I’m going to preview a couple more individual MLB betting teams here, mainly because I’m starting to put my baseball betting money where my mouth…er…typing fingers are, and placed a few bets already. One was a 12-pack of beer vs. a bottle of Absolut that the White Sox would finish with a better regular season record than the Cincinnati Reds.

It would seem, on paper, I’m a lock to win. But is it that simple? Let’s see.

The first MLB team we’ll look at is the Reds, this is a team that’s gone nowhere slowly the last few years, ending last season on a 5-game skid, dumping into fifth place with a 74-88 record. A meager step up from the 72-90 spot they put up the year before. Back in 2006 they were only a pair under .500, so we’re not exactly headed in the right direction here. Are they primed for an upswing this year? A surface scratch of the talent might get your hopes up Reds fans, with Jay Bruce and Joey Votto leading the charge. So how far can youthful energy take a soccer betting team? Further than Griffey and Dunn were taking them, that’s for sure.

I won’t argue that the Reds have reason to be excited. Of course, every team can say the same thing during spring training when we’re all in first place. Here’s where the rain comes, though. Starting pitching. Your current “ace” Harang gave your team a 4.78 ERA/6-17 record effort last year, and he’s not on the happy side of 30, either. Volquez, however, showed he’s a force, with a respectable 1.33 WHIP and good-for-the-NL ERA of 3.21. After that, you’ve got Arroyo and a few more question marks. In the ninth, I see Cordero as a fairly average, maybe slightly above average closer.

Unless this team is in the hunt in June and looking for another arm, they’re at least a couple years away from really competing for a playoff spot.

From the sports betting perspective, they’re an older, slower team than I’m sure even they’d admit they want to be. Konerko and Thome still have impressive basketball betting power, but unless they smack a HR or a long double, your base-running plan is gonna be as day-to-day as Griffey.

What I do like about the Sox, in addition to a ton of experience, is the potential. Baseball experts and fans alike love to throw out the “ifs” early on, but if the Sox stay healthy, their starting rotation will carry them through a lot of dry spells at the plate. Buerhle, Danks, Floyd, Contreras and Colon are all capable of being a No. 1-2 caliber starter when they’re on. And Buerhle and Colon are proven, reliable innings-eaters. Which Colon will the Sox get and how long will Contreras’ body hold out are both wild card questions. And Jenks can close 45 games with his belt undone.

I wouldn’t recommend a World Series ring-type snooker betting on either team. But I’d put some money down on the Sox making the playoffs, and the Reds not. In fact, I already have. I predict the Reds will approach .500 again but finish 76-86, and the Sox will fight to win 90 games again, give or take a couple.

There are quite a few terms used by hockey handicappers when they’re discussing betting on the NHL. In order to understand what the cappers are talking about then you’re going to need to know the definition of all the popular terms used. I’ve compiled an expansive list of the terms you can expect to see when you’re studying hockey and reading the betting forums. You don’t need to memorize the list or anything, but make sure you keep it handy in case you need to look up a definition quickly.
Action – Action defines any type of wager/bet that you make on any NHL outcome.

Angles – Using past data from previous hockey games to obtain an angle on a future game.

Book/Bookmaker/Bookie – Terms used to describe online sportsbooks.

Chalk – This another term used to describe the favourite in the wager.

Future Bets – A future bet is when you make a wager on an outcome that won’t be known for awhile. An example of a future bet would be wagering on who will win the Stanley Cup Championship at the start of the season.

Handicapping – Term used to describe the art of predicting the outcome on wagers.

Hedging – You will have the opportunity at one point in time or another to hedge your bet. It means betting on the opposite team you already bet on to ensure profit or cut losses. If you’re uneasy after making a bet you can hedge it to cut the losses. If you have a parlay with one team you can typically hedge it so that you can guarantee a profit.

Juice – The juice is the amount of money that the bookie makes on a bet that has lost.

Line – The term “line” refers to the posted odds of a given outcome in the NHL. You will typically see the term NHL Betting Lines when you visit the sportsbook.

Longshot/Underdog – The team or side of the wager that isn’t expected to win.

Pick/Pickem – When both teams have the same odds and noone has an edge.

Power Ratings – This is a term used to describe popular stats of the different teams so you can compare who has the better team on paper.

