March Madness almost here

The conference schedule of the NCAA college basketball season is almost over, and we all know what that means ... Conference Championship Week is coming up soon and the start of March Madness. The majority of the major conferences will not start their conference tournaments until the second week in March. The power conference teams have about 4 conference games left before Championship Week gets started. Also, it's never too early to be talking about the NCAA Tournament and Selection Sunday is only 3 Sundays away.

Right now, there are a whole slew of teams that have the possibility to win the NCAA Championship. This is always the case, but particularly in this season because there aren't too many power house teams. Syracuse was going to be one such team, remaining undefeated until they went through a recent slump. As always, it isn't how you play early in the season, but how good you are playing in March.

Florida and Arizona are poised to make deep runs, and they are both bracketing undefeated Wichita State in the rankings. Wichita State is going to be an interesting team for people making their brackets this year. They made it to the Final 4 last year and nearly beat the eventual champion Louisville. Other perennial powers like Kansas and Duke are hanging around the upper echelon of the NCAA. Louisville can't be overlooked either, as they only have 4 losses on their record.

Then, you have a bunch of mid-major conference teams that are having great seasons. This includes Creighton, Saint Louis and San Diego State. Other teams that have struggled in recent NCAA tournaments are making their presence felt like Villanova and Cincinnati. Virginia and Iowa State are probably the surprise teams of the season.

This leaves the Big Ten teams: Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Iowa and Ohio State. The Big Ten doesn't have a dominant team this season and they continually beat up on each other to knock them all down in the rankings. Top to bottom, the Big Ten is the best conference, with lowly teams like Nebraska coming up with huge wins. The ACC, Big East, Pac 12 and American Conferences are all top heavy with lots of bottom feeders. The Big 12 is the only other conference that compares to the level of overall conference talent.

All in all, that leaves about 20 teams or so that have a legitimate shot to go deep in the tournament. Of course, that hasn't stopped the lesser schools from making it to the Final 4 in the past 5 years. So, how do we sort this out? The short answer is that we can't sort it out yet. As teams begin to make a run or run out of steam, we will have a better idea as the final two weeks of the regular season wind down.

Right now, all we can do is watch the dreaded Bubble and see which teams are likely to be in or out. There will be 32 automatic bids for the conference champions, which leaves 36 At Large births into the Big Dance. Let's take a way-too-early look at the number of teams that will make it from each conference:

American Athletic Conference: 5 teams - Louisville, Cincinnati, Uconn, Memphis, SMU

A10 Conference: 4 teams - Saint Louis, Umass and two other teams TBD (VCU, George Washington, St. Joseph, Richmond, Dayton)

ACC: 5 teams - Syracuse, Duke, Virgina, UNC and one TBD (Pittsburgh or Florida State)

Big 12: 6 teams - Kansas, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas State and one TBD (Baylor or Oklahoma State)

Big East: 4 teams - Villanova, Creighton and two other teams TBD (St. John's, Xavier, Georgetown, Providence)

Big Ten: 6 teams - Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio State and one TBD (Nebraska or Minnesota)

Mountain West: 2 teams - San Diego State and New Mexcio

Pac 12: 5 teams - Arizona, UCLA, Colorado and two other teams TBD (Arizona State, Oregon, Stanford, California)

SEC: 3 teams - Florida, Kentucky and one TBD (Missouri or Tennessee)

Other Conferences: 1 team has a lock - Wichita State. All other teams have to make sure that they win their tournaments to guarantee themselves a spot.

I have intentionally left myself a little bit short on the number of At-Large bids filled. If you take the worst case scenario like this, there are 31 of the 36 At-Large bids filled. That leaves 5 spots to be claimed by the various conferences. With a complete lack of mid-Majors with secured bids, it is unlikely that many of these spots will be lost in the conference tournaments. The lone exceptions would be if Wichita State lost in their conference tournament or if Gonzaga lost in the finals of the WCC. Of course, you have to also be aware of a dark horse candidate winning one of the major conferences (particularly the ACC, Mountain West, or the SEC).

If you would like to see the current NCAA Championship odds, you can find them at the allpro NCAA lines. Right now, only Nostradamus would be able to pick correctly out of the complete mess that is out there.

