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<< Phillies add Hall of Famer Sutter as consultant
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies announced on Monday that Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter has joined the organization as a minor league pitching consultant. "Over the next several weeks, Bruce is going to help u

<< Red Wings re-sign Abdelkader
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings and left winger Justin Abdelkader agreed to terms on a two-year contract Monday. Abdelkader, 23, appeared in 50 games with the Red Wings last season, recording three goals and six poin

<< Boston College WR Larmond out for season
Chestnut Hill, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston College wide receiver Colin Larmond, Jr. will miss the entire 2010 season after suffering a serious knee injury on Saturday. Larmond, a junior, was the team's leading returning rec

<< Brewers release P Riske
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers announced Monday the release of relief pitcher David Riske. A corresponding move will be announced on Tuesday. Riske appeared in 23 games for the Brewers this season and recorde

Heat youngsters eager for a new 'school' year >>
MIRAMAR, Fla. (AP) -A black limousine that carried three young Miami Heat players to elementary school on Monday was parked about 25 feet from the front door, and barely any of the 900 students arriving to begin a new year noticed.They couldn't wait

Pirates place 1B Clement on DL >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed first baseman Jeff Clement on the 15-day disabled list with left knee irritation. The move is retroactive to August 21. Clement is batting .201 with seven home ru

Cincinnati Bengals 2010 Season Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals have earned a negative reputation in two distinct areas, one of which the team will be determined to change during the 2010 season. They've been doing their best to uphold the other. The Bengals h

Redskins ink S Carter, FB Davis >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins announced the signings of safety Tyrone Carter and fullback Carey Davis on Monday. The moves were necessary with Kareem Moore and Mike Sellers injured. Carter spent the last six ye

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.