Miscellaneous Articles

Free CFL Week 9 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 8/18/2016

We are eight weeks into the 2016 CFL regular season, and the betting trends are still heavily favoring road underdogs at a winning percentage of almost 73 percent. I tried to ride that trend last week with Montreal as a seven-point road underdog against Edmonton, but the Eskimos went on to win that game by 11 points.

Olympic Women's Golf Predictions with Betting Odds and Expert Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 8/16/2016

Well, the men's golf tournament at the Olympics is over, and it was… mostly anti-climactic. The golf itself was fine, but no one died, no horrible viruses seem to have been contracted, and nothing catastrophic happened. Despite the silly concerns of most of the best players in the world, it just looked a whole lot like a normal golf tournament, and everyone who played seems to have had a great time representing their country - no one more so than gold medalist Justin Rose.

Olympic Men's 100-Meter Dash Odds and Expert Betting Picks
by Victor Ryan - 8/11/2016

The men's 100-meter dash is likely the most important event of the entire Rio Olympics when you consider its historical significance. Jamaica's Usain Bolt, who took home gold in both the 100 and 200 meters at the previous two Summer Games, will try for an unprecedented third straight gold medal in the 100 meters when preliminaries begin Saturday.

Olympics Betting: Some Obscure but Potentially Highly-Profitable Wagering Options
by Trevor Whenham - 8/11/2016

There is a lot I like about watching the Olympics. Probably my favorite thing, though, is the opportunity to handicap and bet on sports that you just can't bet on most of the time. Some are sports I follow a bit and know at least the basics of who is competitive and what it takes to win.

Free CFL Week 8 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 8/10/2016

Calgary did its part in last week's top CFL pick on the "over" in a matchup against Saskatchewan with 35 points, but the Roughriders' 15 points kept this game "under" 57.5 points on the closing line. The total has favored the under through the first seven weeks of the CFL season, but one of the most profitable bets is still with the underdog against the spread as it's paying off at 66.7 percent.

Olympic Triathlon Odds with Picks and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 8/10/2016

When you talk about triathlon to most people they think about Ironman, the grueling ordeal which takes the winners more than eight hours to complete. In the Olympics, though, triathlon is a different beast - much shorter, and much faster as a result. These athletes start by swimming 1.5 km (just less than a mile compared to 2.4 miles in an Ironman), then biking 40 km (180 km in an Ironman) before running 10 km (Ironman athletes finish with a 26.2 mile marathon).

Olympics Cycling Time Trial Odds with Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 8/9/2016

The Olympic men's road race was just brutal, sending more people to the hospital after ugly crashes than wound up on the podium. The time trial should be a little less physically damaging, but it will be no less compelling. In fact, for many cycling fans this is the highlight of the games this year

Handicapping Michael Phelps at the Rio Olympics
by Trevor Whenham - 8/5/2016

Heading into the Rio Olympics it's an absolute certainty that Michael Phelps will be one of the biggest stories of the event. It's obvious - the guy has won 18 gold medals, has raced in four prior Olympics, and after coming out of retirement has a shot at as many as six more medals. This Olympics was supposed to be his swansong - just like London - but in a press conference before the games he left the possibility of continued competition at least a little bit open.

Olympic Women's Tennis Odds with Predictions and Expert Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 8/5/2016

The men's tennis tournament at the Olympics doesn't promise to be very competitive. There is a dominant star, and several strong contenders are either hurt or skipping the tournament. Things are at least a little more interesting for the women. Fewer top women are missing, and though Serena Williams is eternally dominant, things are at least somewhat more wide open than it is for the men.

Olympic Men's Golf Odds with Picks and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 8/5/2016

I was of the opinion that including golf in the Olympics was a stupid idea when it first came up. As we near the debut of the sport I now believe that I underestimated just how stupid it is. Judging by the guys who have chosen not to play - pretty much all of the best players on the planet - they don't care about this tournament, so it's tough for us to care about it.

