Toronto For Weber Columbus

Hockey Betting Lines

"It's a typical game for us where we start out good then mistakes kill us," said Columbus head coach Scott Arniel. "Instead of us making the plays it was them making the plays. We created chances, but they capitalized on theirs and we didn't."

 

Columbus will close December with two of three games on home ice before beginning the new year on a four-game road trip. The Blue Jackets are 6-10-2 on home ice compared to a 3-12-2 mark as the guest.

 

Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber has been diagnosed with a concussion. The standout defenseman was injured last Friday at Dallas. The team posted on its Twitter account Tuesday that Weber "will be evaluated on a daily basis with no timetable on his return."

 

Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Detroit Red Wing forward Johnny Wilson has died. He was 82. Wilson was a four-time Stanley Cup champion with Detroit in the 1950's. He had 161 goals and 171 assists in 688 NHL games with the Red Wings, Blackhawks, Maple Leafs and Rangers.

 

He is the uncle of current Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson.

 

Liles was already suffering from a neck injury apparently suffered when he absorbed a hit from Sabres forward Paul Gaustad last Thursday.

 

St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues activated forward B.J. Crombeen from injured reserve on Tuesday, paving the way for his first action this season. Crombeen totaled seven goals and 14 points with 154 penalty minutes in 80 games a season ago for St. Louis, but has missed all 35 contests after fracturing his left shoulder in the Blues' final preseason game.

 

The 24-year-old did not record a point in 24 appearances this year.

 

Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jarome Iginla scored his 498th career goal in regulation and netted the only score of the shootout, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 2-1 victory over the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets. Iginla's power-play marker three minutes into the third period tied the game, and moved him within two goals of becoming the 42nd player in NHL history to reach the 500-goal plateau.

Jazzspors Hockey Betting Blog

<< Calgary Adds Flames Over Goal

<< Madison Square Garden Win Highlight Wrap Down Meetings

<< Jets Beats Victory On Hitchcock

<< Games Over Game Pavelski

<< Right Of Hedberg Edmonton

ST. Louis Backs Shot For Detroit >>

LA Russa Against Verlander Series >>

Team On Bowl Football >>

Limiting Opponents Of Field Home >>

Bradley Over Woods Life >>

Sportsbooks to bet on football

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 football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

NFL Football Office Pool Printable Schedules
MySportsbook.com , leading online sportsbook, offers free NFL football office pool printable sheets! Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury -- Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs.