BetOnline's Blog
Posted Thursday, December 10, 2009 03:05 PM
Most sportsbook bettors probably predicted this. Plaxico
Burress, in all his lanky glory, is already struggling to cut it in prison.
After just two months in the slammer,
he applied for a work furlough, which would let him do some of his time at
home.
Really, Plaxico? You think the State of New York
will just let you go home because you no likey prison? Sorry, pal. Here are
five reasons why Plaxico needs to stay behind bars for a whole lot longer.
5. He’d
scare the neighbors.
If you live near a guy who accidentally shoots
himself, can you trust him near your children or in the next house over? You’d
have to wear a Kevlar vest in case his .40-caliber hand cannon blasts through
the window. Plaxico would likely scare everyone away, making his lonely
neighborhood like solitary confinement anyway.
4. TNA
Wrestling can’t stoop any lower.
TNA already slummed by signing Pacman Jones and
having him moonlight as a tag-team wrestler. Methinks bringing in Burress,
which the company would surely try to do, would be a nail in the organization’s
coffin. Besides, who needs Plaxico when you just landed the Hulkster, brother?
3... [More]
Posted Thursday, December 10, 2009 03:05 PM
Sports betting players
have been anxiously waiting for bowl betting season to begin, and obviously,
the five BCS bowls will get a lot of attention. But there are a few non-BCS
bowls that are worth your betting money, and here they are:
Cotton Bowl (January 2, 2:00
PM ET) – Oklahoma State vs Ole Miss
Both
of these teams were ranked in the preseason top 10, but the Rebels are the
bigger disappointment after finishing 4-4 in the SEC. Oklahoma State’s aerial
attack suffered without receiver Dez Bryant, who was suspended by the NCAA,
while Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead may have to come back to help his draft
status. Ole Miss is a 3-point sports betting favorite, and they beat the
Cowboys 31-28 in this game in 2003.
Capital One Bowl (January 1,
1:00 PM ET) – Penn State vs LSU
The
Tigers should be in a BCS bowl, if not for some shoddy clock management in a
loss at Ole Miss. The Nittany Lions lost at home to Iowa and Ohio State, and a
win over the Hawkeyes probably would have them in the Orange Bowl instead of
Iowa. Penn State is a 3-point sports betting favorite in the first meeting for
these two programs, and both rank in the top 12 in scoring defense. The difference
in this ... [More]
Posted Thursday, December 10, 2009 03:04 PM
Sports betting sharps have just four weeks’ worth of
NFL football to bet on before the playoffs start. It’s thus not too early to
consider who the Wildcard berths could be. Here are the best bets to earn those
spots based on strength of schedule and how the rest of their own division
shapes up. The Arizona Cardinals, for example, could have a worse record than
some of the wildcard teams, but they won’t qualify for a wildcard berth as
they’ll lock up their division title shortly.
4.
BALTIMORE RAVENS (vs Detroit, vs
Chicago, @ Pittsburgh, @ Oakland)
The Ravens’ NFL odds have stiff competition from fellow 6-6 teams
Pittsburgh, Miami and the New York Jets but Baltimore arguably has the most
favorable remaining schedule. It should blow out lowly Detroit at home this
weekend and the punchless Bears at home aren’t a tough opponent either. Ray
Rice should carve up Oakland’s brutal run defense in Week 17. The only real
hurdle to climb is a Week-16 matchup at Pittsburgh, which could very well
decide who gets the last Wildcard berth.
3. DALLAS
COWBOYS (vs San Diego, @ New Orleans, @ Washington, vs Philadelphia)
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Posted Thursday, December 03, 2009 03:38 PM
Florida vs Alabama odds for the SEC title
game signifies the impending end of the college football season, which means
basketball will soon take center stage in the NCAA. Before you start figuring
out who your NCAA basketball betting pick will be for the “Big Dance”, refresh
your memory with a list of the top five memories from last year’s Tournament.
