Online Sports Betting: Value of Outlaw Lines; How to Handicap

[Qbins Missile Crisis]

We often get questions about our outlaw line, which is a valuable handicapping tool. We have a system that combines the Pinnacle, Olympic and Stardust opening lines, but is weighed based on which comes in first. It is very important to draw the distinction between steam moves and the opening line when evaluating which casinos are sharpest.

Steam moves are now worthless out of Vegas because of low limits and limited sharp action. However we still find the actual opening line from the Stardust very sharp. So "live" lines from the Strip have no value, but the actual opening line does. This is especially true in college basketball as the initial Vegas line is sharp.

Time Supersedes Number of Games

In both college basketball and the NBA, handicappers disproportionately reflect on recent games giving too little weight to overall performance to date. It´s true to a lesser extent in football, but true nonetheless. College football and baseball is where we most amalgamate recent occurrence into winning. Baseball it´s because over the endless season the peaks are valleys have a much longer shelf life, while our research and experience proves the most dramatic momentum swings and adjustments occur on the college gridiron. Depth is more of a factor and the surprises and disappointments are more pronounced.

That being said, when reasoning recent performance most of the public gambling sites go X-number of games back rather than what we´ve found to be the superior parameter, that being days back. For example going back five games in the NBA could be seven days for one team and perhaps 11 for the other. Looking at a pitcher´s last three starts is not always comparing apples to apples if one guy is the No. 1 starter in a four man rotation and the other guy is the fifth guy in a rotation that often skips the fifth starter. If for example because of injury one guy skipped a start or two, simply looking at the last three or five starts can be very deceptive.

In the NBA, we find recent performance is better defined by 10 days rather than five games. Baseball we go back seven days for teams and 30 days for pitchers.

Baseball stats

One of the articles that you the readers thanked us for the most as being extremely helpful was when we wrote about WHIP versus ERA in handicapping. WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) is too often ignored and balanced with ERA they each test the statistical reliability of the other.

Analogous is handicapping offense. We have always said that baseball´s real Triple Crown would be on base percentage, slugging percentage and runs produced. When it comes to handicapping offense, there is no question that is handicapping´s Triple Crown. Steve Mann a long-time baseball statistical guru always asserted that (on base percentage)* (slugging percentage) was the ultimate way to gauge offensive production. We consider that Gospel from a handicapping standpoint.

Joe Duffy´s sports betting selections are at OffshoreInsiders His Wise Guy Plays available exclusively at OffshoreInsiders.com where daily sports handicapping information is available to crush the sportsbooks. OffshoreInsiders.com also features power of 620 sports services behind every selection at MasterLockLine.com

Joe Duffy
April 23, 2008
American Chronicle