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 | Hot Bets
Tips from our SportsBook expert
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Take Me Out to the ...
Of America's three big symbols, mom and apple pie are as reliable as sunrise and sunset. There's no action there for gamblers--but now that summer's here, why not lay some cash that other American icon: our favorite pastime?
Major League Baseball is the best game in town during the long months between now and Labor Day.
Baseball betting is a game usually reserved for the serious bettors who need daily action. What with props, futures, parlays and last minute pitching changes, laying money can feel like cutting through the rainforest with a tweezers.
But whether you're a money player or you're just root, root, rooting for the home team, exploring only a few options and angles can lead you straight to fun and profit.
The Game: Major League Baseball
Bet Trends: Propositions and specials keep baseball betting the liveliest game in town. Check out the closing odds and the actual results of the second game of the June 5 double header between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets, and explore the possibilities. The Mets stomped the Giants 12-1 in a game broadcast live on ESPN.
You could have taken it inning-by-inning while drinking a brew in front of the tube from your favorite easy chair.
First-inning bets were hot and easy to find. Bettors correctly believed that no team would score (4/6), though the score that never came--by either team--would have netted 11/10. You also could have taken the Giants to have the highest scoring single inning by game's end and got 17/10. Unfortunately, when the Mets scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth, anyone who played the shorter odds suffered a net loss--$20 paid for ever $23 bet.
First team to score? The away-team> By virtue of batting first, the Giants were heavily favored to put the first run across the plate (8/11, 20/27). The scoreboard doesn't lie, though--Mets outfielder Cliff Floyd crossed home plate in the second, and a few bettors walked away modestly happy (21/20).
Other winning propositions included the scoring off the first home run--Floyd crossed the plate on a two-run homer by David Wright, which paid 5/2. The grand-slam that wasn't would have paid a fat 50/1.
Odds: Of course, all online books will offer game-outcome bets for Major League baseball. They're the easiest bets to find. In the Giants/Mets game, New York (8/11, 20/29) was favored over San Francisco (23/20, 5/4). When the Mets cruised to victory, bettor wisdom won the day.
Run totals are also hot--less than 7.5 runs would have netted $100 for every $115 bet. The winning proposition in the Mets/Giants contest--13 total runs scored--paid off $100 for every $105 wagered. The winning side betting on an odd vs. even total--odd in the game in
question--was compensated 5/8. An even-number total would have been
lovelier, paying 6/5.
A winning margin bet is available on many MLB games--in the best payoff of the afternoon, the Mets won by more than seven runs, paying 10/1 or 12/1.
The Smart Money: Smart cookies don't roll in the dough without following the recipe--gamblers much keep track of some esoteric rules when betting on Major League ball. Each book is different--always read the fine print. At many books, for example, the game is not official unless the fourth inning is complete. Other books won't pay out for less than nine full innings and 54 outs--unless the home team is ahead after eight and a half or wins in the bottom of the ninth--in which case, the game is official and your money is in-play.
The Stupid Money: The books actively try to discourage certain bets in certain games. Because the Mets and the Giants have struggling bullpens, oddsmakers didn't want money laid on the last team to score. When odds closed, SF was "favored" at 10/1, with N.Y. paying at 10/13 and 20/27. It ultimately didn't matter that the Mets pushed two runs across in the bottom of the eighth.
If you like a particular proposition, you'd better be open to laying your money where it can count, which may not involve your favorite team's game.
Quick Hits:
The San Antonio Spurs (10/23, 5/13, 1/2), with tough and
consistent Tim Duncan inside and the wizardry of Manu Ginobili off the
dribble, make big, fat favorites to win the NBA Finals. The Detroit Pistons (7/4, 43/20) roll in as long-shots ... Books await clear trends for the Ryder Cup--Europe (10/11, evens) and the U.S. (evens, 11/10) appear evenly matched to an under-whelmed betting public...Cash in on disaster at Intertops.com! [link to www.intertops.com] Lay your money on the highest category hurricane of the 2005 season with maximum sustained wind-speed as the tie-breaker. Midseason storms such as Katrina (9/2) and Lee (9/2) are blowing away the early and late season comers. Floridians may want to parlay their insurance premiums with a little dough on the betting line.
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