Early groups could beat expected bad weather

Golf Betting Lines

04/10/2009 - Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Count first-round Masters leader Chad Campbell among the lucky ones.

Tiger Woods, too, as if the world No. 1 needed any advantage.

Campbell and Woods will be among the players who tee off in morning threesomes for the second round of the Masters on Friday, ahead of forecast thunderstorms that could wreak havoc with the afternoon groups.

Thursday's first round, highlighted by good scores and even better weather, unfolded beneath sunny skies. Temperatures were in the 60s. It was a an improvement over 2008, when the opening round was delayed at the start by fog.

The storm front that is expected to pass through Augusta on Friday afternoon could have an effect on players with late tee times.

Those players include Phil Mickelson, who will go off in the second-to-last group. The two-time Masters champion opened with a one-over 73 in the first round and will need to play well to avoid missing the cut at Augusta for the first time since 1997.

Jim Furyk, who shot a 66 and was tied for second place after the first round, will play in the same threesome. Sergio Garcia, still seeking his first major championship and in danger of missing the cut after a 73, will go off in the last group at 2:03 p.m. (et).

Campbell -- who opened with a seven-under 65 Thursday, a round that was derailed by back-to-back bogeys at the end -- will play in 9:28 a.m. threesome for the second round.

Trailing Campbell by five shots, Woods will head out at 10:45 a.m. looking to mount a charge heading into the weekend. Woods shot a 70 in the first round, the same score he opened with in three of his four Masters wins.

If players like Campbell and Woods -- those who carded good scores on Thursday and are playing early on Friday -- can go out and post low numbers, there might not be much the afternoon groups can do.

Especially if they are forced to stop-and-start because of bad weather.

Speedwaygambling Golf Betting News

<< Georgia Southern names Young basketball coach
Statesboro, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Georgia Southern has selected Charlton Young as its new head men's basketball coach, the school announced Thursday. Young replaces Jeff Price, who spent the last 10 seasons with the school but resign

<< Kobe helps Lakers down Nuggets in Bynum's return
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant's 33-point performance was only part of the story Thursday night, as Andrew Bynum came back from a 31-game absence to score 16 points and grab seven rebounds in just over 21 minutes, as the Lak

<< Coyotes bury Sharks
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scottie Upshall and Peter Mueller each had a goal and assist, as the Phoenix Coyotes topped the San Jose Sharks, 4-1, at HP Pavilion. Despite the loss, San Jose clinched the top seed in the Western Confer

<< Luongo blanks Kings as Canucks take over Northwest Division
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roberto Luongo made 20 saves in setting a franchise mark for shutouts in a season with his eighth, as Vancouver took over the top spot in the Northwest Division with a 1-0 blanking of the Los Angeles

<< Artest leads Rockets past Kings in return to Sacramento
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ron Artest scored 26 points in his first visit back to Sacramento since being traded from the Kings in the offseason, as Houston rolled through the second half in a 115-98 triumph. Yao Ming added 20

Cavs hope to clinch top seed in East vs. Sixers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland takes its quest for the NBA's best record to the City of Brotherly Love tonight as the Cavaliers visit the reeling Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavs also hope to secure homecourt advantage throughout the Eastern Conf

Pacers hope to stave off elimination vs. Hawks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers are still alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race and will pay a visit to the Atlanta Hawks tonight at Philips Arena. Indiana is four games off the eighth and final postseason spot in the East with

Blues host Jackets, try to move closer to playoff berth >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Blue Jackets are going to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, the Blues are still aiming to get back there for the first time in five years. St. Louis will try to move closer to that goal in tonigh

Surging Celtics host Heat >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics still have shot at winning the Eastern Conference and will try to extend their winning streak to six games tonight versus the Miami Heat in the finale of a five-game homestand. The Atlantic Division-cham

Struggling Flames make a stop in Edmonton >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Struggling down the stretch, the Flames now find themselves on the outside of home-ice advantage in the postseason's first round. Calgary will try to get back on track tonight when it opens a home-and-home set with the visiti

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard