Clevelanfbrowns Baseball Betting News

<< Mets hope to secure road series victory over Pirates
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets can capture a road series against a National League rival for the first time this season when they visit the Pittsburgh Pirates in game two of a three-game weekend set at PNC Park. The Mets captured Frida

<< Reds hope returning Cueto can extend 7-game win streak vs. Dodgers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnny Cueto has been firing on all cylinders on the mound for most of this season. He showed the wrong kind of fire last time he pitched. Set to return from a seven-game suspension stemming from a benches-clearing brawl,

<< Jimenez sets sights on 18th victory in clash with D-Backs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A blown save last weekend cost Ubaldo Jimenez a MLB-leading and single-season franchise record 18th victory, but given Colorado's current position in the National League Wild Card standings the club can't be too picky about h

<< Athletics go for fifth straight win in test with Rays
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletic take aim at their fifth win in a row, as they resume a four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays tonight at the Coliseum. Last night, Kevin Kouzmanoff scored the go-ahead run on an error in the eighth

Alabama tops preseason AP football poll >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide are still at the top of the college football world as the top- ranked team in the preseason Associated Press poll, which was released Saturda

Hanson moves four clear at Czech Open >>
Celadna, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peter Hanson caught fire on the back nine Saturday en route to a five-under 67, which gave him a four-stroke lead after three rounds of the Czech Open. Hanson completed 54 holes at 12-under-par 204.

A-Rod held out of Saturday's lineup, likely to miss extended time >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez is not in the Yankees' starting lineup for Saturday's game versus Seattle and will likely be out at least through the weekend while battling a lingering calf strain. Rodriguez returned to N

Detroit Lions 2010 Season Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An X marks the spot through the scope of a high-powered military sniper rifle. Four or five wins are what the Detroit Lions should be realistically aiming for in 2010 under second-year head coach Jim Schwartz. The Lions, w

Sportsbooks to bet on football

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.

NFL Football Office Pool Printable Sheets

MySportsbook.com is considered one of the finest online sportsbook according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.

MySportsbook is offering a free printable NFL football office pool sheets. Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury. Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your nfl football pool sheets needs.