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NCAA Football

Free Picks on NCAA Football Bowl Games: 5 Best Underdogs to Bet

Bowl Season Betting? – Free Predictions

The odds are now out for all of the bowl games and I’m going to outline the best underdogs to bet on the money line. Be sure to visit Cappers Picks daily for our latest college football bowl predictions.

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MLB

Free Pick: Cardinals vs. Pirates Odds & MLB Baseball Betting Preview

St. Louis vs Pittsburgh Baseball Lines

MLB Baseball betting action sees the St. Louis Cardinals taking on the Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday August 26th at PNC Park in Pittsburgh PA. Cappers Picks provides free MLB Baseball handicapping tips all season long.

On the season the Cardinals have an Over/Under record of 59-64 and a run-line W/L record of 55-75 and the Diamondbacks have an Over/Under record of 62-60 and a run-line W/L record of 70-61.

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NHL

Dallas Stars vs. Anaheim Ducks NHL Gambling Prediction & Lines

Stars vs Ducks Hockey Betting?

Two of the more offensively gifted teams in the NHL do battle in what should be a wide open first round playoff series that kicks off in Anaheim Wednesday night.

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NCAAB

Handicapping 2014 Sweet Sixteen Betting Strengths & Weaknesses

Sweet 16 Handicapping Tips

It is amazing how quickly we get down to the Sweet Sixteen isn’t it. There are lots of really good teams in the field but as we have seen all tournament long sometimes the matchup is as important as anything. Some team’s strengths are easily neutralized and some team’s weaknesses are easily exploited.

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Fight Club

UFC 171 Handicapping | Betting Preview | Free UFC Picks

UFC 171 Preview and Picks

Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler meet in the Main Event at UFC 171 looking to secure the vacated Welterweight Championship belt.

UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler
Date: March 15, 2014
Time: 10pm ET/7pm PT
Location: American Airlines, Dallas, Texas
Broadcast: Pay-Per-View

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

Johny Hendricks (15-2-0): -450
Robbie Lawler (22-9-0): +325

Hendricks enters the fight as the new breed in the Division while Lawler comes in as a re-invented fighter that has gone 3-0 since his return to the UFC after a 3-5 record fighting in Strikeforce.

Hendricks has the all-around game to give his opposition fits – his skills nearly proved too much for the best Welterweight the sport has ever seen – Georges St. Pierre. He is a former two time NCAA wrestling champion, his ground game and top control could be the best in the organization right now and his punching power, especially in his left hand seem to be on a completely different level. Hendricks is absolutely the real deal and ready to take what he thinks is rightfully his.

Lawler had been an average fighter until recent wins over Bobby Voelker, Josh Koschek and most recently Rory MacDonald. He is a one-dimensional guy – 18 of his 22 wins have come by KO or TKO. He has to hope that Hendricks chooses to stand and bang – if that happens, Lawler has a puncher’s chance.

But I can’t see it happening – Hendricks knows that dragging this fight to the mat will definitely be in his own interest. Lawler is totally outclassed on the ground. While Hendricks may opt to prove that he can hang with Lawler on his feet, this fight will ultimately end up on the ground whenever Hendricks decides its time.

Lawler steps right into a title fight because of one win – against Rory MacDonald while Hendricks has been busy putting away the best the Welterweight Division has to offer. Many people have Hendricks as the Champ already – me included. Saturday could mark the start of a long reign as Champ for Big Rig as he takes Lawler down often and grinds out a decision win.

Pick: Johny Hendricks -450

Carlos Condit (29-7-0): -220
Tyron Woodley (12-2-0): +175

In another Welterweight clash Tyron Woodley off an impressive first round KO victory over Josh Koschek takes on former interim Welterweight title holder Carlos Condit. Both men are 2-2 in their last four fights looking to climb the ladder toward a possible title shot down the line.

Carlos Condit has been at the top of the Welterweight rankings for a long time now – his two recent losses came to GSP and Johny Hendricks – not a whole lot of shame in that! Condit brings one of the most lethal and relentless striking games in the Welterweight Division into Saturday night’s clash but the one hole in his game could play right into the hands of Tyron Woodley.

Woodley should have an immense advantage in the wrestling department – he has shown the ability to drag his opponents to the mat in the past and will likely do so again. Condit has been taken down a staggering 25 times in his last three fights. Woodley, like everyone else will have a hard time against Condit’s striking – he absolutely needs to get this fight down to the ground.

