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<< Warriors sold for record price
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors have been sold to Joseph Lacob for a record price of $450 million, according to a report Thursday from the Oakland Tribune. Chris Cohan, who had owned the team since 19

<< Verdasco, Robredo ease into Bastad quarters
Bastad, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco and two-time champion Tommy Robredo of Spain were among Thursday's second- round winners at the Swedish Open. Fourth-seeded Nicolas Almagro was also a Spanish

<< Ex-Bearcats coach Minter among five new Indiana State assistants
Terre Haute, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former University of Cincinnati football coach Rick Minter has joined third-year Indiana State coach Trent Miles' staff as one of five new assistants. The 55-year-old Minter was named linebackers coach. In

<< Miller joins Heat
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Miller has become the latest player to join the Miami Heat. Miller said the transaction was official on his personal website. "It's official," Miller tweeted. "Thanks to the Miami Heat organization, Mr.

Nets ink first-round picks Favors, James >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets signed 2010 first- round draft picks Derrick Favors and Damion James on Thursday. The Nets selected Favors with the third overall pick after the 6-foot-10, 246- pound forward aver

Blue Jackets re-sign Sestito >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed forward Tom Sestito to a one-year contract. Financial terms of the two-way deal were not disclosed. Sestito appeared in three games for the Blue Jackets last s

Oilers sign D Peckham >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenseman Theo Peckham to a one-year contract. Peckham, 22, has played in 31 career NHL games with the Oilers, including a 15-game stint during the 2009-10 campaign.

Lightning re-sign C Jones >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning added some depth to the forward position on Thursday by re-signing center Blair Jones to a one-year contract. Financial terms were not announced. The 23-year-old appeared in 14 g

Betting Football

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.