Puck-Line – The puck-line is the term used to describe spreads in hockey games.

Push – The term push is used to describe any wager that results in a tie.

Straight Bet – Term used to describe when you bet on a single team to win.

This basically sums up every term that you’re going to run into when you’re wagering on the NHL. Remember if you don’t know what something means then it’s probably found on this list and you should make sure you learn what it means. You might get the wrong impression from an article or post online if you misunderstand one of the terms, which could result in losing money. If you find any other terms online when you’re betting on the NHL that you need defined just let us know and we will add it to the current list.

Since 1900, two post positions have produced more winners than any other single PP in the Kentucky Derby. The number 1 and number 5 spots have each produced twelve Kentucky Derby winners. These two post positions have produced a combined 22% of the Kentucky Derby winners. The next closest spot that has produced the most Kentucky Derby winners are the four and ten post positions, which have each produced ten winners and combined for 18% of the winning horses at the Derby. Collectively, post positions 1, 5, 4, and 10 have accounted for 40% of the wins at the big race of Churchill Downs. Knowing this fact, does this mean that horses in these four post positions hold a statistical edge over horses running out of other post positions or is it merely a coincidence?

When looking at the Belmont Stakes, the number 1 spot has produced 23 winners, which is more than any other starting post position. The numbers 3 and 5 post position produces the second biggest set of winners, as thirteen horses have won from both the three and five positions. The number two spot has produced eleven winners at Belmont for the Belmont Stakes.

In the Preakness Stakes, the sweet spot seems to be the number six post position. Horses starting from the six spot have won fifteen races. The number four spot has produced thirteen winners. Post position seven has produced twelve winners, while the numbers two and three spots have each generated eleven winners.

Crunching the numbers of all the horese race betting Triple Crown races shows that horses from all post positions can and do win their respective races. The post position a horse starts from does not provide any horse a statistical edge over other horses. Horses running out of the number one spot have a shorter distance to run. However, they are often crowded along the rail and thus they have less room to work and make moves than those starting the race on the outside. The horses starting in the higher post positions have more room to operate by running on the outside of the track. However, with more room comes a greater distance they have to run.

The key to online horse racing is not to choose the magic post position. Instead, the magic in betting the horse races comes in finding the right horse at the right time. If a horse runs well on the outside, then it makes sense to bet him when he starts on the outside. The horse makes the post position; the post position does not make the horse.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the most popular basketball league in the world. The best players from all over the world sign with the NBA and it ensures that the quality of the game is always great. If you want to try your luck at betting on the NBA one of the ways you can is by betting on a futures bet. If you’re unsure what a future bet is then look below for a quick definition so you’re not completely lost.

What Is A NBA Futures Bet?

An NBA futures bet is any type of bet that takes place over the course of the entire NBA season. Many people don’t like betting on future bets because they keep your money tied up for the entire season. I personally find betting on some of the future bets is actually simpler then betting on straight wagers throughout the season. For those of us that already bet on future bets it’s often our biggest wagers of the entire basketball season.

Types of NBA Future Bets

There are a few different NBA betting futures that you can make at the beginning of the NBA season. Most online sportsbooks will post odds to their future bets 1-2 months prior to the start of the NBA season and they’re generally offered until the teams have finished their first 20 games of the season.

* The most common type of NBA futures bet is betting on what team you think is going to win the NBA Championship. As you can imagine, picking the NBA champion at the beginning of the season isn’t going to be an easy task. You’re going to need to spend lots of time looking over the trade and free agent acquisitions of each team so that you can determine what team improved the best upon last season. I would start with the teams in the West Conference since they have been doing a lot better then the Eastern Conference teams have over the past 10 years.

* Another type of NBA futures bet that is similar to the bet above is betting on what team you think will win each conference and division. If you don’t already know the teams in the NBA are split up into conferences and then divisions. Picking the winner of a conference or division at the beginning of the season is difficult, but it’s a lot easier then picking the NBA champion. Picking the Lakers to win their conference isn’t going to make you rich, but they have a great chance at winning their division every season and definitely worth taking a look at.

* The last type of basketball lines you will find on the NBA futures bet that you can make at the beginning of every NBA season is deciding whether a given NBA team will go over or under a predetermined win total. For instance, the sportsbook might set the over/under for total wins for the Lakers at 46.5. If you think that the Lakers will win more then 46.5 games this season then you would bet on the over whereas if you think they’ll fall under that win total you’d bet on under.

Let’s take a look at possible sleepers for the upcoming NFL betting season. These are the guys who aren’t on your radar as a sports gambler, but definitely should be. They have a legitimate chance of being contributing members of their team, elevating the talent and putting a couple more W’s on the board. Furthermore, they can – with one catch or one big run – throw the money line out the window.

Let’s chew on this one first. Ahmad Bradshaw. If he gets the chance, he could be in line for the #2 RB spot for the Giants. This is a team, by the way, that spreads the wealth. They rushed for more than 2,500 yards last year, and the #1 guy – Jacobs – didn’t even crack 1,100.

How about Miles Austin? Fragile, yes, but you take T.O. out of the equation, and suddenly the downfield opens wide for anyone ready to step up. Austin had 3 TD’s last year. His overall numbers, while unimpressive, have improved each of his three seasons in the league for the Cowboys. I can see him having an 8 TD, 1,100-yard season if he stays healthy. Keep your eye on him, he’s primed for a breakout.

Then you’ve got Josh Morgan. Another talented, raw WR with similar numbers last year to Austin. Morgan won’t have quite the arm throwing to him, but still has the ability to outplay every other WR option on his team, making him the #1 target when they’re not dumping it off to Frank Gore – man does that guy take some punishment. Here’s the only problem, looking at it from a gambling perspective. I don’t think one WR is going to turn the corner for the 49ers. They’re still going to struggle, and while I like this guy’s potential, he’s more of a FF sleeper than a real-world betting sleeper.

Don’t have time to go into depth with all the sleepers, but keep these guys in mind and read up on them, as well. At WR, Mike Walker, Pat Turner, and Johnny Knox. At RB, Chanci Stuckey, Brandon Jackson and James Davis all should have productive years. When you’re betting on a football team, so many things can go wrong, you have to be informed of every player from top to bottom. If a Tom Brady goes down, the team very well may still be worth betting, or betting against.

Best bullpen in the league? Trust me, it matters when making bets. These guys will more often than not be the hero or goat of the team throughout the season, costing you and them many games from the seventh inning on.

Therefore, it helps tremendously to have a reliable ranking to use as one of your gambling tools.

That said, if they’re all healthy, the Red Sox’ bullpen could be on incredible MLB Betting opportunity. Smoltz (if he’s regularly in there), Masterson, Okajima, Saito, Ramon, Ramirez, Lopez and Papelbon is just filthy to think about. Saito is as good as any other closer in the league. As if that weren’t enough, you’ve got Bard and Tazawa waiting in the wings.

Another AL team up there in the baseball betting world is the Blue Jays. They had the best ’pen last year, and it’s the same group only with B.J. Ryan in his second year back from Tommy John, meaning his velocity should go up to where it needs to be. Downs and Carlson aren’t household names, but they’re two of the best left-handed relievers in the league.

Last year the Blue Jays overall pitching was best in the majors. Second place I believe were the Braves with 41 more runs given up. The bullpen was a huge part of that.

Of course, it is worth noting that bullpen won’t necessary win games for you. Case in point the Blue Jays’ 4th place finish in the AL East last year.

However, having Halladay’s durability will help take some of the pressure off the pen and keep them fresh.

And finally, yes I’m going to stay with the AL throughout and say the White Sox pen has a chance to be in the top five in the league, as well. And they’re still underrated. But Jenks, Linebrink, Dotel and Thorton can all be lights out. We’ll see how they handle the pressure later in the year when the starters start blowing leads.

OK, quick roundup of both league’s bullpen strength, in short. I’m giving the Phillies the benefit of the doubt here with the best MLB Odds, and making this pick more based on how the team looks on paper rather than my personal opinion that they’re a fluke champion.

AL bullpen rank with 1-7 relief pitchers, not just closer and setup
Blue Jays
Red Sox

White Sox
Yankees
Rays
Angels/Athletics/Indians

NL bullpen rank
Phillies
Dodgers
Cubs
Reds
Mets/Braves/Astros

Overall MLB bullpen rank
Blue Jays
Red Sox
Phillies