Condit has been in the Octagon with the best the Welterweight Division has to offer and he has fared very well. Expect more of the same as Tyron Woodley struggles with Condit’s standup and he has a difficult time taking him down. Look for Condit to dictate the pace of this fight and to impose his standup will on Saturday.

Pick: Carlos Condit -220

Myles Jury (13-0-0): -155
Diego Sanchez (29-7-0): +125

One of the up-and-comers in the UFC Lightweight division takes on one of the most experienced fighters in the organization when the well rounded Myles Jury – 4-0 in the UFC takes on Diego Sanchez whose skills seem to be dwindling just a tad but is coming off one of the best fights of all time – against Gilbert Melendez in a fight that Sanchez lost by unanimous decision.
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Jury has been impressive so far but he hasn’t quite faced anyone the caliber of Sanchez yet in his career. The experience proves to be the difference Saturday as Sanchez gets back in the win column while handing Jury his first professional loss.

Pick: Diego Sanchez +125

Hector Lombard (33-4-1): -200
Jake Shields (29-6-1): +160

The powerful Hector Lombard makes his second Welterweight appearance Saturday when he takes on Jake Shields – the winner will most certainly be considered for the next Welterweight title shot. Lombard is coming off an extremely impressive KO victory against Nate Marquart while Shields has won two straight in upset fashion – against Demian Maia and Tyron Woodley.

Lombard will definitely have the stand-up advantage – his power could be amongst the best in the Welterweight division. But he goes up against one of the craftiest fighters in MMA today. Shields has a knack of dumbing down a fight an neutralizing the power and stand-up games of his opposition.

Lombard will need his power game to reign supreme in this fight but out-smarting Shields is a tall task. Shield has seen it all before and more often than not he is able to dictate what happens inside the Octagon. It may not be the most exciting fight on the card but if you are a Jake Shields fan the result will be to your liking. Expect a grinding decision win Saturday!

Pick: Jake Shields +160

Nikita Krylov (16-3-0): +300
Ovince St. Preux (14-5-0): -400

Former Heavyweight Krylov moves down to 205 lbs to replace the troubled Thiago Silva against Ovince St. Preux. Krylov is coming off an impressive KO victory over Walt Harris after a loss in his UFC debut. He will fight at Light Heavyweight for the first time Saturday. St. Preux has won three fights in a row ahead of this weekend – two inside the Octagon.

St. Preux’s athleticism will be the difference here. A former University of Tennessee football player, St. Preux will prove to be too much Saturday.

Pick: Ovince St. Preux -400

PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET)

Kelvin Gastelum (7-0-0):-190 vs. Rick Story (16-7-0): +155
Pick: Kelvin Gastelum -190

Jessica Andrade (10-3-0): -300 vs. Raquel Pennington (4-3-0): +220
Pick: Jessica Andrade -300

Dennis Bermudez (12-3-0): -220 vs. Jimy Hettes (11-1-0): +175
Pick: Dennis Bermudez -220

Alex Garcia (11-1-0): -400 vs. Sean Spencer (11-2-0): +300
Pick: Alex Garcia -400

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 6 p.m. ET)

Renee Forte (8-3-0): -135 vs. Frank Trevino (11-0-0): +105
Pick: Frank Trevino +105

Will Campuzano (13-5-0): +350 vs. Justin Scoggins (8-0-0): -550
Pick: Will Campuzano +350

Robert McDaniel (21-7-0): +105 vs. Sean Strickland (13-0-0)): -135
Pick: Robert McDaniel +105

Daniel Pineda (18-10-0): -230 vs. Robert Whiteford (10-2-0): +180
Pick: Daniel Pineda -230

CLICK HERE NOW to place a bet on UFC 171 At Bovada!

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Fight Club

UFC 170 Handicapping | Betting Preview | Free UFC Picks

UFC 170 Preview and Picks

UFC 170: “Rousey vs. McMann”
Date: Sat., Feb. 22, 2014, at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV)
Location: Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada
UFC 170 Main Event:
Ronda Rousey (8-0-0): -400
Sara McMann (7-0-0): +300

A battle of the undefeated headlines the UFC 170 card Saturday – former Olympians will meet for the Women’s Bantamweight Title. Rhonda Rousey is coming off yet another title defense against Meisha Tate – her eighth victory – all by arm bar. Seven of those wins have come in the first round! Sara McMann brings stellar wrestling chops to the Octagon Saturday – she will be a rare challenge for Rousey on the mat.

