08/24/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Eagles veteran safety Brian Dawkins should be ready to play in the team's season opener versus St. Louis on September 7.
Head coach Andy Reid told the team's Web site that an MRI performed Saturday on Dawkins' injured ankle revealed a mild tendon strain.
Dawkins suffered the injury in Friday's preseason game with the New England Patriots.
<< Phils try to make it three in a row against Dodgers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers may have wrecked the Philadelphia
Phillies' chances to win a division title last week. The Phils are doing their
best to return the favor.
Philadelphia will try to win their third straight over the
<< Indians vie for seventh straight win, sweep of Rangers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nicaraguan veteran Vicente Padilla tries to snap a four-
start skid when the Texas Rangers and the Cleveland Indians close out a three-
game weekend series tonight at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
The 30-year-old Texa
<< A's hope to break long drought in finale with Mariners
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics shoot for a rare series win this
afternoon, when they wrap up a four-game set with the woeful Seattle Mariners
at Safeco Field.
Oakland, which hasn't won a series since taking three of four at h
<< Angels, Twins to close out series between division leaders
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ervin Santana tries for win No. 14 when the Los Angeles
Angels of Anaheim wrap up a four-game series with the Minnesota Twins this
afternoon at Angel Stadium.
Santana, an All-Star for the first time this season
Red Sox place P Aardsma on DL >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox placed pitcher David
Aardsma on the 15-day disabled list Sunday, retroactive to August 21, with a
right groin strain.
The 26-year-old had been on the DL with the same injury from Ju
Deco helps Chelsea slip past Wigan >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Deco scored his second goal in as many
games for Chelsea on Sunday, leading the Blues to a 1-0 win over a stubborn
Wigan side at the JJB Stadium.
The Portuguese playmaker scored the lone goal of
Fenin salvages draw for Eintracht >>
Cologne, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Fenin scored in the 81st minute to
help Eintracht earn a 1-1 draw against Koln at Rhein Energie Stadion on
Sunday.
Milivoje Novakovic put Koln ahead 1-0 in the 33rd minute, but the hosts mis
Mears joining RCR in 2009, Bowyer switching teams >>
Bristol, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Team owner Richard Childress announced changes
within his organization for the 2009 season Saturday at the Bristol Motor
Speedway. Casey Mears will drive the No.07 Chevrolet starting next year, while
Clint B
MySportsbook.com is considered one of the finest online sportsbook according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.
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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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