Las Vegas Hilton Posts Kardashian Super Bowl Prop: Reggie Bush vs Lamar Odom

by Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

The Las Vegas Hilton Super Book crew has done it again by creating one of the more interesting cross-over Super Bowl props of the season.


Much like the Super Bowl commercials, we in Las Vegas sit anxiously awaiting who will have the most clever prop during the two week break until the big game is finally played, and generally it’s the Hilton who leads the way.

The Hilton’s Executive Director of Race and Sports, Jay Kornegay, was sitting in his office Wednesday taking calls from all over the world from various media outlets when he got an interesting call. On the other line, TMZ.com, the entertainment gossip page and TV show.

They called to see if they’re were any juicy entertaining props they could discuss, and then offered a prop suggestion of their own for Kornegay to use, “Who will score more on Super Bowl Weekend, Lamar Odom or Reggie Bush.“

The angle has a nice Kardashian sister twist and makes for an interesting news story for the gossip page to utilize Sports biggest game with the entertainment world and pop culture; absolutely perfect for their show putting the two Kardashian sister‘s men against each other.

Kornegay and his staff quickly found a way to put statistics from Odom’s game on Saturday at Portland against Bush’s rushing yards in the Super Bowl so it’s a fairly even number. They finally came up with “Who will have more, Odom’s points, rebounds, and assists combined against Bush’s rushing yards.”

“It’s not unusual for us to get requests like that,” says Kornegay, “We get several a year from guests that we try to accommodate with a fair number and then offer it to everyone.”

The Hilton crew has been the industry leader in Las Vegas for Super Bowl propositions for the last decade. The crew came over from the Imperial Palace where they were the industry leader there as well.

Their much anticipated props have been on the betting board since Tuesday and their much anticipated 15 page sheet will be available to the public on Friday.

WHO WILL HAVE MORE:
**(Lakers/Blazers--February 6, 2010) Prop closes at 7:00 pm Pacific Time
LAMAR ODOM (LAL) POINTS+REBOUNDS+ASSISTS +0.5 -110
REGGIE BUSH (NO) RUSHING YARDS -0.5 -110

Super Bowl Is Set: Vegas Bettors Immediately Jump on Colts

by Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

The stage is set!


The Super Bowl now has its two contestants and it couldn’t be more appropriate that it comes down to the two best teams in the league. Both the Colts and Saints matched each other win for win throughout the regular season without a loss through Week 13 and now they’ll match up in what has become a rarity in pro football, the top teams from each conference facing each other.

The No. 1 seeds from each conference will square off for the first time in the Super Bowl since 1993 when the Bills played Dallas. The matchup on paper looks to be one of the better ones in years matching up the Saints and Colts passing offenses against each other.

There is also plenty of intrigue in the game led by the story of this being the Saints first trip to the Super Bowl ever. Peyton Manning will be making his second visit to the Super Bowl, a game won in Miami, the site of this year’s game. In fact, now, all four of the Colts Super Bowl games will have been played in Miami.

Then there’s the story of Manning growing up in New Orleans who is the son of Saints legend Archie Manning. We’ll have two weeks to sift through all the Super Bowl stories and hype, but the top immediate story rests with the Las Vegas line; what was offered to the public and how they responded.

Las Vegas Sports Consultants sent a recommendation with the Colts as a 4-point favorite and a total of 52. The Las Vegas Hilton was the first Las Vegas Sports Book to offer the Super Bowl posting the Colts at -4, but bumped their initial total offering to 56.

Read More Here.....

Mike T's AFC/NFC Championship Picks: Saints Go Marching On - Teaser Pleaser

by Mike T.

I had a very average week in the divisional round going 3-3 putting me at 7-4 for the playoffs and 39-23 for the season. All season long I had three games to chose from a list of sixteen. During the playoffs I felt I should have an opinion on every game and even some totals. It's much harder to try and have an opinion on every game instead of just the ones you like. The only game I really loved last week was the Vikings and I wound up doing OK since I got even more Vikes early Sunday morning. This week there is one side that I like and one I just can't get a handle on. I did play both totals though so I just have three picks to make.


