Bobcsts Basketball Betting News

<< Pistons, Sixers clash in Philly
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference playing out the string get together tonight in the City of Brotherly Love, where the Philadelphia 76ers play host to the Detroit Pistons at the Wachovia Center. The Sixers h

<< Hawks try and cure road woes in Charlotte
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Winning their first Southeast Division title is a longshot, but the Atlanta Hawks have more important things to worry about in their preparation for the postseason. They will try to snap a four-game road losing streak tonight

<< Purnell leaves Clemson for DePaul
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oliver Purnell has decided to leave his post as men's basketball coach at Clemson to take the vacancy at DePaul. Purnell spent the past seven years at Clemson, posting a record of 139-88 with three NCAA Tourna

<< Avs' Mueller out for final week with concussion
DENVER (AP) -A concussion is expected to keep Colorado Avalanche newcomer Peter Mueller sidelined for the final week of the regular season.Mueller, who has a team-best nine goals since the Avs acquired him in a trade with Phoenix on March 3, was inj

Spurs, Kings go at it in Sacramento >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a playoff berth already secured, the San Antonio Spurs get back to work tonight in California's capital against the lottery-bound Sacramento Kings. Manu Ginobili scored 17 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter

Bucks eye playoff spot in visit to Bulls >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Bucks hope to clinch their first playoff berth since 2006 when they visit the Windy City tonight to take on a Chicago Bulls team scratching and clawing for the final postseason spot in the East. The B

Thunder shoot for series sweep of Jazz >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The jumbled Western Conference playoff picture will continue to shake out tonight when the Oklahoma City Thunder visit Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz. The Thunder, who are attempting to sweep the seaso

Zito hopes for a new beginning against Houston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barry Zito hopes for a fresh start this evening when the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros play the middle test of their three- game series at Minute Maid Park. Zito has been a bust for the Giants since signing his

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.