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<< Rangers ink Cruz to two-year deal
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The two-time defending American League champion Texas Rangers have agreed to a two-year contract with outfielder Nelson Cruz, the team announced on Thursday. The 31-year-old Cruz batted .263 wit

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East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets announced Thursday that guard Keith Bogans has been diagnosed with a complete tear of the deltoid ligament as well as a fractured left ankle. Bogans, who signed with the Nets on

<< Lamar to visit Hawaii as part of 12-game schedule
Beaumont, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lamar University football will visit the University of Hawaii as part of a 12-game schedule announced Thursday. Football Championship Subdivision teams usually play a maximum of 11 games, but the Cardinals are

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Santiago, Chile (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chilean star Fernando Gonzalez says he expects to retire from the ATP World Tour next month. The former Australian Open runner-up, who has been plagued by hip, knee and back injuries over the las

Royals, Gordon agree to one-year deal >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with outfielder Alex Gordon, the team announced Thursday. Gordon notched career-highs in batting average (.303), runs batted in

RSL re-signs four, including Espindola, Grabavoy >>
Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake re-signed four players Thursday, including forward Fabian Espindola and midfielder Ned Grabavoy. Espindola and Grabavoy combined to make 52 appearances, including 46 starts, last season for Rea

U.S. women add matches against Japan, Brazil >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The U.S. women's national team will play Japan and Brazil in April, with both friendlies being held in Japan as part of the newly-created Women's Kirin Challenge Cup. The U.S. beat Brazil on penalties in the

Benfica, Aimar agree to one-year extension >>
Lisbon, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Benfica and Argentina midfielder Pablo Aimar agreed to a one-year contract extension Thursday through the 2012-13 season. Aimar, 32, joined Benfica from Spain's Real Zaragoza in 2008 and has played

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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