Spiller, Evans score Bills outlast Colts
Football Betting Lines
08/19/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie first-round running back C.J. Spiller rushed for 54 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries, as the Buffalo Bills beat the Indianapolis Colts, 34-21, in a preseason game from the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Buffalo quarterback Trent Edwards finished 5-of-8 for 93 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown pass to Lee Evans to cap a high-scoring first quarter.
Peyton Manning did not play beyond the first quarter for Indianapolis. The veteran signal-caller went 8-for-15 for 91 yards with a touchdown and one interception that was returned by Buffalo's Terrence McGee 78 yards for a score.
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hideki Matsui slugged a three-run homer and drove in four as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim snapped a nine-game losing streak to Boston with a 7-2 victory in the finale of a three-game set at Fenway P
<< Sanchez, Giants avoid sweep by downing Phils
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jonathan Sanchez dazzled on the mound with
eight-plus stellar innings to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 5-2 win over
the Philadelphia Phillies in the finale of a three-game series.
Sanchez (9-8) allo
<< Sanabia pitches Marlins over Pirates
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Sanabia pitched into the eighth after
his call-up from the minors, and Florida downed Pittsburgh, 4-2, in the finale
of a four-game set at PNC Park.
Sanabia (2-1) was around the plate all night, s
<< Rangers silenced by O's Matusz
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Roberts hit a two-run double in
Baltimore's four-run seventh inning, and Brian Matusz silenced the Rangers
over eight frames en route to a 4-0 whitewashing in the opener of a four-game
series
<< Broncos sign QB Orton to extension
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos on Thursday signed
quarterback Kyle Orton to a contract extension through the 2011 season.
Orton, 27, played all 16 games with 15 starts for Denver last season,
setting ca
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Lee's titantic three-run home run proved to be the difference, as Houston edged New York, 3-2, to split a four- game set at Minute Maid Park. Lee's round-tripper made a loser of Pat Misch (0-2),
ChiSox unleash a 21-hit barrage, clobber Twins >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Buehrle hurled seven scoreless
innings and the White Sox knocked around Carl Pavano and Twins to cruise to an
11-0 victory in the finale of their three-game series against the American
League
Montreal pulls away from Winnipeg; Calvillo leaves early >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - S.J. Green scored touchdowns on two of his
three receptions to lead the Montreal Alouettes to a 39-17 victory over the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers at McGill Stadium.
Running back Brandon Whitaker, filling
Brady, Taylor each sharp as Pats down Falcons >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Brady completed 10-of-12 passes for 85
yards with a touchdown and the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta
Falcons, 28-10, in an exhibition game at Georgia Dome.
Fred Taylor rushed 11 time
Spiller, Evans help Bills outlast Colts >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie first-round running back C.J. Spiller
rushed for 54 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries, as the Buffalo Bills beat
the Indianapolis Colts, 34-21, in a preseason game from the Rogers Centre in
Toronto
Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
What Is the Point Spread?
What are Sports Betting Point Spreads?
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
How to Read Point Spreads
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
- Philly wins the actual game by any amount of points
OR
- Philly loses the game by less than 7 points.
-
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
For Those Who Like to Consider Things Mathematically
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
- Subtracting the point spread from the favorite’s score (thus the minus sign before the number) and then compare to the underdog’s score
OR
- Adding the point spread to the underdog’s score (thus the plus sign before the number) and then compare to the favorite’s score
Who Really “Won” the Super Bowl odds ?
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.