Posts Tagged ‘gambling’

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been playing the Cleveland Browns for longer than any other team in the National Football League, dating back to’50. And while it hasn’t been quite that long since the Cleveland Browns won a game against the Steelers it may be starting to feel like it. On Sunday, Pittsburgh won for the twelfth straight time dating back to 2003 as they topped Cleveland by a final score of 27-13.

The good news for NFL betting enthusiasts who took the +13′ with the Browns as a road underdog is that they managed to cover the pointspread by the slimmest of possible margins. Betting against the defending Superbowl champion is a long standing handicapping concept, and this season at least its worked like a charm-the Steelers have only covered one of their first six games. Cleveland, meanwhile, evened their NFL pointspread record at 3-3 on the season. The Browns have covered three straight after dropping their first three both straight up and against the spread. The 40 combined points went OVER the posted total of 37′.

Pittsburgh dominated the game in virtually every statistical category. They amassed 28 first downs to 12 for Cleveland, held a 543 to’7 total yardage advantage and a 36:46 to 23:14 time of possession advantage. Both teams turned the ball over four times, and the Steelers led only 17-14 in the third quarter. Most of the post game talk from both sides was about a controversial spot in the first half where the Steelers were given a first down on a short yardage play when it appeared that they didn’t make the required yardage.

After the contest, Derek Anderson spoke of the frustration of continually coming up short against the Steelers. The Browns have only one once in ten games since Pittsburgh moved into their new home at Heinz Field:

“We’re not trying to lose every time we go out here. We put tons of hours in and … it’s frustrating. Every single week, it’s frustrating.”

Steelers’ tight end Heath Miller said the team is happy to be where they are at this point despite not playing up to their standards:

“I think we haven’t played our best ball yet and that’s pretty comforting. We’ve gotten a few wins here without playing our best.”

The Steelers will host Brett Favre and the 6-0 Minnesota Vikings next Sunday. The Steelers are a -4 home favorite with the total set at 45. After a bye week, the Steelers will hit the road to play another undefeated team as they take on the Denver Broncos on Monday, November 9. Cleveland will host the Green Bay Packers this Sunday, with the Browns a +7 home underdog and the total set at 42′. They’ll head to ‘The Windy City’ to face the Chicago Bears the following Sunday and then have a bye week.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer specializing in casino gambling, fine dining and sports betting. He has appeared on a number of TV and radio programs offering strategies for successful NFL football betting. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a pet llama. He is currently writing a biography of former NFL quarterback Jim Plunkett.

Tilt is a concept most poker players are aware of, but the effect it actually has on their bottom line is realized by few. When you lose your composure at the poker table due to a bad beat or two, this is called Tilt. When another player gets under your skin it can happen, causing you to make plays that you wouldn’t normally make. These plays not only can cost money but sometimes a lot of money. At a casino or card room, if you lose control, thankfully it’s only at one table at a time, so you can maybe calm down and regain your composure after a few hands. When playing six to eight tables at once online, what then?

Playing online affords many advantages like faster dealing and multi-tabling. This allows you to play ten or even twenty times the amount of hands as live play. This is a great way to make extra money when you’re playing your best poker, but when you’re on tilt it can cost you a small fortune. If it takes you ten minutes to calm down, you will generally tilt for three or four hands in a live game. If you’re playing online, you may well see sixty or more hands in a ten minute span. If you are tilting for sixty hands, chances are that you will make more mistakes and lose more money. When this happens, instead of gradually calming down, poker players tend to become more agitated, and lose more money. Losing more money will cause you to stay on tilt or become even worse and the cycle is hard to stop once it starts. So how do we identify such situations?

If you are normally a tight solid player but find yourself playing fast and loose, chances are you are experiencing tilt. If you have lost several hands in a row this can be a sign. If you’re losing a lot of chips you may be tilting, so you better do something fast.

The easy answer is to just take a walk. Get up and take a 10 minute break and regain your focus. The problem is that if you’re playing 8 tables, and you stand up every time you lose a big hand, you’ll spend more time walking around than playing poker. Another, more realistic, answer would be to tighten up your game and pay extra attention to every play you make. I like to talk to myself to make sure that all of my plays make sense for a few minutes after losing a really nice pot. “Does it make sense to raise with Ace Four Suited under the gun?”. If the answer to my question is no, than I fold the hand. I also try to fold a few borderline hands that I may otherwise take a chance with. It sounds crazy talking to yourself, but if you try it you may be surprised at how many mistakes you save yourself from making.

Everyone has a different answer when it comes to tilting. Doing whatever works to calm you down so you can get back in the game is the solution. You need to do it quick if you are multi-tabling or your bankroll will take a serious hit.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker and receives Rakeback at Gutshot Poker from Rakeback Solution.

The Dallas Mavericks lost in the second round to the Denver Nuggets in the 09′ playoffs. This time the Mavs weren’t the favorites but the under dogs – which they are not familiar in being.

The team established itself as an elite force in the Western Conference and a heavy slew of talent has always been present in Dallas.

The last two seasons have been somewhat disappointing for the Dallas Mavericks compared to seasons past. Mark Cuban has realized this, and has elected to do something about it.

The Mavericks have had an extremely eventful off season, highlighted by some big name signings that may have a profound impact on the team.

Most notably, Shawn Marion’s addition to the team will give the Mavs a defensive toughness that the team desperately needs. Shawn Marion will reunite with former teammate Jason Kidd (they played together in Phoenix with the Suns), and his all around versatility will be invaluable to the team. If Marion can contribute like he did in Phoenix, this move will payoff big for Cuban.

Mark Cuban can’t suit up and play any games for the Mavs – what he can do is write big checks and bring quality players to the team.

Dirk Nowitzki is often forced to focus on rebounds, which takes away from his ability to do what he does best – score the basketball. He’s still put up big numbers over the years, but it’s been tough come playoff time. He’s been called out on his presence when it comes to playing under pressure.

The Mavs have won 50 or more games every season since the 00′-01′ season which shows great consistency. Dirk Nowitzki isn’t getting any younger and he might only have 2-3 more seasons where is he an elite player with an opportunity for a championship. The Mavs would like to get another shot at the NBA Finals – and this time finish their opponents.

For more on the Dallas Mavericks check out the Dallas Mavericks forums at RootZoo Sports. RootZoo also offers free basketball trivia questions with thousands of questions!

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a few moves during the off season that led many to wonder whether they may once again contend for the playoffs in 2009.

While the team did lose veteran running back Fred Taylor, the Jaguars have a magnificent athlete in Maurice Jones-Drew, and many NFL experts call him a top five running back in the league. This could be an enormous season for Jones-Drew, as he’ll get more carries for the Jacksonville Jaguars than ever before. Many experts are concerned if MJD can handle more work at his size.

The team acquired pro bowl wide receiver Torry Holt, and despite the absence of Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew is one of the finest talents at the running back position in the NFL, and this would be his year to fully shine. A few other key acquisitions bolstered a roster that looked like it was ready to contend.

The Jaguars lost a very tough game in Indianapolis against the Colts to open up their 2009 football season. The Jaguars always seem to give the Colts a hard time, but this would obviously be a challenge, especially considering where the game was played.

QB David Garrard was supposed to take that leap into one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL, he is yet to take his game to the next level and has become and average QB. If this is Garrard’s fault or the fact he has no play-makers other then MJD remains to be seen.

Week 2 was somewhat disappointing after the solid week 1 effort. The Cardinals, who had fallen to the 49ers in week 1, visited Jacksonville and ripped apart the Jaguars defense at the seams, winning by a 31-17 margin. Kurt Warner was 24 of 26 at quarterback, and such a high completion rate raises some serious questions about the defense in Jacksonville.

Can this team turn things around? Week 3 at Houston will be another tough test, so the Jaguars may find themselves in an unpleasant hole from here. The offense in Houston is a very tough group and will be a handful.

The Texans lost to the Jets in week one, but the Jets look great with their new rookie QB Matt Sanchez and a stellar performance by their defense. I’m going with the Jaguars over the Texans.

Discuss the latest on the Jags on the Jaguars forum, at RootZoo Sports, the most active sport forum online.