Sharapova pulls out of Montreal event

Tennis Betting Lines

08/16/2010 - Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the Rogers Cup because of a foot injury.

Sharapova lost in the final of the U.S. Open tuneup in Cincinnati on Sunday and said she felt pain in the foot during the setback to Kim Clijsters.

"I felt some pain in my foot late in the second set, which kind of scared me," Sharapova wrote on her personal website. "So, I have been forced to pull out of Montreal. I am hoping I just need a few days of rest."

Sharapova, a two-time winner on the WTA Tour this year, was seeded 12th in Montreal. She has reached the final of her last two events, also falling to Victoria Azarenka in the title match of the Stanford tournament two weeks ago.

The 23-year-old Russian has reached the title match in five of her 10 events this year and is 2-3 in those finals. She has not had much success in the Grand Slam events, though, losing in the first round of the Australian Open, falling in the third round of the French Open and bowing out in the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Betsprots Tennis Betting News

<< Baghdatis tops Cilic in Cincinnati opener
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcos Baghdatis defeated 11th-seeded Marin Cilic in straight sets in Sunday's lone first-round match at the $2,430,000 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters. Baghdatis posted a 6-4, 7-5 win t

<< Heat F Haslem charged with drug possession
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem was charged with drug possession and unlawful speeding after an initial traffic stop on Sunday. Miami-Dade County court records show Haslem was charged with possessing o

<< Stampeders roll over Eskimos
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Henry Burris threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns, as the Calgary Stampeders trounced the Edmonton Eskimos, 56-15, at McMahon Stadium in Alberta. Burris connected on 21-of-29 pass attempts for the Stam

<< Kendrick guides Phils into wild card tie with win over Mets
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Kendrick pitched 6 2/3 strong innings, allowing just one run, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets, 3-1, in a rain-soaked rubber match of a three-game set at Citi Field. Kendrick (8-

<< Bengals beat Broncos; Tebow scores on last play
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cedric Benson and James Johnson each scored on the ground as the Cincinnati Bengals downed the Denver Broncos, 33-24, in preseason action. Carson Palmer went 12-for-15 for 105 yards while Dave Rayner co

Haslem's attorney: NBA player will be vindicated >>
MIAMI (AP) -A passenger in Udonis Haslem's vehicle told the Florida Highway Patrol that marijuana found after a weekend traffic stop on a South Florida highway was his. The Miami Heat forward's lawyer believes that should vindicate the NBA veteran.E

Cardinals' Fitzgerald has MCL sprain, expects to play season opener >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald underwent an MRI Sunday that revealed an MCL sprain, likely leaving him off the field for the remainder of the preseason. Fitzgerald was injured duri

Orioles host Mariners in clash of last-place clubs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of last-place teams playing out the string get together tonight in the opener of a three-game series at Camden Yards, where the host Baltimore Orioles take on the Seattle Mariners. Baltimore is 9-4 under new manager

First-place Padres continue trek with trip to Chicago >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After winning a tough series against their division rivals over the weekend, the National League West-leading San Diego Padres will resume a 10-game road trip tonight with the first of four straight games against the Chicago

Tennessee Titans 2010 Season Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With some extra money in his pocket, Chris Johnson can now zero in on his other goal - the NFL's single-season rushing record. The Tennessee Titans probably won't discourage his quest, since a record-breaking performance by t

Sportsbook Betting Lines

Who Makes the Sportsbook Betting Lines?

Las Vegas Sports Consultants (LVSC) is the world’s premier oddsmaking company and the most respected authority on making the lines. Mike Seba is a Senior Oddsmaker at LVSC and has been making lines for the last six years. In our extended interview, Seba explained that there are 4-5 oddsmakers assigned to make lines for each of the major sports (pro & college football and basketball; MLB, NHL, boxing, golf). Each of these oddsmakers bring unique opinions, strengths and weaknesses to the process. Oddsmakers at LVSC are professional sports junkies who love what they do and would probably do it for nothing if you asked them, but they do get paid for it. By necessity their approach is very research-oriented and concise, since with millions of dollars at risk there is little margin for error.

