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12/11/2011 - Poste de Flaco, Mauritius (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American Tom Lehman closed with a one-under 71 on Sunday to win the MCB Tour Championship by a single stroke over David Frost.
Lehman ended the European Senior Tour finale at 12-under-par 204. It was Lehman's first win on that tour.
The 1996 British Open champion managed eight pars and a single bogey on the front nine at Constance Belle Mare Plage.
Around the turn, Lehman got back to even-par for his round with a birdie on the par-five 13th. He then birdied the 16th for the first time all week before making par on the final two holes to fend off Frost.
The South African Frost closed with a two-under 70 to end at minus-11. After two bogeys and two birdies on the front nine, Frost birdied the 13th and 14th to get to 11-under.
That moved Frost into a share of the lead with Lehman, but Frost fell one back with a bogey on 15. After Lehman birdied 16 to go two clear, Frost got back within one with a birdie at 17. Like Lehman, Frost only managed a par on the par-five 18th to finish one back.
Nick Job (71) took third at five-under-par 211, while Sam Torrance (66) and Gordon J. Brand (66) shared fourth at minus-four.
Peter Fowler closed with a 73, but his seventh place finish was enough to give him the John Jacobs Trophy for topping the Senior Tour Order of Merit. He finished more than 31,000 euros ahead Barry Lane, who tied for ninth after a final-round 73 of his own.
<< Donald makes history as Quiros hangs on in Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luke Donald's historic year
ended in style Sunday with three straight birdies, 46 bogey-free holes and a
sterling six-under 66.
Donald didn't win the Dubai World Championship, finishing third at
<< Lakers reportedly deal Odom to Mavs
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly
traded veteran forward Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks.
Both the Los Angeles Times and Dallas Morning News reported the deal late
Saturday night. The Ti
<< Stars hold off Kings
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trevor Daley had a goal and an assist, and
Richard Bachman made 26 saves in his first career start to help the Dallas
Stars edge the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1, at Staples Center.
Jamie Benn netted the ot
<< Kiprusoff, Flames blank Oilers
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miikka Kiprusoff turned aside 21 shots for his
second shutout of the season as Calgary upended Edmonton, 3-0.
Jarome Iginla scored twice while Tom Kostopoulos had the other goal for the
Flames, who have won
Blackhawks welcome Sharks to town >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks have recorded a point in four
straight and six of their last seven games and will try to add another victory
to that hot streak when they host the San Jose Sharks tonight at United
Center.
The Black
Rangers and Panthers battle in NYC >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers avoided a three-game losing streak
with a win on Saturday and will try to make it back-to-back victories when
they host the Florida Panthers tonight at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers had lost two i
Coppin State seeks upset of No. 24 Illinois >>
Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 24th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini
entered the weekend as one of only 12 undefeated teams nationally, and they
will attempt to remain perfect when they battle the Coppin State Eagles in
non-conference acti
Titans tangle with Tide in Tuscaloosa >>
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide hope to
get back on track as they welcome the Detroit Titans to Tuscaloosa this
evening in non-conference action.
Members of the Horizon League, the Titans are testing th
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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