1) Wayne Ellington
getting the MOP over Ty Lawson
Ellington had a good Final Four and all, but the one thing
I’ll remember most about North Carolina’s championship last year is the feeling
of confusion I had when they gave the Most Outstanding Player award to
Ellington and not Ty Lawson, who was the engine that made the high-powered Tar
Heels go. Lawson had 22 points, eight assists and seven boards in the Final
Four game against Villanova, and then 21 points, six assists and eight steals
(an NCAA title game record) in the clinching game against Michigan State. The
Tar Heels would have stood a better NCAA basketball betting chance without
Ellington than they did without Lawson, who missed the first game with a sprained
ankle.
2) More troubles for
the No.5 seed
When going to your online sportsbook for the first round of
the Tournament, you have to... [More]
Posted Thursday, December 03, 2009 03:36 PM
Online sportsbook bettors and hockey fans have
been thrown for a loop during the 2009-10 NHL season, haven’t they? We’ve seen
head shots, high sticks and, last Monday, an accidental goalie bludgeoning by
Keith Ballard and a knee-on-knee hit by Alexander Ovechkin. Ovie’s hit sparked
discussion about whether or not he’s a dirty player. We know the Jarkko Ruutus,
Sean Averys and Chris Prongers of world are goons, but how many other Ovechkins
are out there – guys who are quietly dirty and to whom we turn a blind eye
because they bring so many good things to the game?
5. Martin
Havlat
Marty’s gone dark in the dirty department over the
last few seasons, especially because he spends half his time in the press box
nursing injuries. But no one can forget his infamous kicking incident.
4. Daniel
Alfredsson
Leaf fans know Alfredsson’s evil side more than
most other hockey odds
followers. Mocking Mats Sundin’s stick throw a few years back could be chalked
up to a Swede teasing his countryman. But his blindside elbow on Darcy Tucker
in the 2002 playoffs, which broke Tucker’s shoulder, will forever live on in
angry Toronto supporters’ minds... [More]
Posted Thursday, December 03, 2009 03:35 PM
If you follow Florida Alabama lines or any other college
football action, you probably see a title like “Top bowl games” and scoff. Who
doesn’t know the big games? Well, actually, not everyone follows the BCS
system. Some football fans are too wrapped up in the NFL to keep track of the
college kids. But everyone still loves a good game. To be sure you watch the
best of the best, follow this list of football picks throughout the holidays.
5. FedEx
Orange Bowl – January 5, 2010
The ACC champ gets the automatic bid for the Orange
Bowl; this year, it will be the winner of Clemson and Georgia Tech. Both are
flawed teams coming off losses. Depending on whom the ACC winner draws, that
could yield an exciting game or a total dud.
4. Allstate
Sugar Bowl – January 1, 2010
The Sugar Bowl pits the SEC champ against an
at-large foe and, last year, produced a thrilling upset. Undefeated Utah
toppled big favorite Alabama 31-17. With No. 2 Alabama currently set to face
Florida for the SEC title, it may lose that battle for a BCS title game berth
and wind up back in the Sugar Bowl. Could histo... [More]
Posted Thursday, November 26, 2009 03:50 PM
Brian Urlacher,
Linebacker (Dislocated Wrist)
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears lost linebacker Brian Urlacher early in
the first game of the year and sports betting cappers know that their defense
hasn’t been the same since. Urlacher was the Bears leader on defense, and he
was the key player who got everyone lined up, made key tackles and was the
captain of the defense. Without him, the unit has turned completely soft.
Owen Daniels,
Tight End (Torn ACL)
Houston Texans
While the Texans were never a popular bet in the sportsbook,
their tight end was a popular pick among NFL pundits as the best in the NFL
through the first half. The Weatherman, Owen Daniels, was tearing it up with 40
receptions, 519 yards and five touchdowns. Matt Schaub is going to miss his
safety valve and so will the Pro Bowl, which is where he would have headed had
he stayed healthy.