“You either have a passion for it or you don’t,” Seba said.

“The #1 thing for us is to make a line for each game that creates good two-way action. We do this by drawing from past experiences and applying them to current situations. People think it’s much more complicated, but it’s not. “

What are the Football Betting Lines Trying to Accomplish?

There is a common misconception that point spreads represent the oddsmakers’ prediction of how many points the favorite will win by. That is not the case at all – their intent is NOT to evenly split the ATS result between the teams; rather, their goal is to attract equal betting action on both sides. Stated another way, they want to create a line that half the people find appealing to bet one way while the other half find it appealing to bet the other way (known as ‘dividing the action’).

Divided action means the sportsbook is guaranteed a profit on the game because of the fee charged to the bettor (called juice or vig – typically $11 bet to win $10).

How the Opening Line Is Made

The opening line is the first line created by the oddsmakers, which is then sent out to sportsbooks. Of course there is an entire method to the madness on how the opening line is created. Seba explained that it all starts with each oddsmaker creating a line on each game based upon their own personal approach. This usually includes having up-to-date power ratings on each team.

Power ratings are the oddsmaker’s value of each team and are used as a guide to calculate a "preliminary" pointspread on an upcoming game. The power ratings are adjusted after each game a team plays. Examples of non-game factors that would require an adjustment to a team's power rating are key player injuries and player trades.

Once a game’s power rating based pointspread is determined, the oddsmaker will make adjustments to that line after considering each team's most recent games played and previous games played against that opponent. Also, adjustments are made after reading each team’s local newspapers to get a sense of what the coaches & players are thinking going into the game.

Since the oddsmaker’s ultimate goal is equally dividing the sports betting action, public perception and sportsbook betting patterns must be taken into account. For example, the public might have heavy betting interest week after week on a popular college football betting team such as USC. If an oddsmaker comes up with a preliminary line of USC -7, then an adjustment up to -7.5 or -8 would be made in response to the public’s expected USC bias.

The last step in the line-making process for each oddsmaker is taking one final look to determine whether or not the line "feels right." This is where common sense and past experience with how games are bet enters into the picture.

A round-table discussion among the 4-5 oddsmakers involved in making the line for each sport is then conducted and a consensus line is decided upon by the Odds Director before it is released to the sportsbooks. Of the 4-5 oddsmakers, generally the 2 most respected opinions are weighed more heavily by the Odds Director before he decides on the final line.

Why Sports Betting Lines Change

Once the opening line is released by LVSC, the individual sportsbooks decide if they want to make any adjustments before offering it to the public. Reasons for such adjustments include:

Experts working for the individual books having a strong opinion on the game

Individual books having players who consistently bet with certain tendencies (such as an extreme bias toward favorites or toward a certain popular team like USC)

The purpose of these adjustments, like all line adjustments, is to more equally divide the betting action.

Once betting begins, sportsbooks can adjust the line at any time. In doing so they attempt to make more attractive the team that is getting less action. By moving the line, sportsbooks can influence how the public bets on a particular game.

For example, if the pointspread on a game is 7 and most of the money is coming in on the underdog (taking the +7), sportsbooks will then move the number down to 6 ½ to try and attract money on the favorite.

Moving the line is the oddsmaker's effort to balance betting action, and often times such moves can have a major impact on a bettor’s decision. Oddsmakers can also change the line depending on various event-related factors such as player injuries or weather. Obviously, if the line comes out a week ahead of the event (which is the case in football), there is much that could happen during the week leading up to the event that could affect the line. Oddsmakers have to determine if any changes are necessary and send out an "adjusted line."

“The main objective is that our clients get equal action on both sides,” Seba said. “We’re not trying to pick the team that covers the spread, we’re trying to make it a coin flip, a tough decision (for the bettor). If we’ve done that, we’ve done our job.”

To visit this internet sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your sports betting needs and World Series odds.

FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.