Video Slots Online

A video slot is a simulated slot machine which utilizes a random number generator to generate a vast number of different symbols on each "reel." While many online slots simulate the traditional 3 reel layout (which would only have between 10 and 20 symbols in a land-based casino), it’s interesting to note that all online slot machines technically fall into the category of video slots.

Due to the fact that all symbols had the same chance of appearing on the payline, early slot machines could be analyzed to find the odds of any single combination being hit. All one had to do was count the number of symbols on the reel and work it out from there. For example, a traditional slot machine with 15 symbols on each of its three reels would have 3375 (15x15x15) different possible combinations. Therefore, the chance of hitting the jackpot would be 1 in 3375.

The newer video slots have added features such as free spins, wild symbols, scatter cards, instant wins and bonus round incorporated into the game. They do not use actual reels with these slots. Instead, they use virtual reels that have 32 or 64 virtual stops on each reel.

Many of the newer slots have 5 reels and many more paylines than the classic slots. There can be between 10 paylines and as many as 50 paylines. You can choose the number of paylines that you wish to play or the coin amount that is bet on each line.

But with video slots often having between 30 and 90 stops on each reel, a player’s chance of hitting the jackpot is significantly smaller. Take, for example, a video slot with 60 stops on all five reels. Only one of those 60 stops will include the jackpot icon. That means there would be more than 700 million combinations (60x60x60x60x60) to hit the jackpot. That’s why these video slots jackpots get to more than $1 million.

Progressive Jackpots Online

Nothing gets an online slot player more excited than the allure of hitting a huge jackpot. Therefore, it’s hardly surprising that one of the most popular features of internet and land-based casinos is the progressive.

Progressives are jackpots which are contributed to and built from wagers by players at casinos all across the web. You can usually recognize progressive slots by the ticker displaying the jackpot amounts as they increase with each passing second. This usually works with a group of progressive slots, where each time a player plays a coin, the jackpot is raised for the entire group.

Online casinos usually even link with other casinos' online slot games, bringing the jackpot to incredibly high amounts (sometimes in excess of one million dollars).

Keep in mind that online progressive slots will usually require you to play a max bet if you would like to be eligible to win the progressive jackpot. A lot of the newer slots will not have an option to bet anything but the max bet. This is usually $5 per spin for a lot of the progressive video slots that I have seen. If you aren’t sure about the rules and requirements for winning the jackpot, be sure to read the payout schedule. This will have all of the basic information posted on it.

It is always a smart idea to read this payout chart before you begin playing a slot machine for real money. Each video slot is different. They each have their own rules, symbols, winning combinations, number of paylines and more. The alternative to deciphering the payout chart is to play these slots for free before playing for real money.

Free Slots Games Online

Many online casinos offer free slot games for those who aren’t yet ready to risk playing for real. While some might say that this makes about as much sense as drinking beer without alcohol (what's the point?), it’s an excellent option for beginners, because it allows you to learn all the slot terminology and machine layouts, as well as seeing if you like the particular software used by the casino.

Many modern slot machines are loaded down with numbers and multiple ways to win on any given spin, not to mention all the options for betting and payouts. While all the bells and whistles of online slots might seem daunting to some beginners, wading into the shallow end via free games will have you playing like a veteran in no time.

Basics of Betting on the NFL

Starting today, we will begin a series of sports betting tips designed to help both experienced and newbie sports bettors make wiser choices, win more money, and ultimately have more fun when placing bets over the internet.

With the 2013 NFL season upon us, the sports bets are on the rise. And with horrible betting results on this first Sunday of the NFL regular season, it is evident that even the most experienced bettors need to review the basics of NFL betting every so often.

The majority of gamblers failed to win on the following NFL games: New England (-9) at Buffalo, Oakland at Indianapolis (-10), Tampa Bay (-3.5) at New York Jets, Tennessee at Pittsburgh (-7). These were all favorites that had more than 75% of the wagers placed on them. Lots of gamblers (60% of wagers) were burned by betting on the underdog Baltimore Ravens in the NFL opener.

In fact, the only favorites that were heavily bet and won were Seattle (-3.5) and Kansas City. Seattle was looking bad until they got a 4th quarter TD. KC didn't have any problems with Jacksonville.

