Alone in the basement

Baseball Betting Lines

06/06/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Through 60 games, the Seattle Mariners own the fewest wins in the majors and are 15 1/2 games back of the AL West-leading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It is always good to look on the bright side, but in this case that bright side is hard to find.

The Mariners made national headlines this week when manager John McLaren unleashed a profanity-laden tirade following yet another loss. McLaren, who is 64-80 since taking over the team in July of 2007, is undoubtedly feeling the heat.

Seattle was expected to challenge for the division crown at the very least. Heading into the weekend's action, the club is 21-39 and has lost four in a row. Winning on the road has proven to be the biggest challenge, as the Mariners are 7-20 in enemy territory.

On Thursday, Seattle had a much-needed night off, perhaps a chance to regroup and make some necessary changes. There is certainly some talent on the roster, but the big-name players need to step it up immediately if the Mariners have any chance of salvaging the season.

Ichiro Suzuki has been the one constant in the Mariners' lineup in recent years, and he has stolen 25 bases in 60 games. On a down note, his .289 batting average falls a bit below his own lofty expectations, as does a .349 on-base percentage.

Adrian Beltre continues to struggle, as he is hitting .236. While his 13 home runs are nice, he has only 27 RBI.

Perhaps most disappointing of all has been the play of Richie Sexson, the team's power-hitting first baseman who has seen little action recently. Sexson is not injured, but McLaren has chosen to stick with the hot bat of Miguel Cairo. The 6-8 Sexson is batting .200 and is as much to blame as any for the struggles of the team. With a salary that exceeds 15 million dollars this season, the fact that Sexson has been benched is astonishing.

As for the team's pitchers, Felix Hernandez has a 3.29 ERA, much more indicative of his performance than his 3-5 record. Erik Bedard, the Seattle's key offseason acquisition, is just 4-4 with a 4.47 ERA. Clearly, the club needs more from Carlos Silva (5.96 ERA) and Miguel Batista (5.90 ERA).

ON THE HORIZON

With the next six games on the road, including three against Boston beginning Friday evening, Seattle needs to prove that it can string together a few wins away from home. If not, this season could be a wash before we hit the middle of June.

Casinoonlinewagering Baseball Betting News

<< Griffey's milestone quest shifts to Florida
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Youngster Johnny Cueto tries again to break through on the road tonight, when the Cincinnati Reds head to Miami's Dolphin Stadium to begin a four-game weekend series with the host Florida Marlins. The Reds also hit

<< Nationals to be tested by Lincecum in opener with Giants
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Streaking second-year right-hander Tim Lincecum goes for his seventh start without a loss tonight, when the San Francisco Giants head to Washington for the first of four games against the host Nationals. Lincecum, wh

<< Blue Jays host Orioles in battle of the birds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays hope a return home can help them shake off a heartbreaking loss their last time out. The club will host the Baltimore Orioles tonight in the opener of a three-game series at Rogers Centre.

<< Wounded Red Sox put home streak on line against Mariners
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Few teams exit a three-game sweep of an opponent worse off than before the series started. However, that may be the case for the Boston Red Sox, who continue their nine-game homestand tonight with the opener of a three-g

<< Cubs try to extend recent run over Dodgers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surging Chicago Cubs aim to maintain their dominance of the Los Angeles Dodgers this season when these two high-profile clubs resume a four-game series tonight at Dodger Stadium. Chicago remained unbeaten against the

Rockies happy to return home, host Brewers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Some late success on an otherwise horrid 10-game road trip has the Colorado Rockies thinking positive. The team tries to get its homestand off on the right foot tonight in the opener of a three-game series with th

Mets to sic Santana on light-hitting Padres >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After signing Johan Santana to a monster six-year extension upon his acquisition this past offseason, the New York Mets would love to see him win his 200th game in his new uniform. Santana takes the first step towards

Leg problem affecting Casino Drive >>
Elmont, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Casino Drive, the 7-2 second choice for the Belmont Stakes, has an apparent problem with his left hind leg that kept him off the track Friday morning. The exact problem the colt is experiencing is unclear

Tigers shuffle roster, put Santiago, Thomas on DL >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers placed infielder Ramon Santiago and outfielder Clete Thomas on the 15-day disabled list on Friday, amidst several roster moves. Santiago suffered a separated left shoulder in Wed

Ronaldo saga takes new twist >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cristiano Ronaldo saga shows no sign of coming to a close after the Portugal international's mother, Dolores Aveiro, said her son would be staying at Manchester United next season. Ronaldo had said


Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Why Sports Betting is so much fun?

