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Wunderdog Sports Picks Newsletter
NFL Foobtall Premium Edition
2005 Week 3

Last week we struggled on way to our first losing week in six tries this season. Overall we stand at 40-18 on a star basis for +$2,020 for $100 players. This week we explore betting the money line in the NFL and we've also got five picks...

WUNDERDOG 2005 RESULTS
SPORT
STAR RECORD
$100/BET
40-18
69%
+$2,020
556-423
57%
+$2,712
24-19
56%
+320
322-288
53%
+$490
TOTAL
 
 
+$5,542

My Week 3 NFL Computer Predictions & Analysis are available for viewing. These predictions are based on a Super Computer playing each game tens of thousands of times. Use them as an input to your handicapping - not a replacement. The computer can't take into account emotion or situations.

BetCris has extended their unique offer just for Wunderdog subscribers. New accounts with deposits over $1000 will get an extra 15% Wunderdog Bonus and accounts under $1000 will get an extra 5%. Just open a new account via this link and then email me your account number.

Good luck!

The Wunderdog

 
Wunderdog Ramblings
Betting the Money-Line: Risking a Little to Make a Lot

Should you play the NFL money line? How profitable can it be?

While seasoned gamblers understand the money-line, many sports bettors do not understand this betting option and the huge potential benefits associated with using it. This article will describe the money-line and how it can be used to risk a little and win a lot in the NFL.

 

What is the Money-Line?

Playing the money-line is equivalent to picking a team (favorite or underdog) to win the game straight-up. For this bet, there is no spread. If the team you pick wins the game outright, you win your bet. If the team loses, you lose the bet. And there is no juice or vig (although the odds you get have casino profit built in).

I know what you're thinking just pick the favorite each time and laugh all the way to the bank! Well, it's not that simple. If this bet paid even money, you would simply pick the favorites each week, win more than 50% of your bets, and retire young. That's why, of course, this bet doesn't pay even money. If you select a favorite to win straight up, you need to put down more than you can win. If you select an underdog, you need to put down less money than you can win. Let's look at a couple of examples:

 

Example 1: Miami Dolphins -3 over Minnesota Vikings

For this game, the sports book has set the Money Line at -180 for Miami and +150 for Minnesota . That means that if you want to bet Miami to win straight up, you would need to lay $180 to win $100. If you want to take Minnesota to win straight-up, you would lay $100 to win $150.

 

Example 2: Buffalo Bills +6.5 over Green Bay Packers

For the second game, the bookmaker has set the money at -300 for the Pack and +230 for Buffalo . The larger numbers reflect the larger spread. If you can pick a 6.5 point underdog to win straight-up, you would win $230 for a mere $100 bet.

 

Risking a Little to Win a Lot

What you may have noticed is that if you can successfully pick underdogs to win straight-up, you can win a lot of money without risking nearly as much. I like this fact about the money line. And, if you combine money-line picks into parlays, you can really hit the jackpot with a small investment. For example, if we parlayed Minnesota and Buffalo with the money-line in the above example, a $100 bet would yield $725 in winnings. Throw in a third team (say, the Giants at +4.5) and a $100 bet would win $2,169.

Obviously, it is harder to pick underdogs to win straight-up, right? Yes, but maybe not as hard as you initially think. The spread only comes into play about 84% of the time in the NFL. In other words, the team that wins the game doesn't cover the spread only 16% of the time.

Chart: Winning Percentage Needed to Break-Even at Various Money-Line Odds

Also, since you win more than you bet when picking dogs with the money line, you have to win a much smaller percentage of your games to break even. The particular percentage depends on the spread in the games you pick (the higher the spreads, the fewer games you need to win since the money line pays more for higher spread dogs).

For example, let's imagine over the course of the season you were to pick 100 three-point underdogs to win straight-up at a money line of +150. In this scenario, you would only need to win 40% of those games to break even. On the 60 losses, you would of course lose 60 units (there is no juice on money line bets). On the 40 winners you would win 60 units (1.5 x 40).

If you were to pick one hundred 6.5-point underdogs to win straight-up at a money line of +230, you would only need to win about 31% of your bets to break-even.

So, there is an opportunity to do well with the money-line if you can select enough dogs that win straight-up.

  

What it All Means

This season, consider using the money-line to your advantage. If you like an underdog and think they have a shot at winning the game outright, you might be better off putting that $100 on money-line for your team. If they win straight-up, you'll rake in a lot more profits than if you had just bet them to cover the spread. If you aren't sure, split your bets and put $50 on the dog to win straight-up and $50 to cover the spread. If the team covers the spread but doesn't win the game, you break-even. If they win the game, you win both bets!

