<< Favre officially joins Jets
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brett Favre officially joined the New York Jets Thursday in a press conference before the team's preseason game in Cleveland. Favre was traded to the Jets for a 2009 conditional draft pick. Acc

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<< Yankees place Chamberlain on DL
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees placed star pitcher Joba Chamberlain on the 15-day disabled list with a stiff right shoulder Wednesday. Chamberlain underwent an MRI on the shoulder on Tuesday in New York, b

<< Self inks 10-year deal with Kansas
Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas has rewarded men's basketball coach Bill Self with a new 10-year contract worth $3 million per season. Self guided the Jayhawks to the national championship this past spring and has a record of 142-

Clippers add veteran Williams >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers signed veteran guard Jason Williams, who had been with the Miami Heat. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 32-year-old Williams joins his fourth

Karlsson, Jeev Milkha Singh and Romero lead suspended PGA >>
Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert Karlsson of Sweden and India's Jeev Milkha Singh both posted rounds of two-under 68 on Thursday and share the lead with Andres Romero during the suspended first round of the PGA Champio

PGA Championship First Round News & Notes >>
Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite the fact they share a surname, there is no relation, whatsoever, between Jeev Milkha Singh and Vijay Singh. "In the practice rounds I can hear a lot of people say, 'Oh, I think he

Blumenherst continues to roll at U.S. Women's Amateur >>
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amanda Blumenherst rolled to a pair of wins Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the 108th U.S. Women's Amateur at Eugene Country Club. Blumenherst, the NCAA Player of the Year and last year's r

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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