Hamlin wins at Pocono again

Autoracing Betting Lines

06/06/2010 - Long Pond, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denny Hamlin held off Tony Stewart and teammate Kyle Busch in a pair of late-race restarts to win Sunday's Gillett Fusion ProGlide 500 at Pocono Raceway.

Just before Hamlin crossed the line to take the white flag for the final lap, Kevin Harvick bumped Joey Logano and put Logano into a spin to setup a green- white-checkered finish.

After the final restart, Hamlin pulled away from the field, while Busch passed Stewart for second one lap away from the finish.

A multi-car crash involving at least 10 drivers on the final lap ended the race under caution, with Hamlin picking up his fourth win at Pocono. He won at this unique 2.5-mile triangular track last August.

Hamlin now leads the Sprint Cup Series with four victories so far this season.

Busch gave Joe Gibbs a 1-2 finish at Pocono. Stewart, the defending race winner, took the third spot, followed by points leader Harvick and four- time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson.

Harvick now holds a 19-point lead over Busch. Hamlin is now 136 points behind the leader.

Porncitu Autoracing Betting News

<< Jimenez's scoreless streak ends, but still wins 11th
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ubaldo Jimenez extended his scoreless streak to 33 consecutive innings before it was broken in the eighth, helping Colorado pull out a 3-2 victory over the Diamondbacks. Jimenez (11-1) shut down the D'Bac

<< A's edge Twins to avoid sweep
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Kouzmanoff had three hits, scored a run and drove in a run to support a solid seven innings from Gio Gonzalez, as Oakland beat Minnesota, 5-4, to salvage the last of a three-game set at the Coliseu

<< Marlins to call up top prospect Stanton
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins announced Sunday that they will select the contract of top prospect Mike Stanton in time for the 20-year- old to make his major league debut on Tuesday in Philadelphia. Stanton, a second-ro

<< Price earns 2nd Champions Tour win of season
West Des Moines, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Price captured his second victory of the season with a four-under 67 Sunday to win the Principal Charity Classic. Price finished with a 14-under 199 on the Glen Oaks course to beat Champions Tour

<< Baltimore tops Boston in 11th; Samuel gets first win
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Markakis' run-scoring single in the 11th inning lifted Baltimore to a 4-3 win over Boston, snapping the Orioles' 10- game losing streak and giving Juan Samuel his first victory as the team's manager

Jaso, Upton pace Rays over Rangers >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Jaso had three hits, including a home run, and drove in five runs, and B.J. Upton collected three hits, scored three times, stole a base and knocked in a run to power Tampa Bay past Texas, 9-5, to salv

Ellis helps Dodgers earn split with Braves >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Ellis hit a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning, as the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the Atlanta Braves, 5-4, to split a four-game series. James Loney went 2-for-5 with two runs

Napoli helps Angels complete sweep of Mariners >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Napoli's two-run homer in the seventh broke a tie, and the Los Angeles Angels swept the Seattle Mariners in three games with a 9-4 win at Safeco Field. Napoli matched career-highs with four hits

Song earns 1st Duramed Futures title >>
Cedar Rapids, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Christine Song shot a flawless five-under 67 to capture her first professional win Sunday at the Ladies Titan Tire Challenge on the Duramed Futures Tour. Song finished three rounds on the Hunters

Mackenzie captures 1st Canadian Tour win >>
Victoria, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brock Mackenzie birdied the 18th hole Sunday to shoot a four-under 66 and capture his first Canadian Tour win at the Times Colonist Open. Mackenzie finished with a 14-under 266 on the Uplands course to edge pa

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.