Weekend winners ready for a break
Horseracing Betting Lines
11/28/2011 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wise Dan and To Honor and Serve each came out of their stakes victories over the Thanksgiving weekend in good shape. The two now are deserving of vacations to rest and get ready for 2012 campaigns.
Wise Dan, owned by Morton Fink, captured Friday's Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs and at Aqueduct it was To Honor and Serve putting away the competition down the stretch in the Cigar Mile.
"He came out of the race in perfect shape," Wise Dan's trainer Charles Lopresti said. "He's 100 percent.
"We'll let him wind down (at Keeneland) and then take him to our farm in Lexington. He'll have the whole month of December off and some of January and then we'll start getting him ready for a five-year-old campaign."
The Clark Handicap win on Friday gave Wise Dan the distinction of now winning stakes on three different surfaces: turf, dirt and synthetic.
"He can run on any surface at different distances, so we have a lot of options with him," Lopresti said. "Most likely we will bring him back in the Commonwealth at Keeneland like we did this year."
Lopresti also trains Woodbine Mile winner and Breeders' Cup Mile runner-up Turallure and Successful Dan, Wise Dan's older half-brother, who was disqualified from first to third in last year's Clark. Successful Dan was unable to race in 2011 due to a tendon injury.
"I was able to keep Turallure and Wise Dan apart this year, but I don't know if I can keep them all apart next year," Lopresti said. "It'll be tough and a couple of them may have to go in the same race. But this is a good problem to have. It's been a dream year and if next year is half as good as this one, then I'll be thrilled.
"Successful Dan is at our farm and gallops about five days a week. We'll keep doing that for awhile and then get more serious with him in January or February. Look for him in the spring."
To Honor and Serve looked capable of winning by more than the 1 3/4-lengths margin of victory on Saturday. He covered the mile in 1:33.89.
"He's good," said trainer Bill Mott's assistant, Leana Willaford about Cigar Mile champ To Honor and Serve. "He'll get a little freshening and then join us back at Payson (Park)."
To and Honor Serve, owned by Live Oak Plantation, is scheduled to have a four- year-old season at the racetrack after proving himself one of the top three- year-olds this year.
"He's obviously more mature, maybe a little taller and longer," Willaford noted. "He hasn't really gotten more muscular, but that will come hopefully next year; he's still growing. Even from the spring until the last three weeks training here (Belmont Park) since the Breeders' Cup, he's just really, really been doing well and settling in. His gallops have gotten more controlled. He's getting it."
Mott's charge proved himself against older company in the Cigar and was a respectable seventh in the Breeders' Cup Classic behind another Mott horse Drosselmeyer. The colt also won comfortably two months ago in the Pennsylvania Derby.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks try to rebound from their first loss in five games this evening as they visit the Pacific Division-rival Los Angeles Kings and the Staples Center. The Sharks had outscored their opponents 14-4 over thei
<< Oilers host Preds in clash between struggling teams
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators will attempt to snap a season high-
tying losing streak this evening in a matchup with the hosting Edmonton Oilers
at Rexall Place.
The Predators are on their second four-game losing streak, having
<< Avs host Stars aiming for consecutive wins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche will try to post consecutive wins
for the first time in over a month when they host the struggling Dallas Stars
tonight at Pepsi Center.
Colorado is coming off Saturday's 5-2 win over visiting Edmont
<< Lightning try to extend win streak vs. Wild
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning will aim for a third straight
victory when they visit the Minnesota Wild for tonight's interconference clash
at Xcel Energy Center.
The Lightning had dropped two straight and four of five before get
<< Conference Championship Weekend
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Want to know which teams to wager on
when it comes to betting conference championship games? Take a look at these
numbers. Favorites are 17-12-1 over the last six years. That's a solid 58%
winning
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes have fired head coach Paul Maurice and will name a replacement later on Monday. Maurice was in his second stint with the franchise and served 920 games behind the bench for the orga
Lightning re-sign Tyrell >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed forward
Dana Tyrell to a two-year contract through the 2013-14 season.
Tyrell has appeared in two games for the Lightning since being recalled from
the team's AHL affi
Luduena fires Santos into semifinals >>
Guadalajara, Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daniel Luduena's goal in the 73rd
minute propelled Santos into the Apertura semifinals on Sunday as the club
claimed a 2-1 win over Jaguares in the second leg of their quarterfinal
matchup
What happens in Vegas and other preseason tourney thoughts >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This wasn't the luck of the dice, a thank-
you-very-much victor capitalizing on the unlucky misfortunes of the opponent.
