11/22/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings will try to match their season-high win streak tonight, when they visit the Calgary Flames and Pengrowth Saddledome.
The Red Wings have won four straight and have posted at least a point in each of their last seven games (6-0-1). Detroit already owns one five-game win streak this season, accomplishing that season-best feat from October 18-27.
Thursday's 4-3 win over Edmonton featured a pair of goals from Jiri Hudler, including the game-winner, while Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Kopecky scored as well. Chris Osgood halted 31 shots in helping Detroit improve to an NHL-best 9-1-1 this season on the road, where the club has won four straight.
The Red Wings extended their winning ways despite playing without Tomas Holmstrom (back spasms) and Niklas Kronwall (ankle). Holmstrom has seven goals this year, while Kronwall had points in four straight games (1 goal, 5 assists). Both players are questionable for tonight.
Detroit is playing the middle portion of a three-game tour through western Canada. It wraps the trip in Vancouver on Monday.
The Flames have won three of their last four games and are coming off Thursday's 1-0 blanking of Colorado. Miikka Kiprusoff needed to make just 18 saves to post his second shutout of the season, both coming against the Avalanche. He has 28 shutouts in his career.
Daymond Langkow scored the only goal of the game on assists from Mike Giordano and Jarome Iginla. Iginla leads Calgary in goals (11), assists (12) and points (23) while posting five goals and four helpers over his last seven contests.
Iginla has 13 goals and 26 assists in 44 career games against Detroit, while Kiprusoff is 6-7-1 with a tie and 2.78 goals against average versus the club.
The Flames have won three in a row as the host and are 7-2-1 at Pengrowth Saddledome this year.
Though the Flames lost three of four to the Red Wings a year ago, Calgary has beaten them in four of the last six at played at home.
Osgood was in net for all four games last year and is 22-14-0 with five ties and a 2.29 GAA in 41 career starts against the Flames.
<< Morehead State seeks upset of No. 3 Louisville
Louisville, KY. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-ranked Louisville Cardinals are
hosting the Billy Minardi Classic to open their season, and they will take on
the Morehead State Eagles tonight. The winner and loser from this clash will
take on the
<< Sixth-ranked Panthers entertain Division II Crimson Hawks
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers are
heavily favored in today's non-conference clash with the Indiana University of
Pennsylvania Crimson Hawks as part of the Legends Classic.
After beating little-known T
<< No. 12 Oklahoma hosts Gardner-Webb
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off a thrilling victory over an
outstanding opponent, the 12th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners get back to action
today against the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs.
Gardner-Webb is undoubtedly frustrated after losing a pair
<< Hoyas attempt to slay Dragons in non-conference clash
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 22nd-ranked Georgetown Hoyas are just
one of many outstanding Big East teams, and they will host the Drexel Dragons
tonight in a non-league clash.
Drexel showed a great deal of toughness to outlast ci
Local bragging rights on line as Golden Eagles host Panthers >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles are
set to host the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers in non-league action from the
Bradley Center. These teams have met 35 times, and Marquette has never lost to
the Panthers.
Sharks hope to have Nabokov back against Capitals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks could have Evgeni Nabokov back in net
tonight at HP Pavilion, as they attempt to defeat the Washington Capitals for
an 11th straight time while also avoiding their first home loss to the club in
over 15 ye
Ducks try to solve Morrow-less Stars in Dallas >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks have had their troubles with the Dallas
Stars as of late. They will try to knock off the last-place club tonight in a
matchup between the Pacific Division residents at American Airlines Center.
Though the
Thunderstruck: Carlesimo fired as head coach >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma City Thunder have fired head
coach P.J. Carlesimo after just 13 games and a league-worst 1-12 record.
"This was a very difficult decision to make," said Thunder executive vice
president
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 sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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