 |
 Basketball Betting |
 |
||||
|
 |
||||
|
||||
New-look Heat open in Boston as full NBA schedule is releasedBasketball Betting Lines08/10/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The new-look Miami Heat and two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers will both be in action on the first day of the 2010-11 NBA season, October 26. The Heat will open the season in Boston against the Celtics in the first game of a doubleheader aired by TNT. Miami will unveil its star trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview. The Celtics are the defending East champions and also feature a 'Big Three' -- Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, who led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA title. This past season Boston pushed the Lakers to seven games in the Finals. The opening-night doubleheader will continue with the Lakers, as they begin their quest for a third consecutive title at home against the Houston Rockets. Led by two-time defending Finals MVP Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles was an antithesis of Miami this offseason, having made few big headlines but remaining a top contender for the title. One of the team's biggest questions was whether head coach Phil Jackson would return. However, Jackson announced last month he would be back for another year in an attempt to record his 12th NBA coaching championship. The Rockets, meanwhile, expect center Yao Ming to return after he missed the entire 2009-10 season with a foot injury. A set of premium matchups comes on October 29, when ESPN airs a doubleheader. In the first game, the Heat host Dwight Howard and Orlando in a Southeast Division battle. That contest is followed by the Phoenix Suns hosting the Lakers in a Western Conference Finals rematch. James will make his highly-anticipated return to Cleveland with the Heat on December 2 and play host to the Cavaliers 13 days later. "The King" and his court will host his former mates again on January 31 and make a return engagement in Cleveland on March 29. The NBA released a schedule of five Christmas Day games, highlighted by the Lakers playing host to Miami and Orlando hosting Boston in a rematch of the East finals. Additionally on Christmas, the New York Knicks host the Chicago Bulls, the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Denver Nuggets, and the Golden State Warriors host the Portland Trail Blazers. The Magic and Celtics play again on January 17 as part of the Martin Luther King Day schedule, in Boston. The Celtics and Lakers will renew their storied rivalry with two games in 11 days, meeting first in Los Angeles on January 30 and then again in Boston February 10. The league's 60th All-Star Game will be played February 20th in Los Angeles. The first-ever regular season games to be played outside of North America will be held in London, England between the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors March 4 and 5. The post-season will begin the weekend of April 16-17 and ABC will have exclusive coverage of the NBA Finals for an eighth straight season.
<< Phillies recall P Bastardo
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies recalled pitcher Antonio Bastardo from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday. The 24-year-old, who is expected to be used as a situational lefty out of the bullpen, has made
<< Woods saw slide coming; wants to play Ryder Cup
<< Kovalchuk decision will have wider impact
<< Nats activate Strasburg
<< At LSU: The coach and QB are on the defensive
Blue Jackets re-sign Blunden >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed right wing Mike Blunden to a one-year contract. The 23-year-old native of Toronto totaled two goals and two assists in 40 games last season. Blunden was o
Zenyatta returns to Hollywood Park home >>
Aging 'El Duque' aims for one more shot in majors >>
D'Antoni OK with Isiah role, Coach K would pass >>
Celtics sign F Harangody >>
Sportsbook Betting LinesWho Makes the Sportsbook Betting Lines?Las Vegas Sports Consultants (LVSC) is the world’s premier oddsmaking company and the most respected authority on making the lines. Mike Seba is a Senior Oddsmaker at LVSC and has been making lines for the last six years. In our extended interview, Seba explained that there are 4-5 oddsmakers assigned to make lines for each of the major sports (pro & college football and basketball; MLB, NHL, boxing, golf). Each of these oddsmakers bring unique opinions, strengths and weaknesses to the process. Oddsmakers at LVSC are professional sports junkies who love what they do and would probably do it for nothing if you asked them, but they do get paid for it. By necessity their approach is very research-oriented and concise, since with millions of dollars at risk there is little margin for error. “You either have a passion for it or you don’t,” Seba said. “The #1 thing for us is to make a line for each game that creates good two-way action. We do this by drawing from past experiences and applying them to current situations. People think it’s much more complicated, but it’s not. “What are the Football Betting Lines Trying to Accomplish?There is a common misconception that point spreads represent the oddsmakers’ prediction of how many points the favorite will win by. That is not the case at all – their intent is NOT to evenly split the ATS result between the teams; rather, their goal is to attract equal betting action on both sides. Stated another way, they want to create a line that half the people find appealing to bet one way while the other half find it appealing to bet the other way (known as ‘dividing the