Sports Handicapping Articles

World Baseball Classic Betting: Most Important First-Round Games
by Trevor Whenham - 3/8/2017

The World Baseball Classic has already started, and it's about to get pretty exciting. The first round is underway, but the best games of the round are left to be played. The tournament doesn't get as much attention as it deserves - from fans or bettors. If you want to dive in and immerse yourself in the tournament then there is no better time than now to get started, and these five games are the ones most worth paying attention to. The games will get more attention in the second round and into the semifinals, but the first round certainly doesn't lack for potential drama:

CFL Grey Cup Betting Picks with Odds and Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 11/23/2016

There is some real history when it comes to Canada's professional football championship - it was first awarded in 1909. The 105th edition will take place this weekend in Toronto with the Western Champion Calgary Stampeders playing the Eastern champs from Ottawa. I will admit to some bias up front here - I live about five minutes from the home of the Stampeders and have been to more games than I can count over the years, including the game they won last weekend to get to this game.

Free CFL Week 17 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 10/14/2016

Week 17 features a pair of home-and-home matchups on Friday night in both the East and West Division that could have a big impact in the playoff picture in each of those divisions. Ottawa will look to build on its slim half-game lead in the East when it goes on the road to face Hamilton, and later that night Winnipeg will be going for the series sweep against British Columbia on the road after beating the Lions at home last Saturday.

Free CFL Week 16 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 10/7/2016

The CFL heads into Week 16 of the regular season, and it has pretty much been Calgary and the rest of the league since opening day. The Stampeders come into this week's game against Toronto with a straight up record of 12-1-1 while going 11-3 against the spread. They have now won their last 11 games, and it is hard to see any team ending this run short of a Grey Cup title.

Free CFL Week 14 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 9/23/2016

Road teams have had the betting edge all season long in the CFL, and through the first 13 weeks of games they have won 53.9 percent of the time straight up with an impressive 64.2 winning percentage against the spread. When it comes to betting road underdogs ATS, the payoff heading into this week's games is almost as high at 62.9 percent. While each matchup still has to be evaluated on its own merit, it's hard to ignore results such as this.

Free CFL Week 13 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 9/16/2016

The Calgary Stampeders have been setting the pace in the CFL all season long at 9-1-1 straight up with a 9-2 record against the spread, but the British Columbia Lions still have them in their sights for the West Division title at 8-3 SU (9-2 ATS). There is a three-team battle going on for the title in the East, with Ottawa holding a slim game and a half lead over Toronto and Hamilton at 5-4-1 SU (4-6 ATS). The biggest story in the CFL right now could be the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' current six-game winning streak (4-2 ATS) following a 1-4 start.

My Journey with Doc's Sports: from Fan to Fact-Finder to Family
by Jeremy Martin - 9/1/2016

Growing up in San Antonio, I surrounded myself with friends that were into sports and betting. It was only natural. My father was a sports bettor, and this endeavor piqued my interest at an early age. His coworkers really got a kick out of the answer from my dad of the question "Who is this Jeremy that finished third in the office NFL against the spread contest?" "That's my 10-year old son!" my dad proudly answered.

Free CFL Week 11 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 8/31/2016

The second half of the 2016 CFL regular season gets underway this week with an extended schedule of five games right through the Labor Day holiday. There is little doubt that the Calgary Stampeders have been the class of the CFL through the first half with a straight up record of 7-1-1 while going a profitable 7-2 against the spread. They currently hold a game and half lead over British Columbia in the West Division title race.

Free CFL Week 10 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 8/24/2016

The 2016 CFL regular season approaches the halfway point this week, with eight of the nine teams playing their ninth game of an 18-game schedule. While Calgary has been able to create some breathing room in the West Division title race with last week's upset of British Columbia in a game where I had taken the Lions minus three points, the title race over in the East is shaping up to be a wild one with a game and half separating all four team in that division.

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.