Jets at Colts over 40
This is the game I can't get a grip on. This game opened at Colts -7 and is now 8.5 or even 9 at some places. I don't like laying more than 7 and I don't like that it's almost 2-1 public money. Normally because of those two reasons I'd be all over the Jets but rookie QBs don't have much success in conference championship games. I do like this game to go over. I don't think the Jets will hold this Colts team to 14 on the road like they did with the Chargers. Peyton Manning will get this team in the endzone a few times. I also think the Jets will find a few ways to score some points. I did tease (first time this year) the Colts down to -2 in one bet and have them in a small parlay -8.5, but I like the over much more.
Colts 27 Jets 16

Saints -3.5 vs Vikings and under 54
I was back and forth on this game all week as well. The one X factor in this game I thought would be the Vikings pass rush. We saw them just abuse Romo (just as I thought) last week and I figureed if they bring that type of pressure on Brees they should win this game. Different story this week. DTs Pat Williams(elbow), Kevin Williams(knee) and DE Ray Edwards (knee) are all questionable. Now I do expect all of them to play this week of course but I doubt they'll all be as effective as the were vs Dallas. If Brees has a split second more time than Romo did, the Saints are gonna torch this team. I also think the Saints will win the turnover battle 2-1 which may be drive killers and keep this one under.
Saints 35 Vikings 17

I don't bet teasers often but I liked this a lot...

Colts -2
Over 33.5 in Jets/Colts
Saints +3
Under 60.5 Saints/Vikings

AFC-NFC Championship Game Line Moves From Las Vegas

by Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Action has been good thus far in Las Vegas Sports Books for this weekends Championship games, but the sharp money hasn’t shown its hand yet. Most of the action coming in has been small money from the public with a wide array of opinions.


Ticket counts at a few different properties indicate the type of betting patterns and action that will magnify about 90% more over the weekend, but it’s a good sample ratio of what’s to come, minus the sharp money.

The Colts are trending at about a 9-to-5 edge in overall tickets written. Some books are reporting that this game is similar to what we see every year in the Super Bowl, laying the points with the favorite and taking the money line with the 'dog.

Over at the Las Vegas Hilton, they opened the game Sunday with the Colts a 7-point favorite and a standard money line of Colts minus-330 with a very generous take back of plus-270. As the game moved to 7 ½, so did the money line, peaking at -400/+330.

Read More Here on VegasInsider.com

Here's a few tidbits of past history regarding the Championship games:

Since 1970, 62% of all games (78) have been won by 11 points or more showing that when it comes down to all the marbles, one team goes for the throat while the other plays beneath the level that got them there.

In reference to Championship game points spreads and how those teams have finished that are similar to this weeks lines, you can see that the Colts have history on their side, not just winning, but covering the spread as well. Teams that were favored by 7 to 9.5-points are 14-4 against the spread.

Things are a little more competitive with the Vikings-Saints game, and how history relates to that spread. Teams that have been have been favored by 3.5 to 6.5-points in this round have gone 12-12-2 against the spread. The tightness of the number and team rating, minus the standard 3-point home-field advantage, basically make these pick 'em games.

In New Orleans case, the home field advantage -- one of the leagues better home edges -- is worth an extra half-point. So essentially the game is a tossup between the two best teams in the NFC, being played in a hostile environment. The big questions is, how much of a difference will the crowd make?

Overall, home teams vs the spread are 44-32-2 all-time. 


Current Line Through Friday Afternoon offered by the Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook
Minnesota Vikings +3.5 @ New Orleans Saints - Over/Under Total 52
New York Jets +7.5 @ Indianapolis Colts - O/U Total 39.5

Jets Win Over Chargers Makes Rex Ryan's Prediction Near Fruition

by Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

In almost a near repeat of Wild Card weekend, the first three Divisional Playoff games last weekend were snoozers with little drama. Then the weekend finale came Sunday evening and reminded us all why we love the NFL so much.


The Jets 17-14 win as 9.5-point underdogs at San Diego doesn’t match the shootout of the Packers-Cardinals with scores, but it topples that Wild Card game by being a major upset and unveiling this seasons Cinderella story.

