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02/05/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Rangers are enjoying a solid run of success as of late over the rival Flyers. After all, in the past year they have beaten them in New York and Philadelphia as well as indoors and outside.
New York seeks a sixth straight win over visiting Philadelphia this afternoon, one that would pad its lead atop the Atlantic Division.
The Rangers have outscored the Flyers 19-6 over their current series winning streak, one that includes a pair of shutout wins in New York and, of course, a 3-2 win when the teams last met outdoors in the Winter Classic on Jan. 2. The Blueshirts got a pair of goals from Mike Rupp at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park and 34 saves by Henrik Lundqvist, including a huge stop on Danny Briere on a penalty shot with 19.6 seconds remaining.
New York comes into this rematch well-rested -- having been off since Wednesday -- and atop the Eastern Conference standings with 69 points, three up on both Northeast Division-leading Boston and fourth-seeded Philadelphia.
Lundqvist was again the star in the Rangers' most recent trip to the ice, backstopping his club to a 1-0 shootout win at Buffalo. Lundqvist made 34 saves through overtime and stopped four of the five skaters he faced in the tiebreaker. Marian Gaborik and Ryan Callahan had shootout tallies on the Sabres' Ryan Miller.
"I could tell halfway through the first (period) that Miller was playing really well, and I knew I had to be focused and make good decisions out there," said Lundqvist after his sixth shutout of the season and 41st of his career. "It was a fun game, lots of back and forth action. And I am really happy we got the win."
New York bounced back from a shootout loss to New Jersey the previous day and has points in four straight (3-0-1). The Blueshirts open a three-game homestand with this divisional clash and could have defenseman Steve Eminger back in action.
The blueliner was cleared to return after missing 19 games in a row with a separated shoulder, though New York head coach John Tortorella said he isn't sure if Eminger will in fact play today.
The Flyers head to Madison Square Garden after a frustrating 6-4 defeat at the hands of the Devils on Saturday in which they fell behind early before battling back to make a game of it. Philadelphia gave up the game's first six goals, including two in the final minute of the first period, and seemed to lose its composure on the Devils' second goal.
Skating on the power play, Claude Giroux appeared to be tripped by New Jersey's Dainius Zubrus at the point. No call was made and Zubrus started an odd-man rush that ended in a short-handed goal by the Devils' Ilya Kovalchuk with 57 seconds left in the opening frame.
"I'm pretty sure it was a penalty," Giroux said about the play that led to Kovalchuk's tally. "I actually like those two refs, so I don't want to rip them."
The Flyers eventually got goals from Wayne Simmonds -- his career high-tying 16th of the season -- Jaromir Jagr, Giroux and Jakub Voracek in the third, but couldn't extend their five-game point streak (3-0-2). Philly outshot New Jersey 24-1 in the third frame, setting a new franchise mark for largest single-period shot differential according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Sergei Bobrovsky got the start and gave up six goals on 23 shots. Ilya Bryzgalov halted all eight shots he faced in relief.
The Flyers, who will try to avoid losing two straight for the first time since Dec. 23-27, fell to 12-8-4 at home compared to a road mark of 18-7-2.
<< Bruins hope to get on track versus Capitals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins hope to avoid matching their longest
losing streak of the season this afternoon as they visit a Washington Capitals
club that has its eyes set on first place in the Southeast Division.
The Bruins haven't
<< Russia beats Spain to reach Fed Cup semis
Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Svetlana Kuznetsova outlasted Silvia Soler-
Espinosa in the fourth rubber to give Russia an insurmountable 3-1 lead over
Spain in their best-of-five Fed Cup quarterfinal.
Russia entered Sunday's action with
<< Lawrie pulls away for Qatar Masters title
Doha, Qatar (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Lawrie staved off challenges from Jason
Day and Sergio Garcia on Sunday to win the Qatar Masters in comfortable
fashion.
Lawrie, the second-round leader, fired a seven-under 65 on Sunday.
<< Pratt wins playoff for Myanmar Open title
Yangon, Myanmar (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Australia's Kieran Pratt birdied the second
playoff hole Sunday to earn his first Asian Tour title at the Myanmar Open.
Pratt bested Adam Blyth and Kiradech Aphibarnrat in the extra session at The
Royal M
Kvitova sends Czechs into Fed Cup semis >>
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova won
her singles match on Sunday and sent the reigning champion Czech Republic into
the Fed Cup semifinals for a second straight year.
The Czechs entered Sunday's actio
Heat host Raptors in matinee affair >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh said a few days ago it's
important for this team to make the essential adjustments following a loss.
"If we lose one or two, we need to make the necessary adjustments, get it done
and cut
Celtics start local events early vs. Memphis >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics own an amazing 17 championships, the
most by an NBA franchise.
Their neighbors across the way, the NFL's New England Patriots, can capture
their fourth Super Bowl title Sunday night against th
Hurricanes blow into Durham seeking upset of Blue Devils >>
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Blue Devils will look to keep
up the race for first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference as they host the
Miami-Florida Hurricanes for a bout at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
This will be the 18th
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.
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.
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