It was a mixed set of results for BetUSA.com this week and I don’t think many sportsbooks will be holding huge parties at the end of week 2 of the NFL.
There were enough upsets to keep us happy but some of the big public teams won comfortably and when that happens it is hard to make a lot of money.
Pittsburgh’s win over Houston was our worst result of the weekend. Everyone saw what they did to the Titans last weekend and we had a very one-sided book with everyone wanting to be on the Steelers -4.5. Even with the injury doubts surrounding Ben Roethlisberger, bettors still only wanted one side and we never really had a chance. The Eagles were nearly as bad, with all the money on them -13.5 and the result was never in doubt. Bettors also wanted to be with St Louis +1.5 and they were right with Arizona never able to get more than a field goal in each quarter.
Cleveland’s victory over Green Bay was generally a good result for the books but not as good as you might think. Although the Packers are a public team, when we opened the line at 7 we only saw cash for the Browns and had to go 6. Once the number was settled, the Packers came in for strong support but there were plenty of pro bettors who did some damage early in the week.
Anyone betting the ‘under’ did well this week, with 10 games going under, three over and one pushing with two games to come. There definitely seems to be something of a trend for the under so far this season and it’s something we are watching carefully.
Indy’s failure to cover the pointspread was good for BetUSA.com, although it would have been an epic result if they had lost the game as well. The Colts are a big public team this year and it was interesting to see how well they did in a game where defense was the key. Manning pretty much wasn’t allowed to get his passing game going and yet the Colts came good and managed to get 10 points on the board in the final six minutes.
Chicago’s victory was good for the books, with 75% of the money bet with us for Detroit -2.5. Seattle’s 21 second quarter points was good too as all the money was for Atlanta +1. Given the Seahawks’ ability at losing leads in the fourth quarter, the last 15 minutes was a bit panicky for us.
The Vikings 0-2 start to the season is probably the biggest shock so far. They were easily the best supported team for the Super Bowl and losses to the Bucs and Bengals were not easy to predict. They are now out to 30-1, having been 14-1 chances at the start of the season.
It will be interesting to see how bettors react to Carolina’s win over the Patriots. Some people will say that it was the Panthers’ chance to gain revenge for the 2004 Super Bowl loss and they will have been especially focussed on that game but I thought both teams looked poor. Bill Belichick said in the post-match press conference: “We can’t play like this. This won’t be good enough against anyone we play” and I have to agree with him. The Pats look a shadow of the team that has won three of the last four Super Bowls.
As usual, the Sunday Night game did not go our way. The Chiefs were well supported at a ‘pick’em’ price and there was never really a doubt in our minds that we’d done our money. The Chiefs’ defense played really well and a lot of people played the under on that basis too. We’ll be hoping tonight that the Redskins can stop the Cowboys as 82% of the cash bet so far is on Dallas and it could end up being an expensive night if they cover the pointspread.
There were enough upsets to keep us happy but some of the big public teams won comfortably and when that happens it is hard to make a lot of money.
Pittsburgh’s win over Houston was our worst result of the weekend. Everyone saw what they did to the Titans last weekend and we had a very one-sided book with everyone wanting to be on the Steelers -4.5. Even with the injury doubts surrounding Ben Roethlisberger, bettors still only wanted one side and we never really had a chance. The Eagles were nearly as bad, with all the money on them -13.5 and the result was never in doubt. Bettors also wanted to be with St Louis +1.5 and they were right with Arizona never able to get more than a field goal in each quarter.
Cleveland’s victory over Green Bay was generally a good result for the books but not as good as you might think. Although the Packers are a public team, when we opened the line at 7 we only saw cash for the Browns and had to go 6. Once the number was settled, the Packers came in for strong support but there were plenty of pro bettors who did some damage early in the week.
Anyone betting the ‘under’ did well this week, with 10 games going under, three over and one pushing with two games to come. There definitely seems to be something of a trend for the under so far this season and it’s something we are watching carefully.
Indy’s failure to cover the pointspread was good for BetUSA.com, although it would have been an epic result if they had lost the game as well. The Colts are a big public team this year and it was interesting to see how well they did in a game where defense was the key. Manning pretty much wasn’t allowed to get his passing game going and yet the Colts came good and managed to get 10 points on the board in the final six minutes.
Chicago’s victory was good for the books, with 75% of the money bet with us for Detroit -2.5. Seattle’s 21 second quarter points was good too as all the money was for Atlanta +1. Given the Seahawks’ ability at losing leads in the fourth quarter, the last 15 minutes was a bit panicky for us.
The Vikings 0-2 start to the season is probably the biggest shock so far. They were easily the best supported team for the Super Bowl and losses to the Bucs and Bengals were not easy to predict. They are now out to 30-1, having been 14-1 chances at the start of the season.
It will be interesting to see how bettors react to Carolina’s win over the Patriots. Some people will say that it was the Panthers’ chance to gain revenge for the 2004 Super Bowl loss and they will have been especially focussed on that game but I thought both teams looked poor. Bill Belichick said in the post-match press conference: “We can’t play like this. This won’t be good enough against anyone we play” and I have to agree with him. The Pats look a shadow of the team that has won three of the last four Super Bowls.
As usual, the Sunday Night game did not go our way. The Chiefs were well supported at a ‘pick’em’ price and there was never really a doubt in our minds that we’d done our money. The Chiefs’ defense played really well and a lot of people played the under on that basis too. We’ll be hoping tonight that the Redskins can stop the Cowboys as 82% of the cash bet so far is on Dallas and it could end up being an expensive night if they cover the pointspread.
arty:
