Mainz adds striker Szalai from Real Madrid

Soccer Betting Lines

07/27/2010 - Mainz, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mainz acquired striker Adam Szalai from Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Szalai, 22, spent the second half of last season on loan with Mainz and agreed to a permanent switch through the 2012-13 season for an undisclosed fee.

"We're extremely happy that we've managed to sign Adam on a permanent deal," Mainz General Manager Christian Heidel told the club's website.

"We're convinced that he has the potential to become a great player and we're hopeful that he will make the next step in his career here."

Nbcsporta Soccer Betting News

<< Bolton signs Alonso from Real Madrid
Bolton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bolton signed 19-year-old left back Marcos Alonso from Real Madrid to a three-year contract on Tuesday. Alonso can also play on the left side of midfield, and joins Robbie Blake and Martin Petrov as new a

<< Islanders' LW Matt Moulson agrees to 1-year deal
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -New York Islanders left wing Matt Moulson has agreed to a one-year contract.The agreement was announced Tuesday by general manager Garth Snow and allowed the Islanders to avoid arbitration. Snow says Moulson played an ``integra

<< AL West: Angels join the arms race
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two weeks after the Texas Rangers acquired the marquee pitcher in this year's trade market, Angels general manager Tony Reagins answered the bell on Sunday by acquiring the other top pitcher. By trading Joe Saunders and a

<< Ravens' Cody not ready to practice
Westminster, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Ravens rookie defensive tackle Terrence Cody has not yet been cleared to practice after failing a conditioning test. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Cody needed to pass th

<< U.S. U-20 forward Salgado signs with MLS
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - United States U-20 forward Omar Salgado signed with Major League Soccer on Monday, and will be eligible for the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. Salgado left Mexican club Guadalajara following his decision to play

Calgary's Bryant highlights CFL Players of the Week >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Calgary wide receiver Romby Bryant, Montreal defensive end John Bowman, Winnipeg kick returner Jovon Johnson and Calgary running back Jon Cornish were selected as the CFL's top performers for Week 4 of the

Gaming: C-USA a one-team league in non-conference play >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Take away Houston's straight-up and against-the-spread non-conference records in 2009, and Conference USA was a meat market for its opposition. The Cougars were 3-1 both SU and ATS outside the conference, in

USA dominates Chinese Taipei at World Junior Baseball Championship >>
Thunder Bay, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For a team expecting to play right through the end of the tournament, the United States is doing a good job of preserving energy. Phillip Pfeifer (1-0) dominated a hot-hitting Chinese Taipei squad over sev

Broncos sign rookie WR Decker >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos came to terms with rookie wide receiver Eric Decker, the team announced on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Decker, who was taken in the third round -- 87th overall --

Indians recall Tomlin to make major league debut >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians recalled pitcher Josh Tomlin from Triple-A Columbus to make his major league debut in a start against the Yankees on Tuesday. Tomlin is 8-4 with a 2.68 earned run average in 2

Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game

How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.

Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.

The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).

Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.

The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).

Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

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