Well Done, Aaron Judge. Well Done, Indeed.
Sports betting news and information for bettors by bettors ...
If you are anything like me, baseball has taken a back seat to football since the NFL and college football seasons got underway. While my love of football is strong, I have to take a moment to tip my hat to New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.
Judge smacked his 61st home run of the season Wednesday night, tying the mark set by Roger Maris back in 1961. Now the question is, will he get No. 62 before the regular season ends to break the American League and Yankees records? With seven games to go, he should get there.
But if no one pitches to him ...
While baseball will take over the public consciousness every time Judge steps up to the plate for the next week, the rest of the wide world of sports betting will roll on! A lot is going on with a full slate of college football games, NFL games, baseball, preseason NBA games, and so much more!
Pick a Promo: The Best Bonus Offers From Sportsbooks Around the US
NFL Week 4: Is it Getting Late Early?
With just three weeks in the books, it is too soon to give up on anyone. But with the injuries several teams are dealing with, there is good reason to worry about a few.
The Patriots were not looking great with Mac Jones, but now they’re stuck with Brian Hoyer.
Is it time to believe in Cooper Rush, or will the career backup come back down to Earth sometime soon?
Can the Chargers recover from all of their injuries?
What about Buffalo's secondary? Is the Bills D in trouble with all the injuries to their defensive backfield?
Tua Tagovailoa appears to be okay despite getting banged up last week. We'll find out when the Fins and Bengals face off tonight in Cincinnati on Thursday Night Football. Assuming the Bengals offense can pick up where it left off last week, and Tua is good to go, there are several good player props for tonight's game, too.
But if you are not feeling the TNF game, we've got you covered for the rest of the Week 4 action:
NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Jaguars Getting Closer to the Top-10
NFL Week 4 Betting Picks & Predictions: Bounce-Back Week for Favorites
NFL Betting Trends, Week 4: Gamblers Fading the GOAT as Home Underdog vs. Chiefs
Broncos vs. Raiders Odds & Prediction: AFC West Rivalry Game
NFL Week 4 Betting Tips and Strategies: Unders & Underdogs With Wagering Value
College Football Week 5: Still Hope
We saw some more competitive games in Week 4, as well as a couple of upsets, but in the end, there wasn't much change at the top. The top five of the AP Poll remained the same, and there were not too many drastic changes on National Championship betting boards. But a few teams fell down the poll and in the futures market — Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Wake Forest.
The Razorbacks’ SEC schedule gives them a chance to recover, but they need to beat Alabama (they are 17-point home dogs). Wake Forest needs to win against NC State and for Clemson to fall to the Wolfpack this weekend. As for Oklahoma, they still have Texas on their schedule, along with Oklahoma State and Baylor.
So, maybe there is still hope for them, too.
It looks like CJ Stroud may run away with the Heisman Trophy this year, but I'm still hoping for one of the underdogs. Stroud hasn't played anyone and will only have one solid win under his belt, assuming the Buckeyes can handle Michigan at the end of the season (Notre Dame no longer counts).
There are a lot of big games coming up, so now might be the time to put a few bucks down on the Heisman odds of longshots like DJ Uiagalelei, Will Levis, Michael Penix Jr., or Devin Leary.
Check out these articles for insight on specific games:
Georgia vs. Missouri Odds & Prediction: Play on Total is One of Week's Best Bets
Troy vs. Western Kentucky Odds & Prediction: Solid Bet on Obscure Game
Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina Odds & Prediction: Target the Total in UNC's ACC Opener
How most of us feel when the last leg or our parlay loses ...
Elsewhere in the Wide World Of Sports Betting…
While we love football, there is more to the betting life than what happens on Saturdays and Sundays.
You can keep up with World Series odds via our World Series page.
The NBA preseason gets underway soon, and you can keep up to date with the NBA Championship futures via our NBA Finals odds page.
Do golfers ever take a break? Not this week, since they are at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi.
MMA bettors, the UFC is back in action this weekend with UFC Vegas 61.
This Week On The Sports Betting Legal/Business Landscape…
It's a busy time on the legal and business side of the sports betting industry.
While Ohio is on track to go live on Jan. 1, some sportsbooks are scrambling to meet that universal launch date, Rebecca Hanchett reports.
Meanwhile, BetMGM has launched in Mississippi, and in New Jersey, esports is on the radar of industry observers.
But the big news is in California with the looming vote on Props 26 and 27, which could legalize sports betting in the Golden State. While Prop 27’s chance of passage appears slim, that isn’t stopping national sportsbook operators from investing in the campaign in a major way.
California's Prop 27 Sports Betting Ballot Initiative, Explained
Is the GTP done?
Sportsbook Promotions: September 29, 2022
The following sportsbook promotions could come in handy this weekend:
FanDuel: No Sweat SGP on TNF -- Place a 3+ Leg SGP on Thursday Night Football (9/29) and get refunded in Free Bets if your wager loses.
DraftKings: Bet $5 on NFL or College Football, Get $200 Instantly (eight $25 free bets)
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.
BetRivers: Sunday Parlay Insurance -- Place a 4+ leg NFL Parlay and get your stake back, up to $25, if exactly 1 leg loses!
Beginner's Beat: Sometimes Less is More
This section of the GTP is all about learning how to become a better — well, bettor (apologies to pro bettor Spanky for borrowing the title of his podcast). I find myself getting into parlays this season (I blame PointsBet since they keep giving me a $2 free bet to use on parlays). After placing a few parlay wagers in recent weeks, I have learned at least one fundamental lesson.
Less is more.
Allow me to explain. In many of my parlays, I made the mistake sportsbooks hope people make — I got greedy and added a leg because I saw how high the odds jumped when I did that. Who doesn't want to win more, right? But what I forgot was that it is more important just to win.
Would it have been nice to turn that $2 free bet into $100+? Of course, but it hasn't happened (yet). It was often the last leg I added that did me in. When I resisted the urge to add one more leg, I turned that free bet into $22 in my pocket.
It's not much, and it is a lot less than $100, but it is more money in my pocket than I had before.
Newsletter is done, Tom.
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, let's all enjoy Tyreek Hill being Tyreek Hill:
Bet wisely, my friends, and have a great weekend!
Until Next Week,
Travis Pulver, Sports Betting Writer