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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov is making the San Jose Sharks think twice about using a platoon system in net for the rest of the season. Nabokov and fellow netminder Vesa Toskala have shared time in goal this season for the Sh

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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers shoot for their sixth straight win tonight when they wrap up a short two-game homestand versus the Sacramento Kings at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers are two games behind Detr

<< Sharks hope to continue dominance of Blackhawks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks haven't had much trouble when facing the Chicago Blackhawks recently. The playoff contenders will try to continue that trend when the two teams get together tonight at HP Pavilion. The Sharks have claim

<< Canucks host Wild in important tilt at GM Place
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks will attempt to hold off the hard- charging Minnesota Wild for first place in the Northwest Division when the rivals face off tonight in an important showdown from General Motors Place. Vancouver owns

Hornets hope to halt losing streak vs. Nets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets try and stop a five-game losing streak tonight when they welcome the New Jersey Nets to the Ford Center. The Hornets, who are 1 1/2 games off the eighth and final playoff spot in the

Rangers hope to continue playoff push against sliding Sens >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators will try to cure their recent woes this evening, when they visit the surging New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The Senators, who have dropped four of their last five games (1-1-3),

Spurs try to make it 13 wins in a row against Clippers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs shoot for their 13th straight win this evening when they conclude a brief two-game homestand versus the Los Angeles Clippers at the AT&T Center. The Spurs, who haven't won 13 in a row since ripping

Pistons continue road trip in Seattle >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Central Division-leading Detroit Pistons play the third of an important five-game road trip when they visit the Seattle SuperSonics tonight at KeyArena. Detroit leads the Cleveland Cavaliers by two games for the top

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.