Kris Jenkins,
Defensive Tackle (Torn ACL)
New York Jets
The New York Jets were never an offensive juggernaut –
with or without Mark Sanchez’ struggles – but what they were was a nasty, mean
defen... [More]
Posted Thursday, November 26, 2009 03:49 PM
It’s safe for NFL
betting fans to say we’ve reached the stretch run of the 2009 season. With
Thanksgiving and Christmas and bowl games and so many other things to juggle on
our busy schedules over the next month, it’s a good idea to mark down the most
important remaining NFL games on the calendar. Here they are, in chronological
order.
Monday,
November 30: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS @ NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Everyone’s talking this one up and for good
reason. We have the undefeated Saints in their rowdy Louisiana Superdome on Monday Night Football. The Saints have
the NFC’s best offense and the Patriots lead the AFC in scoring. Tom Brady,
Drew Brees, Randy Moss – what more could you want?
Saturday,
December 19: DALLAS COWBOYS @ NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
It’s already a treat to make NFL picks for a Saturday
game, so the fact that we see two contending teams clash is gravy here. Aside
from New England, the Cowboys probably pose the greatest threat to the Saints’
undefeated season. Tony Romo will have to shake his history of December woes to
make this a game but I like his chances to do so indoors.
Su... [More]
Posted Thursday, November 26, 2009 03:48 PM
The NHL
betting season has reached the one-quarter mark and we’ve seen some strange
things. Top contenders like Detroit and Boston stumbled out of the gate while
Colorado and L.A. saw their Stanley Cup odds skyrocket. Sometimes, a big
reason for the change in a team’s status is injuries. Here are the five most
important injuries to note so far this season; some are now healed but did
major damage when they happened while some are wreaking havoc right now.
5. BOSTON:
Marc Savard’s broken foot
The Bruins already lost Phil Kessel in a trade and
Milan Lucic to a broken finger. When Marc Savard went down, the Bruins had to
play for a month without their entire top line from a season ago. One of the
league’s most underrated players, Savard is a scrappy, creative center who
makes others around him better. He’s been back for two games and the Bruins’
have won four straight. Here they come.
Bettor
need-to-know: Consider betting on the Bruins’ Stanley Cup futures now;
their odds went down during their injury-affected slump, so you can get great
value for them right now.
4. PITTSBURGH:
Evgeni Malkin’s shoulder strain<... [More]
Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 04:11 PM
1. Mike Shanahan
Mike Shanahan is a sexy choice for a number of teams
right now, because his track record is one of a very successful coach - and
there are plenty of teams with worse coaches right now. How good would Shanahan
look in Buffalo? Consider some of the previous coaches: Gregg Williams, Wade
Phillips, Mike Mularkey and Dick Jauron. Sports betting fans would again start backing the
Bills.
2. Jon Gruden
This is probably an outside candidate, especially since
he just signed an extension with ESPN to stay on the Monday Night Football
crew, but he did immediately say that he will coach again in the future. Would
he coach in Buffalo? Probably not. He seems to like the warm weather programs
and the Bills don’t have a quarterback to mentor.
3. Mike Martz
Now this is a move that would actually make sense, to
some extent. While the Bills don’t have an offensive line, they do have plenty
of weapons such as Terrell Owens, Lee Evans, Roscoe Parrish, Fred Jackson and
Marshawn Lynch. Yet one thing the Bills have failed to do in recent years is be
entertaining; Martz could do exactly that. You know that it’d take him about
two weeks to find a quarterback, and if they got a line that would protect... [More]
Posted Friday, November 13, 2009 10:03 AM
1st
Overall – Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The sportsbook favorite at this point would be Ndamukong Suh,
who is the best defensive tackle in the nation, but as we all know, a
quarterback has more value than a tackle. Jimmy Clausen has arguably been the
best quarterback in the nation this year, even if the Fighting Irish have been
struggling. He’s smart, he’s efficient, he comes from a pro style offense and
he’s worked with a coach who was an excellent offensive coordinator in the NFL.
That will appeal to many teams.
2nd
Overall – Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska Cornhuskers
This might be high for Suh, who is an excellent defensive
tackle. The NFL has turned into a passing league, and NFL
betting fans have to agree that a great defensive end is more valuable than
a great defensive tackle nowadays.