Premium Picks
*GREEN BAY +3.5 over Tampa Bay (1:00 Eastern)

Green Bay getting 3.5 at home vs. the Bucs. Hard to believe this would be the case before the season started. But, after two games, the Pack are 0-2 SU and ATS while Tampa is 2-0. Cadillac Williams is a media darling while Brett Favre has looked horrible. And, Tampa Bay is off a very dominating win to boot. All signs point towards the Bucs in this one. But, let's look beneath the surface. In their two games, Green Bay has turned the ball over five times and forced none. It's no wonder they are 0-2. Many a bettor was burned last week backing Green Bay and they have pushed them up to 3.5 point home dogs. It's a perfect time for a contrarian play on the Pack. This animal has it's back against the wall and they have Brett Favre fighting for them. Tampa Bay hasn't won in Green Bay since 1989. Green Bay finds a way here. One star on the Pack plus the points.

*Oakland +8.5 over PHILADELPHIA (1:00 Eastern)

All's well in Philadelphia as T.O. and McNabb are laughing like good ole buddies again. The Eagles crushed San Francisco last week 42-3. But who cares? After a loss to Atlanta, we knew they'd take out their frustrations on the defenseless 49ers. Owens and McNabb both had something to prove last week. But, how easily everyone forgets their opening day loss to Atlanta. They are again in the basement in terms of stopping the run (ranked 27th in rushing defense). Oakland hasn't won yet but they have played the defending Super Bowl champs and Kansas City who might own that title at this time next year. Their record doesn't surprise me. This line is just too high. Philly's strength is pass defense but Moss will find success here. Take the generous points. One star on Oakland.

*SAN FRANCISCO +6.5 over Dallas (4:05 Eastern)

Sensing a theme here? San Francisco loses by 39 points last week. Time to fade them here, right? Just the opposite. They are getting nearly a touchdown at home against a team that took a HUGE emotional hit last week. The Cowboys are coming off a short week of practice and they gave away a game they never should have in front of a national TV audience by giving up two touchdowns in the final 3:46. Teams typically don't recover well from losses like that. Bill Parcells as much as predicted it this week when he said, "Losses like this can carry over if you let them." I don't expect a focused Dallas team here, especially against San Francisco. Again, people seem to forget that San Francisco beat St. Louis just two weeks ago. They had an off game against a focused and pissed-off Eagles team. They aren't as bad as they showed last week and should keep this one close. One star on the Niners.

*Arizona +6.5 over SEATTLE (4:05 Eastern)

Arizona is 0-2 but they rank in the top 10 in the leauge in both offense and defense and they outgained St. Louis 409-324 last week. Poor clock management as well as losing the turnover battle resulted in the loss. They scored just 9 points in four trips to the red-zone and they could very well be 1-1 right now. Under Mike Holmgren, the Seahawks are 4-12 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 7 points and 1-9 ATS at home off a home win. The Cards can't afford to go 0-3 and Denny Green is too good a coach to go down without a fight. Kurt Warner hasn't blown people away but he hasn't done too poorly (outside of last week's debacle at the end of the game). He's completing 64% of his passes and he's averaging nearly 300 yards per game. If Zona can get their running game untracked, they can win this game. One star on the Cards to keep it closer than a touchdown.

*NY Giants +5.5 over SAN DIEGO (8:30 Eastern)

Are the Giants for real? The bookmakers don't seem to think so. I, on the other hand, think they have shown a lot thus far. Eli Manning is looking like Peyton and Jeremey Schockey has returned to rookie form. Throw in a little Tiki Barber and you have a formidible offense that can score on anyone. They've put up 69 points in their first two games. Things aren't so peachy in San Diego as the normally quiet LaDanian Tomlinson is complaining about lack of touches. That's what an 0-2 start will do to you. This crowd is going to let Manning hear it after he snubbed the Chargers last season. But, don't think that will have any meaningful impact on the game. Folks, we have a 2-0 team getting 5.5 points vs. an 0-2 team. That just aint right. And, trust me - the Giants are taking note of the lack of respect. The G-Men are 9-1 ATS off two consecutive home wins and the Chargers are off a hard-fought emotional division game. San Diego is 9-23 off a road loss to a divisional rival. It's hard to come back strong after those kind of games. One star on the Giants to cover this one.

Resources
Pass It On

How much to bet? I recommend 1% of your bankroll for every star. A one-star pick = 1% of bankroll. A five-star pick = 5% of bankroll. It is strongly recommended that you never bet more than 5% of your bankroll on any given game! Remember, there are no such thing as locks. Never bet over your head and you'll live to see another day. Approach your bets as an investment that grows steadily over the long-term. For more, see my write-up on Bankroll Management.

Pass It On

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Good Luck.

The Wunderdog

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