People got burned over and over by betting the favorites that all seemed they were locks. I always caution people to watch out for the lines that do not move even when the majority of people are betting on one side. How do you find out who's placing bets on which teams? Some sportsbooks share this information with the gamblers.

With that in mind, both of the Monday Night games fit this mold. Both games features favorites that have over 75% of the wagers placed on them: Washington (-3.5) is getting almost 80% of wagers and Houston (-5) is getting over 90% of the wagers. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that at least one of the two dogs will cover.

Proper Betting Techniques

Rule #1 - Don't always bet on favorites. I've never met a successful gambler who only bets on the favorites.

Rule #2 - Be selective when betting. If you don't have a good feeling about one team or another, don't bet that game. You should at least feel that you have a 65% chance of winning your bet.

Rule #3 - Look at the matchups! There are certain things that you want to know. If a terrible passing team is playing a strong secondary, bet on the team with the strong secondary. If a bad running team is playing a tough front 7, that means the team will be throwing a lot and that isn't a recipe for success. If a great running team is playing against a porous defensive line or a great passing offense is playing against a terrible pass defense, these are all things you want to know.

Rule #4 - Look for key injuries. Teams have a hard time adjusting to a backup as a starter and the other team will go directly after any weakness that they find.

Rule #5 - Manage your bankroll! Don't bet more than 5% of your bankroll on the first games that are played. You can bet more if you are winning later in the day. Don't have more than 15% of your bankroll in play at any one time. If you lose 15% of your bankroll, stop betting for the day. It is that simple.

Rule #6 - Don't bet with emotion - ever! If you lose, don't throw good money after bad. You will be most tempted to do this when you lose a wager in the last minute of the game.

Follow these rules and you will have a good chance of making money. You will have a better chance of not losing a lot of money when you are gambling on sports!

Future’s Betting

We’ll end by highlighting the future's bet, which are bets that are made several months in advanced. While a future bet can be one of the most profitable sporting bets there are, it also can be one of the most dangerous. A future bet, first of all, is a bet on an event later down the road.

For instance, betting on the Super Bowl champion right now before the season has even started is considered a future bet. However, these bets should only be made if one has considerable knowledge on the team/sport they are betting on.

Insider knowledge is always a plus. Yet, for most people, who get informed by staying abreast with current sporting events, team trades, player statuses etc., making a future bet takes hours of research and planning.

One should never make a future bet simply because they are betting on their favorite team, or the odds will pay off great if the bet wins. This is paramount to playing the lottery. And while all bets - sporting or not - inherently hold a degree of unpredictability and chance, there are some bets that simply have a better chance of going down than others.

If you do your research ahead of time for which teams realistically have the best chance at - for instance - winning the Super Bowl, you can then decide on which odds will give the best return for the amount of risk involved. Never risking too much, while making an informed bet is what makes for a good future bet. Please read the rest of the tips in this series on getting informed.

NFL Regular Season begins on Thursday!

It may be the end of the summer and the days are getting shorter, so that is kind of a bummer. But, there are a couple of positive things about this time of year. The kids are going back to school and I no longer have to swim through the air because of the humidity. But, most importantly of all, football is back baby!

College football started this past weekend, and what a weekend it was if you are a fan of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS - formerly Division 1aa). They had a banner weekend with 6 major upsets and 8 wins overall against the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS - formerly Division 1a). The Eastern Washington Eagles led the way with only the third FCS win against a ranked opponent, #25 Oregon State. Just as impressive was North Dakota State beating co-Big 12 champion Kansas State. Northern Iowa beat Iowa State; Eastern Illinois crushed San Diego State; McNeese State scored the most points ever for an FCS team against a FBS team (53) in beating South Florida; and Connecticut lost to Towson.

There are a couple of things I learned this weekend in the NCAA: 1) Never schedule a FCS powerhouse; Michigan learned that the hard way when 3-time FCS champion Appalachian State beat them in 2007. Now Oregon State and Kansas State have also learned that lesson. The talent gap isn't as big as you would think, especially if you take them lightly. 2) Kiss your automatic BCS bid goodbye American Athletic Conference. They are behind the Mountain West Conference, on par with Conference USA and just ahead of the Mid American Conference. Cincinnati and Louisville better jump out while the gettin' is good. 3) One word for the rest of the NCAA schedule besides Georgia v. Clemson and LSU v. TCU ... Boring! They should just make the first week the unofficial preseason game of college football.