Olympic Men's Basketball Odds with Predictions and Expert Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 8/4/2016

Let's dispense with the drama up front. The American men are going to win the gold medal. It's not going to be close. Bovada has them at -1600 to win it. I know you know what that means, but just stop and think about it for a second - to make $100 betting on the Americans to win gold you would have to bet $1600. That's insane. But you can't argue that it's not accurate.

Olympic Men's Cycling Road Race Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 8/4/2016

The Rio Olympics get underway this weekend, and one of the first marquee events is also one of the most compelling. The men's cycling road race takes place on Saturday. It's always an interesting event because of the timing - the best cyclists in the world just finished the Tour de France a couple of weeks before the race, so we know what their form was but can't be sure how well they have recovered.

Free CFL Week 7 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 8/3/2016

I am starting to heat up with my free CFL picks for Doc's Sports by sticking with the early league trends. I went with Toronto last week as a heavy 10-point road underdog against Ottawa in a key showdown in the East Division title race, and the Argonauts came through with a 23-20 win. Overall through the first six weeks of the season, road underdogs have gone 11-5-1 straight up with a highly-profitable 14-3 record against the spread.

Olympic Men's Tennis Predictions with Odds and Expert Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 8/3/2016

We're going to do something to make out preview of the Olympic men's tennis tournament more interesting - we are going to pretend that Novak Djokovic isn't going to win. If we can pretend that more contenders have a legitimate chance of success then it will be much more interesting. There is a case to be made that he won't win, too - after all, he was the victim of a shocking upset in the third round at Wimbledon recently. So, with the possibility that this is a tight, wide-open contest in our minds, for now at least, let's take a look (Odds are from BetOnline).

Olympic Men's Soccer Gold Medal Predictions and Expert Betting Picks
by Victor Ryan - 8/3/2016

The road to Olympic gold in men's soccer goes through Brazil, both literally and figuratively. The host nation--which largely eschewed this summer's Copa America to focus on the Olympics---is a heavy odds-on favorite to win the 16-team tournament for the first time. The Olympics is the only international tournament organized by FIFA that Brazil has never won in its illustrious history. Three times The Green and Yellow has taken silver, including in London in 2012.

Olympics Men's Soccer Odds with Picks and Expert Betting Predictions
by Victor Ryan - 8/1/2016

Bovada has posted odds for all 16 teams to win their respective group. Not surprisingly, host Brazil is the heaviest favorite at -500 to win Group A. Germany (-225, Group C) and Argentina (-115, Group D) are also odds-on to win their groups, while Colombia is the favorite in Group B at +120.

Free CFL Week 6 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 7/28/2016

We are five weeks into a new season in the CFL, and the overall betting trends continue to heavily favor the road teams as they have compiled a 16-4 record against the spread. The British Columbia Lions have been the surprise team in the West Division with a 3-1 start both straight up and ATS, and Ottawa's first loss of the season last week combined with Toronto's win this past Monday night has tightened things up in the East.

Free CFL Week 5 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 7/21/2016

The underdogs dominated the first three weeks of the 2016 CFL regular season, but it was the road teams that lined bettors' pockets last week. All four road teams won their game both straight up and against the spread in Week 4, and on the year road teams are now 12-3-1 SU with a highly-profitable record of 14-2 ATS.

Free CFL Week 4 Picks From An Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 7/14/2016

Sports gamblers betting on a new season in the CFL have feasted on the sportsbooks if they have been riding the underdogs during the first three weeks of games. So far the underdogs have gone 8-2-1 straight-up and an incredible 10-1 against the spread with the one game closing as a "pick". With so much movement of players and coaching staff among all nine teams in the league this past offseason, it could take the oddsmakers a few more weeks to sharpen up the betting lines.

Free CFL Week 3 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 7/8/2016

The new season in the CFL is just two weeks old, and we have already witnessed a number of stunning upsets both straight-up and against the spread. Through the first eight games, the underdogs hold a commanding 6-1 edge both SU and ATS, with the other game closing as a push. The total has stayed "under" in five of those eight contests.