Birmingham set to add Mido

Soccer Betting Lines

07/20/2007 - Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Birmingham announced on Friday that the club has agreed to terms with Tottenham to acquire striker Mido.

The deal is worth $12.3 million and represents the biggest move the summer by coach Steve Bruce.

The 24-year-old Egyptian was expected to join Birmingham on loan, but now a permanent deal has been reached, subject to Mido agreeing personal terms and passing a medical.

Mido scored one goal in 12 appearances last season for Spurs, but got lost in a crowded mix up top that included Dimitar Berbatov, Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane. Tottenham has since added another quality striker to that group, former Charlton sniper Darren Bent, making Mido expendable and available to newly- promoted Birmingham.

Wespeakjive Soccer Betting News

<< Cardinals attempt to rebound against Braves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After receiving a double dose of bad news on Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals will try to get back on their feet when the 2006 world champs continue a four-game series with the Atlanta Braves tonight at Turner Field. The

<< Nats top Rockies in 10
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pinch hitter D'Angelo Jimenez slapped a game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th inning as Washington edged Colorado, 5-4, in the opener of a four-game set at RFK Stadium. Austin Kearns led

<< Defense helps Winnipeg fend off Alouettes
Montreal, QB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Glenn threw for 258 yards and a touchdown, and Winnipeg came up with a pair of key defensive stops in the fourth quarter to preserve a 20-18 win over the Montreal Alouettes. Glenn complete

<< Freel's HR lifts Reds over Marlins
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Freel's three-run homer in the eighth lifted the Cincinnati Reds over the Florida Marlins, 7-5, in the opener of a four- game set at Dolphin Stadium. Adam Dunn knocked in a pair of runs while Javier Valen

<< Braves batter injury-riddled Cardinals
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andruw Jones' two-run home run in the first inning ignited an offensive onslaught for Atlanta, as the Braves routed the St. Louis Cardinals, 10-1, in the opener of a four-game set. The embarrassing los

Francis set for return to Rockets >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Francis, who played his first five NBA seasons in Houston, is set for a return to the Rockets. The Houston Chronicle reports Francis, whose contract was bought out by Portland last week, will

Indians try to continue success against Rangers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians aim for a sixth consecutive victory over the Texas Rangers when the clubs play the second test of a four-game series tonight at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The struggling Indians picked up a much-n

Mussina, Yankees begin set with Devil Rays >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Mussina attempts to extend an impressive streak of home supremacy over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays when the New York Yankees hurler starts tonight's opener of a four-game series between the American League East foes. Si

Pirates try for more success against Astros >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh hasn't had much success this season, except for when it plays against Houston. The struggling Pirates shoot for their seventh straight win versus the Astros this year in the opener of a three-game series at PNC

Cubs resume impressive homestand vs. D'backs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs are enjoying a very successful homestand and will hope that trend continues this afternoon with the opener of a three- game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field. The Cubs swept a t

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.