As much as I like college football, it still doesn't hold a candle to the NFL. Sure, there is the rivalries and traditions; but those are slowly being destroyed by greedy conferences and universities. Got to love how Texas A&M doesn't play any of their rivals anymore. Notre Dame v. Michigan? Michigan considers it a rivalry, but Notre dame doesn't because they can't beat them 90% of the time like their other "rivals". No, the ACC is calling and Notre Dame would rather create a rivalry against Wake Forest and Duke. Also, way to kill the Big East every good team that has left since Virgina Tech and Miami. None of you have been or will be any good for a while (Pittsburgh, Syracuse). West Virginia is the poster child of this; way to almost lose to William & Mary. Rutgers and Maryland to the Big 10? Talk about creating some rivalries! The Big 10 has tradition but still can't count. They haven't had 10 teams since 1991.

NFL Regular Season

I am ready for some football! Some regular season NFL action. The preseason is completely meaningless unless your a Fantasy Football junkie or a gambling degenerate. All you have to do is go back to the 2008 Detroit Lions and their 4-0 preseason followed by a winless regular season to see how much the preseason actually matters.

The real football schedule is about to start this Thursday. Denver is hosting the Super Bowl champions because the Orioles needed that four game series against the White Sox was just too important. To their credit, however, they still have a chance to make the playoffs and they didn't back down to the NFL. Now we have the biggest underdog for a Super Bowl Champion at 9 points. Joe Flacco better be the best quarterback in the league if he wants to start the season with a win. Baltimore has to go on without Ray Lewis or Ed Reed on defense; but Denver is without Von Miller's services since he decided to do his best raver impression.

I am going to give some predictions for the Week 1 of the NFL regular season. If you are a beginner, you may want to learn how to shop around for the best NFL betting lines before you start placing bets on the games.

Week 1 Predictions

Thursday Night Opener

This game opened at Denver -8.5 but has quickly been pushed up a half point to Denver -9. This means a lot of people think that Denver is going to blow Baltimore out of the water. No so fast my friend. I have Denver winning this game, but I think it will be by a TD or less. The sportsbook that I use, Bovada, has yet to put out a Moneyline or Total for this game; they probably won't do so until tomorrow night or Thursday morning. Baltimore +9 (-125) means that Bovada thinks that Baltimore is going to cover. Why else would you have to put up $125 to win $100 on such an underdog?

We have a full schedule of Thursday Night games this season except for Week 17. I have never been that much of a fan of the Thursday Night games for two reasons: 1) The scores are always low and the games look sloppy without a full week of preperation. 2) The games are on NFL Network and they do the worst job of presenting games. If you ever want to bet on Thursday Night games, I suggest that you take the Under more often than not.

Sunday Games

New England is currently off the board because Buffalo is that horrible right now, even at home.

Pittsburgh is a TD favorite at home, but I see their offense struggling for at least this first game. They have no running backs (yes, Isaac Redman, Larod Stephens-Howling and Felix Jones constitutes no running backs). They have no more deep threat (Mike Wallace to Miami) and not many redzone threats. Unless they beat Tennessee 9-0, I don't see how they cover a 7 point spread.

Atlanta +3 at New Orleans - I'm passing on this game. These two teams always play crazy games against each other. I can see either team winning by a lot or a close game.

Tampa Bay -3 at the New York Jets - There is no way that you can bet on the Jets, but the -3 points scares me a little because Tampa Bay's offense has been struggling. The Jets may not have the best defense, but they are at home and have some pride. I see a 14-13 score for this game. Unless the Total is less than 40 points, take the Under.

Kansas City -3.5 at Jacksonville - Pass, pass, pass. This is the blind beating the blind. KC has a new coach, new quarterback, new everything and Jacksonville is just as terrible as ever.

Cincinnati +3 at Chicago - Bears all the way in this one. Chicago plays much better at home than on the road. They may have a new coach but the defense should be able to stop either running back that Cincy throws at them. After that, they will pick off Andy Dalton a couple of times and win by at least a TD.

