Hannover suspends Balitsch for one match

Soccer Betting Lines

12/09/2008 - Hannover, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hannover's stand-in captain Hanno Balitsch has been suspended for one game by boss Dieter Hecking for disciplinary reasons.

Balitsch will miss Hannover's final league match before the winter break against Arminia Bielefeld this weekend.

"There was an incident during halftime in the game against Wolfsburg, which made this decision necessary," said Hecking.

Balitsch was substituted at the interval as Hannover slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Wolfsburg.

Reports suggest there was an angry exchange of words between the two men during the break, which Hecking "couldn't tolerate."

(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)

Sothevys Soccer Betting News

<< NFL upholds suspension of Jags WR Jones
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NFL upheld the three-game suspension of Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Matt Jones for violation the NFL's substance-abuse policy after his appeal was denied last week. The suspension was

<< Rangers midfielder Adam dismisses transfer talk
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rangers midfielder Charlie Adam has no plans to leave the club in the January transfer window. The 22-year-old has only started six league games so far this season but is determined to stay at Ibr

<< Sizing up the BCS Championship Game
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's easy to see why Florida and Oklahoma will be meeting for the BCS Championship. The Gators and Sooners finished a full touchdown ahead of third-place USC in the final regular season Jeff Frank Top 10 Poll

<< United's Ferguson shocked by Evra's four-game ban
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted to being shocked by the four-match suspension handed down to full- back Patrice Evra by the Football Association. The 27-year-old France internation

<< Pesonen returned to Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-assigned forward Janne Pesonen to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes- Barre/Scranton Penguins, it was announced Tuesday. The 26-year-old Pesonen appear

Liverpool's Babel wanted to join Ajax on loan >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Babel's agent has revealed that the Liverpool winger has failed in an attempt to return to Ajax on loan. The 21-year-old moved from the Dutch side to Anfield almost 18 months ago in an $16.9 milli

Dodgers sign IF Loretta >>
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed infielder Mark Loretta on a one-year contract. Loretta, 37, spent last season with the Houston Astros and hit .280 with four home runs and 38 runs batted in 101

All-SWAC Football Teams highlighted by Juamorris Stewart >>
Birmingham, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Southwestern Athletic Conference announces its 2008 All-Conference Football Team with 12 all-conference honorees from 2007 highlighting this season's selections. The team was selected by nominations and vo

Newcastle's Kinnear to fight FA charge >>
Newcastle, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newcastle United manager Joe Kinnear insists he will appeal against his latest Football Association charge. The 61-year-old is said to have used abusive and insulting words toward an assistant

Torino brings Novellino back as coach >>
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Torino named Walter Novellino as its new boss on Tuesday after parting company with Gianni De Biasi in the wake of a 4-1 home defeat to Fiorentina which left the club just above the relegation zone. It will

MySportsbook features easy-to-use online betting software that’s the most reliable in the industry. If you’re looking to bet underdogs, then this Sportsbook is the place - we have the best betting lines in the business. MySportsbook is your one-stop shop for all your betting needs - sports betting, poker, casino, and horse racing . MySportsbook offers every bet type with lightning fast settlement of wagers. Take advantage of free statistical analysis - including against-the-spread and straight-up trends - in MySportsbook’s game previews section. With MySportsbook there are unlimited free deposits and payouts - and no transaction fees!

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

Sportsbooks to bet on football

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.