I get asked all the time about who is worth following on twitter when it comes to sports betting.  There are a ton of people who offer outstanding information. There are too many to list here so given the focus right now should be college football, here’s my list of  handicappers, oddsmakers, and information sites that treat betting college football with an unsurpassed level of dedication.  To everyone I didn’t include, I’ll apologize in advance since I know I’m pissing people off by doing this.  Bottom line with social media, the community is only as strong as the folks that contribute regularly. To all of you that ask me questions, you’re the engine that drives this machine that will continue to grow as sports betting becomes more widespread. Jay Kornegay ‏ @JayKornegay Top dog at the most respected book in all of Las Vegas. Jay and his team offer more betting options than any casino in town and welcome the opportunity to book action from the sharpest bettors PayneInsider.com ‏ @PayneInsider A guy who “gets it.” Understands that fortunes aren’t created over night in any sport and won’t promise gaudy winning percentages to anyone. Payne’s more than happy to share trends & analysis while engaging followers with informed opinions across all sports while specializing in all things football Warren Sharp ‏ @SharpFootball There isn’t a more fitting name out there in the analysis world than Sharp for this guy. His computer models produce winners in both college and pro football while his educated perspective on quantifying a myriad of data goes a long way. PhillyGodfather ‏ @phillygodfather There are people that claim they have connections to sharp betting groups; this man actually has them. As a proud Philly native, PGF is about as real...

It’s not quite spanning the globe but I try to archive all the week’s media appearances to share some of the best content with everyone especially with football season right around the corner.  I appreciate everyone that listens in each regional market because you guys are the ones that drive social media and inspire me to provide better gambling content.  The goal throughout the season will be to share the radio exploits daily so the timely information can add value to your handicapping. 8/21 3HL Nashville Click here to listen Name of the game this time of year is football. Clay, Brent, and Blaine fire off the tough questions about what we should expect opening weekend 8/22 Omaha Click here to listen We invaded Big Ten country to talk about a team or two that may surprise in 2013.  Even had a chance to jump into soccer coverage and the impact expanded coverage has on the sportsbooks. 8-23 Tampa Click here to listen I whine about not having an offseason so the Big Dog immediately put me in my place.  We talk about NBC’s commitment to the EPL, preseason preparation, and the launch of DB Advantage. 8-25 Fox Fantasy Freaks Click here to listen Adjustments in NFL futures, ball busting, and Michael Harmon tells me I’m a terrible human being.  Just another Sunday morning with the trio of misfits. Oh yea, we also share great betting perspective in anticipation of the NFL season.  ...

Due to some technical issues, mainly attributed to operator error, I wasn’t able to upload last week’s ACC podcast. Think of this as a bonus edition with the ACC and Big Ten (+ Notre Dame) now available for your listening pleasure. The Big Ten pod had a notable absence from the 4 headed monster but so goes the life of a big time college football writer. Not a widget fan? Subscribe to the podcast now available on itunes   Select your desired podcast as all previous shows are available through the talkshoe widget...

It was more than a decade in the making, but local and federal officials announce they busted a sports betting ring that handled more than 5-billion dollars. It started with an anonymous letter to Plano police. ‪ A Plano undercover officer spent years peeling back the layers of what turned out to be a sports gambling scheme with international connections — and some bettors placing incredible wagers. “Six or seven figures; and obviously we are in the big time here,” said John Bales, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. How big? Authorities confiscated stacks of gold and cash, with one safe containing more than a million dollars, according to investigators.  Valuable sports collectibles were seized and will be sold at auction – and expensive real estate, including condos in Las Vegas. Click here to read the full article Todd’s Take: Legalize it! I’ll never understand the concerted effort law enforcement makes to go after a gambling ring with so many more illicit behaviors out there worth pursuing.  If anyone thinks this bust was coincidentally made during the build-up to football you’re only kidding yourself. Do I condone illegal activity? Of course not but much like prohibition back in the 20’s people are going to do everything they can when it pertains to their vices.  Making sports betting nationalized, regulated, and legalized would solve a handful of problems.  The most prevalent argument against it is the addictive qualities? Explain that to every state looking to push video poker as a means of generating revenue for the...

Tim Donaghy had a major hand in the last big point shaving scandal in American professional sports.  Jim Rome recently interviewed him on Showtime and while we should have expected fireworks given Rome’s past (see Jim Evrett), things stayed pretty calm and well tame. 206 Donaghy from 441 Productions on...

Win totals move, that’s what they do.  Here is a quick snapshot at the most up to date list of the LVH’s regular season win totals for the NFL compared to what they opened at back in the middle of May. Team Open Current 19-May 19-Aug Cardinals 5.5 U -150 5.5 O-140 Falcons 10 U -130 10 U -135 Ravens 8.5 O -140 8.5 O -110 Bills 6.5 U -135 6.5 U -150 Panthers 7 O -110 7.5 O -160 Bears 8.5 O -120 8.5 O -155 Bengals 8.5 U -130 8.5 O-155 Browns 6 O -130 6.5 O -140 Cowboys 8.5 U -155 8.5 U -115 Broncos 11.5 U -130 11.5 O -110 Lions 7.5 O -110 7.5 O -175 Packers 10 O -120 10 O -160 Texans 10 O -130 10 O -120 Colts 8.5 U -120 8.5 O -110 Jaguars 5 O -130 5 O -110 Chiefs 7 O -135 7 O -200 Dolphins 7.5 O -130 7.5 O -160 Vikings 7.5 O -110 7 U -150 Patriots 11.5 U -135 11 U -140 Saints 9 O -110 9 O -180 Giants 9 U -120 9 U -150 Jets 6.5 O -110 6.5 U -165 Raiders 5.5 U -130 5.5 U -165 Eagles 7 O -110 7.5 U -120 Steelers 9 O -120 9 O -150 Chargers 7.5 U -135 7.5 U -130 49ers 11.5 U -130 11.5 U -200 Seahawks 10.5 O -110 10.5 O -120 Rams 7.5 U -140 7.5 O -120 Bucs 7.5 O -140 7.5 O -135 Titans 6.5 O -110 6.5 O -120 Redskins 8 O -110 8 O...

Everyone has called themselves a sports bettor at some point in time.  However, the reality is a lot of people just bet on sports, they’re not actually sports bettors and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.  I know what you’re thinking, what the hell is the difference between the two?  Sports bettors are those that consistently turn a profit by whatever means necessary whereas those who bet on sports treat the hobby more as recreation (like most of us do golf). This isn’t a cut and dry distinction but to help alleviate your concerns I’ve created a quiz;  depending on what you score, the answers will be crystal clear. If you answer yes to any of these questions, give yourself 1 point unless otherwise noted. Do you place more than 75% of your bets before the scheduled day of the game (yes, this includes baseball)? Can you quantify your edge before making a bet? Is keeping records to the penny something you see as essential to long term success? Do you recall your single biggest win and the teams it involved? Do the list of bad beats outnumber the  herculean comebacks (at least as far as you’re concerned)? Do you constantly seek new books (outs) to give yourself more shopping opportunities? Do you own multiple cell phones or batteries to make sure you always have a line of communication? Do the release of college football annuals and the Blue Ribbon Yearbook college basketball annual qualify as unofficial holidays for you? Do you let gambling dictate your social calendar? Do you deem betting on football more important than seeing your girlfriend (or boyfriend) from September to February? Have you denounced your favorite team because they’re historically bad against the spread? Do you call those that...

The dawn of a new EPL season is upon us and this could be the best ever as the only thing we can be certain of is the uncertainty that faces many of the sides this season. Managerial changes at the top end of the table should see this a much closer race for the title and coupled with increased parity from the mid table positions downwards we will be presented with plenty of opportunities to cash tickets through the course of the season. Written by James Kempton As with any sport, opening day schedules present bettors with unique problems. With no current form to review we have a couple of options. Do we use the performance in pre season match ups as a tool to predict future performance? Do we use historic data from the teams’ performances to project forward? We all know that both are potentially flawed as who really cares if you win or lose friendly encounters and old data is exactly that, old data full of the problems use of such aged information presents. So what can we use? Well how about he we use the books’ ability to manage those very same problems that we face to try and locate the value? How’s about that for an idea! Over the last five seasons there have been 49 games played on the opening weekend (the anomaly is due to the postponement of Tottenham v Everton due to the London riots of summer 2011).  The outright market favourite has gone just 24-25 in those fixtures and many of those wins were at very short prices.  Eleven of those losses were at odds of shorter than even money so you must be guarded when siding with a favourite this first weekend.  The...

Futures are not truly efficient markets.  This isn’t an earth shattering realization for anyone that has come to Vegas wondering why the Cubs are listed at 15-1 to win the World Series while they have a win total that projects them 25th in the league.  In a futures pool it goes without saying there are boatload of teams to bet yet only 1 can win.  Depending on who you talk to about expected hold percentage (amount of each dollar wagered the house expects to keep), it should be 1% for each team in smaller markets and capped in that 30-35% range.  Meaning for pro sports when there are 30 teams vying for a title, books shouldn’t be collecting .50 cents on the dollar.  However, this is far from the case at a number of shops.  Rather than operate each futures pool like a truly efficient supply and demand market, the easy thing to do is just bring down prices on the commodities in demand while failing to make an effort to sell others.  This doesn’t hold true for every shop but as a bettor it’s your responsibility to identify competitive prices instead of claiming the books have an “ethical” obligation to offer fair value. Having worked in the casino business, both in the sportsbook and analytics, the buzz word was yield.  Whether it’s a table game’s limit, hotel room, or show ticket free market economics determine maximum efficiency is realized by selling the right product to the right person at the right price.  What does this mean? Nothing more than you don’t sell someone a hotel room for $59 a night if they’re willing to spend $109 because all you end up doing is leaving money on the table.  The exact same principles hold...

College football season is only a few weeks ago so there was plenty of discussion to be had regarding movement in the futures market and teams attracting attention offshore. As always, some baseball, NFL, and other gambling talk made its way into the segment too. Click here to...

England may have added a member to the Royal family this summer but the country will be without their King entering football season.  After 27 years at the helm of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure adds another level of intrigue to the already compelling 2013 season. Manchester United isn’t the only club atop the table with a change in manager. Co-favorites Chelsea and Manchester City will also enter this season with fresh faces on their respective benches. The uncertainty at the top of the league has all three sides listed at 11/5 to win the Premiership at the LVH, making for the most fascinating build-up to a season in recent memory. While managerial changes may be settled already, there’s still much debate regarding where 3 of the league’s biggest stars will land. Gareth Bale, Wayne Rooney and Luis Suarez remain the subject of major transfer talk. Of the three, only Rooney doesn’t appear to factor into his current team’s plans because Manchester United possesses more than adequate depth to replace the now disgruntled superstar.  Man U has held their ground that they won’t deal the English striker despite multiple bids from league rival Chelsea. Liverpool and Tottenham don’t have the same luxury as United when it comes to replacing top tier talent because losing Suarez and Bale respectively would end their seasons before they started. The byproduct of uncertainty is neither Liverpool nor Tottenham are taking substantial money in the futures market overseas. The retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson will reduce the chances Manchester United has of retaining their league crown. After speaking to one of the most respected soccer oddsmakers in the UK, I came to find out industry pundits believe Man U will experience a 10 pt dropff in production without...

THE MASTERS (Odds coutesy of LVH)   AUGUSTA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB – AUGUSTA, GEORGIA   APRIL 10-13, 2014   ODDS TO WIN: TIGER WOODS                   5/1 PHIL MICKELSON               12/1 RORY McILROY                 12/1 ADAM SCOTT                   15/1 JUSTIN ROSE                  20/1 BRANDT SNEDEKER              25/1 JASON DAY                    25/1 LEE WESTWOOD                 30/1 CHARL SCHWARTZEL             30/1 DUSTIN JOHNSON               30/1 HENRIK STENSON               30/1 MATT KUCHAR                  30/1 JASON DUFNER                 30/1 LUKE DONALD                  40/1 BUBBA WATSON                 40/1 KEEGAN BRADLEY               40/1 LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN             40/1 HUNTER MAHAN                 40/1 SERGIO GARCIA                50/1 GRAEME McDOWELL              50/1 STEVE STRICKER               50/1 IAN POULTER                  60/1 RICKIE FOWLER                60/1 ANGEL CABRERA                60/1 WEBB SIMPSON                 60/1 NICK WATNEY                  60/1 BILL HAAS                    80/1 ZACH JOHNSON                 80/1 THORBJORN OLESEN             80/1 JIM FURYK                    80/1 HIDEKI MATSUYAMA             80/1 JORDAN SPIETH                80/1 MARTIN KAYMER               100/1 BO VAN PELT                 100/1 RYAN MOORE                  100/1 BILLY HORSCHEL              100/1 NICOLAS COLSAERTS           100/1 K.J. CHOI                   100/1 ERNIE ELS                   125/1 HARRIS ENGLISH              125/1 PETER HANSON                125/1 MARTIN LAIRD                125/1 JONAS BLIXT                 125/1 PAUL CASEY                  125/1 FRED COUPLES                125/1 ROBERT GARRIGUS             125/1 PADRAIG HARRINGTON          150/1 MATTEO MANASSERO            150/1 FREDDIE JACOBSON            150/1 FRANCESCO MOLINARI          150/1 SCOTT PIERCY                150/1 RUSSELL HENLEY              150/1 BRANDEN GRACE               150/1 RICHARD STERNE              150/1 BOO WEEKLEY                 150/1 MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ        150/1 GRAHAM DeLAET               150/1 GEOFF OGILVY                150/1 BROOKS KOEPKA               150/1 TIM CLARK                   200/1 GEORGE COETZEE              200/1 BERND WEISBERGER            200/1 MARC LEISHMAN               200/1 CHARLES HOWELL III          200/1 JIMMY WALKER                200/1 KEVIN STREELMAN             200/1 CHARLEY HOFFMAN             200/1 RETIEF GOOSEN               200/1 CAMILO VILLEGAS             200/1 GARY WOODLAND               200/1 DAVID TOMS                  200/1 JOHN HUH                    200/1 STEWART CINK                200/1 CARL PETTERSSON             200/1 VIJAY SINGH                 200/1 MICHAEL THOMPSON            200/1 GONZALO FERNANDEZ-CASTANO   200/1 PETER UIHLEIN               200/1 RYO ISHIKAWA                250/1 CHRIS WOOD                  250/1 LUKE GUTHRIE                250/1 SHANE LOWRY                 250/1 THOMAS BJORN                250/1 Y.E. YANG                   250/1 TREVOR IMMELMAN             250/1 SANG-MOON BAE               250/1 JAMIE DONALDSON             250/1 ALEX NOREN                  250/1 AARON BADDELEY              250/1 KEN DUKE                   ...