Time To Get Serious

Sports betting news and information for sports bettors by sports bettors ...

Jan 19, 2023

Wild Card Weekend had some solid, entertaining football games, but let's be real — the outcomes were not shockers. Yes, some games were closer than expected, but the favorites still won in four of the six games. However, you could make a good argument that the wrong team was the favorite in the two games in which the underdogs prevailed.

No matter, the Wild Card games are in the past, and it's time to gear up for the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs.

Pick a Promo: The Best Deals Sportsbooks Have To Offer

Football is a game we should all enjoy, and betting should be approached in the same manner — but it's time to get serious. While the spread is over a touchdown in two of four games this weekend, you can't take anyone lightly at this point in the season. Betting on a heavy favorite just because that team is favored could be a mistake.

That’s why it is time to dig a little deeper into the weekend's games to find the best bets for each. If football is not your thing, it is a good idea to take the same approach when betting on the NHL, NBA, UFC 283, golf, or whatever your sport of choice is.

But enough chit-chat. Let's talk about sports betting!

NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round

Now, I know what you're thinking — getting serious doesn't sound like much fun. You watch football to relax and forget about the working world for a few hours. I get it, but you have nothing to worry about. Our team of writers has done its homework. You should still do some of your own, but our writers can point you in the right direction.

Before you go all in on the home favorites this weekend, allow me to point out a couple of trends:

KC is one of the worst teams in the league this season ATS (6-10-1).
Chiefs are 3-5-1 ATS when favored by a touchdown or more.
Jags were underdogs by seven or more points once — vs. the Chiefs (+9.5) and lost by 10.
Giants were NFL's best team ATS this season (14-4); they were 1-1 ATS vs. Philly.
Philly is 0-4 ATS in its last four, but 8-7 ATS with Jalen Hurts at QB.
Bengals have one of the best records ATS this season (12-5), but they failed to cover against the Ravens last week.
Bills were 8-8-1 ATS this season and just 3-5 ATS at home; they failed to cover at home last week against the Dolphins.
49ers are 8-1 ATS as home favorites and 8-2 ATS at home overall (they are favored by 3.5 to 4 points vs. Dallas this week).
Cowboys are 5-4 ATS on the road this season, but 2-1 ATS when road underdogs.

Just food for thought, my friends. Happy betting!

Current Divisional Round Lines

NFL Divisional Round Parlays

I have not posted my Divisional Round parlays post to GamingToday.com yet, but this is one that I will be including:

Same-Game Parlay: Bengals-Bills
- Dawson Knox, anytime touchdowns scorer, +210
- Joe Mixon rushing yards, over 48.5 -114
- SGP odds +452

Knox has been on a roll, with a receiving touchdown in each of his last five games. Cincy is stingy when it comes to passing touchdowns allowed, but that is why Stefon Diggs may get shut out and Knox could get another.

As for Mixon, a good run game will be a crucial component of the Bengals’ offensive plan. They'll also need the passing game to get on track, but they will look to the run game to help keep Josh Allen on the sideline. As long as the Bengals do not need to play catch-up, Mixon will get 14+ carries. Every time he’s had that many this season, he's gone for over 48.5 yards.

A $100 wager could result in a $552 payday, your stake plus $452 in winnings.

Elsewhere in the Wide World of Sports Betting…

The Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs is front and center in the mind of many bettors this week. But not all, of course. Some will be more into golf, UFC, the NBA, college hoops, etc., and we've got you covered:

You can find the odds for upcoming games and championship odds for several sports on our dedicated pages:

This Week on the Sports Betting Legal/Business Landscape…

Gambling/casino-related reality shows are not an entirely new concept. But now that over half of the country has legalized sports betting, I bet a new show could easily outshine its predecessors — especially if producers included the behind-the-scenes drama regarding the business/legal landscape.

A few episodes could be on why 28% of the US population accounted for in three states (California, Texas, Florida) have to go out of state to bet on sports legally and ongoing efforts to rectify the situation in each state. Another episode could focus on the launch in a new state, like Ohio, and the state's efforts to keep sportsbooks in check (i.e., Ohio Sportsbook Rules Prohibit Marketing on University Campuses).

I'm sure much of the country would find it interesting to see just how much power Native American tribes have in the industry, too. Tribes in California recently flexed that power to crush Prop 27.

In other legal/business news:

Reality shows are all about drama, high stakes, and sex appeal — the sports betting industry in a nutshell. Any producers interested in exploring the idea can find my email towards the end of this newsletter.

I'm just saying…

Sportsbook Promotions: Jan. 12, 2023.

The following sportsbook promos could come in handy this weekend:

BetMGM: Score up to $50 in a bonus bet. Receive a $5 bonus bet for each betting mission you complete. Plus, get an additional $25 bet if you tackle all five missions successfully!
FanDuel: Bet $5+, Get $150 in Bonus Bets! Place your first cash wager of at least $5; Get your $150 in betting credits upon bet placement (within 72 hours; new customers only).
FanDuel: Kick of Destiny. Get a piece of $10,000,000 if Gronk kicks a field goal LIVE during FanDuel's Super Bowl commercial. Just place a $5 bet on the game to qualify.
DraftKings: New customers, win $200 in bonus bets! Bet $5+ on any sport and get $200 instantly!

Terms and conditions will apply with every sportsbook promotion. Check out our promo page for the best sign-up offers sportsbook apps have to offer.

Fun With GamingToday.com

In place of a "Fun With Futures" section, I wanted to go with something a little different today. Like you, there is more to us than sports betting. Now, we love our sports and betting on them, but we are about more than just betting on sports.

We like to find other ways to enjoy the wide world of sports beyond watching games. In a couple of recent posts curated by Cole Rush, we shared some of our favorite sports-related pass times with you:

The last sports-related video game I played with any regularity was Mike Ditka Football, so I didn't have anything to add to that one. I recommend everyone read something by Dan Jenkins. Yes, even you folks that hate reading books will find anything written by him hard to put down.

You'll love it, and — dare I say it – everything he's written is better than Cats.

That's it for this edition of the Gaming Today Playbook. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much or more as I enjoyed writing it. If you have any questions or want to request a topic to get covered in a future newsletter, you can reach me via email at travis.pulver@catenamedia.com or via Twitter at @FatManWriting.

To close out the GTP this week, for those that do not get the Cats reference (anyone born in the 1990s and on), I'd like to share this clip:

But seriously, Dan Jenkins is a tremendous writer. I own several of his books and have read them again and again. Anyway … bet wisely, my friends, and have a great weekend!

Until Next Week,

Travis Pulver, Sports Betting Writer