Sports betting

Super Bowl Sunday has arrived and with it the sports betting action is really heating up this morning and early afternoon as kick-off looms.

No surprise, but Super Bowl props betting has been popular all week and that has only increased today, with the huge lineup of props getting hit from all sides.

It’s going to be non-stop right through the opening play.

Here are a few of the more popular prop plays at the sportsbooks  so far:

1) Super Bowl XLVI – Coin Toss is Heads/Tails

I’m not kidding, for whatever reason, this one always attracts a lot of attention. I guess it’s the novelty factor. Looking at the betting action, just like on the schoolyard, “Heads” is the more popular call at this point.

2) Super Bowl XLVI – New York Giants vs New England Patriots – First team to score will be

Bettors are leaning to the Giants in this one, likely due to the Patriots propensity to defer and give the ball away if they win the opening coin toss.

3) Super Bowl XLVI – New York Giants vs New England Patriots – First score of the game will be

The Touchdown option is around 65%, not overly surprising given the Total is over 50 and these two teams have offenses that can seriously stress a defense…particularly if you’re a defense like the Patriots. Take it easy Patriot fan, I’m just saying…your crew aren’t exactly the ’85 Bears.

4) Super Bowl XLVI – New York Giants vs New England Patriots – The first Pass of the Game will be

A completion…so say the betting public. You gotta pay some juice for it, but with these two QBs and receiving corps, a completed pass is the run away choice.

You can check out the entire Super Bowl Props lineup.

Enjoy the game.

There is a seemingly endless supply of Super Bowl betting options for this year’s game and as the countdown to kickoff draws near, here is a look at some of the best options for NFL props at sportsbooks.

MVP PROPS

Super Bowl props for the Most Valuable Player top the list at Sportsbetting.ag and Tom Brady is the No. 1 choice at even money. Eli Manning (3/2) props are next followed by the top wide receivers and running backs, but there is something unique offered at Sportsbetting.ag.

After the ‘Any other player’ option at 30 to 1 odds, bettors can literally single out any other potentially active player from the Giants and Patriots’ roster. Think Steven Gostkowski (60/1) will be the hero? Or how about Osi Umenyiora (100/1)?

Smart Money Prop: Take Wes Welker at +800

Bettor’s Tip: In the past seven Super Bowls, the MVP title was won four times by a QB and three times by a wide receiver

QB PROPS

Comparison props for yardage, touchdowns and interceptions are available between Brady and Manning as well as Over/Under options for pass attempts.

Brady’s only played once at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2009, completing 76-percent of his passes for 375 yards, so you know he likes this yard. New England’s win over Baltimore in the Conference Finals was a bad game for Brady and he “only” completed 61.1-percent of his passes but look for him to make amends this week.

Smart Money Prop: Take Brady -4.5 (+142) to have more attempts than Manning

Bettor’s Tip: Tom Brady attempted 611 passes this season – nearly 100 more than his career average during nine injury-free, full seasons (521.8).

Scan the Super Bowl prop department at Sportsbetting.ag and make a few notes. You don’t need to go overboard with prop betting but it’s always good to have between five and ten plays to add to the excitement.

One last tip: There are a handful of wide receiver props available on Chad Ochocinco and most of them are paying big plus-money. Consider taking a flyer on Ocho, as Bill Belichick digs deep into his coaching toolbox to make this game count.

Check all of the Super Bowl props lineup

Good luck!

Denver is facing the Los Angeles Clippers tonight at the Staples Center and Chris Paul couldn’t be any happier.

Paul, who had been bothered by a hamstring injury throughout the second-half of January, scored 25 points in more than 37 minutes of playing time to help his team to a 109-105 upset win when these teams met just a few days ago in the Mile High City.

In his last six games against the Nuggets, Paul is averaging 24.3 points per game and shooting 53-percent from the floor. He also has 9.8 assists per game and with his new supporting cast of Blake Griffin and Chauncey Billups, it’s raised Paul’s game to a new level.

Online sportsbooks are currently listing the Clippers as a small home favorite but the NBA odds are down to -1. Denver is 7-4 on the road and averages 103 points per game with a day of rest but Los Angeles has become a force on home court. The sports betting public are evenly split on this one so far.

