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02/08/2010 - Rotterdam, The Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - French Open runner-up Robin Soderling and fifth-seeded Tommy Robredo highlighted Monday's first-round winners at the $2 million ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.
The third-seeded Soderling came from behind to beat France's Florent Serra 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, while Robredo straight-setted Dutch wild card Robin Haase 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 on the indoor hardcourts at Ahoy' Stadium.
The world No. 8 Soderling, a 2008 Rotterdam runner-up, avoided opening his 2010 season with three straight losses by coming back to top Serra with the help of 26 aces.
In other Day-1 action, Andreas Seppi defeated qualifier and fellow Italian Stephane Bohli 6-1, 7-5, German Florian Mayer outlasted Serbian Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (8-6), and Dutch qualifier Igor Sijsling surprised German Mischa Zverev 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 7-5.
This week's top seeds are world No. 2 Novak Djokovic and Russian star Nikolay Davydenko, who will open his stay here against last week's Johannesburg titlist Feliciano Lopez. The Serbian Djokovic will meet Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky here on Tuesday.
Andy Murray, who is not defending his title this week, upset Rafael Nadal in last year's blockbuster Rotterdam finale. Nadal is also not part of this week's field.
The 2010 Rotterdam champion will claim $380,000.
<< Blue Bombers sign RB Marc
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced Monday
that they have agreed to terms with running back Emmanuel Marc.
Marc participated in Winnipeg's training camp in 2009 and graduated from
Delaware State in
<< Rachel Alexandra staying loose in Big Easy
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Less than 12 hours after the New Orleans
Saints captured Super Bowl XLIV, the other champion residing in the Big Easy
took to the track for a jog.
Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra took a jog aroun
<< Yankees add Thames to outfield mix
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees have reportedly added
Marcus Thames with a one-year contract worth $900,000 if he makes the team.
SI.com and the New York Post reported the signing. Thames is expected to
compete
<< Gainey steps down as Canadiens GM, Gauthier takes over
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey
has decided to step down from his post and hand the reins over to Pierre
Gauthier, the club announced on Monday.
"After a long and difficult period of
Wizards/Hawks rescheduled for March 11 >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Wizards home game against
the Atlanta Hawks, postponed Saturday to a blizzard in the nation's capital,
has been rescheduled for March 11 at the Verizon Center.
Both teams were unable to
Raiders name Pendergast assistant coach >>
Alameda, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Raiders hired Clancy Pendergast as
an assistant coach on Monday.
Pendergast's role was not made clear in the team's release on the hiring.
Pendergast was fired as the defensive coordinator in
Saints' Super Bowl victory most watched event in TV history >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Approximately 106.5 million people tuned in
to watch Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints win Super Bowl XLIV over the
Indianapolis Colts, making it the most watched event in television history.
The ga
Devils D Salmela leaves game on stretcher >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Jersey Devils defenseman Anssi Salmela
left Monday's game against Philadelphia on a stretcher early in the second
period.
Salmela, who rejoined the Devils from the Thrashers in the Ilya Kovalchuk d
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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