Miami +1 at Cleveland - I'm leaning Miami for the win but I'm not confident. Neither one of these teams inspires me into action. Cleveland doesn't even have a kicker right now. You might want to get one of those; they're kind of important.

Seattle -3 at Carolina - Classic trap game for Seattle. Their defense is no where near as good on the road as at home and they have to travel cross country for a 1:00PM ET start. Both spell bad news for the Seahawks. If I was betting on this game, I would take Carolina for the win straight up.

Minnesota +5.5 at Detroit - Did I read this right? How is Detroit a 5.5 favorite against anyone? I mean, this is the Lions that we are talking about. Detroit might win, but by 3 points or less. We'll see if David Akers can kick any better than last year now that he is in a dome.

Oakland +10 at Indianapolis - Colts all the way. The 10 points is being generous just so they get some action on this game. There is no way that Oakland keeps this within 2 TDs.

I'm going to pass on both 4:00PM ET games. Neither Arizona +4.5 at St Louis nor Green Bay +4.5 at San Francisco look appetizing to me. These games could both swing wildly one way or another.

Sunday Night Game

New York Giants +3 at Dallas - The Giants have made a habit of beating Dallas in prime time. Eli Manning has often had their number. This is going to be a high scoring game. I have the Giants winning by the score of 34-31.

Monday Night Games

Two Monday night games on the schedule for week 1: Philadelphia +3.5 at Washington and Houston -3.5 at San Diego. I'm not feeling confident about either of these games. Washington has to hope that RGIII is close to 100% or else this game will be close the entire way. I feel a little better about Houston on the road, but the 3.5 is scaring me a little bit. I think that this might be a field goal win for Houston.

2013 March Madness Begins

There have been a couple of themes with College basketball this season:

1) There is no dominant team this season. All of the top teams have shown flaws this season. There are literally at least 15 teams that have a legitimate shot of winning the NCAA tournament.

2) The Big Ten is the power conference this year. They have consistently had 5 teams in the top 25 all season long. That being said, only Indiana has proven to be dominant. Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State have all shown weaknesses.

Here are the current teams that are definitely have a spot in the Tournament so far:

ACC - Duke, Miami, NC State
The ACC is pretty top-heavy with Duke and Miami leading the conference. NC State would have to absolutely collapse not to make it to the Big Dance. The other teams that have a look at it are North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. Of these teams, I could only see Duke and Miami going past the 2nd round.

A10 - Butler, St Louis
The A10 should get four teams in the tournament this year. Butler has proven to always be a tough team to beat, although they are currently looking up at St Louis in the standings. VCU, La Salle and Temple will be fighting for the third and fourth NCAA bid. If things work out right, the conference may get a fifth team in the First Four. Big East - Louisville, Syracuse, Georgetown, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame
It's too bad that the Big East is breaking up. This was the best basketball conference for the majority of the past 25 years. Now, the Catholic 7 schools (DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall and Villanova) are leaving and they are being replaced with Conference USA squads.

With all of that being said, the Big East is still the second best college basketball conference. Louisville, Syracuse, Georgetown and Marquette are all capable of a making deep runs this year. The Big East will probably get at least 8 team into the tournament.

Big Ten - Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois
The Big Ten has been the power conference this year so far. They have had to beat up on each other during the season and you will probably see the conference champion with 4 losses. The seven teams listed are all definitely in the tournament.

Of these teams, I would be worried about taking Michigan or Ohio State deep into the tournament. Both teams have shown significant weaknesses that a bad matchup will exploit during tournament time. On the other hand, I would expect Indiana, Michigan State and Wisconsin to be able to make decent runs past the first weekend.

Big 12 - Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma
Kansas is still the class of the league, although Kansas State and Oklahoma State are hot on their trail. Those are the only teams that I really see making any noise during the tournament. Oklahoma should be in based upon their strength of schedule. This gives them the nod over Iowa State, who still could make it as well.

Mountain West - New Mexico, Colorado State, UNLV, San Diego State
Don't sleep on the Mountain West this year. The strength of schedule for New Mexico, Colorado State and UNLV are all top 30. However, you will want to watch out because this conference has traditionally struggled with their high seeds, so be careful taking them deep.