The Clippers are 8-1 straight-up as a home favorite this season and outscoring opponents by more than 10 points per game. Los Angeles will begin a six-game road trip vs. mostly Eastern Conference foes after this matchup and we saw the other night in this very building what that kind of motivation can do for a team.

Lay the small pointspread and take the Clippers to cover.

Check all of tonight’s NBA Odds

The Los Angeles Lakers don’t face many teams with a worse road record in 2011-12, but tonight the Charlotte Bobcats are in town hoping to double their league-low tally of one road win.

Considering that Charlotte’s played more road games than all but one team, that “one” sticks out like a sore thumb (1-10 SU) and it has contributed to a double-digit line at sportsbooks.

It’s only the third time all season Los Angeles (-12.5) has been forced to lay more than 10 points and they are 0-2 ATS in the first two goes. Compare that to last season, when the Lakers had already been d favorites five times through 21 games, and it sort of tells the story of how this season’s been going.

Los Angeles (12-9 SU) ended a four-game road slide with a 106-101 win at Minnesota and that should boost team confidence as they get set for a tough six-game trip that follows tonight’s contest.

Charlotte (3-18 SU) is playing on two days rest and they are starting to get healthy but with stops lined up in Portland, Phoenix and Boston, the team’s road woe could be here for the long haul.

LA is 13-1 straight-up the past few years when laying this kind of lumber but while the offense gets itself sorted, there are caution flags waving all over this matchup.

Speaking of “Over” – as in Over/Under, tonight might be a good spot to fade the over as the Lakers rest up their starters for Friday’s game in Denver. NBA odds for tonight’s total are 181.

Pick: Take the Under

Check all the NBA Odds

The Pro Bowl is scheduled for Sunday at 7 pm ET and sportsbooks have posted the NFC as a -4 point favorite over the AFC.

NFC teams have taken three of the past four NFL All-Star games including a 55-41 win in 2011, when Matt Ryan completed 9 of 13 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns to lead his team.

Turnovers told the story for the AFC, with Phil Rivers, Matt Cassel and Peyton Manning combining for five interceptions. Rivers is back for another go after missing the playoffs this season and with a ‘winner could care less’ attitude by most players, we should probably expect another Sunday shootout.

Cam Newton will take his turn in the NFC QB rotation, filling in for Eli Manning as the Giants prepare for real football in the Super Bowl betting realm, but don’t be surprised to see Newton taking his turn at wideout or in a Wildcat formation.

The NFC players have been having fun with different schemes at practice and the mood seems even more laid back than year’s past, if that’s even possible.

Pro Bowl Over/Under odds are set at 74 and the winning team has scored 38 points or more in all but three Pro Bowls in the past decade. The final score has reached a minimum of 51 points in nine of the past 11 games and teams have combined for an average 68.5 points per game.

Stat junkies can see 10 overs and 2 unders the past 12 Pro Bowls and early online wagering anticipates another high scoring affair in Honolulu.

Check the Super Bowl odds

They say revenge is best served cold but, Thursday in Orlando, the Magic get an early chance to payback the Boston Celtics for one of most humiliating losses in Orlando franchise history.

Boston (7-9 SU) was making a habit of beating up on the weaker-than teams the past month and after winning a rare road game at Washington Sunday, was home to face Orlando in a back-to-back.

The Celtics not only won the game with 87 points of their own, they kept the Magic to just 56 points.

Sportsbooks opened with a line of Magic -8.5 but money on the favorite has jacked the line into double-digit territory. The NBA odds for Over/Under betting are currently listed at 174.5.

It’s just the second meeting this season between these times and the past three years, Orlando is 42-26 straight-up with revenge but only 27-39-6 ATS.

Boston has played the same opponent twice in three separate occasions this year and the two times Boston won the first game, they also won the second straight-up by an average of seven points.

The Celts have been off since Monday while Orlando was taking care of Indiana, 102-83. The Magic don’t plan on taking their foot off the gas but Boston has won three of four and could offer solid dog value as they look to be turning the corner.

Check tonight’s NBA Odds

The Battle of LA takes center stage Wednesday on the West Coast when the Los Angeles Lakers are home to face their “roommate” rival, the Los Angeles Clippers.

After an unsuccessful two-game trip to Florida, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers (10-8) were expecting to get back on track Sunday vs. Indiana. Sportsbooks favored LA by 5.5 points and despite a dreadful 1-6 road record; the Lakers were tied for the league-lead in home wins (9-1 SU).

