10/23/2008 - Scottsdale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Mallinger and Doug LaBelle II both fired rounds of seven-under 63 on Thursday to share the first-round lead of the Frys.com Open.
Richard Johnson is alone in third place at six-under 64 at Grayhawk Golf Club.
For Mallinger, the first-round lead is an extension of strong play. Last week in Las Vegas, Mallinger shared third place and thinks that the dry air might have something to do with his success.
"You're playing desert golf, so it's pretty similar," said Mallinger. "This week there's overseed in the fairways, but other than that, greens are kind of similar. When you play in the same climate, the balls go the same distance, so you get pretty comfortable."
Mallinger began on the 10th tee Thursday and promptly birdied his first two holes. He parred three in a row, but closed strongly with three birdies in his last four holes.
On his second nine, Mallinger birdied two and five to reach seven-under par for the championship. At the seventh, Mallinger found trouble on the right and failed to convert a 10-footer for par.
He appeared to rebound right away when he hit his approach close at eight. Mallinger missed that birdie putt, but got the dropped stroke back with a 10- foot birdie at his last.
"I've been putting well for a couple weeks," said Mallinger. "I've been hitting it well, but when I'm hitting it close I'm usually converting, so just trying to keep that going for the rest of the week."
LaBelle, who is staying at home this week, about 10 minutes away in north Phoenix, also played the second nine first in round one. He collected birdies at 11 and 12, then added another at 15. LaBelle bogeyed the 18th, but more than atoned for that error. He birdied one and two to get to four-under par for the tournament.
It was LaBelle's finish that gave him a share of the lead.
At the par-four sixth, LaBelle drained an 18-footer for birdie. He followed that birdie up with a four-footer for birdie at No. 7 and was within one of Mallinger.
LaBelle parred the eighth, but sank a 15-footer at his last to join Mallinger atop the leaderboard.
"It's always nice to finish with a birdie," said LaBelle. "I can't complain. I've had some really good putting sessions this week, and it's worked out pretty well for me so far. I also made a lot of good five- to six-footers for par to keep my round going."
Arron Oberholser, Chris Stroud, Mathias Gronberg, J.J. Henry, Marco Dawson and Todd Demsey are knotted in fourth place at five-under 65.
Defending champion Mike Weir, Bill Haas, Robert Garrigus, Jason Day, Y.E. Yang and 1995 PGA Champion Steve Elkington are tied for 10th place at four-under- par 66.
<< Predators' Arnott and Tarnasky return
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nashville Predators centers Jason Arnott and
Nick Tarnasky returned to play on Thursday.
Arnott had missed the three previous games with a fracture in a finger on his
right hand. He had two goals and two
<< Canucks' Demitra has rib injury
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vancouver Canucks forward Pavol Demitra will
be out possibly for up to a month with a rib injury, the team announced on
Thursday.
Demitra, who the team signed in the offseason as a free agent ou
<< Lute Olson steps down at Arizona
Bristol, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Longtime Arizona men's basketball coach Lute
Olson stepped down on Thursday.
ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale first reported earlier Thursday
that the 74-year-old Olson, who missed the 2007
<< Isles activate D Campoli
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Islanders activated defenseman
Chris Campoli off of injured reserve on Thursday.
Campoli had not played since undergoing shoulder surgery this past January.
The 24-year-old played in 46 game
Maple Leafs come back to topple Bruins >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Niklas Hagman picked up a goal and one assist,
while Anton Stralman's first goal of the year was the game-winner as Toronto
topped Boston, 4-2, at TD Banknorth Garden.
Nik Antropov and Mike Van Ryn also sc
Pens use huge third to rout Canes >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin both
registered a goal and an assist, as the Pittsburgh Penguins used a four-goal
third period to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-1, at Mellon Arena.
Ruslan Fedot
Iginla, Flames rally past Preds >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jarome Iginla had two goals and an assist as
the Calgary Flames downed the Nashville Predators, 5-3, at the Sommet Center.
Rene Bourque had a goal and an assist while David Moss and Michael Cammalleri
each
Roy's OT tally lifts Buffalo past Minnesota >>
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derek Roy's tally 44 seconds into overtime
sent Buffalo past Minnesota, 4-3, at Xcel Energy Center.
Sabres forward Henrik Tallinder carried the puck behind the Minnesota net and
dished a blind pass in f
MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
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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.
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