3rd
Overall – Russell Okung, Oklahoma State Cowboys
Going with the previous point, a potential bookend left
tackle will provide plenty of value to NFL teams. When you look at who may be
drafting near the top of the board – teams like the Detroit Lions and Kansas
City Chiefs – you quickly see that they would snat... [More]
Posted Thursday, November 12, 2009 03:57 PM
Sportsbook players know that the NCAA basketball betting
season is pretty slow until the conference portion of the schedule begins, but
there are usually a handful of games involving the nation’s best. Here’s the
cream of the crop to fill up your December with.
Michigan State at
North Carolina (December 1st)
In a rematch of last year’s national-championship game, the
Spartans will be out to exact some revenge on the Tar Heels, who no longer have
Ty Lawson running the show. Instead, it’ll be Larry Drew III who has the task
of chasing Lucas around, but the Tar Heels will have the advantage in the post.
Carolina has won six of eight against the Spartans, including the last four,
which is good sportsbook knowledge to have.
North Carolina at
Kentucky (December 5th)
Sportsbook betting players will get their first big-game
look at Kentucky coach John Calipari and point guard John Wall, who some say
will be the top pick in the NBA draft if he decides to leave school. Most will
be watching to see how the Wildcats
adapt to Calipari’s dribble-drive offense that was so effective at Memphis, and
they get to test it against another top-10 team in the Tar Heels, who have won
their last five against Kentucky.
North Carolina at
Texas (De... [More]
Posted Thursday, November 12, 2009 03:56 PM
Pacquiao Cotto betting. Couture vs Vera.
What a weekend for fight fans.
Dang it! Turns out the boxing world and UFC still
can’t get along. They’re counter programming against each other this Saturday,
forcing us to choose which event to watch. All we can do is break down the two
events based on various fun factors and try to make a decision. Let’s see if we
can come to a verdict by answer the following questions:
Which event
is more significant for its sport?
The Pacquiao fight, without a doubt. Not only are
Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto both putting titles on the line, many fight
fans also feel this bout is the final bridge to the fight of the decade. If
Manny Pacquiao wins, he’ll almost certainly draw undefeated Floyd Mayweather
Jr. next.
UFC 105 features no title fights. The headliners,
Randy Couture and Brandon Vera, are top-five guys in the light heavyweight
division at best, though you never know if Dana White will just hand Couture
another title shot. The bigger UFC fight is the Mike Swick/Dan Hardy bout,
which will determine the No. 1 welterweight contender.
Edge: Pacquiao
fight
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 09:58 AM
Everyone in the sportsbook world thinks that they know who the
participants in the BCS Championship Game will be: Texas, and the winner of the
possible Florida-Alabama showdown for the SEC crown. Who else could sneak in
through the back and overcome some major NCAA football odds?
Iowa (+1500)
The No.4 Hawkeyes are one of the biggest surprises of the
year, and they don’t win pretty: seven of their nine wins have been by 11
points or less. This could come back to bite the Hawkeyes, especially as the
Big Ten isn’t known as the power conference it once was (thanks for getting
blown out in two straight BCS title games, Ohio State). The Hawkeyes first have
to get past their visit to Ohio State next weekend, and then if they make it to
the Rose Bowl as the Big Ten champions, they’ll most likely have to blow out
their opponents for their NCAA football odds to be considered.
TCU (+2000)
The No.6 Horned Frogs, out of the Mountain West, should
thank Utah for making a fuss about the smaller conferences being left out of
the BCS title race after last year, and they’re powered by the No.1 defense in
the country. They beat Clemson and Virginia on the road, and they also went to
... [More]
Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 09:57 AM
NFL
betting circles have plenty of MVP discussion going on; that’s
understandable considering that the season is half over. A month into the NHL
season, however, it’s probably time for our first MVP chatter. Here’s a look at
the top five candidates so far.
