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<< Crosby skates with team
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby skated with the team on Monday, but did not participate in full team practice and his status has not changed. Crosby has been out since December 5 due to concu

<< Granada edges Malaga to emerge from drop zone
Granada, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Granada climbed out of the relegation zone on Monday with a 2-1 win over Malaga at Los Carmenes. With its second-straight La Liga victory, Granada improves to 25 points on the year to sit tied with Rayo Va

<< Cubs designate DeWitt for assigmnent
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs designated infielder Blake DeWitt for assignment on Monday. The 26-year-old batted .265 with five home runs, 11 doubles and 26 RBI in 121 games during his first full season with the Cubs i

<< Alcohol led to Presbyterian player's death
Clinton, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An autopsy has determined the death of a Presbyterian College football player on Sunday was brought on by alcohol intoxication. The Laurens County Coroner's office said Monday that the death of 21-year-old Kyl

Denmon helps Missouri edge Oklahoma >>
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcus Denmon made four three-pointers en route to 25 points, as the fourth-ranked Missouri Tigers snuck past the Oklahoma Sooners, 71-68. Ricardo Ratliffe added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers (22

Leafs continue winning ways, outscore Oilers >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Kessel tallied twice and added one assist, as Toronto doubled up Edmonton, 6-3, at Air Canada Centre. Clarke MacArthur, Joffrey Lupul and Tyler Bozak also lit the lamp for the Maple Leafs, who have ta

Duke routs North Carolina in ACC clash >>
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tricia Liston led No. 5 Duke with 23 points as it trounced in-state rival and 22nd-ranked North Carolina, 96-56, at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday. The Blue Devils (19-3, 10-0 ACC) had five scorers in dou

Bulls roll past Nets >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls shot 55.6 percent from the floor, made nine three-pointers and went 19-of-23 from the foul line en route to an easy 108-87 win over the New Jersey Nets on Monday night. But it was not al

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.