Hank Goldberg has made a career out of trying to beat the odds, most notably as a longtime horse racing analyst and NFL reporter and prognosticator for ESPN.
Todd Dewey
Todd Dewey covers sports betting for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
tdewey@reviewjournal.com … @tdewey33 on Twitter. 702-383-0354
The Cowboys led the NFL with a 13-4 ATS record in the regular season, but they failed to deliver in the playoffs, losing 23-17 to the 49ers on Sunday as 3½-point home favorites.
The Curses of the Bambino and Billy Goat have been broken. But some believe the Curse of Bo Jackson continues to haunt the Cincinnati Bengals.
Bettors loaded up on the Raiders and won big when they advanced to the playoffs with an overtime win over the Chargers. BetMGM alone lost almost $1 million on the game.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, as high as -600 at the Westgate SuperBook to repeat as NFL MVP, is still available at -450 at Boyd Gaming and -400 at BetMGM.
The betting public was all over the Colts in a game that saw the line soar to 8½ on Sunday when Indianapolis quarterback Carson Wentz was cleared to play.
Alabama is a 13½-point favorite over Cincinnati in Friday’s CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl, and Georgia is a 7½-point favorite over Michigan at the Orange Bowl.
The Houston Texans’ upset helped Las Vegas sportsbooks to a small winning day despite the fact that double-digit favorites went 4-1 ATS and favorites went 7-4 ATS overall.
When Richard Parsels and Malcolm Weiss learned through a mutual friend that they were the final two men standing after Week 10, they quickly decided to chop the pot.
The Lions dominated the Cardinals as 13-point underdogs in a stunning 30-12 victory and the Saints bullied the Buccaneers as 11½-point underdogs in a shocking 9-0 win.
In addition to handicapping a team’s motivation, bettors must be aware of a plethora of players who are opting out of bowl games.
BetMGM and Caesars each reported a seven-figure loss, the SuperBook reported a six-figure loss and Station Casinos also reported a big losing day capped by the Packers’ 45-30 win and cover over the Bears on “Sunday Night Football.”
Last season, home teams had a losing record (127-128-1) for the first time in NFL history. This season, home teams are 92-98 straight up and 81-109 ATS.
Favorites went 7-5 ATS and double-digit favorites went 3-0 ATS as the Bucs (-10½) beat Atlanta 30-17, the Colts (-10½) whipped Houston 31-0 and the Rams (-14) ripped the Jaguars 37-7.
Alabama has been favored in 92 straight games and 164 of 165 dating to 2009. Those streaks will come to an end in Saturday’s SEC title game against Georgia.
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