No one believed Rex Ryan two weeks ago when a reporter asked him what he thought about the Jets 50 to 1 odds to win the Super Bowl and he replied that they should be the favorite because they have the No. 1 defense and the No. 1 running game.

Just about everyone laughed. But so far, we know the Bengals and Chargers aren’t laughing as they’ve experienced first hand what a good combination those two features are in the playoffs.

MGM-Mirage Race and Sports Book Director Jay Rood likes what the Jets are doing, but can’t be faulted if he doesn’t root for them.

“Of the four teams remaining, we do the worst with the Jets on Futures (to win the Super Bowl),” said Rood, “Maybe we all should have listened to Rex Ryan a little closer.“

The Jets supposed weakness in rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez has been somewhat of a strength during the playoffs. Under the Jets style of play, Sanchez only has to make a few passes, and must protect the ball, which he has done.

Sanchez’s second straight playoff win has already tied him with Hall of Famer Joe Namath in career playoff wins and has matched what Joe Flacco did last season with Baltimore as a rookie.

Baltimore happened to be where Rex Ryan was coaching last season before getting his first head coaching job with New York. While some grumbled when Ryan chose Sanchez to be the starter during pre-season, Ryan knew the job could get done by witnessing how the Ravens protected Flacco in a similar situation under their offensive scheme.

Read More Here on VegasInsider.com


Click Here: NFC Championship Game History with Lines & Totals

Mike T's NFL Divisional Round Selections: 7-1 Last week!

by Mike T.

It was a good start to wildcard weekend as I went 4-1 and am now 36-20 for the season. The Jets and the under(missed the exact score by a point) as well as the Cowboys were just too easy. The other two were a bit harder for me. Earlier in the week I liked the Pack and the Ravens but I changed my mind on both games and still wound up going 1-1.

The dog has done quite well in this round the past few years and I really like to take dogs but there is only one I like this week. That said here goes...

Saints -7 vs Cardinals and under 57

I actually like the under better than the side but I took them both. I made some decent money betting against the Saints this year especially down the stretch as the Saints' injuries kept piling up. This team has had plenty of rest now and The Big Easy will be rockin' tomorrow. The Cards just played a grueling overtime game and have to go on the road to an ear piercing loud dome on a short week. I think we'll see the Saints run the ball early and often keeping the clock moving and Warner on the sidelines. Darren Sharper and the rest of the Saints defense should create a turnover or two that will put this one away.

Saints 31 Cardinals 21

Ravens +6.5 at Colts
This is the only dog that I'm taking this weekend. The Colts do have an impressive record but they won at least a few games that could've gone the other way. The Colts still do have a long list of injuries (though mostly probable) which the Ravens may take advantage of. This game could start out like last week Ravens/Pats game where they take an early lead and never look back. I expect to see a heavy dose of Ray Rice and Willis Mcgahee and sound Raven defense. I'm taking Baltimore in a close one.
Ravens 24 Colts 23

Vikings -2.5 vs Cowboys
Out of all the games this week I like this one the most. The sharp money on the Vikes and the public on the Boys. Dallas has looked very impressive these last few weeks and people all over are coming out of the woodwork ready to put this team in the Bowl. While I must admit they are playing well, they've taken advantage of their opponents weaknesses the last few weeks that just don't exist this week. The Cowboys O line and D line have been pushing opponents lines around with ease recently. Now they face much tougher and healthier big men up front. They are not going to push this team around especially in their house. If they are able to slow down Adrian Peterson then Favre is gonna light them up. I also don't expect Romo to sit back in the pocket for long as the Vikes pass rush will be coming. I really don't think this one is gonna be as close as most do.
Vikings 34 Cowboys 17

Chargers-7 vs Jets and under 43
This is another game where I like the under better than the side. I did take them both though. The Jets are playing very well right now and a strong running game with a great defense will do that. The Chargers are also playing Lights Out. I think this one is going to come down to the quarterbacks. The Chargers have some very big WRs and Revis can't cover all of them. Rivers may come out firing to try and get a quick lead which may force the Jets to throw. Should San Diego jump out to an early lead it will be very hard for the Jets to get back in it. The MVP of this game might be a cornerback and if it is, his name will be Cromartie.
Chargers 28 Jets 13

Roberts NFL Divisional Playoff Selections: Who Dat Gonna Beat Dem Cardinals?