Somebody forgot to tell the Pacers and in their best road effort all season, Indiana produced a 98-96 upset victory.

The Clippers (9-5) hold a 1-0 edge in the season series vs. the Lakers thanks to a 102-94 win on Jan. 14. Chris Paul (hamstring, check status) had a team-high 33 points and Blake Griffin contributed 22 points with nearly 45 minutes of playing time.

NBA Picks: The Lakers owned this series in the past while the Clippers were a dog bettor’s best friend but past trends between these teams can be forgotten. The offensive problems for last year’s Pacific division champ appear to be more than a personnel issue and until the Lakers show a better grasp of the system, LA’s “other” team looks like the better bet.

Check the updated NBA odds

Another Monday, another NBA betting schedule jam-packed with big matchups including the Orlando Magic’s first stop this season at Boston.

The Celtics won two of three meetings last season between these teams and have taken three-straight on home court but this has been a typical start to the season for Boston (6-9 SU). They are 4-5 at the Garden, covering the spread just three times, and Boston is averaging seven fewer points per game than they scored through all of 2010-11.

It’s translated to an Over/Under record of 1 over and 8 unders at home and is also generating the lowest totals for Boston in years. Online sportsbooks favor the Magic (-4) for this contest with a total of 177.5.

NBA odds for Boston have been 180 or less four times this season and last year, in a full 82-game schedule, the Celts only had five games priced with a total of 180 points or less.

The pattern has spread throughout the league this season and overall records through Sunday are 113 overs and 154 unders, or 57.7-percent to the “Under”.

Orlando has played under three-straight times before tonight’s matchup and with key injuries scattered throughout Boston’s lineup, we could look for the trend to continue tonight.

Check the latest NBA Odds

With a huge day of football on deck tomorrow, let’s enjoy some NHL action tonight as we countdown to the Conference Championships (you can check the current NFL odds).

Calgary and Edmonton hook-up for the fourth of six meetings this season and for a Flames team on the verge of breaking back inside the playoff bubble, these games couldn’t come often enough.

The Flames lead the season series 3-0 and have outscored the Oilers 10-4 including a 3-0 win the last time they met Dec. 10 in Calgary.

Dating back to last season, the Flames have won eight in a row vs. Edmonton and goals have come in bunches, which is rare for a team that only averages 2.23 tallies per game against the rest of the league.

NHL odds for tonight’s game show the Flames (-120) as a small road favorite and despite their 4.00 scoring average in the past three visits, sportsbooks offer the total at 5 Over (-130).

Edmonton has dealt with a slew of injuries to its top young forwards and it’s translated to a 1-6-1 record since Jan. 3. Taylor Hall will be back in the lineup just days after suffering a huge gash to his head during warm-ups but with the Flames’ tight checking style we can expect scoring chances to be limited.

When betting into streaks, they say you can only lose once and with the small moneyline price it’s no wonder Calgary is fetching the majority of action as they look to end their current three-game road trip on a winning note.

Take a look at all tonight’s NHL Odds

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons have lost two-straight after a nice 4-1 run and tonight they are up against a Blue Devils team that’s won nine of its past 10.

Sportsbooks are listing Duke as a heavy 22-point favorite for Thursday’s7 pmET tipoff  and while double-digit spreads were not a problem for the ACC leader before conference play began, the recent competition has levelled the playing field.

Duke (-11.5) cleared Georgia Tech by seven points in their conference opener Jan. 7 and then a week ago tonight, the Blue Devils (-10.5) were good for a 61-58 win over Virginia.

Austin Rivers and Seth Curry lead the team in scoring with consistent double-digit performances and both average more than 29 minutes per game. The team is shooting just a fraction less than 50-percent from the floor and they’ve dominated the Deacons at home, going 12-0 ATS since 2001.

This seems like too many points against an opponent whose top two shooting threats, CJ Harris and Travis McKie, are hitting for 17-plus points per game but the Deacons’ poor offensive rebounding is a huge concern.

College Basketball Picks:

Duke has played three of four on the road and will be primed for a big performance tonight on home court. Consider laying the points and backing the Over 144.5.

Check out all of today’s NCAA Basketball Odds