Posted on 01/01/2006 10:15:16 AM PST by Ultra Sonic 007
Capers is gone. As per AP/ESPN News.
That's why I'm not watching. The other night game I didn't watch was the Pitt/Baltimore MNF game.
Looks like Drew Bledsoe heard you. He chucked enough INTs to embarrass us one last time this season.
At least by losing, the Cowboys will get to play at Arizona next season instead of at St. Louis.
That was the most pathetic excuse for a performance I ever saw out of the Cowboys tonight. The fans who paid good money to watch that debacle should demand a refund from Jerry Jones.
207 Pittsburgh -½Well, that makes no sense. I assume the 44 is the over/under, but what's up with the Steelers being favored by a half point? Since ties are impossible in playoff games, a team being favored by a half point is precisely the same as a pick 'em.
208 Cincinnati 44
In wagering, you can also "tease" the line up or down in your favor.
For instance you think the Bengals will beat (barely) the 'Stillers, but the 50/50 nature of the line is scary. So you can "tease" the line -- making the spread Pittsburgh -6½.
If PIT wins by a touchdown -- you lose.
PIT wins by two field goals -- you win.
Martz (Rams) is gone.
Of course I understand the concept of a team being a 6½ point favorite: if I take the favorite, and give the 6½, if they win by 7 I win the bet; if they win by 6 I lose the bet.
But if a team is a ½ point favorite, that ½ point could only make a difference in the outcome of my bet if the game ended in a tie. And ties can't happen in the playoffs.
The handicapper/book doesn't change over to a new system just for the NFL playoffs.
What if the game is a soccer match or a pre-season football game where a tie is perfectly acceptable? Back before lighted fields the referee could call football game if it got too dark to play properly, tie score or not. Bookies handled them just fine.
Also many books will take end-of-quarter wagers. A tie score at halftime is not unreasonable.
If the book can stay reasonably balanced, the bookie will go to the half point to avoid the "push" (i.e. maximize the vig).
Some team will take Martz as an OC in a heartbeat.
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