Baghdatis tops Cilic in Cincinnati opener

Tennis Betting Lines

08/16/2010 - Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcos Baghdatis defeated 11th-seeded Marin Cilic in straight sets in Sunday's lone first-round match at the $2,430,000 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters.

Baghdatis posted a 6-4, 7-5 win to advance and beat Cilic for the first time in three tries. His next opponent will be either Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci or qualifying German Benjamin Becker.

A U.S. Open tuneup, this tournament will serve as a showcase for some of the world's best players, including top-ranked Rafael Nadal and Swiss superstar Roger Federer, who is seeded third. Andy Murray, the fourth seed, is coming off a Rogers Cup final win over Federer, the second year in a row Murray has won the title there.

The top eight seeds all received a bye. The tournament's winner will receive $443,500.

Wwcdnow Tennis Betting News

<< Heat F Haslem charged with drug possession
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem was charged with drug possession and unlawful speeding after an initial traffic stop on Sunday. Miami-Dade County court records show Haslem was charged with possessing o

<< Stampeders roll over Eskimos
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Henry Burris threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns, as the Calgary Stampeders trounced the Edmonton Eskimos, 56-15, at McMahon Stadium in Alberta. Burris connected on 21-of-29 pass attempts for the Stam

<< Kendrick guides Phils into wild card tie with win over Mets
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Kendrick pitched 6 2/3 strong innings, allowing just one run, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets, 3-1, in a rain-soaked rubber match of a three-game set at Citi Field. Kendrick (8-

<< Bengals beat Broncos; Tebow scores on last play
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cedric Benson and James Johnson each scored on the ground as the Cincinnati Bengals downed the Denver Broncos, 33-24, in preseason action. Carson Palmer went 12-for-15 for 105 yards while Dave Rayner co

<< Report: Pacers rookie Stephenson arrested
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indiana Pacers rookie guard Lance Stephenson has reportedly been arrested for pushing his girlfriend down a flight of stairs. According to the New York Daily News, Stephenson, 19, pushed Jasmine Willi

Sharapova pulls out of Montreal event >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the Rogers Cup because of a foot injury. Sharapova lost in the final of the U.S. Open tuneup in Cincinnati on Sunday and said she felt pain in the foot during the setback

Haslem's attorney: NBA player will be vindicated >>
MIAMI (AP) -A passenger in Udonis Haslem's vehicle told the Florida Highway Patrol that marijuana found after a weekend traffic stop on a South Florida highway was his. The Miami Heat forward's lawyer believes that should vindicate the NBA veteran.E

Cardinals' Fitzgerald has MCL sprain, expects to play season opener >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald underwent an MRI Sunday that revealed an MCL sprain, likely leaving him off the field for the remainder of the preseason. Fitzgerald was injured duri

Orioles host Mariners in clash of last-place clubs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of last-place teams playing out the string get together tonight in the opener of a three-game series at Camden Yards, where the host Baltimore Orioles take on the Seattle Mariners. Baltimore is 9-4 under new manager

First-place Padres continue trek with trip to Chicago >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After winning a tough series against their division rivals over the weekend, the National League West-leading San Diego Padres will resume a 10-game road trip tonight with the first of four straight games against the Chicago

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.