Cardinals +7 @ New Orleans: The Cardinals getting points on the road has been one of the best bets on the season going 5-0 against the spread. This is a resilient team led by a veteran QB in Kurt Warner who doesn’t rattle to the opposing teams fans. They have played their best ball in these situations dating back to last season in the playoffs. The Saints fans are some of the loudest, but the crowd has been disappointed and not a factor in losing their last two home games outright as large favorites. It’s been over a month since the Saints have won and they haven’t won convincingly since beating the Patriots on a Nov. 30 Monday night. That’s a long gap to believe they can all of a sudden become the week 12 Saints again.



Cardinals/Saints Under 57: There were 14 instances in the regular season where the game total was over 50 and the under went 11-3. The bulk of those games, 10 to be exact, were played in games involving the Saints and the under was 7-3 in those games. The Cardinals had two totals of 50 or higher and both went under the number.

Arizona lit up the scoreboard last week against the Packers, but the Cardinals defense showed a weakness against Aaron Rodgers who put 45 points on the board. The major difference coming into this game between what we saw last week is that the Packers offense had been fluid throughout to close the season while the Saints struggled badly against the Cowboys and Buccaneers at home. They weren’t able to move the ball in the same effective manner they did in the first 13 weeks of the season.

Just a side note: Over the last three season of the Divisional Playoff round, underdogs have gone 10-2 against the spread with seven of them winning straight up. I wouldn't be upset if I had to root for all four dogs this week.

NFL Divisional Playoffs: Las Vegas Money Moves Through Thursday

by Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

I was sitting in the Sam’s Town Sports Book the other night after a fine Mexican dinner at Willy and Jose’s and asked a few fellows who they thought may be the plays in the four NFL divisional playoff games this weekend and got an answer that was pretty one sided.


Joe, who hails originally from Chicago said, “The Chargers are going whoop that ass.”

Johnny from Philadelphia said the Saints, “Got a mission to accomplish and it don’t matter who is in their way.”

Not that it makes any difference where I was, but I’ll preface by saying I was in the den at Sam’s Town which is not exactly the same clientele as the Bellagio or Wynn Resorts, but it was the salt of the Vegas earth I was looking for.

I wanted to hear some opinions and thoughts from the everyday Joe’s on how this weekend's games were going to go. Even though the Sam’s Town Sports Book is much nicer in appearance in relation to the cast of clientele, it was the closest thing I could find to a group of audience that resembled the old Stardust where I could find a thousand reasons on each side of a big game to take each.

Joe from Chicago, also told me about a game he could be happy with on each side, “I’ll tell you what, I don’t know who to take between the Cowboys and Vikings. Brett Favre at home against what looks to be the best team in football right now. I could flip a coin on that game and be happy with either side.”

The dilemma on the Viking game seems to be a cautious tale around the Las Vegas Sports Books as well. The Vikings opened up a short 2.5-point home favorite but has been slightly bet up to 3 (EVEN) at the Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook.

Read More Here...

NFL's Defensive MVP, Charles Woodson? Rex Ryan Says Hogwash!

Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan was pretty heated about the announcement of who won the NFL's Most Valuable Player on Defense, which revealed that Charles Woodson had double the votes (28) of Darrelle Revis (14).

“I would like to congratulate the people who voted for Darrelle Revis,” Ryan said, “that these guys obviously really know the game. … A number I think is interesting would be eight. And, no, that’s not the amount of touchdown passes that Green Bay gave up against [the Arizona Cardinals in Sunday’s loss]. That is the number of touchdown passes we gave up all season as the Jets. And the biggest reason for that is Darrelle Revis.”

