Stop worrying about being on the sharp or square side. The winning side is the only one that counts.The sharp side doesn’t always win and the square doesn’t always lose. It’s one of the most simple ideologies in betting, but it’s still such an abstract idea to a lot of bettors.
I cringe whenever people ask me who the sharps are on, especially when it flips their opinion and ultimately moves their action from a winner to a loser.
Take, for example, the Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts game from last weekend. I had the ultimate square side with action on the Browns (-2.5). I absolutely loved the idea of betting against the Manningless Colts regardless of where the action was. I knew I was being square and I had no problem with it. A win is a win.
For some reason, because I was touting how square of a pick I was making on the Browns, some friends of mine decided to play the Indianapolis Colts +2.5 simply to be on the sharp side.
What baffled me about their logic was the fact that none of them actually felt the Colts were the right side. This is the type of backwards thinking that lands you in a mountain of ill-advised betting losses.
The Browns covered, and with relative ease, in the fourth quarter.
The moral of the story: Get a number you like on the side you like and disregard what others are doing. You’ll feel better about winning and losing under these circumstances.
Statistic of the WeekThe Boston Red Sox have given up 6.48 runs per game in the month of September, which explains why their AL Wildcard leads of nine games over the Rays and 10.5 games over the Angels have now evaporated.
Yeah, I know. It’s a football column. But football is whoring itself out and stealing all of the attention from the Red Sox’s epic collapse. Don’t worry Boston, I see you.
Game of the WeekJon “Bones” Jones VS Quinton “Rampage” JacksonThe UFC is going WWE to buildup this fight and increase PPV buys by exaggerating the drama between Jon Jones and Quinton Jackson. It’s really unnecessary since this fight already pairs the UFC’s past against the UFC’s future.
Even with a diminishing skill set, Rampage still has the power to knock Jones out. “Bones” is set as a -600 favorite at most shops and deservedly so. But, he’s never been hit. It’s difficult to land a punch on Jones due to his build, but anything can happen, and with one lucky punch, Rampage backers could hit a huge payday on massive odds.
This is must see TV.
Tweet of the Week @HopeSolo:
From The View to a Blackberry shoot! Busy day! Maybe fit in some dancing? But really I just can’t wait to see a ball flying at my face again!You know what she meant to say. Settle down.
Sarah J. Phillips Insult of the Week“I put my kids to sleep by reading your columns to them.”Does this count as community service??
Weekly Covers Column Spotlight
Josh Nagel, Poker pro: Full Tilt never intended to pay customersT.J. Cloutier discusses Black Friday, the Full Tilt ponzi scheme, and his experiences as an online poker player among other topics with Josh Nagel.
"As far as I am concerned, the government is stupid" Cloutier told
Covers.com.
This is a must read for all poker players.
Pick of the WeekArizona Cardinals (-3) at Seattle SeahawksRecord: 1-0
It’s a pretty simple angle: Arizona is trying to win the division, and Seattle is trying to win Andrew Luck.
Til next time, cover the spread
Check out Sarah Phillips weekly ESPN Page 2 column: Lies, Damned Lies And Statistics.