Pcers Baseball Betting News

<< Sixers G/F Nocioni slowed by ankle injury
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia 76ers newly acquired swingman Andres Nocioni is suffering from a left ankle sprain and no timetable was given for his return, the club announced on Tuesday. The injury was confirmed fo

<< Clippers' Smith has surgery
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Clippers forward Craig Smith underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday. Recovery time is expected to be 4-to-6 weeks. Smith was re-signed by the Clippers two wee

<< Heat open season in Boston
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The new-look Miami Heat and two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers will both be in action on the first day of the 2010-11 NBA season, October 26. The Heat will open the season in Boston aga

<< Cardinals' Freese done for season
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals learned Tuesday that rookie third baseman David Freese will miss the remainder of the season due to a tendon injury in his right ankle that will require surgery. Freese was original

Bell helps give new skipper Showalter first win with O's >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore third baseman Josh Bell helped give new manager Buck Showalter a victory in his debut, as the Orioles rallied past the Angeles, 6-3, in the opener of a three-game series at Camden Yards. Showalter

Halladay strong as Howard-less Phils top Marlins in Miami >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Halladay threw seven strong innings in his return to Miami while Carlos Ruiz added four hits, as the Philadelphia Phillies topped the Florida Marlins, 6-1, in the opener of a three-game set. The l

Lowell homers in return as Red Sox down Indians >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Lowell hit a two-run homer in his return from the disabled list and Josh Beckett turned in eight strong innings as Boston clipped Cleveland, 3-1, in the second of a four-game series from Fenway Park.

Francoeur's ninth-inning HR off Wagner sends Mets over Braves >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Francoeur's leadoff home run in the ninth inning was the game-winning blow and lifted New York to a 3-2 win over Atlanta in the middle meeting of a three-game set. The former Braves outfielder lined an

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.