Cardinals Save The Day for Las Vegas Sports Books In An Absolute Thriller!

by Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

There haven’t been ooh’s and aah’s in Las Vegas Sportsbooks all season like what was witnessed by the thousands who viewed Sunday’s Packers-Cardinals Wild Card matchup. The game resembled more like an Arena Football league type of game with non-stop action than an NFL game, at least by the standards set from the three previous uneventful Wild Card games over the weekend. However, unlike the old Arena league games, this game was the most heavily bet game of the weekend.

Usually the final game of the playoff weekend always has the most wagers just because of all the repeat wagers after the other games are over. Sometimes their winning bets from earlier games are rolling over from someone feeling lucky, and then sometimes it’s the unlucky who are trying to recoup their losses from the other games.

By Friday of last week, before any of the games started, several sportsbooks were already reporting that the Cardinals game had the most action of the four games by far -- both from the sharps and small money. The ticket count ratio was 6 to 1 at many books in favor of the Packers and the actual cash wagers resembled the same ratio.

When the opening line came out last Sunday night, many opened the game with the Cardinals a 3 (EVEN) or 2 ½-point favorite. That number continued to slide down all week until finally having the Packers as a 1-point favorite by Thursday. By kickoff on Sunday, most books closed with the Packers being a 3-point favorite -- a six point move in many cases.

Everyone had Packers fever. The public had just witnessed the same game last week in Arizona with Green Bay winning easily 33-7, despite the Cardinals not playing many of their starters. They had just seen the Jets dispose of the Bengals like they did last week and same with the Cowboys thumping the Eagles again, why not the Packers too. The Packers offense had been so crisp the last few weeks led by Aaron Rodgers and the defense had been almost equally as strong.

Read More Here......

Mike T Blows through Wild Card Weekend Like a Gypsy With a Crystal Ball

Mike T. goes 7-1 for the weekend, going 3-1 on his side slections and 4-0 suggesting the over in each Wild Card game. This guy has had an insane season picking underdogs and is currently viewing each teams strengths and weakness very well.

Here what he has to choose from this week in the Divisional Playoff round:

Ravens +6.5 @ Indianapolis - total 44.5

Cardinals +7 @ New Orleans - total 56.5

Cowboys +2.5 @ Minnesota - total 46.5

Jets +8 @ San Diego - total 42.5

Wildcard Weekend

by Mike T.

Jets +2.5 at Bengals over 34
The Jets come into Cincinnati after destroying them last week in what was a pretty meaningless game for the Bengals. The Bengals have dropped three of the last for games heading into the playoffs. That is not a good sign. The Jets are pretty healthy while the Bengals have a long list of injuries. I like the Jets in this spot and I think the Bengals will put up some points to put this game over.
Jets 24 Bengals 13

Cowboys -4 vs Eagles

The Eagles have to travel back to "Big D" after blowing their chances of getting the two seed in the NFC last week. Unlike AZ and Cin, the Eagles had something to play for last week and didn't show up. The Cowboys defense has now pitched back to back shutouts and is playing their best ball of the season at the right time. I can see the front seven of the Cowboys taking advantage of an Eagle O line that's seen it's share of injuries once again. The Cowboys end their streak of playoff losses (since 1997) and take care of business.
Cowboys 31 Eagles 21


more on the Pats/Ravens and Cards/Pack later......

It was nice to start day one of the playoffs at 3-0 let's see if I can keep it going.

Pats -4 vs Ravens
This is the time of year when the Pats turn it up a notch. Many think that the loss of Welker means big trouble for New England. I'm sure they'd love to have him but Julian Edleman has done a fantastic job filling in for Welker earlier this year. Besides the Welker injury this Pats team is pretty healthy while the Ravens are the ones who are pretty banged up. This is also the Ravens 3rd straight road game and are 3-5 on the road this year. The Pats are 8-0 at home and about to make it 9.
Patriots 27 Ravens 17

