08/14/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trash talk is not a common feature in horse racing. The humans involved in the Sport of Kings don't usually bad- mouth the other people in the sport. They talk about their horses and find reasons, respectfully, why they won or lost a particular race.
Trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. came out after his horse Big Brown won the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park with comments against 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin. Dutrow, who was bombastic leading into the Belmont Stakes, more than implied that Big Brown was superior to Curlin based on the fact that Curlin lost last year's Kentucky Derby and failed in the Belmont Stakes to a filly.
Jess Jackson, majority owner of Curlin, kept his cool and on Wednesday offered to donate $50,000 to a charity if Big Brown meets Curlin in the upcoming $500,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga on August 30. Word has come that this year's leading three-year-old will run against older thoroughbreds at Saratoga, but will wait for the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita on October 25.
"Big Brown's camp recent remarks about Curlin inspired me to offer an incentive to get these two great horses to race at the legendary track at the Spa," said Jackson. "Both horses are eligible for this race and both have plenty of time to prepare for what would be thoroughbred racing at its very best and in the name of a great cause."
Jackson now wants the owners of Big Brown to consider taking Curlin on in the Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 27 at Belmont Park.
"I would ask Big Brown's camp to consider the prestigious $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational at Belmont Park on September 27 as an option," Jackson said. "It's a prestigious, prized race on a natural dirt surface at one of the great tracks in the world. Big Brown is a champion thoroughbred and, most certainly, would be prepared to race at the end of September. Perhaps we could work together to get the Breeder's Cup to add an incentive to the purse so that a specific charity would get a bigger slice of the pie."
The winner of the Jockey Club Gold Cup gains automatic entry into the 1 1/4 mile Classic. Rumors are circulating that Jackson and trainer Steve Asmussen will hold out Curlin from this year's Breeders' Cup Classic because it will be run on a synthetic surface at Santa Anita.
"As to the Breeder's Cup," stated Jackson, "it is not part of my current plan for Curlin. I felt it was the sporting thing to do to announce Curlin's schedule to give fair notice to anyone looking to compete against the reigning Horse of the Year this fall.
"Our plan is to focus on the Woodward, look to the Jockey Cup Gold Cup, hopefully with Big Brown in the field, and review our plans after that. Ultimately, all of us have to do what is in the best interest of our horse. I wish Big Brown well and hope Curlin has the opportunity to compete against him. It certainly would help the industry and please the fans of both of these majestic horses."
With two months to go until the Breeders' Cup races, we all hope that Jackson changes his mind and gives the fans an opportunity to see Curlin run in the Classic. The four-year-old has demonstrated he runs well on turf and should be able to make the transition to a synthetic surface.
<< Brewers extend winning streak to eight, crush Padres
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - CC Sabathia threw seven effective innings and
Corey Hart went 3-for-5 with three runs batted in to help Milwaukee tie a
season high with its eighth consecutive win, a 7-1 victory over San Diego.
The Bre
<< Garciaparra's homer lifts Dodgers over Phillies
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nomar Garciaparra smoked a line-drive, solo
home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a
dramatic 7-6, come-from-behind victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Dodgers
<< Zobrist, Rays edge A's
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Zobrist hit the go-ahead RBI double in the
seventh and the Rays took the second test of their three-game series against
the Athletics, 3-2, at McAfee Coliseum.
"(Zobrist)'s at bats have gotten better.
<< Sabathia remains unbeated with Milwaukee, tops Padres
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - CC Sabathia threw seven effective innings and
Corey Hart went 3-for-5 with three runs batted in to help Milwaukee tie a
season high with its eighth consecutive win, a 7-1 victory over San Diego.
The Bre
Astros host Giants seeking eighth straight win >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red-hot veteran Brian Moehler tries to keep the magic going
for his rolling teammates today when the Houston Astros host the San Francisco
Giants in the fourth and final game of their cross-division series at Minute
Maid Park
Diamondbacks aim to get on track in finale with Rockies >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks try to maintain at least a share
of the top spot in the National League West this afternoon when they conclude
a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Arizona relinquished sol
Rolling Brewers hope to extend win streak against Padres >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers try for their season-best ninth
straight win this afternoon, as they attempt to complete a three-game sweep of
the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
Milwaukee continued to roll on Wednesday, as CC Sabat
Boston's Matsuzaka goes for 14th win of season against Rangers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daisuke Matsuzaka tries for his 14th win of the season this
evening, as the Boston Red Sox try and complete a three-game sweep of the
Texas Rangers at Fenway Park.
Matsuzaka, who won 15 games last season for the Red Sox, w
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 sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.
As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.
Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.
Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.
Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey betting needs.
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