Benfica signs forward Djalo

Soccer Betting Lines

01/31/2012 - Lisbon, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Benfica signed forward Yannick Djalo on a 4 1/2-year deal Tuesday.

Djalo, 25, had been out of contract since the summer, but joins the Portuguese leaders for the second half of the season. He played for Sporting Lisbon, with the exception of a loan deal to Casa Pia, from 2005-11.

Capped one time for Portugal, Djalo scored 23 goals in 98 games for Sporting.

Benfica also signed Ruben Amorim to a contract extension through the 2013-14 season and loaned him to rival Braga for through next season.

Cyberblackjack Soccer Betting News

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Porto, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Porto acquired Lucho Gonzalez and Marc Janko on Tuesday, as the Portuguese giants added a pair of reinforcements just days after its first loss of the season. Lucho, 31, previously spent four seasons a

<< Manning's 1st QB coach hired as Colts OC
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts have continued the rebuilding of their coaching staff by bringing back Peyton Manning's first NFL quarterbacks coach. Bruce Arians, who coached the Colts' quarterbacks from 1998-200

<< Timbers acquire midfielder Renken
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Timbers acquired midfielder and U.S. youth international Charles Renken off MLS waivers Tuesday. Renken, 18, has been a member of U.S. youth national teams since 2005 and most recently participa

<< Sporting Gijon fires manager Preciado
Gijon, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sporting Gijon fired coach Manuel Preciado on Tuesday, just days after the club lost for the sixth time in its last eight La Liga matches. Preciado was with Gijon for 5 1/2 seasons and led the club to the top

<< QPR completes Zamora signing
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - QPR made a late swoop on deadline day Thursday to sign striker Bobby Zamora from Fulham for an undisclosed fee. Zamora, 31, put pen to paper on a two-and-a-half year deal at Loftus Road to link back

Arsenal completes deal for Eisfeld >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal completed the signing of midfielder Thomas Eisfeld from German side Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. Eisfeld, 19, had six goals and six assists for Dortmund's Under-19 squad this season. He has been i

Astros sign Hernandez to minor league deal >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros signed veteran pitcher Livan Hernandez to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training Tuesday. The 36-year-old spent the last season with the Washington Nationals, recor

Padres avoid arbitration with Moseley >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres have agreed to a one- year contract with pitcher Dustin Moseley, avoiding arbitration in the process. Moseley, 30, went 3-10 last season with a 3.30 earned run average and 64 s

Blackburn signs defender Orr from QPR >>
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West Bromwich, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - West Bromwich acquired midfielder Keith Andrews from Blackburn on Tuesday on a free transfer and signed him to a deal through the end of the current season. Andrews, 31, made 76 appearances an

Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

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.