What happened in Vegas was a veteran-laden team wanting it more and, in the
proce
Marquette entertains Jacksonville >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Returning home for the first time in two
weeks, the Marquette Golden Eagles are set to host the Jacksonville Dolphins
in non-conference action at the Bradley Center.
Jacksonville is coming off its worst loss
Online Sportsbook Football Betting
Why Sports Betting is so much fun?
Betting Sports
The most popular sports to bet on are NFL and college football along with NBA and NCAA basketball. There are multiple betting opportunities within those sports, beginning with the basic wager on a game’s outcome (also called betting the side). College Football Point spreads are used in both football and basketball in an attempt to even the attractiveness of each team in a match-up. ( See our article detailing how and why point spreads are made)
But you could also simply bet on the money line, or straight-up winner of the game. Oddsmakers use the money line so that more money must be risked on the favorite or expected winner and less money on the underdog to balance the action on both sides. While money line gambling is an attractive option for football and basketball bettors who only care about picking a winner, it is the primary option for those bettors who enjoy wagering on MLB baseball and individual sports like boxing, tennis, golf and racing events such as NASCAR. ( More details on playing the Money Line)
Points (or Runs) Scored
Another bet across all major team sports including football, basketball, baseball, and hockey involves wagering on the amount of scoring in a game, called an Over/Under total. For example, the Over/Under total on Super Bowl XXXIX was 48, which means a bettor could wager whether there would be more or less than 48 points scored by both teams combined in the game.
The final score of Super Bowl XXXIX was 24-21; the scoring of both teams added up to 45, which means the game went Under . So Under bettors won, and Over bettors lost.
Future Bets
Sports gambling doesn’t end there. Betting sides and totals are the most common wagers available everywhere, but many sportsbooks also offer future bets on big upcoming events like who will win next year’s Super Bowl and what movie will win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
The main advantage of futures is that you can get appealing odds by betting far in advance. For example, with NFL futures you often can get much higher odds on a team by betting before the season even starts. A NFL future bet on a team to win the Super Bowl odds might be 20/1 in the preseason; but by midseason, their odds might decrease to 10/1 if they turn out to be legitimate championship contenders.
Proposition Bets (or Prop Bets)
Proposition bets , also known as prop bets, focus upon the more exotic aspects of a game and are generally reserved for events that are widely televised. Prop bets are extremely popular when it comes to wagering on the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. The Imperial Palace Casino’s sportsbook is well-known for the enormous number of prop bets offered. For example, you can bet on:- What team will win the coin toss
- What player will score the game’s first touchdown
- What will be the exact margin of victory
Types of Bets
Straight Bet
Involves one individual wager, whether it be on your team to cover the point spread, to win the game straight-up on the money line, or to go over/under the total.
Sports Betting Parlays
A parlay is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers and is dependent on all of those wagers winning together. The benefit of the parlay bet is much better odds than placing each individual bet separately since the difficulty of hitting it is much higher.Standard payoffs on a two-team parlay are 13/5; while a three-teamer pays 6/1; and a four-teamer 10/1.
Parlay cards are also fairly common in sportsbooks and popular with bettors, as they are released early in the week with set odds that do not change in return for a slightly lower payoff.
Round Robin Betting
Adventurous bettors who enjoy betting parlays sometimes put together a series of parlays called a Round Robin . A three-team Round Robin consists of one three-team parlay and three two-team parlays. For example, Joe likes teams A,B,C – with a Round Robin he has a three-teamer with ABC, and two-teamers with AB, AC, and BC.Betting Teasers
Similar to a parlay, a teaser bet is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers, but is different in that the point spread is adjusted to your advantage on each individual wager. In exchange for the points, you get less of a return on your bet compared to a parlay. For example, a 6-point teaser would move the line on a 7-point favorite from -7 to -1, meaning the team would have to cover 6 less points. Each of the individual wagers must win or the bet is a loss.These are the main types of sports bets available today. But as sports betting continues to grow, sportsbooks will continue to develop new and creative ways to bet. We’ll continue to track these changes to the sports gambling landscape, so check back often and we’ll tell you all about it!
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.