Still Standing On The Sidelines?

"Man, I NEVER bet on preseason NFL games! That's like giving money away!" Those are the words of my friend Brian. He believes, as many of you do, that because there are so many more variables in the preseason, its not prudent to place your bankroll at risk. Well, Senator McCain and I have do have at least one thing in common....we're both Mavericks! At least he purports to be. I on the other hand always look for opportunity in what JOE PUBLIC (JP) IS and ISN'T doing. Let's face it, linesmakers aren't stupid but they aren't perfect either. They make mistakes in the preseason as well as in the regular season. You could argue that they make more mistakes. For instance, betcha didn't know that in the 17 NFL games played thus far in the preseason, if you had just placed your money on all the dogs you'd be a torrid 11-4-2 ATS (73.3%) right now. You can increase that to 3-1ATS(75%) if you take any dog getting 4 or more points. Here's another big whip! In addition to the dogs being overwhelming productive, all spread winners have pretty much shattered the number clearing by an average of 9 points and by as many as 25 in the New Orleans/Arizona game and 19 in the Seattle/Minnesota matchup.

There's money to be made in Totals as well. The O/U/P in the preseason is currently sitting at 10-7-0 (58.8%) OVER. A good rule of thumb is if the line is low bet the UNDER but if the posted total is high bet the OVER. Here's a simple exercise. The average posted total so far has been right around 33.5. With that in mind if you separate the games into two categories: less than 33.5 and greater than 33.5, what you'll find is that games with posted totals of 33.5 or less are 2-4 (67%) UNDER. While games with posted totals of 34 or more are 8-3 (72.7%) OVER. That's a combined 12-5 (70.5%)!

There's money to be made in the preseason. Find a system, stick with it and choose your spots. It's a great way to pad your bankroll for the upcoming season.