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07/18/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim set their sights on a ninth straight victory over the Seattle Mariners as the two ballclubs wrap up a four-game set today at Angel Stadium.
On Saturday, Juan Rivera went 3-for-4 and hit the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning, lifting the Angels to a 7-6 victory over the Mariners.
Mike Napoli went 2-for-4 with a home run for the Angels, who had also won the first two contests of this four-game series. Kevin Frandsen and Reggie Willits each added two hits and two RBI in the victory.
"We're swinging the bats much better, but we need contributions from a lot of guys," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "We were able to pressure them early in the game, and Juan has a track record of swinging the bat well as the season goes on."
The Angels have beaten the Mariners eight consecutive times and improved to 10-2 against them this season.
Justin Smoak went 3-for-4 with a double and homer, while Jose Lopez doubled twice for Seattle, which has dropped four in a row and fell to 2-12 in July.
Neither starter received a decision. Los Angeles' Joe Saunders allowed five runs (four earned) on 10 hits in six innings, while Seattle's Ryan Rowland- Smith last just 3 1/3 frames, in which he gave up six runs (five earned) on eight hits and a walk.
Jason Vargas gets the start for the Mariners today and he is hoping to build off a solid performance against the Yankees on July 8th. In that game, Vargas allowed one earned run and nine hits over seven innings of work. He did not receive a decision in the team's eventual 3-1 loss.
The left-hander has made four career appearances - three starts - versus the Angels, going 2-0 with a 2.82 ERA. He last faced them on June 6th, allowing four runs - three earned - and 10 hits in six innings. He did not factor in the decision, a 9-4 loss for the Mariners.
Countering for the Angels is Ervin Santana, who has dropped two consecutive starts. The right-hander wasn't at fault in his last appearance on July 8th, allowing just one earned run and three hits over eight innings of a 1-0 loss to the White Sox.
Santana has made 17 lifetime starts against Seattle, boasting a 7-4 record and a 4.19 ERA. He picked up the win against them on June 5th, allowing one run and seven hits in six inning of an 11-2 triumph.
<< Padres go for another sweep of Arizona
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National League West-leading San Diego Padres will
shoot for the second straight three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks
when the two division foes close out their set today at Petco Park.
San Diego has
<< Szavay wins second straight title
Prague, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hungary's Agnes Szavay captured her
second consecutive tournament title with a three-set victory over crowd
favorite Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic in Sunday's final of
the Pra
<< Marlins aim for series win vs. Nationals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marlins right-hander Alex Sanabia makes his fifth trip to a
major-league mound today, seeking to lift Florida to a series win in the
finale of a three-game set with the visiting Washington Nationals at Sun Life
Stadium
<< Cook leads Rockies into finale at Reds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suburban Cincinnati native Aaron Cook returns home to face
a team that's never beaten him today, when the Colorado Rockies head to Great
American Ball Park to meet the Reds in the finale of a three-game series.
The host
A's, Royals close out set in KC >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics shoot for their first five-game
winning streak of the 2010 campaign, as they close up a three-game series with
the Kansas City Royals today at Kauffman Stadium.
On Saturday, Adam Rosales drove
Boston's Lester takes mound vs. Rangers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Lester goes for his seventh straight home win today, as
he leads the Boston Red Sox into the finale of a four-game series with the
Texas Rangers at Fenway Park.
Lester, who tossed a perfect inning in the All-Star
Pitcher's duel on tap between Rays/Yankees >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of All-Star pitchers go head-to-head today, as David
Price and the Tampa Bay Rays conclude a three-game set with Andy Pettitte and
the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
The 24-year-old Price recently earned his
Jays hope to pin another sweep on O's >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays gun for their third consecutive
three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles as the teams wrap up their series
today at Camden Yards.
On Saturday, Jose Bautista hit a two-run homer in the t
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.
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