Cardinals PK vs Packers
Earlier in the week I thought the Pack was the play here, now I don't think so. I watched this line move over 4 points in 5 days. That's unbelievable! This line opened at -2.5 for the Cards and now some books have the Cards as a 3 point home dog(5Dimes). It doesn't seem like anyone is betting on the Cards. I did and I probably should have waited longer and got a better price. I don't think we'll see anything like what we saw last week from these two teams. The NFC champs are not going to get blown out again at home by the same team two weeks in a row. I might have to go back to the book in the afternoon and get some money line.
Cardinals 38 Packers 30

Las Vegas Sports Book Moves for the NFL Wild Card Weekend

by Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

The Sports Books in Las Vegas will look to turn the tide on Saturday and Sunday with the NFL Wild Card weekend. Before I get into where and why the Sports Books are at the numbers they are now, we need to go back to Sunday night and Monday morning when most of Vegas put the lines up.


Wild Card weekend is the major exception to setting NFL playoff lines that has to have past history taken into serious consideration. Underdogs rule in this round, especially games where the favored number is set from 1 to 3 points.

As documented by Bruce Marshall of The Gold Sheet, Underdogs getting 1 to 3-points in the Wild Card round have gone 24-16-2 since 1978. As it turned out, two of the four games would be in that area with the other two very close.

The strategies and lines that went out on Sunday and Monday were vastly different throughout the city with a wide array of numbers for the shoppers. When I saw all the differing numbers, it reminded me of the old Vegas days before off-shore wagering when no one moved on air and there was nothing called a market number.

There were lots opinions out there and you could see the respect for the number “3”. The book I like to reference the most when following lines is the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book because their shades on games generally seem to be more correct than most and they rarely use a market number. Jay Kornegay, Ed Salmons, and Jeff Sherman lead the staff of bookmakers at the Hilton and are the sharpest group in town.

Many of the Las Vegas Books opened the Bengals game 3-flat. Las Vegas Sports Consultants recommended the Bengals -4. The boys at the Hilton anticipated where the line was going to be, while respecting the number “3” and tested the waters with Bengals -3 (+105) which basically baits any sharp out there, “If you think the Bengals have value at 3 and you think the game will go to 3.5 or higher, come and get some plus money laying it.“

Read More here atVegasinsider.com

Alabama BCS Title Game Win not So Good For Las Vegas Sports Books

by Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

The combination of lingering parlay cards cashing on Alabama from the last four weeks of action and the day-of small action on Alabama made the 37-21 Crimson Tide win over Texas in the BCS Title game a tough day for the Las Vegas Books.

Even though there were plenty of large wagers on Texas, most books were still rooting for the Long Horns because of the extended risk created by the public’s majority perception.

Most of the Las Vegas Sports Books had up to five different weeks of parlay cards that had to be posted within the system all at once Thursday night and the results were not pretty.

“Every week, people were throwing in Alabama or Texas at the end of their parlays and if they hit their first few games the payouts with Alabama winning payout at odds of 11 to 1, 20 to 1 and higher. We would have lost with either Alabama or Texas,” said Coast Resorts Director of Race and Sports Bob Scucci.

Those kind of odds couldn’t be made up even with the meaty futures win that were posted on Alabama which traditionally have an expected hold of around 35%.

Ticket count ratios were reported at 5/1 and higher for the game on Alabama. Combine that loss with the extended risk on the cards, and wagers made on the day of -- most of which always take the favorite and over regardless of who is playing -- and it makes for a bad Thursday night in the Vegas Books.

For a brief moment, there appeared to a game changing moment regarding the spread when Texas scored late in the fourth quarter making it 24-19 with the extra-point pending. Some in the public, with Alabama tickets, were actually looking for Texas to kick the extra point. There were a few that were able to lay the 3.5, but most laid either 4 or 4.5-points.

It’s funny how some in the public think and root for things to happen that will never occur. What’s even funnier is that people like that actually bet on the game and have no football sense whatsoever. This is, of course, the same person who had Alabama and over parlayed, so who’s smart now?

Anyway, Texas did go for two -- and got it -- and you could hear a collective moan from the Sports Book crowd and a silent fist pump in unison by bookmakers across the Valley.

Well, you know how the rest went. A 24-21 game late in the fourth quarter, with the under 46 still winning, quickly turned into a 37-21 Alabama and over win.

