12/01/2008 - Sinsheim, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoffenheim's club captain Selim Teber is confident that his teammates will not be overawed by the prospect of a Bundesliga title showdown at Bayern Munich.
The top two teams in Germany clash in Bayern's Allianz Arena next Friday evening, with Hoffenheim currently three points ahead of their nearest rivals.
Teber said: "We want to win, so we'll try to create chances and play as we normally do.
"At the end of the day it's all the same to me what kind of a game it is, as long as we win it. We certainly won't be changing our style because we're playing Bayern.
"There are no medals for topping the table over the winter break.
"We're travelling to Munich next week in order to win. That's what we'll be working towards in the meantime, nothing else."
(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)
<< Pampling to No. 59 in world rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rod Pampling beat Marcus Fraser in a
playoff Sunday to win the Australian Masters, and that victory that gave the
Aussie a 12-spot bump in the world rankings to No. 59.
Nothing changed at the top o
<< Burress surrenders to authorities
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress
surrendered to authorities on Monday and is expected to be charged with an
apparent weapons possession after accidentally shooting himself.
Burress, who spent a
<< Huskies host Hornets in Storrs
Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The nation's second-ranked team will be in
action this evening, as the Connecticut Huskies host the Delaware State
Hornets in what appears to be a tremendously lopsided matchup.
Delaware State has already played
<< Badgers battle Hokies in Blacksburg
Blacksburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 25th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers and
Virginia Tech Hokies clash in Blacksburg tonight, as they meet as part of the
ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Cassell Coliseum.
The Badgers enter the contest a solid 5-1 on th
Espanyol lets go of manager Marquez >>
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Espanyol have sacked coach Bartolome
Marquez after a 1-0 loss to Sporting Gijon left the club facing a relegation
battle at the wrong end of the La Liga table.
Marquez's side have won just three o
Sabres host Predators in western New York >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres will aim for their third win in four
games when they welcome the Nashville Predators for this evening's contest at
HSBC Arena.
The Sabres ended a five-game losing streak with consecutive victories over
Canucks try to rebound with test in Columbus >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to avoid a third straight
loss when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets for tonight's battle at
Nationwide Arena.
The Canucks had won four in a row before being swept in a home-and-home seri
Recent Cup winners clash as Red Wings host Ducks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A matchup between the last two Stanley Cup champions is on
tap tonight in the Motor City, as the Detroit Red Wings welcome the Anaheim
Ducks to Joe Louis Arena.
The Ducks won it all in 2007 and defeated Detroit in the West
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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