Baseball Betting

NIT tip-off field, brackets announced

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

08/16/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Invitation Tournament announced the field for its 16-team Tip-off tournament on Monday, installing Villanova as the top seed.

Other teams in the field for the event, set to begin November 15, include Tennessee, Wake Forest and UCLA.

The Wildcats, coming off a 25-win season, will host Marist in the first round in the North Regional. The other contest will have No. 7 seed George Washington playing Boston University.

Tennessee will be seeded second and host the South Regional with a first-round game against Belmont. Sixth seed Missouri State and Arkansas State make up the other game.

Wake Forest, seeded third, will be the host team for the East Regional with a first-round encounter against Hampton. No. 5 seed Virginia Commonwealth and Winthrop will also play in the bracket.

UCLA is seeded fourth with a game against Pepperdine at Pauley Pavilion. The other first-round game in the West Regional will have No. 8 Nevada going against Pacific.

The winners of the regional rounds will advance to New York City to play the semifinals and possibly championship game at Madison Square Garden. The semifinals are set for November 26 with the title game two days later.

The remaining 12 teams will play third- and fourth-round games on the home campus sites of the three highest remaining seeds.

Duke won the tournament last year, beating Connecticut in the final. Wake Forest (2004) is the only past champion in this year's field.


<< Heat respond to Haslem's drug possession charge
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat organization responded on Monday to forward Udonis Haslem's drug possession and unlawful speeding charges stemming from a traffic stop on Sunday. "We are aware of the incident involving Udo

<< Mets closer Rodriguez has ligament tear
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez has a ligament tear in his right thumb, and it has been recommended that he undergo surgery to repair the injury. Rodriguez did not travel with the Mets to

<< Happy days are here again for Harvick
Brooklyn, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Harvick was enduring a miserable season at this point in 2009, as he sat 23rd in the Sprint Cup Series point standings. One year later, "Happy Harvick" is smiling more than ever after winning his third race

<< Texans rookie RB Tate done for season
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Texans rookie running back Ben Tate will miss the season due to a fractured ankle, head coach Gary Kubiak announced on Monday. Tate was carted off the field in the third quarter of Saturday

<< Rezai advances; Peer exits Rogers Cup
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixteenth-seeded Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai moved on, while 14th-seeded Israeli Shahar Peer went by way of an opening- round upset Monday at the $2 million Rogers Cup, a U.S. Open tune-up. Rezai came from behin

McGrady signs on in Motown >>
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons announced the signing of veteran swingman Tracy McGrady to a one-year contract Monday. According to the Detroit Free Press, McGrady will play for the league minimum of $1.35 million f

Saints take Meachem off PUP list >>
Metairie, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints activated wide receiver Robert Meachem off the physically unable to perform list Monday. Meachem took to the practice field for the first time since undergoing toe surg

Lions put Dizon on IR, take Simpson off PUP list >>
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions placed linebacker Jordon Dizon on injured reserve Monday and activated safety Ko Simpson off the physically unable to perform list. Dizon, primarily a special teams contributor

Cowboys owner recovering from shoulder surgery >>
OXNARD, Calif. (AP) -Cowboys owner Jerry Jones shakes so many hands and signs so many autographs that he recently had an operation to repair damage to his right shoulder.At least, that's the way Jones likes to explain it.The real story is that he hu

Dizon injury hurts Lions LB depth >>
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) -Detroit Lions linebacker Jordon Dizon will miss the season with a knee injury while starting middle linebacker DeAndre Levy took part in some drills after missing most of training camp with a sore back.Dizon, a versatile back

Football Betting: Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards

Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.

Bet on NFL Football

Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.

Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.

Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.

Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.

All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.

A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.

2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award

Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1

Ron Brace (NE) 25/1

Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1

Darius Butler (NE) 40/1

Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1

Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1

Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1

Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1

Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1

Larry English (SD) 15/1

Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1

Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1

Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1

Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1

James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1

Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1

Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1

Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1

Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1

Roy Miller (TB) 20/1

Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1

Fili Moala (IND) 30/1

Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1

Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1

B J Raji (GB) 7/1

Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1

Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1

David Verkune (CLE) 20/1

Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 6/1

NFL football gambling

To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

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.