Florodamarlins Football Betting News

<< Mayer, Davydenko advance in France
Montpellier, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixth-seeded Florian Mayer and former top-five star Nikolay Davydenko were among Monday's first-round winners at the Open Sud de France tennis event. The German Mayer got past Luxembourg's Gilles Mull

<< Kentucky keeps top spot in men's hoops poll
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kentucky remained the top team in the latest Associated Press men's college basketball poll. The Wildcats moved back to the top last week after Syracuse's six-week run came to a close. Kentucky, which

<< BC Lions re-sign LB McKenzie
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The British Columbia Lions announced Monday the re-signing of linebacker Anton McKenzie. "Having Anton re-sign is another important step in keeping the core of our team intact moving forward," said Lio

<< Nets rookie MarShon Brooks has fractured pinky toe
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Jersey head coach Avery Johnson revealed Monday that rookie swingman MarShon Brooks is out indefinitely after fracturing the pinky toe on his right foot. The news comes after Brooks returned

Coutinho headed to Espanyol on loan >>
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inter Milan midfielder Philippe Coutinho will spend the rest of the season in Spain on loan at Espanyol. The Brazil international will join the club on a five-month loan deal with Espanyol sitting in

Nice takes Grandin on loan >>
Nice, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Blackpool midfielder Elliot Grandin has completed a loan move to Nice in his native France. The 24-year-old asked to return to his homeland earlier this month because of a family issue, which Blackpool

Monmouth to host five in 2012 season >>
West Long Branch, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Monmouth University's 2012 football schedule includes a full slate of Northeast Conference games and a match-up against a future rival. Five of the Hawks' 11 games will be at home, including against Rh

James, Westbrook named NBA Players of the Week >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami Heat forward LeBron James and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played January 23 thro

Betting Football

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.