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02/10/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls will play their first home game in nearly three weeks when the rival Detroit Pistons enter the United Center tonight for a Central Division showdown.
Chicago returns to the Windy City after a moderately successful seven-game road trip. The Bulls went 4-3 on the swing, but ended the trek with a tough overtime loss to Dallas on Saturday.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 14 of his 44 points in the extra session to lift the Mavericks to a 115-114 decision, with the superstar forward sinking four crucial free throws in the final 15 seconds.
Ben Gordon led six Chicago players in double figures with 28 points, with Tyrus Thomas amassing 23 points and 12 rebounds in a losing cause and rookie Derrick Rose contributing 22 points for the Bulls.
Chicago, which also hosts Miami on Thursday in this brief two-game homestand, is 13-10 at the United Center this season and has dropped its last three home tests.
The Pistons have had their share of troubles in Chicago in recent years, however. Detroit has lost four straight games at the United Center, although the team had won 12 in a row as the visitor in this series prior to that skid.
Detroit has also dropped five of its last eight overall matchups and was dealt a 107-97 defeat at home by Phoenix on Sunday. Richard Hamilton and Allen Iverson netted 27 and 25 points, respectively, for the Pistons, who were coming off an overtime triumph at Milwaukee the night before. Rasheed Wallace finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The Pistons have won their last three road games and are 13-10 as the visiting team this season.
In the lone meeting between these divisional foes on December 23 this season, Detroit posted a 104-98 win over the Bulls in the Motor City behind a career- high 40 points from Rodney Stuckey.
Stuckey had only eight points in Sunday's loss to Phoenix, however, and has been held to single digits in three of Detroit's lost four games.
<< Nuggets resume road trip in South Beach vs. Heat
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Northwest Division-leading Denver Nuggets hit a bump on
their eight-game road trip and will try to steer back on the right path
Tuesday evening against the Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Denver had a four-game w
<< Cavs hope to bounce back from first home loss in Indy vs. Pacers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams on opposite sides of the Central Division
spectrum get together this evening, as the Cleveland Cavaliers pay a visit to
the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse.
The Central-leading Cavs are coming off their firs
<< Cavs and 'Noles square off in ACC tussle
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the second time in less than three
weeks, the Virginia Cavaliers and the Florida State Seminoles will meet in an
ACC tilt, this time in Tallahassee.
On January 24th, Florida State beat Virginia in Charl
<< State bragging rights on line, as Spartans visit Wolverines
Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - State and Big Ten rivals will collide in Ann
Arbor tonight as the Michigan Wolverines attempt to upset the ninth-ranked
Michigan State Spartans.
Michigan State owns a stellar 19-4 record this season, includin
Stars find Avery a home in Hartford; next stop Broadway? >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars have assigned outspoken left
wing Sean Avery to Hartford of the American Hockey League.
Hartford is the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers, who have expressed an
interest in bringing Av
United brings back former MLS MVP in blockbuster trade with Rapids >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United acquired midfielder Christian
Gomez, goalkeeper Mike Graczyk, an international roster spot and salary cap
considerations from the Colorado Rapids in exchange for midfielder/defender
Ivan G
Coyotes recall Tikhonov, reassign Schlemko >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes recalled left winger
Viktor Tikhonov from their American Hockey League affiliate, the San Antonio
Rampage. In addition, defenseman David Schlemko has been re-assigned to the
Rampage
Bruins' Ryder to miss 2-3 weeks after facial surgery >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Bruins right wing Michael Ryder will miss
the next two to three weeks after undergoing successful facial surgery.
Ryder suffered multiple fractures of the frontal sinus when he took a high
stick to th
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.
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