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Paul has quickly turned Clippers into a contenderBasketball Betting Lines02/11/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I haven't seen any signs of the meek inheriting the earth just yet unless Matthew was talking about the Los Angeles Clippers. The NBA's resident doormat has gone from the outhouse to the penthouse in almost record time by adding Chris Paul to Blake Griffin, a big step up for a franchise that was used to throwing out names like Danny Manning and Ron Harper as the measuring stick for success. Of course achievement in the NBA is as black and white as it gets, ultimately decided by wins and losses as well as championships. Relevance precedes that kind of jump, however, and if butts in the seats and YouTube hits are any indication, this Clippers team has already arrived. Vinny Del Negro's club has sold out Staples Center for all 13 of its home games this season. Meanwhile, Griffin's amazing slam over Kendrick Perkins late last month went viral and blew up every social media site there is. It might not be Showtime but Lob City is officially a part of the NBA's elite and they're set up to be for a lengthy time. Paul was the final piece to the puzzle. The All-Star point guard has fit in magnificently since being acquired from New Orleans after the lockout and is the only NBA player averaging over 19 ppg with 9-plus assists and at least two steals. As those numbers indicate CP3 can do it all, score, distribute and defend. He's also a closer, hitting the game-winner with 3.2 seconds remaining to dispose of a tough Philadelphia team, 78-77, on Friday. "One thing I pride myself on is ball handling," said Paul. "I may not make every shot but I feel like I can get any shot that I want because of ball handling. I've always been undersized, so one thing I know is that I can create my own shot." "He's the security blanket," Del Negro added. "Get it in his hands. he's always been like that. Not only can he score but he's going to make the right play and that's what great players do. It's not always about scoring the basketball but making the right play. He takes pressure off everybody else and makes the game easier for the guys." Griffin, meanwhile, is the only player in the NBA averaging over 21 points, 11 rebounds and three assists per game and would be only the fourth in 22 years to turn that trick if he keeps up the pace. It would be nice if Griffin developed a little craftiness on the blocks to go along with the raw athleticism and power but he teams with shot-blocking machine DeAndre Jordan to give Vinny Del Negro perhaps the most physically imposing 4-5 combo in the entire NBA. In fact, Griffin and Jordan are both among the top five in dunks in the NBA. "This is as aggressive and active a front line as any we play," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. That aggressiveness only gets amped up when the newly acquired Kenyon Martin and the always energetic Reggie Evans hit the floor. The Clippers just didn't have it offensively in Philadelphia but kept coming and coming at the Sixers. It's not often you see a player dominate without scoring but that's exactly what Evans did against Philly, using his effort and energy to wreak havoc. "We couldn't run a play," Collins said. "They just physically were so strong for us around the basket. We just couldn't come up with some rebounds. Look at the stat sheet, they shoot under 39 percent, they shoot 11 percent from three with 14 assists and win the game and it's a shame." Evans finished the contest with 10 rebounds -- five offensive -- in 19 minutes of action and was all over the floor, even disturbing the Sixers' ball- handlers with his ability to show on the pick-and-roll. "He brings energy. Reggie is going to go get the ball," Del Negro said. "He's a wild card out there. He got spread out a couple times but his effort and energy is contagious. Guys feed on it. He got us some great offensive possessions. He really controlled the tempo of the game and kept them out of the open court." There will still be hiccups for a team still learning to play together and losing the mettle of Chauncey Billups, a playoff-tested veteran, to a torn Achilles certainly hurts. But, the Clips have depth in the backcourt with former All-Star Mo Williams and the capable Randy Foye. Already 3-1 on a grueling 11-day, six-game Grammy Road Trip, this Clip Show is something to see. "That's a great defensive team," Collins said. "They have shot-blockers, they've got quickness, they've got size. With a healthy Chauncey Billups, that team arguably could win a championship."
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2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year. Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.” “ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.” MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards: Odds to win the Achievement in Directing: Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1 Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17 Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1 Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1 Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1 Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1 Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1 Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5 Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1 Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11 Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1 Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1 Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50 Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1 Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1 Best Animated Feature Film: "Cars": 1/3 "Happy Feet": 2/1 "Monster House": 20/1 Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year: "Water" – Canada: 22/1 "The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2 "After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1 "Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1 "Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10 Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film: "Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5 "Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2 "Helmer & Son": 5/2 "The Saviour": 6/1 "West Bank Story": 7/2 Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay: "Babel": 7/4 "Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1 "Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20 "Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4 "The Queen": 5/4 Best Motion Picture of the Year: "Babel": 11/4 "The Departed": 1/2 "Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2 "Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10 "The Queen": 20/1 Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10 Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1 Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1 Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5 Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1 Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1 Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1 Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1 Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8 Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1 Film To Win Most Oscars: Dreamgirls: 2/3 Pans Labyrinth: 6/5 The Departed: 6/1 The Queen: 11/1 Babel: 15/1 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1 Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1 Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Sportsbooks to bet on footballRecently 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. |
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