Stars slip past Avalanche in SO

Hockey Betting Lines

04/10/2009 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Ribeiro scored the decisive goal in a wild shootout, as the Dallas Stars topped the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2, at the Pepsi Center.

In the shootout, Colorado's Wojtek Wolski went first and fooled Dallas goaltender Matt Climie out of his pads. Wolski skated to the left side of the crease, getting Climie to go in the same direction, but he left the puck on the right side and tapped it into an open net.

Fabian Brunnstrom beat Peter Budaj on a top-shelf backhander before Milan Hejduk, switching backhand-to-forehand several times, notched a goal with a backhander over Climie. Dallas' James Neal had his shot slowed down, but the puck rolled by Budaj into the net. A shooter was finally stopped, as Climie stuffed T.J. Hensick's attempt.

Ribeiro's dazzling attempt then won the game. He skated in with his back to the net and turned slightly, sending a pass between his legs. Ribeiro also put his stick between his legs and made a forehand shot, which Budaj initially stopped. But it bounced in the air and into the right side of the crease before rolling across the goal line, ending the contest.

Steve Begin and Brunnstrom scored for Dallas, which was eliminated from playoff contention last weekend. Climie stopped 25 shots in the win, the Stars' second in three tries.

Chris Stewart and John-Michael Liles had the goals for Colorado, which has one win in its last 11 games. Budaj stopped 37 shots.

Stewart's power-play goal with 7:17 left in the second period got Colorado on the scoreboard, but Brunnstrom evened the game on the man advantage 2:09 into the third.

Begin gave the Stars the lead with 3:11 remaining in regulation on a tip-in from the slot, but the Avs evened the game less than a minute later. Liles took a shot from the left corner that bounced off Climie into the Stars' net.

Game Notes

Dallas was 1-for-2 on power plays, while Colorado went 1-for-5...The Stars close their season Friday at Anaheim...The Avalanche host Vancouver and St. Louis over the weekend to end their 2008-09 campaign.

Sportgambleonline Hockey Betting News

<< Granollers falls to Haas in Houston
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixth-seeded Spaniard Marcel Granollers fell to German Tommy Haas in second-round play Thursday at the $500,000 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships. In a matchup of former titlists here, Granollers won t

<< Miami-Ohio and Boston University advance to Frozen Four final
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Wingels registered two goals and an assist as Miami-Ohio defeated Bemidji State, 4-1, in the semifinals of the Frozen Four at Verizon Center. Alden Hirschfeld and Bill Loupee also tallied fo

<< Bulls draw closer to playoffs with thumping of Philadelphia
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyrus Thomas and Ben Gordon each scored 24 points as Chicago inched closer to a playoff berth with a 113-99 victory over slumping Philadelphia. Derrick Rose added 16 points and eight assists, Brad Mille

<< Lakers' Bynum returns to action
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrew Bynum is back, and not a second too soon for the Lakers as the playoffs near. Bynum stepped foot onto the floor in game action during the first quarter of Los Angeles' game against Denver on

<< Devils clinch Atlantic in shootout win over Senators
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brendan Shanahan scored the shootout winner, and the New Jersey Devils wrapped up the Atlantic Division title in a 3-2 win against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place. The Devils needed just a point to

Artest leads Rockets past Kings in return to Sacramento >>
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ron Artest scored 26 points in his first visit back to Sacramento since being traded from the Kings in the offseason, as Houston rolled through the second half in a 115-98 triumph. Yao Ming added 20

Luongo blanks Kings as Canucks take over Northwest Division >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roberto Luongo made 20 saves in setting a franchise mark for shutouts in a season with his eighth, as Vancouver took over the top spot in the Northwest Division with a 1-0 blanking of the Los Angeles

Coyotes bury Sharks >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scottie Upshall and Peter Mueller each had a goal and assist, as the Phoenix Coyotes topped the San Jose Sharks, 4-1, at HP Pavilion. Despite the loss, San Jose clinched the top seed in the Western Confer

Kobe helps Lakers down Nuggets in Bynum's return >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant's 33-point performance was only part of the story Thursday night, as Andrew Bynum came back from a 31-game absence to score 16 points and grab seven rebounds in just over 21 minutes, as the Lak

Georgia Southern names Young basketball coach >>
Statesboro, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Georgia Southern has selected Charlton Young as its new head men's basketball coach, the school announced Thursday. Young replaces Jeff Price, who spent the last 10 seasons with the school but resign

Problem with Bears?

Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.

"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."

Bet on NFL

Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.

Bet on NFL

Mysportsbook.com online online sportsbook accepts Visa & Mastercard

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.