The regular season is finally here!!!!
Finally no more poop NFL and MLB to struggle through. One nice thing I have
been missing in the preseason is the ability to do "teasers". If you
are unfamiliar of what a teaser is, from wiki -
"A teaser (or a "two-team
teaser") is a type of gambling bet that allows the bettor to combine his
bets on two different games.[1] The bettor can adjust the point spreads for the
two games, but realizes a lower return on the bets in the event of a win.
A teaser is a type of wager used in
sports betting, most commonly in basketball and football.[2] This wager is a
multi-team wager, allowing the bettor to choose a minimum of two teams up to,
in some cases, 15 teams. The bettor will get points on his favor to add or
subtract to the teams chosen to improve the point spread chosen. "
For a detailed example
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teaser_(gambling)
I like these types of bets in the NBA
for a couple different reasons. The guys who come up with the NBA lines on a
daily basis are scary good at getting the line exactly right or being extremely
close. Part of the reason being is there are sooooo many possessions in the
NBA, so it is much easier to predict than the NFL. The chances for high
variances plays are also less in the NFL. If a QB throws a pick 6 in the red
zone, that is a huge swing in the outcome of the game. There is no single play
in the NBA that is an equivalent.
So with that in mind if you can get
+5, +8, +10, or even +14 points towards an out come of a game, even if you are
wrong on the direction, you can sometimes be ok because the Vegas guys aren't
consistently way off in their predictions.
Which brings me to my first bet of the
2016-2017 season.
Basketball - 502 Cleveland Cavaliers -1½ for Game
Basketball - 505 San Antonio Spurs +17 for Game
Basketball - 505 San Antonio Spurs/Golden State Warriors under 221 for Game
For $100 -115
So again to explain to some people who
might not understand what this means. I need all 3 of the above scenarios to
happen. This bet added +8 to my picks. The other part of my reasoning for
liking teasers is there are some scenarios in which I think it will be
extremely unlikely to happen.
Pop isn't going to allow his team to
lose by 18 points. Even if they are down big, he will make his team play hard
and finish strong. Plus who the fuck is going to guard Aldrige? Zaza? Please.
Same for the Spurs defense, they were the best defensive team of all time last
year. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have a single game go over 221
last year. And the Knicks are way overrated in general and aren't going to win
on the Cavs ring ceremony night
There is another way to describe the
above bet - a "sweetheart" bet. Meaning it is a pussy bet. There are
a lot of people who think this is a losing strategy over time. I don't disagree
that it is a pussy bet. It is much tougher making straight up bets. Having said
that, I think in the NBA, you can pick spots where it can be effective.
Basketball - 502 Cleveland Cavaliers -1½ for Game
Basketball - 503 Utah Jazz/Portland Trail Blazers over 185½ for Game
$50 to win $21 aren't great odds, but
it's OK to make these types of bets if you feel strongly on them. Feels like a
gimmie.
Basketball - 505 San Antonio Spurs +10½ -145 buying 1½ for Game
Basketball - 505 San Antonio Spurs/Golden State Warriors under 215½ -142 buying 2½ for Game
$30 to win $55 Adjusted 2 team teaser
Basketball - 505 San Antonio Spurs +9 -105 for Game
Basketball - 505 San Antonio Spurs/Golden State Warriors under 213 -105 for Game
And then I made 2 straight up bets for
$40 each to prove to myself I'm not a pussy!
When I first made these bets I really
liked the Spurs. After I got done betting on them several different ways, I
realized something: these bets on the Spurs might have been a subconscious
hedge on the NBA season.
Let me explain: I think the Spurs are
the 2nd or 3rd best team in the league. (Clippers being better is nonsense)
Losing to OKC last year has thrown everyone off their scent a bit. They are
going to be amazing once again this year. So when I saw that the Warriors were
favored by 9 points, I was flabbergasted. This is the 2nd best team in the
conference, and the Warriors are still favored by 9 points? Jesus Christ. If
the Warriors come out and just lay the smackdown on the Spurs tonight, this
season will truly be lost and meaningless. And maybe subconsciously my brain
didn't want this to happen. Either way, if the Warriors blow out the Spurs I'll
be double pissed that I lost a bunch of money and that the season is useless. And I'll be triple pissed because Durant and Green are douchebags.