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08/24/2010 -
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -B.R. Holbrook was named New Mexico's starting quarterback Tuesday.
Coach Mike Locksley says Holbrook ``earned the right'' because he meets criteria outlined before fall camp. Locksley says Holbrook gives the Lobos their best chance to win, has been the most productive through 19 practices and demonstrated the best ability to take care of the ball.
The Lobos open Sept. 4 at Oregon.
Holbrook, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound sophomore from Stevenson Ranch, Calif., beat out two talented freshmen, Tarean Austin and Stump Godfrey. Locksley says Holbrook showed a better knowledge of New Mexico's offense and sharper decision-making skills.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Werder stuns Sampdoria to reach CL group stage
Genoa, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Markus Rosenberg scored three minutes into
stoppage time and Claudio Pizarro scored in the 100th minute, as Werder Bremen
advanced to the Champions League group stage despite a 3-2 defeat to Sampdoria
on Tues
<< Report: Ohlendorf done for year
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pirates might have lost the services
of pitcher Ross Ohlendorf for the year.
The Post-Gazette reported on Tuesday that Ohlendorf was diagnosed with a
strained lat muscle behind his right shou
<< Damon staying with Tigers
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Tigers outfielder Johnny Damon
said on Tuesday he has decided to stay with the team instead of accepting
a trade to his former club, the Boston Red Sox.
The 36-year-old was claimed off w
<< Blasberg's death ruled a suicide
Henderson, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The death of former LPGA Tour player Erica
Blasberg has been ruled a suicide by the Clark County Coroner's Office.
The 25-year-old was found dead in her home in Henderson, Nev. on May 9.
According
Pirates RHP Ohlendorf likely out for season >>
PITTSBURGH (AP) -Pirates right-hander Ross Ohlendorf has a damaged muscle in the back of his right shoulder that could sideline him for the rest of the season.An MRI exam on Tuesday revealed a strain that will need recovery time and rehabilitation b
Kinsler resumes activity after positive MRI >>
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler was
cleared to further resume baseball activities after an MRI revealed
improvement in his injured groin.
Kinsler had the exam early on Tuesday, and ac
This Week in Auto Racing August 27 - 29 >>
Montreal, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series takes its
final off-week of the season, but there's still plenty of racing action this
weekend. While the Nationwide Series heads north of the border to Montreal,
the Ca
Tigers' Ordonez to have ankle surgery >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Tigers slugger Magglio Ordonez will
undergo a procedure on Wednesday to stabilize his broken right ankle.
Ordonez was examined by foot/ankle specialist Dr. Phillip Kwong of the Kerlan-
Jobe Clinic
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.
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