WrestleMania, The Showcase of Immortals, is in the past and as the shock of the Undertaker’s undefeated streak ending has worn off and the Yes! chants have faded, we now turn the focus on to SummerSlam. Written By: The Fitz Not only is SummerSlam the biggest party of the summer but it is also one of the highlights of the often bleak summer wagering calendar.  Before you scoff at the idea of wagering on a scripted event just remember that SummerSlam takes place at the Staples Center where pretty much every Lakers playoff game in the 2000’s had a pre-determined outcome. John Cena and Brock Lesnar is your main event, there is an entertaining mid-card and thanks to a few offshore books there’s a reason to watch every match. Jack Swagger (-230) vs. Rusev (+170) – Flag Match If you think the most patriotic thing you were going to get this summer was during the Fourth of July, think again. This match has been built up over the last few week alongside the real life escalating crisis in the Ukraine – pinning Jack “The Real American” Swagger with Zeb Colter in his corner, up against Rusev and Lana who have spewed their Russian nationalism on every broadcast. Fun fact: Lana (real name C.J. Perry), is a hard 9 from Gainesville, Florida. This line opened on with Jack Swagger the favorite at -210, while Rusev was priced at +160. Since opening Swagger has lost some steam and been bet down to -190, while Rusev has shifted to +150. Look for the WWE to go for the cheap pop and let the U-S-A chants ring loud and Old Glory be waved proud. Prediction: Jack Swagger Chris Jericho (+700) vs. Bray Wyatt (-1500) Chris Jericho will be...

Tomorrow mark’s the start of another marathon campaign in the English Premier League.  For those that caught World Cup fever this past summer, the EPL is the single best European domestic league to whet that soccer appetite on a weekly basis.  With wall to wall TV coverage across the NBC family, it really becomes fan friendly to watch even the smallest clubs every time they take to the pitch.  While the top of the league won’t boast as much talent as Real Madrid or Barcelona (Sorry Man City, Man United, Chelsea, and Arsenal), the competitive balance allows for great wagering opportunities if you show patience and discipline.  Internet giant Pinnacle Sports supplied a great series of articles to help bettors of all ability levels attempt to gain a soccer edge.  We’ve gone through and put them all in one place as a reference tool to keep handy during the 9 month regular season.  Remember if this is your first journey through the Premiership grind, keep your wager size small using your first time around the league as a learning experience.  This is one of the league’s that sees the heaviest betting volume around the world and we’re here to help as much as we can every step of the way. How to use Poisson Distribution to accurately predict soccer winners Using Goal Differential to predict the EPL team points: Limitations in predictive models for soccer betting: A list of Twitter accounts all soccer bettors should be aware of: Calculating 2-way odds from 3-way odds: How much will Liverpool miss Luis Suarez? How to use Home Field Advantage in EPL betting: How to use Total Shots Ration (advance metric) in modelling match odds: Will EPL see a World Cup hangover effect? How does possession affect...

(Editor’s Note: We don’t condone wagering on the LLWS…unless of course you can make money at it then by all means fire at will) Written by Ted McNamara On Thursday the best Little Leaguers on the planet will once again convene on Williamsport, PA for the 67th straight year and bring with them countless opportunities for us degenerates to pad our bankrolls before football season begins. Now I know what you’re thinking; how could you bet on 12 year olds? They’re so unreliable. They’re so inconsistent. Well I’d argue they’re more consistent than any Calipari coached team at the free throw line and certainly more predictable than any walk-on kicker in a Wednesday night #MACtion game.   Nobody gets scared to make a bet in those situations, why would you now? Now, while I don’t actually recommend putting your real money on middle school kids, there are places on the internet that allow you to do so (Editor’s Note: we won’t endorse these shops…but you probably have money there already so continue). So if you so choose to seek those places out (for entertainment purposes only of course), here’s some tips: Do Your Homework. If the teams you’re wagering on still have to do their homework, so do you.  Not a bad rule of thumb when putting a wager down on anything but it’s especially important in the LLWS where the teams are new to everyone. You’ll never know more than the book when you’re betting on NFL, college football, NBA, or college basketball games but you may be able to put yourself on an even playing field with them in Williamsport. With all that being said if you’re trying to calculate the WHIP of a pitcher too young for a driver’s license you may...

After a 1 week hiatus (yes even I take vacations) there was plenty of gambling chatter to go around.  From Derek Mason’s bold proclamation about Vanderbilt’s talent level to the biggest line moves for Week 1.  Plenty of props on the fly and of course a full run down of the LLWS that starts tomorrow. http://www.toddstake.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/8-13-14.mp3...

The boys and I were back at it again last night breaking down another power conference.  I know it’s not the SEC, ACC, or any other with southern zip codes but the best in the west should have the highest level of quarterback play from top to bottom of any league this coming season.  There was some major disagreement on the pod as well mainly because Bud was too busy sharing ‘Possum extermination methods (or sniffing glue) to provide accurate analysis of win totals. All kidding aside this conference could be one of the nation’s wildest rides but and with the 9 game conference schedule anything can happen. Only time will tell…in the meantime enjoy our breakdowns of Cal, Utah, & Colorado. Oh, we also hit on the league’s heavyweights as well.   Odds to win the Pac 12 (courtesy of the Greek) Arizona   +3000 Arizona State   +1000 California   +15000 Colorado   +12500 Oregon   -125 Oregon State   +5000 Southern Cal   +350 Stanford   +800 UCLA   +285 Utah   +6000 Washington   +1800 Washington State  ...

We just crowned our final major champion of 2014 but that doesn’t stop oddsmakers from looking towards next year.  The Masters is a major betting event on the golf calendar, largely because the futures prices will sit on the betting board from now until Mid-April.  A quick glance at the opening numbers don’t indicate major surprises with Rory “don’t call me Tiger” McIlroy leading the charge.  However it’s his 5-1 price that’s eye popping compared to the 10-1 he went off at before this year’s event.  Little to say the recent run of dominance from the ultra talented 25 year old has his weekly odds approaching prices like we grew accustomed to with Tiger in his prime (I said approaching, far from the same). Numbers never lie and these futures tell  a definite story about his recent surge   THE MASTERS AUGUSTA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB – AUGUSTA, GEORGIA   APRIL 9–12, 2015 (odds courtesy of the LVH Superbook)   ODDS TO WIN:   RORY McILROY                   5/1 TIGER WOODS                   12/1 ADAM SCOTT                    15/1 PHIL MICKELSON                15/1 BUBBA WATSON                  20/1 JASON DAY                     20/1 RICKIE FOWLER                 20/1 JORDAN SPIETH                 20/1 JUSTIN ROSE                   25/1 MATT KUCHAR                   25/1 SERGIO GARCIA                 30/1 HENRIK STENSON                30/1 DUSTIN JOHNSON                30/1 LEE WESTWOOD                  30/1 CHARL SCHWARTZEL              40/1 BRANDT SNEDEKER               40/1 MARTIN KAYMER                 50/1 ZACH JOHNSON                  50/1 JASON DUFNER                  50/1 JIM FURYK                     50/1 KEEGAN BRADLEY                50/1 HUNTER MAHAN                  50/1 JIMMY WALKER                  50/1 GRAEME McDOWELL               60/1 IAN POULTER                   60/1 LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN              60/1 ANGEL CABRERA                 60/1 LUKE DONALD                   80/1 PATRICK REED                  80/1 HIDEKI MATSUYAMA              80/1 VICTOR DUBUISSON              80/1 MARC LEISHMAN                 80/1 RYAN MOORE                    80/1 GRAHAM DeLAET                 80/1 HARRIS ENGLISH                80/1 GARY WOODLAND                 80/1 JONAS BLIXT                   80/1 STEVE STRICKER               100/1 WEBB SIMPSON                 100/1 BILL HAAS                    100/1 NICK WATNEY                  100/1 JAMIE DONALDSON              100/1 MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ         100/1 FRANCESCO MOLINARI           125/1 CHRIS KIRK                   125/1 BRENDON TODD                 125/1 JOHN SENDEN                  125/1 THOMAS BJORN                 125/1 BROOKS...

If you weren’t already drawn in by the magic and the excitement of the game you Americans call soccer then I am sure the recent World Cup has piqued your interest. The World Cup should be just the appetizer for the main course that the EPL serves up this winter.  Set your alarm clocks early each Saturday and prepare for the hustle and bustle of soccer action to be your perfect college football appetizer.  However I’m not here to sell you on the beautiful game.  The bigger question is there any value to be had in holding a futures ticket for nine months in the hope you will cash?  When assessing this you have to remember that the EPL and other major soccer leagues around Europe do not replicate American sport.  There is no attempt towards parity between teams and it’s very difficult to make a case for every team in the table to lift a trophy.  With that in mind you’d expect me to sit here and suggest that a futures ticket in a limited market becomes somewhat worthless but that isn’t the case especially if you believe that this seasons EPL will be a very tight affair coming down to the wire. Between November and May of last seasons EPL campaign there was no fewer than sixteen lead changes at the top of the table.  Four different sides occupied the top spot and during that spell creating plenty of chances to find value on the sides not occupying the top spot   By James Kempton (Click here to follow him on twitter)   So who are the most likely contenders this season? I have narrowed it down to the two clubs from Manchester and Chelsea. Before we discuss that trio I have to...

Will we see another Rory runaway? At least the odds say we may have some suspense as we approach the weekend at Valhalla. ODDS TO WIN (updated after 2nd round) RORY McILROY            5/4 JASON DAY              11/2 RICKIE FOWLER          13/2 JIM FURYK               8/1 PHIL MICKELSON         12/1 HENRIK STENSON         20/1 RYAN PALMER            25/1 LEE WESTWOOD           30/1 MIKKO ILONEN           40/1 STEVE STRICKER         50/1 GRAHAM DeLAET          50/1 VICTOR DUBUISSON       50/1 LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN       50/1 BERND WIESBERGER       80/1 JOOST LUITEN           80/1 ADAM SCOTT             80/1 NICK WATNEY           100/1 FIELD (all...

It’s the league that no one wants to talk about…well outside of OU and Texas fans that is.  Does Baylor have an active and vocal fan base after last season’s rise to prominence?  There are plenty of storylines: Is OU’s blowout of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl justification for their prohibitive favorite status? How will the recent transfer of stud DE Devonte Fields from potential darkhorse TCU impact the race?  Can Kansas be less than awful and will Dana Holgerson survive another trip around the sun in Morgantown? Like all of our pods this one took a few twists and turns we didn’t see coming but there was a sleeper in the league we all seemed to like this year.  Lets just say we know what that means… Your look at college football as only Drew Collins, Adam Kramer, Bud Elliot, and myself can provide.  Grab a nice summer ale and enjoy.  Before we know it, they’ll be playing football for keeps. Not able to view the widget?  We are also on iTunes: Subscribe, listen, tell all your friends and tell your friends to tell their friends. And for you Android users, we have you covered as well. Oklahoma   -120 Baylor   +295 Texas   +850 Kansas State   +1300 TCU   +1400 Oklahoma State   +1600 Texas Tech   +3000 West Virginia   +10000 Iowa State   +20000 Kansas...

The first preseason game is officially in the books.  Of course we can call it football but that might be overly generous.  There are still plenty of opportunities not only now but through the season to lock in opportunities in the futures market.  Below are the updated division and future odds courtesy of the LVH Superbook. SUPER BOWL SEAHAWKS 11-2BRONCOS 549ERS 7PATRIOTS 8PACKERS 12SAINTS 14FALCONS 40BENGALS 18PANTHERS 40COLTS 18CHIEFS 40EAGLES 25BEARS 16CARDINALS 40COWBOYS 50GIANTS 40REDSKINS 60LIONS 40RAMS 40STEELERS 20RAVENS 30TEXANS 25CHARGERS 30DOLPHINS 40BUCS 60TITANS 100JETS 50BILLS 60VIKINGS 150BROWNS 60JAGUARS 200RAIDERS 100NFC  CONFERENCE SEAHAWKS 11-449ERS 7-2PACKERS 6SAINTS 7FALCONS 20PANTHERS 20EAGLES 12BEARS 8CARDINALS 20COWBOYS 25GIANTS 20REDSKINS 30LIONS 20RAMS 20BUCS 30VIKINGS 75AFC  CONFERENCE BRONCOS 9-4PATRIOTS 7-2BENGALS 8COLTS 8CHIEFS 18STEELERS 8RAVENS 14TEXANS 12CHARGERS 14DOLPHINS 18TITANS 50JETS 23BILLS 25BROWNS 25JAGUARS 100RAIDERS 50 2014 NFL DIVISION ODDS NFC EAST DIVISION EAGLES 11-10COWBOYS 4GIANTS 3REDSKINS 7-2NFC NORTH DIVISION PACKERS 5-7BEARS 5-2LIONS 7-2VIKINGS 20NFC SOUTH DIVISION SAINTS 5-4PANTHERS 3FALCONS 5-2BUCS 5NFC WEST DIVISION SEAHAWKS 11-1049ERS 5-4CARDINALS 8RAMS 8AFC EAST DIVISION PATRIOTS 1-3DOLPHINS 5JETS 8BILLS 8AFC NORTH DIVISION BENGALS 8-5RAVENS 5-2STEELERS 2BROWNS 6AFC SOUTH DIVISION COLTS 4-7TEXANS 5-2TITANS 5JAGUARS 18AFC WEST DIVISION BRONCOS 1-4CHIEFS 11-2CHARGERS 11-2RAIDERS...

Oh the ACC…how everyone without a SEC address loves you for breaking one league’s strangle hold on the entire college football landscape. We all know about FSU’s aspirations to repeat as national champs with a schedule that appears “tougher” than last year but in reality will see them as ridiculous favorites in every game.  However we’re equal opportunity on the OTL podcast; Wake Forest & Pittsburgh attracted our attention because every ugly duckling in college football can still yield profit. There were a number of twists and turns on this week’s installment from botched win totals to hunting squirrels (no, that’s not a typo).  Let’s be honest though, you guys don’t come listen for our serious authoritarian tone anyways. Not able to view the widget?  We are also on iTunes: Subscribe, listen, tell all your friends and tell your friends to tell their friends. And for you Android users, we have you covered as well. ODDS TO WIN 2014 ACC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014 @ CHARLOTTE, NC  (Prices courtesy of LVH Superbook) FLORIDA ST 1-4 CLEMSON 8 NO CAROLINA 7 LOUISVILLE 15 VIRGINIA TECH 10 MIAMI, FL 20 GEORGIA TECH 30 DUKE 50 PITTSBURGH 40 VIRGINIA 100 NC STATE 100 SYRACUSE 100 BOSTON COLL 200 WAKE FOREST...

Your weekly dose of gambling discussion for the mainstream with the boys from 3HL.  Not only did we talk about the upcoming college football season along with NFL week 1 lines, we broke down the definition of “sharp money” in the betting markets thanks to a loyal listener’s twitter request.  Rather than me just talking about it, give the segment a listen. http://www.toddstake.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/7-30-14.mp3...