $300,000 Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds. The
1 1/16 mile race is the final local prep for the $750,000 Louisiana Derby on
Saturda
Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends
We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS. Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned. For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go. As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190). Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet. For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction. On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later. Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick. Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com
New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors
Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season.
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls
Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times.
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons
Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season.
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers
In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS.
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”. With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit. Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.
About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your basketball sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting