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<< Thunder's Brooks to coach West All-Stars
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oklahoma City's Scott Brooks will coach the Western Conference at the All-Star Game later this month. The Thunder's 101-87 win over Utah on Friday enabled Oklahoma City to clinch the conference's best r

<< Korda takes lead at Women's Australian Open
Victoria, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - On a Saturday when many players near the top of the leaderboard struggled, Jessica Korda shot an even-par 73 to claim the lead after three rounds of the Women's Australian Open. The American Ko

<< Croatia takes 2-1 advantage over Japan in Davis Cup
Hyogo, Japan (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ivan Dodig and Ivo Karlovic downed the Japanese tandem of Tatsuma Ito and Yuichi Sugita on Saturday to give Croatia a 2-1 lead in the Davis Cup. The two nations entered play tied at 1-1 after spli

<< Westbrook, Thunder cruise past Jazz
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 28 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder cruised to a 101-87 victory over the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena on Friday. Kevin Durant added 19 points and Serge Ib

Jets activate Stapleton off IR >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Jets have activated center Tim Stapleton off injured reserve. Stapleton had been sidelined since January 20 with a lower body injury. He has appeared in 37 games this season, entering Saturda

Panthers shoot for rare win in Jersey >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers hope to reclaim sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division with a scarce road win against the Devils this afternoon in New Jersey. The Panthers have posted a 5-5-4 record over their last

Nuggets aim to snap skid in Indy >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets will try to halt a season-high five-game losing streak when they visit the Hoosier State to take on the Indiana Pacers. The Nuggets have hit the skids and hit them hard, dropping four of five during the

Clippers continue road trip in Charlotte >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers continue their lengthy Grammy Road Trip by visiting the Queen City to take on the hapless Charlotte Bobcats. Chris Paul buried a game-winning shot with 3.2 seconds remaining on Friday as the Clippe

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.