Both fighters will use their striking to set up what will inevitably turn into a ground battle. The fight will likely be won or lost there. So in the end this looks like a battle between Rousey’s judo and submission dominance versus McMann’s wrestling and ability to control her opponents from the top position.

The only thing missing from Rousey’s game was the absence of a real challenge – someone that would take her into deep water. Rousey got that last time out and can now be considered battle tested. Rousey’s judo game is better than McMann’s wrestling game which means that when this fight hits the ground it is likely Rousey that is on top – McMann definitely isn’t used to that.

Nobody has come close to defeating Rousey thus far – Tate gave her a battle but was clearly the second best fighter in the Octagon. Rousey has a lot to prove Saturday and with the giant chip on her shoulder growing by the minute, it is nearly impossible to see McMann posing much of a challenge. Watch for yet another arm-bar victory – likely in the first round again as Rousey cements herself as one of the most dominant champs in the UFC today.

Pick: Rhonda Rousey -400

UFC 170 Pay-Per-View Main Card (10 p.m. ET):

Daniel Cormier (13-0-0): -1200
Patrick Cummins (4-0-0): +750

Daniel Cormier was supposed to fight Rashad Evans but injury forced Evans to the sidelines. Enter Patrick Cummins who looks a lot like a sacrificial lamb in this case. Cormier has looked terrific in the UFC with wins over Frank Mir and Roy Nelson – he has the aggression and the defense that makes it tough to get in close.

On paper, this fight isn’t close. Sure Cummins is undefeated but he hasn’t faced anyone near the caliber of Cormier so far. It’s too bad that Evans is injured – this fight doesn’t offer a whole lot of intrigue.

Pick: Daniel Cormier -1200

Rory MacDonald (15-2-0): -300
Demian Maia (18-5-0): +220

Rory MacDonald will try to regain some of the momentum that he had a few years back and in turn throw his name back into title contention in the wide open Welterweight Division of the UFC. His challenge Saturday? A steadily improving Demian Maia – one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners that the UFC has ever seen.

MacDonald has been somewhat disappointing lately – coming off a loss as heavy favorite to Robbie Lawlor. He will have a reach and size advantage as per usual in this fight – the trick is to use those advantages to score rather than to set up a takedown. MacDonald likely won’t want to go to the mat too early with Mr. Maia.

Demian Maia has been good since dropping to Welterweight – a split decision loss to Jake Shields last time out stopped a three fight win streak in the division. His last three losses have come against Shields, Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva – no shame in that.
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MacDonald is definitely not on the level of the fighters that have beaten Maia in the past – it’s a tad hard to believe that MacDonald is -300. Maia, although not elite is a very tough B+ fighter – one of the best grapplers in the Welterweight Division. MacDonald is dangerous but has a few more lessons to learn – Maia provides one Saturday.

Pick: Demian Maia +220

Mike Pyle (25-9-1): -210
T.J. Waldburger (16-8-0): +165

Two fighters coming off underwhelming performances in which they were knocked out early will try to get back in the win column Saturday when Mike Pyle takes on TJ Waldburger. Both men bring a good striking game to the Octagon Saturday but Pyle has by far the better rounded game.

Experience and a varied attack will likely be the difference in this fight – Waldburger will have a tough time defending all that Pyle brings to the Octagon. Pyle gets it done by TKO.

Pick: Mike Pyle -210

Stephen Thompson (8-1-0): -135
Robert Whittaker (11-3-0): +105

Strikers with interesting styles kick off the pay-per-view portion of UFC 170 when Robert Whitaker, who lost a split decision in controversial fashion to Court McGee last time out, takes on Stephen Thompson who beat Chris Clements in his last fight.

The striking looks about even in this fight – grappling and ground chops could be the difference here. Whittaker has the slight edge in that department – watch for him to take advantage of that advantage and wear Thompson down en route to a decision victory.

