CFL West: Stamps and Riders to battle for first

Football Betting Lines

08/25/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The West Division returns to play this week after a bye, with the two basement dwellers set to host the top teams. The Edmonton Eskimos and BC Lions have a lot of work cut out for them to get back into the swing of things, a task made harder with all the coaching speculation underway. Few would have thought Wally Buono's position as head coach of the Lions would ever be in doubt, but after limping to a 1-6 record to start the season, those questions are now being asked.

BC LIONS

Since Buono took over in 2003, the Lions have never missed the playoffs. Although the team has shown its decline over the last three seasons, this year's dramatic fall for one of the all-time winningest CFL coaches still comes as a surprise.

The Lions' problem on the field this season has been the same since Week 1 - an inexperienced o-line that fails to protect its quarterback and running backs. The Lions just can't find the time to find their offensive rhythm when they are constantly being hurried.

With the league's best defensive team coming up next, it will be even tougher to find their mojo with the ball.

Offensive key to the next game (Calgary Stampeders): Protect the quarterback. There is a possibility Casey Printers will be back from injury to start this game and if that's the case, the Lions are better off for it. But BC will get nowhere if they can't control the field around the line of scrimmage.

Defensive key to the next game: The Stampeders have many offensive weapons, backed up by a healthy balance between their passing and running game. However, the Stamps rely on their quarterback Henry Burris more than anything (he's thrown more touchdowns than any QB out West), so the Lions need to force the Stamps to run the ball to keep it close. Doing that starts with cutting off Burris's favorite target, Nik Lewis.

Look ahead: After Calgary, the Lions play three different eastern teams. While two are against Montreal and Toronto, BC has historically done well against the East. The Lions' most realistic chance of making the playoffs will be crossing over to the East Division, making these three games crucial to its hopes of a postseason berth.

EDMONTON ESKIMOS

As dire as things are on the Pacific Coast, they aren't as bad as across the Rockies. Edmonton has put up a terrible -94 point differential in scoring, which is 50 points worse than the Lions.

What this stat suggests is that nothing has worked for the Eskies all season. Arkee Whitlock remains one of the league's best running backs, but more is needed for this once-proud organization.

Losing 56-15 against Calgary in Week 7 was the latest debacle for Edmonton.

There is good news, however. Ricky Ray, who had only five pass attempts in their last game before leaving with injury, will be back this week. Though Ray has yet to find the magic from earlier in his career, he is a much better option than the backups behind him.

Offensive key to the next game (Saskatchewan Roughriders): Ray must dazzle, and it's possible to do that against Saskatchewan. The Riders have given up (by far) the most passing yards of any team in the West, and so Edmonton's best chance at scoring points will be to get it done through the air.

Defensive key to the next game: Part of the reason for Saskatchewan's lackadaisical pass defense is that they welcome teams to try and outgun Darian Durant and the league's best receiving corps. The Eskimos have to find a way to limit Durant's ability to go big and force him to complete short passes.

Look ahead: The schedule does not get any easier for the Eskimos. After their tilt with the Riders, they have a home-and-home series with the Stampeders, followed by a date in Montreal with the Alouettes.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

The Stampeders headed into the bye week with the greatest momentum of any team. They became the top team in the league while at the same time making a dynamic statement when they trounced their Albertan rivals, 56-15, in Week 7.

When the Stamps won the Grey Cup in 2008, they had a league-best 13-5 record. Though there are many games still to be played, Burris and company look even deadlier this year, as they're on pace to score more points and allow even fewer.

The Stamps have the record to back up their strong play, but with so many games having come right down to the wire, they have also shown a resiliency that was missing last season.

Another road game in BC will put that to the test once again.

Offensive key to the next game (BC Lions): Burris needs to be mistake-free, as BC has a much better defense than its 1-6 record would indicate. In their meeting before the bye week, Burris threw for just 238 yards and had one interception, a stat line that allowed BC to come within five points of forcing overtime. Burris will need to execute better against a hungrier team.

Defensive key to the next game: The Stamps used some clever ploys to knock Lions QB Travis Lulay off his game in Week 7. If Printers remains on the sidelines, the Stamps need to do the exact same thing this week and keep Lulay uncomfortable. Tactics don't change if Printers is in the game, but the Stamps will have to be more cautious with the more experienced quarterback.

Look ahead: The Stamps have a home-and-home series with Edmonton after their matchup with BC, meaning a 3-0 run is a strong possibility. However, Calgary has shown some weakness on the road - at least in the fact they aren't as dominating as they are at home. A 1-3 record, even against the league's two worst teams, is a possibility if the Stamps don't take their opponents seriously.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

Since losing 40-20 to Calgary in Week 4, the Riders have lost a little of the magic they started the season with, when they beat Montreal, 54-51, in their season opener.

Much of that has to do with the sloppy play of quarterback Darian Durant. After throwing seven touchdowns and just one interception over the first three games, Durant has been picked off a whopping eight times over his last four contests, to go along with just four TD's. It's no surprise that during Durant's struggles the Riders have mustered a mediocre 2-2 record over that span.

Offensive key to the next game (Edmonton Eskimos): Playing a road game is never easy, and so the Riders need Durant to find his accuracy, and fast. The Eskimos are not as challenging a team to square up against, but the Riders QB should use this game as a launching point for an improved second half of the season.

Defensive key to the next game: QB Ricky Ray, wide receiver Fred Stamps, and running back Arkee Whitlock. These are the three biggest offensive weapons the Eskimos have. Stopping at least two of three will eliminate any hope of an Edmonton upset.

Look ahead: The Riders have a classic home-and-home series against prairie rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers coming up after this week. Though Saskatchewan has proven to be the superior team this season, there's no guarantee this will translate to two easy wins. With another match against Calgary looming three weeks from now, the Riders need to win in order to prepare themselves for the upcoming western showdown.

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Super Bowl XLIII Betting - Super Bowl 2009

Super Bowl 2009, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Let’s take a look at the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds and the betting line and figure out where they’ve been and where they are going to go.

MySportsbook.com put up the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds late on Sunday night with the Pittsburgh Steelers favored by 6.5 points and a total betting line at 47.5 points.

Since then, however, the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds have seen a good deal of movement and you’ll want to be on top of where they are likely to move to make sure you get the best line value for the big game.

Since opening, the Super Bowl 2009 betting lines went to Steelers -7 in the span of roughly 3 hours but were quickly bought back down just minutes later to 6.5 again.

After that is took about 5-6 more hours before the betting line went back to -7 where it has sat for a while now and is likely to remain. The opening betting total of 47.5 was bet down right after the line became available and went to 47 within minutes.

Roughly a day later it has been bet even further down to the 46.5 tally it currently is set at.

Roughly 60% of gamblers seem to be on the Cardinals here so the point spread will be bet down and a 7.5 would not last very long at all with many taking the early 6.5 in hopes of finding a potential middle in the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds.

If you like Arizona and see a 7.5, I’d take it as soon as possible because it’s unlikely to last. For Pittsburgh backers, the -7 might be the best you’ll be able to find but a 6.5 is definitely possible close to game time.

Regarding the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds for the total, most tracked gamblers are already on the over and with those who took the under 47.5 already securing a middle on the over 46.5, the only way I see it moving is back up to 47 so if you like the over, I’d recommend betting now.

Get free Super Bowl XLIII Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting with credit cards

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.