Warruors Basketball Betting News

<< 7-footer Zoubek comes up big for Duke
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Brian Zoubek finally is playing as big as his 7-foot-1 frame.He helped Duke outmuscle one of the toughest teams in the NCAA tournament and he now has the Blue Devils poised to win their fourth national championship.Zoubek and Duke

<< Michigan State won't surprise anyone next year
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Michigan State was an unexpected Final Four participant after fighting through injuries to several key players.The Spartans won't surprise anyone next season.Only one key player, Raymar Morgan, was a senior on a team that lost to

<< Butler could be without Howard for title game
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Butler center Matt Howard could miss Monday night's championship game with a head injury.Coach Brad Stevens says Howard will not practice Sunday and will be a game-time decision for the national title game against Duke. Stevens wo

<< After Obama comes a Halladay on DC's opening day
WASHINGTON (AP) -The Washington Nationals found perhaps the only pitcher who can trump Roy Halladay's debut with the Philadelphia Phillies.He's a lefty without a whole lot of experience, and one of his big recent victories came by the eye-popping sc

Raptors ink F/C Dorsey >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors signed free agent forward- center Joey Dorsey for the remainder of the season Sunday. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The former University of Memphis

White Sox place C Castro on DL >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox placed catcher Ramon Castro on the 15-day disabled list Sunday. The catcher has a bruised right heel and was placed on the injury list retroactive to March 29. Castro batte

Mariners put Lee on DL >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners placed pitcher Cliff Lee on the 15-day disabled list Sunday as they finalized their opening day roster. Lee was expected to start the season on the DL because of a lowe

Ajax leaves it late against Den Haag >>
The Hague, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toby Alderweireld's last-minute goal helped Ajax claim a vital 1-0 win over Den Haag at Het Zuiderpark on Sunday. The win keeps Ajax within four points of leaders Twente with four games remain

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.