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Hossa's Cup quest leads him to ChicagoHockey Betting Lines07/02/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's every NHL player's dream to win a Stanley Cup title, and Marian Hossa is certainly no exception. Over the past few years, Hossa's travels have taken him from Atlanta to Pittsburgh to Detroit, and despite appearing in back-to-back Cup Finals, the Slovakian sniper has still yet to raise hockey's ultimate prize. On the first day of NHL free agency, Hossa decided that his best chance at winning it all resided in Chicago and, unlike last summer, he was willing to make a long-term commitment in order to make that dream a reality. Hossa's story has become legendary in hockey circles because it's a tale filled with irony, betrayal and even a whiff of tragedy in the Greek or Shakespearean sense. And it all boils down to a decision Hossa made 12 months ago, a choice that he may continue to agonize over. It all started when Hossa was dealt from Atlanta to Pittsburgh prior to the 2007-08 trade deadline. He played a huge part in the Penguins' run to the Cup Finals that year, but Pittsburgh wound up losing in six games to Detroit. That, of course, is what led to Hossa's infamous decision, as just weeks after the Pens fell to the Red Wings, he opted to turn down a lucrative multi-year offer to stay in Pittsburgh and sign a one-year deal with Detroit instead. Of course, we all know how that ended. The Penguins and Red Wings met again this year in the Cup Finals, and Pittsburgh claimed the Cup with a thrilling seven-game series win. So now, Hossa has decided to take his immense talent and perceived bad mojo to the youthful Blackhawks, who were dispatched by Detroit in the Western Conference finals this past spring. The big question is whether Hossa will get to the promised land with Chicago, or whether his heartache will continue. The mistake Hossa made last year was trying to back-door his way into a championship by signing the short-term deal with Detroit. The Red Wings were also counting on the same type of playoff production Hossa had provided for the Pens in 2008, but instead he had a very disappointing postseason, including a final round with just three assists. This time around, Hossa has made a huge commitment to the Blackhawks and vice versa. Chicago signed the 30-year-old winger to a mammoth 12-year, $62.8 million deal. While no one disagrees that a scorer of Hossa's caliber will certainly make the Blackhawks a better team, there has been concern that a contract of that size could hurt Chicago down the line in terms of getting under the salary cap. After all, the Hawks are a very young team and players like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Kris Versteeg will be due big paydays in the coming years. However, if Chicago is able to find a way to keep Hossa and that young core together, then the balance of power in the West may shift from Motown to the Windy City. HABS, LEAFS GET BUSY Canada's two most prominent NHL franchises were in the spotlight on Wednesday, as the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs made a series of moves on the first day of free agency. The Canadiens had already made a splash by acquiring veteran center Scott Gomez on Tuesday in a seven-player trade with the New York Rangers. Montreal didn't stop there, as they also signed four players the following day, inking forwards Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta as well as defensemen Hal Gill and Jaroslav Spacek. Toronto, meanwhile, traded Pavel Kubina and Tim Stapleton to Atlanta for Garnet Exelby and Colin Stuart. The Leafs also added toughness by signing enforcer Colton Orr. But the Maple Leafs' biggest move came when they signed defenseman Mike Komisarek away from Montreal. With youngster Luke Schenn blossoming on the blue line, Komisarek gives Toronto another big body to help in the defensive end. Not to mention, the five-year, $22.5 million price tag for Komisarek is palatable, and leaves general manager Brian Burke room to maneuver during this rebuilding process. The Habs, on the other hand, seemed to commit a great deal of money to a handful of players without improving their team by all that much. Gomez is scheduled to make $8 million next year, while Gionta and Cammalleri were given an average of $5 million and $6 million, respectively, over the next five seasons. Cammalleri did have a huge year with the Flames in 2008-09, registering career-highs in goals (39) and points (82), but that was while playing on a line with Jarome Iginla and Daymond Langkow. The rabid fans in Montreal will expect him to duplicate those numbers next year with the Habs, and it could get ugly if he fails to live up to last year's output. To be fair to the Canadiens, they have made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and are not in full-blown rebuilding mode like the Maple Leafs, who have missed the postseason for four straight years. That, of course, makes it more difficult for Montreal to improve its club, and also makes it hard for the Leafs not to improve theirs. There will be a slew of new faces when these clubs renew their fierce rivalry next season, but my guess is it won't take long for Habs and Leafs fans to memorize which players they are supposed to hate.
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Sportsbooks to bet on footballRecently 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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