action’).Divided action means the sportsbook is guaranteed a profit on the game because of the fee charged to the bettor (called juice or vig – typically $11 bet to win $10). How the Opening Line Is MadeThe opening line is the first line created by the oddsmakers, which is then sent out to sportsbooks. Of course there is an entire method to the madness on how the opening line is created. Seba explained that it all starts with each oddsmaker creating a line on each game based upon their own personal approach. This usually includes having up-to-date power ratings on each team.Power ratings are the oddsmaker’s value of each team and are used as a guide to calculate a "preliminary" pointspread on an upcoming game. The power ratings are adjusted after each game a team plays. Examples of non-game factors that would require an adjustment to a team's power rating are key player injuries and player trades. Once a game’s power rating based pointspread is determined, the oddsmaker will make adjustments to that line after considering each team's most recent games played and previous games played against that opponent. Also, adjustments are made after reading each team’s local newspapers to get a sense of what the coaches & players are thinking going into the game.Since the oddsmaker’s ultimate goal is equally dividing the sports betting action, public perception and sportsbook betting patterns must be taken into account. For example, the public might have heavy betting interest week after week on a popular college football betting team such as USC. If an oddsmaker comes up with a preliminary line of USC -7, then an adjustment up to -7.5 or -8 would be made in response to the public’s expected USC bias. The last step in the line-making process for each oddsmaker is taking one final look to determine whether or not the line "feels right." This is where common sense and past experience with how games are bet enters into the picture.A round-table discussion among the 4-5 oddsmakers involved in making the line for each sport is then conducted and a consensus line is decided upon by the Odds Director before it is released to the sportsbooks. Of the 4-5 oddsmakers, generally the 2 most respected opinions are weighed more heavily by the Odds Director before he decides on the final line. Why Sports Betting Lines ChangeOnce the opening line is released by LVSC, the individual sportsbooks decide if they want to make any adjustments before offering it to the public. Reasons for such adjustments include:Experts working for the individual books having a strong opinion on the game Individual books having players who consistently bet with certain tendencies (such as an extreme bias toward favorites or toward a certain popular team like USC)The purpose of these adjustments, like all line adjustments, is to more equally divide the betting action. Once betting begins, sportsbooks can adjust the line at any time. In doing so they attempt to make more attractive the team that is getting less action. By moving the line, sportsbooks can influence how the public bets on a particular game.For example, if the pointspread on a game is 7 and most of the money is coming in on the underdog (taking the +7), sportsbooks will then move the number down to 6 ½ to try and attract money on the favorite. Moving the line is the oddsmaker's effort to balance betting action, and often times such moves can have a major impact on a bettor’s decision. Oddsmakers can also change the line depending on various event-related factors such as player injuries or weather. Obviously, if the line comes out a week ahead of the event (which is the case in football), there is much that could happen during the week leading up to the event that could affect the line. Oddsmakers have to determine if any changes are necessary and send out an "adjusted line."“The main objective is that our clients get equal action on both sides,” Seba said. “We’re not trying to pick the team that covers the spread, we’re trying to make it a coin flip, a tough decision (for the bettor). If we’ve done that, we’ve done our job.” To visit this internet sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your sports betting needs and World Series odds.
Super Bowl XLIV OddsSuper Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds. Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44. Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season. That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason. Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium. After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10. The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1). To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below. NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV New England Patriots 8/1 Dallas Cowboys 9/1 New York Giants 10/1 Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1 Indianapolis Colts 12/1 San Diego Chargers 12/1 Baltimore Ravens 14/1 Tennessee Titans 16/1 Carolina Panthers 18/1 Philadelphia Eagles 18/1 New Orleans Saints 20/1 Atlanta Falcons 25/1 Denver Broncos 25/1 Green Bay Packers 25/1 Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1 Minnesota Vikings 25/1 New York Jets 25/1 Arizona Cardinals 30/1 Chicago BearS 30/1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1 Buffalo Bills 35/1 Houston TexaNS 35/1 Miami Dolphins 35/1 Washington Redskins 35/1 Seattle SeahawkS 50/1 Cleveland Browns 55/1 Cincinnati Bengals 60/1 San Francisco 49ers 60/1 Oakland Raiders 75/1 St. Louis Rams 75/1 Detroit Lions 100/1 Kansas City Chiefs 100/1 Odds as of: 2/2/09 Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs. |
|
