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01/29/2007 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Illinois-Chicago Flames hope to halt a four-game losing skid tonight, but doing so against Horizon League powerhouse Butler seems highly unlikely.
Illinois-Chicago has been limited to fewer than 60 points in three consecutive outings, including Saturday's 60-55 home loss to Cleveland State. The Flames are a disappointing 4-5 in league play, and only two of their 10 true road games have resulted in victory this season.
Butler is a perfect 9-0 at home, and the team has lost just twice in 21 outings this season. The 14th-ranked Bulldogs are currently riding a five- game winning streak that includes Saturday's 68-58 decision over Detroit. They are undoubtedly eager for revenge tonight, as their only Horizon League loss came against these UIC Flames back on January 10th by a score of 73-67 in overtime. Still, Butler owns a 21-11 lead in the all-time series between the two teams.
Jovan Stefanov put up big numbers for Illinois-Chicago on Saturday, as he racked up 23 points and 11 rebounds in the loss to Cleveland State. It should be pointed out, however, that Stefanov shot just 7-of-23 from the floor. The only other double-digit scorer in the loss was Othyus Jeffers, as he racked up 17 points and 15 rebounds. Still, he connected on only 5-of-16 field goal attempts, contributing to the team's 26.7 percent shooting, including 2-of-12 from three-point range. UIC did earn a 55-37 rebounding advantage in the clash and limited Cleveland State to 33.3 percent overall shooting, but those positives were not enough to offset the negatives. Jeffers is averaging 15.9 ppg and 8.7 rpg this season, and he is clearly one of the top players in the league.
A.J. Graves has led Butler in scoring in three straight games, and he is currently averaging a team-high 18.8 ppg. Although his 39.9 percent shooting from the floor could certainly stand some improvement, Graves is a 97 percent shooter from the foul line and hits the three-pointer fairly consistently. Mike Green is contributing 13.2 ppg for the Bulldogs, and Brandon Crone is netting 10.4 ppg. The fact that the top three scorers for Butler are all shooting below 40 percent from the field is surprising, especially considering the team's tremendous success. Strong defense has obviously been the major key to that success, as the Bulldogs are holding foes to 56.2 ppg on 40.1 percent shooting. Four players scored in double figures for Butler in the win over Detroit just two days ago. Graves tallied 15 points to lead the charge, and Green hit 11-of-12 free throws en route to 13 points. As for Crone and Pete Campbell, they scored 12 point apiece.
<< High-flying Jayhawks pay visit to struggling Cornhuskers
Lincoln, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Winners of 12 of their last 13 games, the
eighth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks pull into Lincoln for tonight's Big 12
Conference clash with the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
With a mark of 5-1 in league pla
<< Rockets host 76ers at Toyota Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets hope to continue their winning ways
when they host the Philadelphia 76ers this evening at the Toyota Center.
The Rockets come into the game winners in two straight after pounding the
Portland
<< Suns take winning streak into Minnesota
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns look to extend their franchise-record 17-
game winning streak this evening when they wrap-up a five-game road trip
against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center.
Steve Nash led the way
<< Hornets resume homestand vs. Blazers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets will try to stay
perfect on their five-game homestand when they host the Portland Trail Blazers
this evening at the Ford Center.
The Hornets have won the first two games on the
Nets wrap up road trip at Utah >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets play the finale of a five-game road
trip when they visit the Utah Jazz tonight at EnergySolutions Arena.
New Jersey is 1-3 on the swing. Vince Carter poured in 40 points as the Nets
got back on
Deron Williams has stepped up for the Jazz >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Starting point guard Deron Williams is having an All-Star
type season for the Utah Jazz, who own a five-game lead over the second place
Denver Nuggets in the Northwest Division.
Originally selected out of Illinois with
Colorado's Brisebois out for the season >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Patrice Brisebois of the Colorado Avalanche
will undergo surgery to repair a herniated disc, causing the veteran
defenseman to miss the remainder of the regular season.
Brisebois suffered the in
Venus will play Fed Cup in April >>
White Plains, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - United States captain Zina Garrison
announced on Monday that Venus Williams will play in the Fed Cup quarterfinal
against Belgium in April.
The Americans and 2006 runner-up Belgians will square of
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.
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting