02/20/2007 - Hot Springs, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Five weeks after finishing a distant third to Hard Spun at the Fair Grounds, 23-1 longshot Teuflesberg registered a major upset on Presidents' Day over the Kentucky Derby hopeful. Teuflesberg went wire to wire to win the $250,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
Hard Spun was sent off as the 1-2 odds-on favorite in the nine horse field. The colt brought an undefeated record into the one mile race. He just had to overcome the outside post.
Teuflesberg bobbled a bit coming out of the starting gate, but quickly took the lead on his way to 1 1/2 length triumph. Jockey Stewart Elliott notched his second win in the Southwest Stakes. Three years ago he rode Smarty Jones to victory on his way to claiming the Run for the Roses.
Hard Spun has been compared to Smarty Jones. Both were bred in Pennsylvania and won the Pennsylvania Nursery at Philadelphia Park. On Monday Hard Spun, with Mario Pino riding, left the gate in good shape and settled about six lengths off the pace.
Pino asked the favorite for more heading into the far turn while racing on the outside. Hard Spun got to second coming off the turn for home, but began to falter down the stretch.
Finishing second was 12-1 longshot Officer Rocket with Forty Grams third. Hard Spun faded to fourth followed by Xchanger, Going Ballistic, Starbase, Our Sacred Honor and I Got a Dream.
The time for the Southwest Stakes was 1:38.20 on a fast track.
Teuflesberg is trained by co-owner Jamie Sanders, and adds $150,000 to his bankroll. The three-year-old has won four of 13 career starts for more than $317,000. This was his win of 2007 and his second career stakes triumph.
Teuflesberg returned $48.80, $20.00 and $10.80. Officer Rocket paid $9.80 and $5.40, and Forty Grams paid $6.40 for show.
The next important race for three-year-olds at Oaklawn Park is the Rebel Stakes on Saturday, March 17. The $1 million Arkansas Derby is Saturday, April 14.
<< Loit wins first-rounder in Bogota
Bogota, Colombia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Frenchwoman Emilie Loit was
among Monday's first-round winners at the $175,000 Copa Colsanitas Santander
tennis tournament.
Loit leveled Spaniard Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-2, 6-1 on the re
<< Golf Course Review - Ocean Hammock Golf Club
Palm Coast, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS & STATS: Course Architect: Jack
Nicklaus. Year Opened: 2000. Location: Palm Coast, Florida. Slope: 147.
Rating: 77.0. Par: 72. Yardage: 7,201.
Hole-by-Hole:
1 - Par 4 380 Yds 10 - Par 5 522 Yds
<< Rivera out in Chicago; eyeing Chargers
Lake Forest, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bears announced Monday that
defensive coordinator Ron Rivera will not return for a fourth season. The club
has given the former standout linebacker permission to speak with the San
Diego C
<< A knockout round with a British flavor
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This week's Round of 16 Champions
League slate offers up eight tasty matchups, with four featuring English
League clubs. Much like a meal of fish and chips and warm beer, the first
knockou
Hayward, No. 16 Golden Eagles down Wildcats >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lazar Hayward scored a career-high 18 points,
and the 16th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles topped the Villanova Wildcats,
80-67.
Dominic James also scored 18 points for Marquette (22-7, 9-5 Big East
Lady Vols nip LSU to secure SEC crown >>
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Candace Parker scored 27 points and pulled
down 13 rebounds, as second-ranked Tennessee won its 12th consecutive
Southeastern Conference regular season title with a 56-51 triumph over No. 7
LSU.
Tenkrat, Bruins top Flyers >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Petr Tenkrat scored a pair of goals to
guide the Boston Bruins past the Philadelphia Flyers, 6-3, at the Wachovia
Center.
Marc Savard finished with a goal and two assists and P.J. Axelsson tallie
No. 15 Bulldogs top Phoenix >>
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Graves scored 20 points and Brandon
Crone added 17 to lead 15th-ranked Butler to a 68-58 victory over
Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Mike Green tallied 13 points and Pete Campbell finished w
Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends
We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS. Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned. For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go. As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190). Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet. For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction. On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later. Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick. Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com
New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors
Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season.
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls
Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times.
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons
Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season.
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers
In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS.
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”. With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit. Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.
About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your basketball sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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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