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03/02/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Football League announced on Tuesday that the 2011 Pro Bowl, which is to return to Honolulu after a one- year absence, will be once again played the week before the Super Bowl.
The decision to hold the game, which features the NFL's best players, the week before Super Bowl XLV in Arlington, Texas was made easier after ratings for the 2010 game were the best since 2000.
"Playing the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl generated more excitement and interest in the event and also kicked off Super Bowl week in an innovative new way," said league senior vice president of events Frank Supovitz. "We are pleased to return to the State of Hawaii, which has embraced the Pro Bowl for 30 years.
The contest will return to Aloha Stadium in Honolulu for both 2011 and 2012. The NFL had announced major changes to their annual All-Star event last season, moving the 2010 Pro Bowl to Miami and playing it one week prior to the Super Bowl.
The Pro Bowl had been played one week after the championship game and was hosted by Honolulu from 1980 through 2009. Texas last hosted a Pro Bowl in 1973, at the then-new Texas Stadium in Irving.
<< Liverpool's Skrtel could miss rest of season
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel could
struggle to return to first-team action before the end of the season after
being told he faces an eight-week lay-off with a broken metatarsal.
He suffered the
<< Flyers D Parent activated off IR, returns Tuesday
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers activated defenseman Ryan
Parent from injured reserve on Tuesday, and will return to action Tuesday as
the club faces the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Parent had successful surgery in late Jan
<< Wild sign D Zidlicky to three-year extension
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman
Marek Zidlicky to a three-year contract extension through the 2012-13 season.
Zidlicky is fourth on the Wild in scoring with five goals and 31 assists in 60
games
<< Rachel Alexandra has last work before year's debut
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rachel Alexandra, 2009 Horse of the Year,
had her final major workout Tuesday morning before her 2010 debut. The four-
year-old filly breezed six-furlongs at the Fair Grounds in preparation for
the $20
Tottenham's Huddlestone suffers ligament damage >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tottenham has confirmed that a scan has
shown that Tom Huddlestone suffered damage to the ligaments in his right ankle
during Sunday's 2-1 victory against Everton.
The former Derby County midfielder w
Ellis, Biedrins expected to miss Warriors' five-game road trip >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors will likely be
without guard Monta Ellis and center Andris Biedrins for the duration of the
club's five-game road trip beginning Tuesday in Miami.
Neither traveled with the
Jags bring back WR Williamson >>
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to terms
with wide receiver Troy Williamson on a contract Tuesday. Terms of the deal
were not disclosed.
Williamson, who was acquired by Jacksonville from Minnesota
Schalke signs teenage midfielder Matip >>
Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Schalke signed teenage midfielder
Joel Matip to a 3 1/2-year contract Tuesday.
Matip, 18, made his Bundesliga debut in November and has played 12 matches. He
has two goals. He could earn his first
Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds
Will he or won't he? Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.
Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.
"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."
Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.
Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.
But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.
Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback. It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.
Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Baltimore Ravens 15-1
Buffalo Bills 50-1
Carolina Panthers 18-1
Chicago Bears 10-1
Cincinnati Bengals 15-1
Cleveland Browns 100-1
Dallas Cowboys 15-1
Denver Broncos 15-1
Detroit Lions 100-1
Green Bay Packers 50-1
Houston Texans 100-1
Indianapolis Colts 6-1
Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1
Kansas City Chiefs 30-1
Miami Dolphins 40-1
Minnesota Vikings 75-1
New England Patriots 10-1
New Orleans Saints 18-1
New York Giants 20-1
New York Jets 30-1
Oakland Raiders 100-1
Philadelphia Eagles 18-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1
Saint Louis Rams 60-1
San Diego Chargers 6-1
San Francisco 49ers 75-1
Seattle Seahawks 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1
Tennessee Titans 40-1
Washington Redskins 50-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook credit cards needs.
Recently 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 football betting 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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