Bowl Championship Series Title Game: Alabama vs Texas, Take The Points

Undefeated teams: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 1 Alabama -4   O/U 44

    Alabama Point

• SEC looking for 4th straight BCS Title: Florida Bookends with LSU
• Nick Saban 10-3 SU & ATS when his team & opponent are undefeated
• SEC Championship game winners are 7-1 in Bowls
• Alabama No. 2 defense in Nation
• Texas bad game: vs Colorado in Austin October 10th: 14-14 at half - needed a punt and kick return to blow game open in 2nd half winning 38-14.

     Texas Counterpoint

• Heisman trophy jinx in Championship games: Mark Ingram - only two Heisman winners won their bowls in the last decade - both USC QB’s - and only Matt Leinart won the Heisman and Title in same year over that span. Since 1950 only 5 Heisman winners have won both in a season.
• Texas 7-0-1 all-time vs. Alabama - last meeting in 1982 Cotton Bowl (14-12 Texas win)
• Underdog is 19-6 ATS since 1985 when No. 1 plays No. 2
• Mack Brown 7-1 in last 8 Bowls
• Bama's bad game: vs Tennessee October 24th: 12-10 win in Tuscaloosa needing two 4th qtr blocked kicks to win the game.

Prediction: Texas 31-17

JaMarcus Russell Goes Bling-Bling Party-time

I came across this story on the web-site Sports-by-Brooks and found it hilarious. We've all heard the stories about how Russell doesn't like to study film, practice, or do anything that involves a team concept, but now we have some pictures of him rolling the high life with his fat contract...and belly.

His biggest legacy after his contract is over will be how he duped everyone at the NFL combine to believing he could be the next great quarterback. It would be interesting to see where he would have wound up if he didn't have a great bowl game against a bad Notre Dame defense that showed off his arm strength.

Had he not been given all that Raider cash as a number one overall pick, could he have possibly been motivated -- if drafted later -- to become that hungry do-everything QB that had to claw his way to the big time, doing whatever it took to make himself the best with the cash carrot dangling in front of him?

It's hard to say, but what really matters right now to him is that he's got a bangin' ornament -- with his jersey in bling -- hanging from his platinum rope.


Candid Cam: JaMarcus Russell's Vegas vacation?

Article From Oakland Tribune's Can Inman


TOP TEN reasons why Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell would skip Monday's final team meeting to go on a Vegas vacation:

But first, this disclaimer: Why Vegas, you ask? Because a reader, who commented on my Tuesday column to ditch Russell, claimed Russell was in Vegas at The Palms hotel. This came within 24 hours of the team meeting that coach Tom Cable excused him from for "personal" issues. I called The Palms and they confirmed a "JaMarcus Russell" had checked in as a guest. Is it really him? The Vegas gossip scribes will fill us in soon. My Twitter followers are abuzz with this news.)

No. 10: To find out if he can throw money around as easily as interceptions.

No. 9: To test the airport's new security measures with his big diamond earrings. (I got a tweet claiming airport security indeed made Russell take off his giant studs.)

No. 8: To launch his new diet: Nothing but Vegas buffets, baby!

No. 7: To film a sequel to, "The Hangover." Maybe he's stealing Mike Tyson's tiger as a training method to prepare for blitzing defenders next season.

No. 6: To go on blind dates with nightclub hostesses that Tiger Woods recommended.

No. 5: To place a bet on which day Cable would get fired by Al Davis.

No. 4: To use the Elvis Wedding Chappel (which, come to think of it, indeed might make for an "excused" absence from the Raiders).

No. 3: To serve as Javon Walker's bodyguard this time.

No. 2: To see how fast he fumbles his chips when he gets crowded at the craps table (pocket pressure, Vegas style).

No. 1: C'mon, nothing is more "personal" than a trip to Vegas.

