Ducks' Lupul has blood infection, will miss start of season

Hockey Betting Lines

08/24/2010 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anaheim Ducks forward Joffrey Lupul is expected to miss all of training camp and will not be ready for the start of the regular season due to a blood infection.

The Orange County Register reported on Tuesday that Lupul had a recurrence of the condition approximately one month ago and was forced to stop his conditioning for the season. Results of blood tests taken recently confirmed the return of the infection.

The paper also revealed that Lupul will have to take antibiotics for the next month and cannot undertake any physical activity. He will be reevaluated on September 20, just after the Ducks start training camp.

Lupul, who had surgery a week before Christmas to repair a herniated disc in his back, tallied 10 goals and 14 points in 23 games for Anaheim.

The blood infection was originally discovered during a second procedure on his back, and Ducks general manager Bob Murray said in late January that he believed the infection was finally under control.

However, the 26-year-old did not suit up for the remainder of the year.

Anaheim begins its 2010-11 regular season on October 8 at Detroit.

Jzzsports Hockey Betting News

<< Portland gets first pick in expansion draft
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Timbers have the first pick in the 2011 Major League Soccer Expansion Draft, it was decided on Monday as a result of the Expansion Priority Draft with Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The Timbers an

<< Blackhawks make it official with Pisani
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks officially brought in free-agent forward Fernando Pisani, signing him to a one-year deal on Tuesday. Terms of the contract were not released, but TSN of Canada reported

<< Report: Bobcats sign Kwame Brown
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats have reportedly reunited former No. 1 pick Kwame Brown and new team owner Michael Jordan. The Charlotte Observer reports the Bobcats have brought in Brown on a one- year, $1

<< Mets to face Marlins ace in divisional clash
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Marlins ace Josh Johnson will try to win consecutive starts for the first time in over a month when he takes the mound tonight in the opener of a three-game road series versus the New York Mets. Johnson was 0-2 wit

<< Padres return home to battle Diamondbacks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres will try to pad their lead atop the National League West standings when they open a three-game series versus the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks tonight from Petco Park. San Diego is 5 1/2 games in

Wolfsburg's Friedrich needs back surgery >>
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolfsburg and Germany defender Arne Friedrich will have back surgery to correct a slipped disc Thursday, at which time it will be determined how long the 31-year-old will be sidelined. Friedrich st

Oregon State OL Thomas arrested, dismissed from team >>
Corvallis, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oregon State offensive lineman Tyler Patrick Thomas has reportedly been dismissed from the team following an early Sunday morning arrest. The Gazette Times reported that Corvallis police were calle

Bucs bring back Jevan Snead >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have re-signed quarterback Jevan Snead in light of Josh Freeman's injury over the weekend. Snead was originally signed as an undrafted free agent in April after a standou

Lyon acquires Gourcuff from Bordeaux >>
Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon acquired France playmaker Yoann Gourcuff from Bordeaux on Monday night for a fee that could reach $33.5 million. Lyon and Bordeaux agreed on the transfer for an initial fee of just under $28 million and

Sevilla acquires Alexis from Valencia >>
Sevilla, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sevilla signed defender Alexis Ruano from Valencia on Tuesday to replace Sebastien Squillaci, who is set to join English side Arsenal. Squillaci has yet to finalize his move to Arsenal, but is expected to

Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

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