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<< FIFA announces nominees for POY
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FIFA decided on the list of nominees for the honor of FIFA Women's World Player of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year 2006, as the candidates consist of 20 women and 30 men for each respective race

<< Petrov announces retirement
Sofia, Bulgaria (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Following a 1-0 UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying win over Luxembourg on Wednesday night, Bulgarian National Team captain Stiliyan Petrov came out to say he will retire from international footbal

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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Like most people on Wednesday I was sitting in my office when I heard the news of the plane crash in New York City. Obviously, in the world we live in now, the first thoughts that went through my mind were that it was another

<< Penguins head to the Big Apple
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers try to rebound from their first loss of the young season tonight when they welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to Madison Square Garden. On Tuesday the Rangers dropped a 4-2 home tilt to Philadelphia in th

Mavs extend contract of Johnson >>
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks have extended the contract of head coach Avery Johnson on Thursday. It's a reported five-year extension, which will average at least $4 million per season. The Dallas Morning News reporte

Sorenstam and Ochoa share Samsung lead >>
Palm Desert, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam, the final pairing on Thursday, both posted rounds of five-under-par 67 to share the first-round lead of the Samsung World Championship at Bighorn. Ochoa and Sorenstam, ran

Motocross star signs with MB2 Motorsports >>
Mooresville, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ricky Carmichael, a 15-time American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) national champion and holder of a record 144 career wins in Supercross and motocross, signed a multi-year deal with MB2 Motorsp

Iginla and Kiprusoff lead Flames over Sens >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jarome Iginla scored the lone goal of the game in the third period and Miikka Kiprusoff stopped all 33 shots he faced as Calgary edged Ottawa, 1-0. Iginla's goal was his second for the Flames, who have

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.