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Hawks deal blow to Raptors' playoff hopes

Basketball Betting Lines

04/09/2010 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamal Crawford finished with 25 points to lead a balanced attack, as the Atlanta Hawks got back on track with a 107-101 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Josh Smith had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for the Hawks, who had dropped their last two but used a 27-of-30 performance from the foul line Friday to take the win. It was Atlanta's 50th victory of the season and put the Hawks into sole possession of third place in the Eastern Conference, a game ahead of Boston, which lost to Washington on Friday.

Joe Johnson added 18 points and seven assists in the win, while Al Horford had 15 rebounds to go with 12 points.

Sonny Weems and Amir Johnson had 18 points each for the Raptors, who entered the contest tied with Chicago for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. The Bulls play New Jersey on Friday.

Minus Chris Bosh, who suffered a facial fracture Tuesday against the Cavaliers, Toronto continued to slide, losing its fourth straight. Hedo Turkoglu, who suffered a nasal fracture Wednesday against Boston, played Friday with a facemask and finished with nine points and nine rebounds.


<< Stubbs' grand slam helps Reds top Cubs
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Drew Stubbs' eighth-inning grand slam proved to be the difference, as Cincinnati edged the Chicago Cubs, 5-4, in the opener of a three-game series at Great American Ball Park. Orlando Cabrera drove in the ot

<< Rangers edge Flyers to pull even for East's final playoff berth
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marian Gaborik notched the game-winner late in the second period, as the New York Rangers stayed alive in the race for a playoff berth with a 4-3 victory over Philadelphia in the opener of a crucial home-an

<< Bertuzzi, Howard help Detroit move to fifth spot
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Todd Bertuzzi netted the shootout winner and Jimmy Howard recorded 22 saves for his third shutout of the season, as Detroit picked up a key two points for playoff positioning with a 1-0 win to close out a home-

<< Delfino paces Bucks over Sixers
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Delfino hit five three-pointers on his way to 23 points, as the playoff-bound Milwaukee Bucks held on to top the Philadelphia 76ers, 95-90, at Wachovia Center. Luke Ridnour shot 8-of-12 and had

<< Magic rout Knicks
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Carter and Dwight Howard each poured in 25 points, and the Orlando Magic handled the New York Knicks, 118-103, at Amway Arena. Howard added 13 rebounds for his league-leading 61st double-double

Pistons snap Miami's nine-game winning streak >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Gordon drained 7-of-11 three-pointers for a season-high 39 points, as Detroit handed Miami a 106-99 defeat, snapping the Heat's nine-game winning streak. Tayshaun Prince added 28 points, seven assists

Rays hammer Vazquez, Yankees >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Pena and Willy Aybar each clubbed two-run homers, and David Price pitched into the eighth inning as the Rays blew out the New York Yankees, 9-3, in the opener of a three-game series. Jason Ba

Lakers clinch West's No. 1 seed, beat Timberwolves >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pau Gasol was the offensive catalyst for the Kobe Bryant-less Lakers, tallying 29 points and 15 rebounds to help Los Angeles secure the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a 97-88 decision over Mi

Blatche and Wizards take down Boston >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andray Blatche poured in 31 points and came down with 11 rebounds and the Wizards snapped a six-game skid against Boston with a 106-96 triumph at TD Garden. Shaun Livingston added 25 points and seven assists f

Cruz homers again as Rangers down Mariners >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nelson Cruz went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored to help Texas take a 6-2 decision over Seattle in the opener of a three-game set. Vladimir Guerrero went 2-for-4 with a

Sportsbook Betting Lines

Who 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 Made

The 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 Change

Once 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.

American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.