5. Craig
Anderson, goaltender, Colorado Avalanche
It’s been a bizarre, improbable sportsbook run
for the Avs so far this season and unheralded netminder Craig Anderson is the
driving force behind that run. When we stop and realize that he’s just 28 – not
ancient for a goalie – and has a .914 career save percentage, maybe he’s not
flash in the pan after all. How long before Tim Thomas starts sweating about
his Team USA roster spot?
4. Marian
Gaborik, winger, New York Rangers
Online betting fans shouldn’t be too shocked to see
Marian Gaborik light up the scoreboard. He tends to do that whenever he plays –
which is rarely. The oft-injured sniper is loving life in the Big Apple so far,
tied for second in the league with 11 goals in 14 games. But how long before
his next serious injury?[More]
Posted Thursday, October 29, 2009 01:47 PM
World Series odds are getting a lot of attention
right now, so you may have missed the beginning of the NBA season, which tipped
off Tuesday night with a massive matchup between Boston and Cleveland. Last
year’s MVP, the Cavaliers’ LeBron James, got off to a big start, and everyone
figures that the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and the Heat’s Dwyane Wade will be the
ones to challenge James, but who are the darkhorses?
Carmelo Anthony,
Denver
Chauncey Billups is probably the MVP of the Nuggets, but if
Anthony can continue to learn from Billups, his talent will have him in the MVP
running. There may not be a better offensive talent to watch than Anthony, who
was eighth in the league in scoring last year and makes it look so effortless.
He just needs to show more consistently on the glass and the defensive end of
the floor to boost his NBA MVP odds in your sportsbook.
Chris Paul, New
Orleans
After finishing second to Bryant in the 2007-08 MVP race,
Paul’s Hornets were hurt by injuries and last year didn’t go as planned. But
Paul could be an annual candidate for this award because, quite frankly, the
Hornets will not do ANYTHING without him on the floor. Paul led... [More]
Posted Tuesday, October 27, 2009 11:26 AM
NBA betting players remember the old Portland
“Jailblazers”, the ones who were being arrested and convicted of various criminal
activities all the time. Well, this year’s Portland team is the top squad who
could elbow their way into the upper echelon of the NBA. Here’s how the NBA
sleeper picks stack up this year.
Portland (+1500)
The pickup of Andre Miller could very prove to be the
acquisition of the summer, as the veteran point guard will handle the ball,
freeing up Brandon Roy for more heroics. Heading into his third year, he could
be ready to join the likes of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and company at the top.
The Trailblazers re-upped with LaMarcus Aldridge, and if Greg Oden can stay
healthy and out of foul trouble, Portland could have a deadly frontcourt. With
only three players above 30, inexperience could hurt the Trailblazers.
New Orleans (+4000)
Only two years ago, we were talking about the Hornets’
chances to challenge the Lakers. Last year, injuries killed their chances
early, and it all went downhill from there. The Hornets are built around
All-World point guard Chris Paul, and they brought in Omeka Okafor from Charlotte
to play alongside another All-Star, David West. The Hornets are lacking depth
though, especially up front,... [More]
Posted Thursday, October 15, 2009 02:53 PM
With the Cincinnati Bengals being 4-1 with three credible
wins that NFL betting fans can’t nitpick with, it might mean that
there is a changing of the guard in the NFL. Sure, the Bengals could lose this
week in typical Bengal fashion and lose their credibility, but they are a
favorite in the sportsbook and they are expected to move to 5-1 with a
win over the hapless Houston Texans.
So that begs the question: who are the new Bungles? Who are
the new lovable losers of the NFL that find new ways to lose? Here are four
options:
Houston Texans
People making their NFL predictions are going to start hating this
team. The Texans are 2-3 on the year but could easily be 4-1. They lost at home
to Jacksonville when they were stuffed for a last-second, game-tying field goal
on their one-yard line. And then against the Arizona Cardinals last week, the
Texans scratched and clawed to climb back from a 21-0 deficit only to throw a
pick-six with less than three minutes to go, and then again get stuffed on the
goal line for a game-tying touchdown. This team is a pain to watch.
Oakland Raiders
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