Pick: Robert Whittaker +105

UFC 170 FOX Sports 1 Prelims (8 p.m. ET):

Alexis Davis (15-5-0): -165
Jessica Eye (11-1-0): +135
Pick: Alexis Davis -165

Raphael Assuncao (21-4-0): -220
Pedro Munhoz (10-0-0): +175
Pick: Raphael Assuncao -220

Aljamaine Sterling (8-0-0): -240
Cody Gibson (11-3-0): +190
Pick: Cody Gibson +190

Zach Makovsky (17-4-0): -170
Josh Sampo (11-2-0): +140
Pick: Josh Sampo +140

UFC 170 Fight Pass Prelims (7 p.m. ET):

Erik Koch (13-3-0): -400
Rafaello Oliveira (17-7-0): +300
Pick: Erik Koch -400

Ernest Chavez (6-0-0): +220
Yosdenis Cedeno (9-2-0): -300
Pick: Yosdenis Cedeno -300

CLICK HERE NOW to place a bet on UFC 170 At Bovada!

Categories
NFL

2014 NFL Conference Championships against the spread preview & handicapping tips

Betting on 2014 NFL Playoffs?

Capperspicks ATS Previews

We are down to the Final Four in the Super Bowl chase and one could argue that it is the best four teams still standing. Many had predicted just this – a Seattle/San Francisco NFC Final and a Broncos/Patriots AFC Final.

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NFL

Want Leans? Razor Ray’s Week 15 ATS Preview

NFL Against the Spread Preview

Week 15 of the NFL season is upon us – let the craziness begin! Last week was a tough week for bettors – snowstorms, crazy comebacks and some catastrophic injuries made it one of the hardest weeks to handicap that I can remember.

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NCAA Football

Stanford Cardinal vs. Army Black Knights Gambling Prediction & Week 3 Preview

Stanford Cardinal vs. Army Black Knights NCAA Football Odds

The Stanford Cardinal opened their season in Week 2 against the San Jose State Spartans, and they put any thoughts of rust to rest with a 34-14 victory at home. This week, they’ll take on the Army Black Knights, who are coming off of a 40-14 loss to Ball State.

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NCAA Football

BC Eagles vs. USC Trojans Gambling Prediction & Week 3 Preview

Boston College Eagles vs. USC Trojans NCAA Football Odds

Things aren’t looking good for the USC Trojans. Despite opening the season without star quarterback Matt Barkley and star receiver Robert Woods, there were high hopes for the team following a disappointing 2012 campaign.

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NCAA Football

Oregon St. Beavers vs. Utah Utes Gambling Prediction & Week 3 Preview

Beavers vs Utes NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping

The Oregon State Beavers travel to Rice-Eccles Stadium  on Saturday to take on the Utah Utes in their first in-conference battle  of the season. OSU is 1-1 on the year, while the Utes have started 2-0.

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NCAA Football

Tennessee Volunteers vs. Oregon Ducks Gambling Prediction & Week 3 Preview

Volunteers vs Ducks NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping

The No. 2 Oregon Ducks have dominated their competition up to this point, taking down the Nicholls State Colonels and the Virginia Cavaliers by a combined 112 points.

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NCAA Football

UCLA Bruins vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers Gambling Prediction & Week 3 Preview

Bruins vs. Cornhuskers NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping

The No. 23 Nebraska Cornhuskers have a score to settle with the No. 16 UCLA Bruins. In 2012, UCLA hosted the Cornhuskers in an entertaining game that resulted in a 36-30 Bruins win. The contest featured two high-octane offenses, as the teams combined for a total of 1,091 yards.

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NCAA Football

Wisconsin Badgers vs. Arizona St. Sun Devils Gambling Prediction & Week 3 Preview

Badgers vs Sun Devils NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping

The Arizona State Sun Devils are set to host the No. 20 Wisconsin Badgers on ESPN Saturday night, in what will be an entertaining matchup between two teams who will be eventually fighting for a spot in the Rose Bowl. The Sun Devils, out of the Pac-12, have played one game thus far against Sacramento State.

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NCAA Football

Ohio St. Buckeyes vs. California Golden Bears Gambling Prediction & Week 3 Preview

Buckeyes vs Bears NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping

The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes and California Golden Bears are set to face off in Week 3, which will give Cal a chance for revenge from last season. The Golden Bears gave up a 72-yard touchdown pass in the final minutes to give Ohio State a 35-28 win.

Categories
NCAAB

Louisville Cardinals vs. Michigan Wolverines National Final Gambling Prediction | Preview

Louisville vs Michigan Final 4 Betting!

I know I am supposed to write about Louisville but I have to throw some love to the Wichita State Shockers here. They pushed the Cardinals more than anybody expected and could easily have won the game.