Nationals attempt to continue pleasant stay in Houston

Baseball Betting Lines

08/22/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals will try to stay on the winning track tonight, when they continue a four-game series against the Houston Astros from Minute Maid Park.

The Nats ended a four-game losing streak with Monday's 7-0 victory in the series opener, then recorded an 11-6 triumph on Tuesday. Ryan Zimmerman ended a double shy of hitting for the cycle and drove in four runs, while Nook Logan ended a career-best 5-for-6 with three RBI and two runs scored.

Washington starter Joel Hanrahan picked up his third win in four starts, giving up three runs on seven hits in five innings to help the Nats to a 2-0 mark on their current 10-game trek.

Mike Bacsik is back in the rotation for the Nationals after a brief stint in the bullpen and will take on Houston this evening. Bacsik is 5-6 with a 4.61 ERA in 18 games (16 starts) this season.

Bacsik is 3-0 over his previous eight appearances, including four straight no decisions. In 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief on Thursday against the New York Mets, Bacsik struck out one batter and walked another in a 6-2 loss.

The left-hander is 0-0 with a 1.17 ERA in two career games (one start) against the Astros. Bacsik faced Houston on July 16 and did not factor in the outcome. He yielded two runs -- one earned -- through 5 2/3 innings of a 4-3 Washington victory.

Taking the mound for the Astros this evening will be Woody Williams, who is 7-12 with a 4.92 ERA in 27 games (26 starts) this season.

Williams is 2-0 in his previous five trips to the hill and recorded the win his last time out on Friday at San Diego. He held the Padres to just one run and six hits through seven innings of a 3-1 triumph at Petco Park.

The veteran righty is 2-3 with a 3.89 earned run average in six career starts against Washington. Williams lost to the Nationals on July 16 of this season at RFK Stadium, yielding four runs in six frames of work.

Houston has dropped three in a row and five of seven games after last night's setback. Craig Biggio had three hits, including a homer, drove in four runs and scored twice for Houston.

Astros rookie center fielder Hunter Pence was activated from the disabled list prior to the game and went 1-for-6 with an RBI.

Washington took two of three games against Houston from July 16-18 at RFK Stadium and has won seven of the last eight meetings between the teams.

Wskybook Baseball Betting News

<< Rangers, Orioles play doubleheader in Baltimore
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Kason Gabbard makes his fifth start with the Texas Rangers this afternoon, when they play a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. The three-game series was scheduled to begin Monday,

<< Red-hot Cards try to deal Marlins another loss
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals still have their eyes on the postseason despite being three games off the National League Central lead. Tonight they will resume a three-game home s

<< Guanghu out as China coach
Beijing, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zhu Guanghu was fired as head coach of China's national team on Wednesday after a poor showing at the Asian Cup last month. Zhu's contract ran through last month's Asian Cup, but after the team fail

<< Padres turn to Peavy in hopes for rebound vs. Mets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Diego staff ace Jake Peavy carries a five-start unbeaten streak for the Padres into tonight's second test of a three-game series with the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. Peavy is 4-0 with a no dec

<< Phils hope Durbin can step up in rematch with Dodgers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie right-hander J.D. Durbin moves up a spot in the rotation for the Philadelphia Phillies tonight, when they host the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second of three straight games at Citizens Bank Park. The 25-year-old D

Loaiza makes '07 debut for A's in Toronto >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran right-hander Esteban Loaiza makes his 2007 season debut today, when the Oakland Athletics play the Toronto Blue Jays in the finale of a three-game series at Rogers Centre. A 35-year-old native of Tijuana,

A's activate Loaiza from DL >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics reinstated pitcher Esteban Loaiza from the 15-day disabled list Wednesday in time for his start against the Blue Jays. This will be the first start of the season for Loaiza, who

Sebo loaned out to Valenciennes >>
Valenciennes, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rangers striker Filip Sebo joined Ligue 1 side Valenciennes on a season-long loan on Wednesday. The 23-year-old Slovakian has yet to make an appearance for Rangers in the club's first three

This Week in Auto Racing August 22 - August 26 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR's traditional late summer Saturday night shootout at the Bristol Motor Speedway highlights a busy week at the race track. NASCAR Nextel Cup Sharpie 500 - Bristol Motor Speedway - Bristol,

NCAA Football Preview - Fresno State Bulldogs >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - 2006 SEASON IN REVIEW: Taking on anyone and everyone who would even dare put them on their schedule, the Fresno State Bulldogs bit off more than they could chew in 2006, ending up with a mere four wins and


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.

Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.

NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.

Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.

Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
--------------------------------------------------

Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&amp;M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6

For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com