11/29/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The struggling Washington Wizards conclude a three-game homestand Saturday by welcoming the Atlanta Hawks to the Verizon Center.
The Wizards dropped to 1-1 during their residency on Thanksgiving when Orlando's Dwight Howard scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Magic in a 105-90 victory over Washington.
Caron Butler had 25 points and six assists for the Wizards, who were coming off a 124-100 drubbing of Golden State in Ed Tapscott's first game as interim coach but have dropped six of seven overall.
Antawn Jamison ended with 17 points and 12 boards in defeat.
Atlanta has lost two of three and six of its last nine games, including Friday's 93-88 decision to the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre.
Mike Bibby scored 24 points and Joe Johnson tallied 18 and seven assists in a losing effort. Maurice Evans netted 17 points and Al Horford chipped in 10 and eight boards for the Hawks, who lost their fifth straight road game.
The Wizards lost in Atlanta, 91-87, on November 19 and have dropped three of their past four games with the Hawks.
Atlanta has lost 11 of 15 trips to DC.
<< Lexus Cup remains tied through two days
Singapore (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Katherine Hull and Nikki Campbell held on for a
1-up win for the International team in the final match Saturday to keep the
International and Asian teams tied, 6-6, after two days of the Lexus Cup.
Suzann Pe
<< Dunn carries Baylor to win over Arizona State
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LaceDarius Dunn scored 27 points to help Baylor
upend No. 14 Arizona State, 87-78, in second-round action at the 76 Classic.
Curtis Jerrells scored 22 points and doled out seven assists for the Bears
(6-0),
<< Allenby, Sim share Australian Masters lead
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert Allenby carded a five-under 67
Saturday, while his playing partner Michael Sim posted a four-under 68 as the
two share the lead after three rounds of the Australian Masters.
Allenby and Sim co
<< Bryant sparks comeback win over Mavs as Lakers keep rolling
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant scored 13 of his season-high 35
points in the fourth quarter, guiding the Los Angeles Lakers to a 114-107
comeback win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Bryant finished 14-of-26 from the field,
Orlando hosts Indiana at Amway Arena >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Orlando Magic return to central Florida after a
productive two-game road trip on Saturday when they welcome the Indiana Pacers
to Amway Arena.
The dominant Dwight Howard scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebou
Knicks try to avoid distractions vs. Warriors >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks aim to get back on track when they open
a quick two-game homestand tonight by welcoming the Golden State Warriors to
historic Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks dropped their second straight game to fa
Nuggets take on familiar Timberwolves >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets will try to continue their recent
dominance of the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight when the two teams square off
at the Target Center.
The Nuggets have won six straight against Minnesota, includin
Lowly Thunder try to stop skid in Memphis >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The woeful Oklahoma City Thunder will try to stop a 14-game
slide when they open a four-game road trip tonight against the Memphis
Grizzlies at FedEx Forum.
Oklahoma City hasn't tasted victory since its first w
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 sportsbook 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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