NFL Wild Card Weekend - Las Vegas Lines

Saturday, January 9, 2010

1:30 pm (PT) - TV:NBC
New York Jets                     O/U
Cincinnati Bengals -2.5        34
Jets money came in early. This game opened Cincy -3 (+105), Las Vegas Sports Consultants recommended -4 & 36

5:00 pm (PT) - TV:NBC
Philadelphia Eagles             O/U
Dallas Cowboys -3.5            45
Eagles money came in on the opener of Eagles +4. LVSC suggested -4.5 & 45.5.


Sunday, January 10, 2010
10:00 am (PT) - TV:CBS
Baltimore Ravens                O/U
New England Patriots -3.5    43
It's been all Ravens money at most Vegas Books. Ravens opened up at +5 with some Vegas Books and LVSC sent the Patriots -6.5 & 42.

1:30 pm (PT) - TV:FOX
Green Bay Packers            O/U
Arizona Cardinals -1          47.5
It's been all Packers money thus far. Hilton opened the Cards at -3 (+110). LVSC sent out Arizona -3 (EV) & 48.5.


Lines Courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook

Since most of the games are hovering around the number "3", the below chart shows just how good the Dogs have been in this series. This season 15.2% of all NFL games have landed on "3" and in the last five seasons the figure is a combined 14.7%.

NFL WILDCARD PLAYOFF GAMES SINCE 1978 CATEGORY VS. POINTS

1-3 pt. dogs... 24-16-2

3 1/2-6 1/2 pt. dogs... 17-15-1

7-pt. or more dogs... 11-12

Home dogs... 11-3

Road dogs... 41-40-3

Margins of victory (98 total games)-21 games have been decided by 1-3 points, 21 games by 4-7 points, 12 games by 8-13 points, and 44 games have been decided by 14 points or more.

Mike T's Week 17 picks

by Mike T.

Happy New Year football fans. It seems like just yesterday we were kicking off the 2009 NFL season. We're now in the final week and like most years many of these games will be like a preseason game. For some teams everything is riding on this game while others have almost nothing to play for except some personal records.

I went back to taking dogs last week and felt really good about my picks as I was 2-0 early in the day but the Redskins didn't bother to show up for their home finale. I'm now 31-17 on the year and need a 3-0 day tomorrow to finish the season at .667

Lions +3.5 vs Bears
After keeping an eye on this game all week the line finally moved off of three points. The Bears played an emotional game against division their rival Vikings and pulled off an overtime win. I stayed away from the game but I did like the Bears in that spot getting points at home. Now the Lions are a home dog as they were much of the season but I think it's a similar spot and I think they can end the season on high note. We may see Calvin Johnson put up huge numbers against a very banged up Bears secondary.
Lions 30 Bears 24

Rams +7.5 vs 49ers
Taking divisional home dogs has done well for me this year and when they are getting more than 7 it's almost impossible for me to stay away. Steven Jackson will be playing for the NFC rushing title as he has a small (24 yd) lead over AP. I think we'll see him handle the rock quite often in this game. I also think coach Spagnolo wants to end this season on a positive note and win this game against a 49er team that has lost their last three games on the road. The 1-14 Rams go 8-8 against the spread to end the year.
Rams 16 49ers 14

Packers +3.5 at Cardinals
The line moved off of 3 in this game as well. It appears that the public is looking at this game as if the Cards have a shot at the 2 seed which brought enough money to get off 3. Well right now they do but by the end of the early games the shot at a bye week will no longer exist. After the Vikes lock up the 2 seed the Cards should have Matt Leinart in for almost the entire game. I can see the Packers getting up early in this one and playing well on defense, forcing turnovers and controlling this one from start to finish. You may want to bet this one after the Vikes game but you probably won't see 3.5.
Packers 27 Cardinals 17

Roberts NFL Selection: Patriots Get it Done in Texas

Patriots+7 vs Texans: Both teams have reeled off 3 straight wins, but the Texans have had the fortune of playing dead teams in Seattle and St. Louis during their streak. Look for The Patriots to maintain their winning attitude and carry it over to the playoffs with a quality performance at Houston playing the majority of their starters until the win is secure. The Texans are just one of those teams that have been snake bitten with bad luck all season and the Patriots are in the perfect position to finally put them out of their misery. This is a great money line situation with the Patriots getting +280.