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03/03/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surging Dallas Mavericks aim for a season-high ninth straight victory Wednesday when they take on the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves in Big D.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 16 of his 27 points in the second half on Monday and also pulled down 13 rebounds, as Dallas won its eighth straight and remained perfect against the Charlotte Bobcats with an 89-84 decision.
Caron Butler scored 22 points and Jason Terry netted 13 of his 20 in the final quarter for the Mavericks, who are 12-0 all-time against the Bobcats.
The Mavericks, who held a 46-32 scoring margin in the second half, haven't lost since Feb. 16 at Oklahoma City and have vaulted all the way into the second seed in the Western Conference playoff race, one-half game ahead of Denver.
"It was phenomenal," Terry said of Dallas' defense. "For us to be rotating and helping each other out the way we did, it looked good. The chemistry is started to get there on both ends of the floor."
The Mavs, who haven't won nine straight since March 16-30, 2007, have been lifted by the acquisition of Butler and center Brendan Haywood from Washington on Feb. 13. Since that deal, Dallas is 8-1 and has opened up a 4 1/2-game lead over San Antonio in the Southwest Division.
The Wolves, meanwhile, were trounced in their last outing on Saturday. Nicolas Batum netted 22 points in the third quarter on the way to a career-high 31 in that one, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 110-91 victory over Minnesota.
Al Jefferson had 19 points and 11 boards to pace the Timberwolves, who have lost three in a row and are 1-9 over their last 10 games. Ramon Sessions had 13 points in the loss.
"They're a better team than us," said the Timberwolves' Ryan Gomes.
Jefferson was then arrested early Sunday by the Minnesota State Patrol on suspicion of DWI and the club suspended the talented forward for two games without pay, starting tonight.
The Mavericks tripped against Minnesota, 117-108, on Feb. 5 in Dallas, snapping their 13-game winning streak against the Wolves. Dallas has won seven of eight against Minnesota in Big D, however.
<< Canucks' epic trek resumes with stop in Detroit
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings will attempt to win three straight
games for the first time in nearly three months as they take on the Vancouver
Canucks, who continue their NHL-record 14-game trip tonight at Joe Louis
Arena.
The Re
<< Scorching Flyers to pay a visit to sagging Panthers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Philadelphia Flyers came out of the Olympic break
with all the momentum they had before the time off, the Florida Panthers were
unable to reverse their losing ways.
Philadelphia will try to win a season-high sixt
<< Houston's Martin faces old Sacramento mates
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Martin faces his old mates for the first time tonight
as the Houston Rockets welcome the Sacramento Kings to south Texas.
The Rockets acquired Martin from Sacramento on Feb. 18 in a three-team
blockbuster th
<< Thunder, Nuggets clash at Pepsi Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder face a big test Wednesday
when they arrive in the Rockies to battle Western Conference power Denver.
The Thunder won for the 12th time in 14 games last night when Kevin Durant and
Russell
2010 Sun Belt Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2010 Sun Belt Conference Tournament
will be held entirely at
neutral sites, as Convention Center Court and Summit Arena in Hot Springs,
Arkansas will serve as the venues for the event. All 13 teams are se
2010 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2010 Sun Belt Conference Tournament
will be held entirely at
neutral sites, as Convention Center Court and Summit Arena in Hot Springs,
Arkansas will serve as the venues for the event. All 13 teams are se
Bruins send Morris back to Phoenix >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes have acquired defenseman
Derek Morris from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a conditional pick in the
2011 NHL Entry Draft.
Morris spent parts of five seasons with the Coyotes before b
Maple Leafs flip Skoula to Devils for draft pick >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defenseman Martin Skoula is on the move again,
this time from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the New Jersey Devils.
The Maple Leafs acquired Skoula, along with forward prospect Luca Caputi, from
the Penguins late
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.
MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds
With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.
Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season. Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money.
This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy. A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.
Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:
| Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame) Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma) Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State) Michael Bush (RB, Louisville) Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia) Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville) Chris Leak (QB, Florida) Mike Hart (RB, Michigan) Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State) Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame) Drew Tate (QB, Iowa) Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal) Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn) Chad Henne (QB, Michigan) Kyle Wright (QB, Miami) Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State) Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama) JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU) Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State) Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina) Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech) |
5-2 7-2 7-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 18-1 18-1 20-1 30-1 35-1 35-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 |
For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.
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