Football Betting

Raiders make it official with Dennis Allen

Football Betting Lines

01/27/2012 - Alameda, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Raiders have made it official and named Dennis Allen as their new head coach.

According to the club's website, Allen will be introduced at a news conference on Monday.

Allen, who spent this past season as defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos, reportedly reached an agreement with the Raiders and new general manager Reggie McKenzie earlier this week.

The Raiders needed a replacement for Hue Jackson, who was fired January 10 -- McKenzie's first official day on the job -- after just one season as head coach.

Allen was named defensive coordinator of the Broncos on January 24, 2011. He had been with the New Orleans Saints the previous five seasons, serving as assistant defensive line coach from 2006-07 and as the secondary coach from 2008-10.

The Broncos had the NFL's 20th-ranked defense during the regular season and won the AFC West at 8-8. They edged Oakland for the division title on a tiebreaker, then beat Pittsburgh in the wild card round of the playoffs before losing to New England in the divisional round.

Allen will become Oakland's seventh different head coach since Jon Gruden left after the 2001 season. Bill Callahan spent two years as head coach and guided Oakland to the Super Bowl after the 2002 campaign, losing to Gruden's Buccaneers, but the Raiders haven't had a winning season since.


<< Gnakpa heads to Inverness on loan
Inverness, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inverness announced Friday that it has acquired 28-year-old winger Claude Gnakpa on loan from League One side Walsall until the end of the season. Gnakpa, who can also play at left back, has also featu

<< Hughes completes Dons move
Aberdeen, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aberdeen completed the signing of Stephen Hughes on Friday after the midfielder departed from Scottish Premier League rivals Motherwell. Hughes put pen to paper on a contract that will keep h

<< Werder Bremen lands Junuzovic
Bremen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Werder Bremen announced Friday that it has signed Austrian midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic from FK Austria Vienna on a three- and-a-half-year deal. Junuzovic, 24, will undergo a medical on Monday before being

<< A legend is laid to rest
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Few college coaches embody an entire university and everything that the program, school and community as a whole stands for. Like Paul "Bear" Bryant in Tuscaloosa and Knute Rockne in South Bend, Happy Valley

<< PSG signs Brazil defender Alex from Chelsea
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PSG signed Brazil defender Alex from Chelsea on Friday on a 2 1/2-year deal. Alex, 29, left Brazilian club Santos in 2004 for Chelsea, and remained at the English Premier League club - with the exception o

Pees tabbed as Ravens defensive coordinator >>
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens elevated linebackers coach Dean Pees to defensive coordinator on Friday. Pees takes over for the departed Chuck Pagano, who was named head coach of the Indianapolis Colts earlier this

No longer doubted, Giants' Thomas finds niche on special teams >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Devin Thomas always believed he'd be an impact player in the National Football League, albeit with another team and in a far different role than the one he currently occupies with the New York Giants. Four years ago, the p

Brady's promise weighs about seven pounds >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After what Tom Brady thought would be a private moment with owner Robert Kraft became public, the world is now aware that the New England Patriots quarterback vows to play better in Super Bowl XLVI. Brady admitted on the c

Larranaga receives three-year extension >>
Coral Gables, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami-Florida men's basketball coach Jim Larranaga has agreed to a three-year contract extension that will keep him with the Hurricanes through the 2018-19 season. Larranaga is in his first year with

Western Carolina to face Marshall, Alabama in 2012 >>
Cullowhee, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Speir's first season as Western Carolina's head football coach will include games against FBS opponents Marshall and Alabama. Western Carolina also will play five home games in a schedule announced Frid

What Is the Point Spread?

What are Sports Betting Point Spreads?

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.

How to Read Point Spreads

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:

  • Philly wins the actual game by any amount of points
    OR
  • Philly loses the game by less than 7 points.
  • 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.

    For Those Who Like to Consider Things Mathematically

    Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:

  • Subtracting the point spread from the favorite’s score (thus the minus sign before the number) and then compare to the underdog’s score
    OR
  • Adding the point spread to the underdog’s score (thus the plus sign before the number) and then compare to the favorite’s score

    Who Really “Won” the Super Bowl odds ?

    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.

MySportsbook.com - The World's Leading Online Sportsbook

For more than 11 years now, MySportsbook.com has been the World’s BEST online sports book website, providing a safe and secure place for sports wagering. Our world-class level of experience and industry sportsbook expertise is unmatched.

Offering a wide array of sports to wager on, MySportsbook.com leaves no stone unturned in our search to provide you with great football betting lines and online blackjack options. From teasers to parlays, from futures to wacky propositions, we add more game excitement than any other sportsbook. Fully licensed in two gaming jurisdictions, MySportsbook.com is open and eager to assist you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Whatever the sporting event, this online sportsbook has you covered. Enjoy some of sport’s most memorable moments that much more with MySportsbook.com. With increased interest, follow the game-winning field goal, the walk-off homerun, the buzzer-beater or the hole-in-one shot. Bank on that clutch glove save, the upset TKO or an incredible Hail Mary pass. MySportsbook.com quenches your thirst for action.

To visit this online blackjack got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts credit cards needs.