Padtes NCAA Football Betting News

<< Yankees make it official with Ibanez
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees made it official on Tuesday and signed outfielder Raul Ibanez to a one-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the New York Daily News had reported the deal to be worth $1.1

<< Bills won't play preseason game in Toronto
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Bills will not play a preseason game in Toronto this summer because of a scheduling conflict at the Rogers Centre. The Bills will still play a regular-season game at the Toronto ve

<< Stoppage Time: Plenty at stake for Chelsea's Villas-Boas
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It has been a recurring story throughout the English Premier League season, but Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has not been under as much pressure as he is now. The club's FA Cup aspirations took a hit this past weekend

<< Red Sox get Chris Carpenter from Cubs; place Jenks on 60-day DL
Fort Myers, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox have acquired pitcher Chris Carpenter and a player to be named later from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for a player to be named later. The Red Sox also placed right-handed p

Sixers' Brand to miss game against Grizzlies >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia 76ers forward Elton Brand will miss Tuesday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a right thumb sprain. Brand has averaged 10.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 30 games for the Sixers this

Red Sox, Cubs work out compensation for Epstein >>
Fort Myers, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox have acquired pitcher Chris Carpenter and a player to be named later from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for a player to be named later. The trade finalizes the compensation the

Montreal signs striker Sebrango >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Impact signed 38-year-old striker Eduardo Sebrango on Tuesday. Sebrango was a Cuban international, playing 24 matches for his native country, before immigrating to Canada. He's played most of his

Lightning's Lecavalier out indefinitely >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning will have to continue their playoff push without captain Vincent Lecavalier, who will be sidelined indefinitely due to an undisclosed upper-body injury. Lecavalier has already been

Betting Football

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.