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ACC title game pits Blue Devils against Yellow JacketsNCAA Basketball Betting Lines03/14/2010 - Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded and fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils go for their record 18th ACC Tournament title today, as they take on the seventh-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the finals at Greensboro Coliseum. The Blue Devils are not only trying to establish a new record with an 18th championship in this event, but they are also gunning for their second straight title. Duke made its way to the finals by defeating ninth-seeded Virginia, 57-46, in the quarterfinals and nipping 12th-seeded Miami-Florida, 77-74, in the semifinals yesterday. The Blue Devils have now won a record 86 games in this event, and could secure a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a win today. As for the Yellow Jackets, they entered the postseason knowing they needed to do some work to ensure a spot in the Big Dance. Tech certainly stepped up to the challenge and took care of business with a 62-58 win over 10th-seeded North Carolina in the first round before upsetting second-seeded and nationally-ranked Maryland, 69-64, in the quarterfinals. The team continued its run yesterday with a 57-54 besting of 11th-seeded NC State. Tech is now in its first championship game since losing to Duke back in 2005. The Yellow Jackets held NC State to a dismal 30.6 percent shooting from the floor and survived a three-pointer in the closing seconds for a 57-54 win yesterday. Tech missed 13 free throws and turned the ball over 16 times in the game, allowing NC State to rally before hanging on for the win. Derrick Favors had 17 points and eight boards to lead the way, while Gani Lawal registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The ACC Freshman of the Year, Favors has scored in double figures in each postseason game and is averaging 12.2 ppg and 8.5 rpg for the season. He ranks second on the team to Lawal, who puts forth 13.3 ppg and 8.8 rpg. Iman Shumpert is in charge of setting up the duo, handing out a team-high 3.7 apg, and he also chips in with 10.0 ppg. Duke used a 15-0 run in the second half to take control and it hung on down the stretch for a 77-74 win over Miami yesterday. The Blue Devils shot 48.1 percent from the field and dominated the boards, 38-24. Kyle Singler, who had a team-high 18 points in the quarterfinals, led the charge once again with 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Jon Scheyer added 16 points and six boards, while Nolan Smith chipped in with 12 points. The trio have carried Duke all season long, and Scheyer paces the team with 18.7 ppg and 5.1 apg. Singler produces 17.5 ppg and a team-best 7.0 rpg, while Smith averages a healthy 17.4 ppg.
<< Wildcats and Bulldogs square off for SEC crown
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The championship game of the SEC Tournament pits the second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the top-seeded teams from the league's East and West Divisions, respectively. Miss
<< Buckeyes battle streaking Golden Gophers for Big Ten title
<< A-10 title up for grabs as Owls take on Spiders
<< Blues wrap road trip versus Wild
<< Lightning play host to Penguins
Surging Bucks shoot for season sweep of Pacers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Milwaukee Bucks continue their push to the postseason Sunday when they attempt to sweep Central Division rival Indiana for the first time in nearly 30 years. The Bucks have already beaten the Pacers three times
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Sharks visit Ducks aiming for season series sweep >>
Heat host hapless Sixers >>
Magic shoot for 9th straight win; host Bobcats >>
Sportsbooks to bet on footballRecently 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. New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino. The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1. MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5. Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs. Stanley Cup Odds
NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey sportsbook needs. |
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