11/14/2008 - Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scotland's Andy Murray earned a dramatic 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 victory over Roger Federer Friday in round-robin play at the Tennis Masters Cup, eliminating the super Swiss from semifinal contention in the $4.45 million season-ending tournament.
Murray, who finished 3-0 in round-robin play to win the Red Group, was able to wrestle the match away from the four-time Masters Cup champion and will take on Russian Nikolay Davydenko in the semifinals on Saturday.
Also Friday, Frenchman Gilles Simon defeated Czech Radek Stepanek, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the semifinals. Simon, who beat Federer to start round robin play, will face Serbian Novak Djokovic.
<< Grizzlies welcome Bucks to FedEx Forum
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Skiles' Milwaukee Bucks attempt to win their second
straight game Friday when they travel to Memphis to face the Grizzlies.
Richard Jefferson scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Bucks
edged the a
<< Oden, Blazers visit Hornets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The streaking Portland Trail Blazers will attempt to secure
their third straight road victory Friday when they travel to The Big Easy to
take on the New Orleans Hornets.
The Blazers finished a sweep of Florida Wednesda
<< Rockets wrap up trek at San Antonio
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets close out a five-game road trip Friday
by visiting the injury-riddled San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center.
Tracy McGrady scored 27 points -- including 15 in the third quarter -- leading
the Rocke
<< Suns, Kings square off in Sacramento
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns attempt to get back on the winning track
Friday when they travel to Sacramento to face the Kings at ARCO Arena.
Houston's Tracy McGrady scored 27 points -- including 15 in the third quarter
-- to lead
Sabres shoot for victory over visiting Blue Jackets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres will hope to stay on the winning track
when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets in tonight's interconference matchup
at HSBC Arena.
The Sabres defeated the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, ending a two-game
Anderson, Panthers welcome Red Wings >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With Florida goaltender Tomas Vokoun now battling a back
ailment, backup netminder Craig Anderson is hot at the right time. Anderson
will start his third straight game tonight, as the Panthers host the Detroit
Red Wings at Ba
Thrashers hope to stay hot in clash with Hurricanes >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The suddenly hot Atlanta Thrashers will aim for their fifth
straight victory tonight, when they host the Carolina Hurricanes at Philips
Arena.
The Thrashers hadn't won back-to-back games this year before putting together
Blackhawks continue homestand vs. Blues >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks will try to remain unbeaten in
regulation at home tonight, as they continue a five-game homestand against the
St. Louis Blues at the United Center.
Chicago won the first two games of this residency,
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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