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<< Top-ranked Wildcats hope to put first loss behind them
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats attempt to put some distance between themselves and their lone loss on the season, as they welcome the 21st-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores to Lexington this afternoon for an SEC sh

<< No. 25 UAB entertains UTEP
Birmingham, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 25th-ranked UAB Blazers will try to keep their lock on the top spot in the Conference USA standings tonight, as they host the Texas-El Paso Miners at Bartow Arena. The Blazers are in the midst of a stret

<< Red-hot Orange hit the road to take on struggling Blue Demons
Rosemont, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams at opposite ends of the Big East spectrum meet up at Allstate Arena this afternoon, as fourth-ranked Syracuse looks to continue its torrid pace against struggling DePaul. Jim Boeheim's 34-year tenure

<< Beehive State showdown pits Utes against Cougars
Provo, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off just their second loss of the season, the 12th-ranked BYU Cougars try to work their way back into the win column tonight as they face off against in-state rival Utah at the Marriott Center in Provo. O

Heat go Buck hunting in Milwaukee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Bucks hope to finish a brief two-game homestand in perfect fashion Saturday when they welcome the Miami Heat to Brew City. The Bucks won the opener of their short residency on Wednesday when Brando

Hornets aim for another win over Grizzlies >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets will try to continue their recent dominance of the Memphis Grizzlies when the two clubs collide Saturday night at FedEx Forum. New Orleans defeated the Grizzlies, 113-111, on January 20 in the B

Knicks, Wizards clash in DC >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks and Washington Wizards tangle for the first time this season on Saturday at the Verizon Center. New York comes in off a tough loss to Atlantic Division-rival Toronto on Thursday. Jarrett Jack a

Southeast skirmish: Hawks, Magic collide in Orlando >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A Southeast Division showdown is on tap tonight as the Orlando Magic play host the Atlanta Hawks. The two teams are dueling atop the division with Atlanta holding a slim one- half game advantage. The Magic opened

Betting Football

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.