Pac 12 - Arizona, Colorado, Oregon
Now, there should be more than 3 teams making from the Pac 12, like UCLA and California. But, this is just indicative of the Pac 12 being one of the weaker conferences again this year. The problem is that many of the teams play a very soft non-conference schedule so many of the teams records seem better than they actually are.

SEC - Florida, Missouri
Perhaps the biggest surprise this year is how poor the SEC has been. Kentucky should still get in as well, although they won't be the same without Nerlens Noel. But, there is likely only one other team that will make the tournament between Tennessee, Ole Miss, Alabama and Arkansas. As with the Pac 12, many of these teams' strength of schedule is very poor.

Mid Majors - Gonzaga, Wichita State, Memphis, Creighton
Belmont should also probably be in the tournament as well, but they should probably still win their conference tournament so they don't give the selection committee a reason to leave them out. The same holds true for Middle Tennessee, Saint Mary's (been snubbed a couple of times), Akron and Louisiana Tech. All of these teams have great records for conferences that will likely only receive 1 NCAA bid.

Gonzaga is primed to be the #1 ranked team in the country. This is a team that will likely go deep into the tournament. Wichita State and Creighton will also be a very tough out.

You can learn more about this year's upcoming NCAA tournament at MarchMadnessAction.com. March is the best time of year for betting on basketball. The NCAA tournament is second only behind the Superbowl for placing wagers. You can find live betting at http://www.marchmadnessaction.com/betting.php. Visit them for more information.

2012 Superbowl Prediction

There are only a couple of times a year that I still place wagers on sports. I used to really be big into the NBA and MLB, but the past few years I have only bet on March Madness and the Superbowl.

This is a very interesting matchup this year with the two Harbaugh brothers coach the opposing teams. The 49ers are favored over the Ravens by 3.5 points at most sportsbooks. The moneyline is between -160 and -180 ($160 to win $100) for San Francisco and between +140 and +160 ($100 to win $140). The Over/Under is 47.5 points.

I always like finding trends when betting and I've found a couple that I would like to share with you. The first bet is the Total points (over/under) for the game. The last 8 times that the Super bowl total has been 46.5 points or more the Under has won. This dates back to 1999.

The coin flip is another trend that lots of people are betting on. The coin flip was Heads for the past 4 years. There has never been a 5 straight streak for either heads or tails. That is why many people are betting it this year.

Super Bowl Spread

Currently, 56% of the overall wagers on the Spread are for the Baltimore Ravens. The Spread opened at 4.5 points and it has been bet down to 3.5 points. When I see this, I don't like to go with the crowd, unless the Spread gets bet down to 2.5 points or the wagers even up for both sides.

I'll give you the NCAA National Championship for an example. Notre Dame was #1 going in but was still a 10 Point underdog. This was as high as they could make it while still looking like a good bet for Notre Dame. Many people were betting the line down for Notre Dame because they thought it would be a close game.

This game is shaping up the same way. The Ravens dominated in the 4th quarter over New England and San Francisco needed a big comeback against Atlanta. People are feeling good about the Ravens; but the spread hasn't moved much, which has gone relatively unnoticed in the midst of the Harbaugh brothers, Ray Lewis' last game and the Colin Kaepernick show.

If the sportsbooks didn't feel strongly about San Francisco, they wouldn't have opened at 4.5 point favorites. And the fact that this line still hasn't gone under a field goal even with the lopsided betting in favor of Baltimore means that Las Vegas thinks highly of San Francisco.

Final Score Prediction

The final score of the game has only been 3 points or closer once since 2005. I doubt that this game will be either.

That means if you really think that Baltimore is going to win, you should place a Moneyline bet on them or find a sportsbook that offers a moveable line and take Baltimore as a 3.5 point favorite. You should be able to find this at +240 ($100 to win $240).

I personally don't think that the Ravens will win. While Atlanta did choke the NFC Championship Game, San Francisco has consistently beaten good teams that are outside of their division. They also went on the road and beat the Patriots and they dispatched of all four AFC opponents that they faced this year.

I believe that the final score is going to be San Francisco 24, Baltimore 20 and that is the way that I am betting for the game.