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07/08/2010 - Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake got a first-half penalty kick goal from striker Robbie Findley, and goalkeeper Nick Rimando stretched his streak to 498 minutes without allowing a goal as the Utah club topped the Chicago Fire, 1-0, in Major League Soccer action at Toyota Park on Thursday night.
With the first half winding down with little offensive pressure from either side, Alvaro Saborio flicked a ball to Findley in the offensive third. The U.S. international then ripped a 25-yard shot off the post and the game remained scoreless in the 39th.
But just a minute later, Findley earned the penalty when he went to the turf after slight contact from Chicago defender C.J. Brown, which he slotted past goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra for his third goal of the season.
Chicago (4-5-5) was the better team in the second half, but was unable to break through the tough RSL defense or Rimando. Steven Kinney had the best chance for the Fire, but he headed a corner off the post in the 57th minute, his second hit post in the game.
RSL (9-3-3) will try to add to its current 10-game unbeaten run when it travels to take on FC Dallas on July 17, while Chicago's next MLS match is Aug. 1 at Los Angeles.
<< Schneider saves the day as Phils outlast Reds in extras
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Schneider blasted a game-winning
solo home run in the bottom of the 12th inning to lift the Phillies over the
Reds, 4-3, in the opener of a four-game series.
Jordan Smith (2-2), in his secon
<< Report: David Lee headed to Warriors in sign-and-trade
Bristol, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors have reportedly
acquired forward David Lee in a sign-and-trade with the New York Knicks.
The Warriors, according to a report on ESPN.com on Thursday, will send
forwards
<< Giants' Runzler leaves game with injury
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Francisco Giants reliever Dan Runzler
left Thursday's game in Milwaukee with a dislocated left kneecap.
The 25-year-old left-hander will undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the
severity of the i
<< Crawford leads Rays over Tribe
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carl Crawford hit a pair of two-run home
runs as Tampa Bay kept its hot streak going with a 5-2 decision over Cleveland
in the opener of a four-game set from Tropicana Field.
Carlos Pena also went deep f
Orioles score three in eighth to top Rangers >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Julio Lugo's RBI single capped an odd three-
run rally in the eighth inning and the Baltimore Orioles posted a 6-4 comeback
victory over the Texas Rangers in the opener of a four-game series.
Felix Pie and
Cavs owner says LeBron James quit in playoffs >>
CLEVELAND (AP) -Angered and betrayed by LeBron James' decision to leave for Miami, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert accused the NBA's MVP of quitting during the playoffs.Gilbert, who posted a letter to Cavs fans on the team's website shortly after James
LeBron James walks away from Cleveland for Miami >>
LeBron James walked away from the comforts of home to chase an NBA championship.Perhaps the most hysterically-hyped free agent in sports history, James announced Thursday night on national TV that he plans to leave Cleveland to join the Miami Heat f
Diamondbacks crush Marlins in series opener >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kelly Johnson went 4-for-5 and drove in three
runs to lead Arizona in a 10-4 rout of the Florida Marlins in the opener of a
four-game series.
Gerardo Parra also delivered four hits and scored twice for the
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.
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:
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.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
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.
NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
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