Betting Sports

The most popular sports to bet on are NFL and college football along with NBA and NCAA basketball. There are multiple betting opportunities within those sports, beginning with the basic wager on a game’s outcome (also called betting the side). College Football Point spreads are used in both football and basketball in an attempt to even the attractiveness of each team in a match-up. ( See our article detailing how and why point spreads are made)

But you could also simply bet on the money line, or straight-up winner of the game. Oddsmakers use the money line so that more money must be risked on the favorite or expected winner and less money on the underdog to balance the action on both sides. While money line gambling is an attractive option for football and basketball bettors who only care about picking a winner, it is the primary option for those bettors who enjoy wagering on MLB baseball and individual sports like boxing, tennis, golf and racing events such as NASCAR. ( More details on playing the Money Line)

Points (or Runs) Scored

Another bet across all major team sports including football, basketball, baseball, and hockey involves wagering on the amount of scoring in a game, called an Over/Under total. For example, the Over/Under total on Super Bowl XXXIX was 48, which means a bettor could wager whether there would be more or less than 48 points scored by both teams combined in the game.

The final score of Super Bowl XXXIX was 24-21; the scoring of both teams added up to 45, which means the game went Under . So Under bettors won, and Over bettors lost.

Future Bets

Sports gambling doesn’t end there. Betting sides and totals are the most common wagers available everywhere, but many sportsbooks also offer future bets on big upcoming events like who will win next year’s Super Bowl and what movie will win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

The main advantage of futures is that you can get appealing odds by betting far in advance. For example, with NFL futures you often can get much higher odds on a team by betting before the season even starts. A NFL future bet on a team to win the Super Bowl odds might be 20/1 in the preseason; but by midseason, their odds might decrease to 10/1 if they turn out to be legitimate championship contenders.

Proposition Bets (or Prop Bets)

Proposition bets , also known as prop bets, focus upon the more exotic aspects of a game and are generally reserved for events that are widely televised. Prop bets are extremely popular when it comes to wagering on the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. The Imperial Palace Casino’s sportsbook is well-known for the enormous number of prop bets offered. For example, you can bet on:

Types of Bets

Straight Bet

Involves one individual wager, whether it be on your team to cover the point spread, to win the game straight-up on the money line, or to go over/under the total.

Sports Betting Parlays

A parlay is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers and is dependent on all of those wagers winning together. The benefit of the parlay bet is much better odds than placing each individual bet separately since the difficulty of hitting it is much higher.

Standard payoffs on a two-team parlay are 13/5; while a three-teamer pays 6/1; and a four-teamer 10/1.

Parlay cards are also fairly common in sportsbooks and popular with bettors, as they are released early in the week with set odds that do not change in return for a slightly lower payoff.

Round Robin Betting

Adventurous bettors who enjoy betting parlays sometimes put together a series of parlays called a Round Robin . A three-team Round Robin consists of one three-team parlay and three two-team parlays. For example, Joe likes teams A,B,C – with a Round Robin he has a three-teamer with ABC, and two-teamers with AB, AC, and BC.

Betting Teasers

Similar to a parlay, a teaser bet is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers, but is different in that the point spread is adjusted to your advantage on each individual wager. In exchange for the points, you get less of a return on your bet compared to a parlay. For example, a 6-point teaser would move the line on a 7-point favorite from -7 to -1, meaning the team would have to cover 6 less points. Each of the individual wagers must win or the bet is a loss.

These are the main types of sports bets available today. But as sports betting continues to grow, sportsbooks will continue to develop new and creative ways to bet. We’ll continue to track these changes to the sports gambling landscape, so check back often and we’ll tell you all about it!

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.