Variety Is the Spice Of Life…And Sports Betting!

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

Nov 10, 2022

Having various things to choose from is always better than settling for the best bad option. It gives you a chance to feel good about what you are doing, rather than being resigned to whatever fate has in store for you. This is certainly true when it comes to betting on sports.

You want to avoid betting on a game because it's the only one on. Luckily, at this time of year, bettors have a wealth of betting markets at their fingertips:

There's a football game, either NFL or college, practically every day throughout the week.
The college basketball season has begun.
The NHL season is underway, with games scheduled just about every day.
Ditto for the NBA.
The soccer world is gearing up for the World Cup.
UFC 281 is this Saturday.
For golf bettors, the Cadence Bank Houston Open got underway this morning.

Let's not forget about the wide range of futures markets for every sport currently being played and those enjoying their respective offseasons. So, yeah, sports bettors have a variety of options at their fingertips. Let's talk about some of them.

NFL Week 10

There is still half a season to play, and anything can happen. But based on how the first half played out, some teams have begun to separate from the rest. Buffalo is clearly one of the best teams in the league and has been the betting favorite to win Super Bowl 57 since the odds opened. However, are they a good bet with Josh Allen's health now in question?

What about the NFL MVP? The injury opened the door for Patrick Mahomes to become the new favorite, but it appears to be a three-person race between Mahomes, Allen, and Jalen Hurts. But does that mean no one else is worth betting on?

Anyone following the NFL knows how quickly the tables can turn on a team. This reality can make it more challenging to figure out how to bet, but our writers have published a lot of content this week that we think can help:

Week 10 Games:

Futures:

NFL Week 10 Lines

The College Football Season is Getting Interesting…

This stage of the college football season is equal parts exciting and frustrating – exciting because we are finally seeing the best teams in the nation facing off against other top teams; frustrating because after watching a team like Tennessee roll through the competition for two months, you expected a lot more from them when they faced Georgia last week.

But for every Tennessee-Georgia game, we also get one like Alabama-LSU.

Crazy things often happen at this time of year, and it is fair to wonder what we may be in store for in the weeks ahead:

Could LSU emerge as a national championship contender despite having two losses on its record?
Should we hand C.J. Stroud the Heisman Trophy now and skip the ceremony next month?
Will a Pac-12 team qualify for the college football playoffs?

We addressed those questions and more in the college football content published on Gaming Today this week:

Elsewhere In the Wide World of Sports Betting…

In my intro, I talked about the variety of options bettors have at their fingertips this week, and I wasn't lying:

As one World Series ends (congratulations, Astros!), opening odds for the next one get posted:
- Odds to Win 2023 World Series: Dodgers, Astros, Braves Open as Favorites
You can find futures odds for the NCAAB, NBA, and NHL on one of our dedicated pages:
It is almost time for the World Cup!
PGA Tour Houston Open Odds: Two Win Bets and a Pair of Props
UFC 281 Odds, Props, & Picks: Adesanya vs. Pereira Headlines Star-Powered Card at MSG

As I said, you've got options.

Tonight’s NBA Odds

This Week On The Sports Betting Legal/Business Landscape…

The legalization of sports betting has become a hot topic in many states since the Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018. It certainly was in California with two questions on Tuesday's ballot, but bettors in Cali looking forward to legal sports betting will have to wait a little longer; neither Prop 26 nor Prop 27 passed.

The outlook is a little more promising in New York. Sports betting is already legal in the Empire State, and New York Senate Gaming Committee chair Joe Addabbo thinks Governor Kathy Hochul could help open the door to online casinos.

Elsewhere on the legal/business landscape:

Sportsbook Promotions: November 10, 2022

The following sportsbook promos could come in handy this weekend:

DraftKings: Bet $5 on any moneyline, win $200.
FanDuel: Bet $5 on NBA, and get three months of NBA League Pass for free.
BetRivers: World Cup Futures Insurance – Place a real money, single wager on any team to win the World Cup, and get up to $25 back in a Free Bet if your team does not make it out of the Group Stage!
BetMGM: First Touchdown Scorer Insurance – Wager on the first player to score a touchdown in any pro football game each weekend during the season. If your pick isn't the first player to break the plane, you'll get your stake back in free bets.

Check out our promo page for the best sign-up offers sportsbook apps have to offer

Beginner's Beat: Hedge Betting

Cxertain terms or phrases in the sports betting world can be confusing for novice bettors. Last week I brought up one, “chalk”. This week, I'd like to bring up another one, “hedge your bets”.

No, this has nothing to do with trimming the bushes outside your house or office. When someone talks about hedging their bets, they are talking about protecting themselves against loss by backing more than one potential outcome for a wager.

Let’s say you have a three-team moneyline parlay riding into Sunday night and need the 49ers to win the game outright to cash. Your $100 bet pays a potential $600. Of course, if the Chargers pull off the upset, you lose your $100.

So, how could you hedge this bet?

By making a separate wager on the Chargers, either on the moneyline or +7 on the point spread. If you choose the latter option, you can actually win both bets and collect $700. That bettor’s dream would be a reality if San Francisco won the game but didn’t cover the spread.

Are you sad the newsletter is over, Gordon?

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, I want to share this tweet from DraftKings. While I think you should always bet with the book that gives you the best odds, I think I may stick with DK this week because of this: