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05/31/2010 - Elmont, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trainer Todd Pletcher announced Monday that Interactif will start in this year's 142nd edition of the $1 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday. The three-year-old is owned by brothers Alain and Gerard Wertheimer.
"We decided to call an audible and send him to the Belmont," said Pletcher. "Two works ago, we had it in our minds, and after surveying the field we decided to go.
"His second to Sidney's Candy in the San Felipe was very good, although we were a little disappointed with his performance in the Blue Grass. We had the Derby in mind after [the Blue Grass], but thought the three weeks might be a little fast back."
The colt was fourth in the Blue Grass Stakes to Stately Victor who will also start in the Belmont. In the San Felipe Stakes Interactif was second to eventual Santa Anita Derby champ Sidney's Candy.
Interactif will be ridden by Javier Castellano and puts the field for this year's Belmont at a dozen.
The field for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont will also include Dwyer Stakes runner-up Drosselmeyer, Preakness runner-up First Dude, Dwyer Stakes winner Fly Down, Lone Star Derby champ Game On Dude, Kentucky Derby runner-up Ice Box, Make Music for Me, Spangled Star, Blue Grass Stakes winner Stately Victor, Stay Put, Dave in Dixie and Uptowncharlybrown.
<< Angels beat Royals to open road trip
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ervin Santana pitched a solid seven
innings while Mike Napoli and Howie Kendrick drove in two runs each, as the
Angels opened up a season-long 14-game road trip with a 7-1 win over Kansas
City.
<< Pirates continue to handle Cubs
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bobby Crosby knocked in the go-ahead run
with a single in the eighth inning, as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the
Chicago Cubs, 2-1, in the opener of a three-game series at PNC Park.
Garrett Jones
<< Kwak to miss World Cup for South Korea
Innsbruck, Austria (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - South Korea defender Kwak Tae-Hwi has
been ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a knee injury in his team's
1-0 defeat to Belarus on Sunday.
Kwak had only returned to the team in November a
<< Braves down Phils to take over first place in NL East
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chipper Jones hit a two-run homer and Troy
Glaus added a late three-run shot, backing a solid start from Tommy Hanson and
helping the Braves to their sixth consecutive win, a 9-3 decision over the
Phillie
Giants put IF Rohlinger on DL >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants on Monday
placed infielder Ryan Rohlinger on the 15-day disabled list with a strained
left hamstring.
Rohlinger was batting .214 with one RBI in 10 games for the G
Nationals use nine-run seventh to rout Astros >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Maldonado and Ryan Zimmerman each hit a
three-run homer to highlight a nine-run seventh inning, as the Washington
Nationals demolished the Houston Astros, 14-4, in the opener of a four-game
set at
Quality Road captures Met Mile >>
Elmont, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Odds-on favorite Quality Road held off a late
running Musket Man down the stretch to win Monday's $500,000 Metropolitan
Handicap (Met Mile) at Belmont Park. The victory is the third of the year for
the fou
Jimemez outduels Lincecum to earn 10th win, Rockies down Giants >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ubaldo Jimenez showed why he is the best
pitcher in the majors, fanning nine batters on his way to his second complete-
game shutout of the season, as the Colorado Rockies handled the San Francisco
Giants,
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.
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards
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