Football Season is only a month away and it’s time to start placing your bets! First things first… NFL Total Team Wins. Not only are these bets fun and exciting, they also provide you with valuable hedging opportunities later in the season. Below is the actual sheet from The Palms Las Vegas Sports Book…

Another amazing NFL season concluded last week with the Green Bay Packers winning Superbowl XLV. The Las Vegas sportsbooks were as busy as ever as an estimated 275,000 visitors came to Las Vegas to enjoy Superbowl weekend. The game was as exciting as can be, both in determining a winner and a point spread winner with the Packers covering the 3 point spread late in the game, then holding off the Steelers last attempt at a Superbowl winning touchdown drive. Aaron Rodgers was great on Sunday, throwing some memorable passes that will go down in Superbowl history. Overall those who came to Vegas for the superbowl got their money’s worth as it was a great weekend and an amazing Super Sunday.

Final Score: Packers 31 – Steelers 25

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For more info: Las Vegas Superbowl Parties 2011

Some call it historic confidence while others call it undeserved luck, either way you look at it the Steelers find a way to win.  Let’s just look at this past season and these recent playoff games, there have been a number of amazing comebacks and dodged bullets along the way.  They could have easily lost another 3 games (Dolphins, Bengals, Bills) and then where would they be?  Instead they are front and center, showing off the Steelers magic again against the Ravens in the Playoffs, then sitting on a halftime lead against the Jets to secure their place in the Superbowl.

2010 TEAM SCHEDULE & RESULTS

Superbowl XLV: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers
Sunday, February 6 – 6:30 pm ET on FOX

Opening Line: Green Bay -2.5
Over/Under: 44.5

It would be difficult to argue that any team has been hotter than the Packers in recent weeks and the oddsmakers in Las Vegas certainly agree. Most sports bettors expected the Steelers to be the favorite against either team from the NFC and it is very unusual that the 6th seed makes it to the big game, let alone to be the favorite. Both teams have Superbowl history and both teams are going to be ready to play. Stay tuned in for more Superbowl sports betting news from the Las Vegas sports books.

The Playoffs continued to amaze this past weekend with four teams with Superbowl history emerged victorious to advance to the Conference Championship games.  The Playoff weekend started with a bang as the Baltimore Ravens visited Pittsburgh with hopes of an upset.  The Ravens struck first with big defensive plays including the “mystery touchdown” that even the camera men gave up on after Big Ben fumbled what initially appeared to be a forward pass only to be ran back later for a Baltimore score.  The Ravens led 21-7 at halftime and appeared to be cruising to the AFC Championship.  The quickly gave the lead back to the Steelers with three turnovers on the first three possessions of the third quarter.  The Steelers took the momentum and quickly took control of the game.  A Ravens touchdown on a punt return was called back for a questionable holding call and wide receiver Anquan Boldin dropped a touchdown pass on 3rd and goal later in that drive.  The touchdown would have given the Ravens the lead, instead they settled for tying the game at 24-24.  Big Ben struck hard and had the Las Vegas sportsbooks exploding with joy (everyone took the favorite) as he completed a huge pass down the sideline on 3rd and 19, putting the Steelers in position to score a touchdown and cover the spread.  Sure enough they did it, with a little help from the officials once again, and pounded in the spread covering touchdown to take the lead 31-24.  The Ravens season ended with a little insult to injury as TJ Houshmandzadeh dropped the ball on a last gasp attempt at a comeback.  Tough one for the sportsbooks but exciting nonetheless.  Later Saturday evening we saw the red hot Green Bay Packers go into Atlanta and handle the Falcons, earning their place in the NFC Championship and their shot at the Superbowl.

Sunday started with Da Bears, looking very worthy of hosting the NFC Championship next week as they fought their way past the upset minded Seattle Seahawks. Jay Cutler and the Bears offense looked good and their defense was very impressive as well. The Sunday evening game was a highly anticipated matchup between the New York Jets and New England Patriots. As a 9 point dog, the Jets were certainly not considered dangerous by the oddsmakers in Las Vegas… maybe someone should have told that to them. They took control of the game and played with more emotion and fire than the New England Patriots. The shocker in the sports book was the halftime line, with New England trailing by a score of 14-3, the books came out with a line of NE -9.5 in the 2nd half. Who would you have taken? Well, the Pats made it interesting in the 3rd quarter, scoring a touchdown and a two point conversion to make it a 3 point game. From there on out though it was all Jets, as they physically took control of the game and secured their spot in the AFC Championship.

What a weekend it was!  It couldn’t have started any stronger with the Seattle Seahawks hosting the Saints to a shootout with the Seahawks prevailing as the biggest underdog of the weekend.  It was just one big play after another out there and Seattle’s 12 man certainly lived up to the hype and contributed to the upset win.  From there we witnessed a Saturday evening matchup played in Indy as the Colts took on the New York Jets.  This was a hard fought game that really came down to the wire, with both teams kicking go ahead field goals late in the fourth quarter, the difference was the timing of it all and it was the New York Jets who struck the most devastating blow by striking last with a huge completion from Mark Sanchez to Braylon Edwards and a game winning field goal from Nick Folk to seal the deal.  Many questioned the use of the timeout by the Colts before the catch by Edwards.  The Jets appeared to be setting up to kick a long field goal and it was the Colts timeout that encouraged them to go for more yards and get it.
How could the games on Sunday live up to those on Saturday?? Well they certainly gave it their best shot. Sunday started with the Chiefs, who went from worst to first in the AFC West, hosting the Ravens and showing them that they can play nasty too. Maybe the Chiefs were playing a little too nasty and lost their composure because the Ravens remained focused and took over the game early in the 2nd half, capitalizing on numerous turnovers and penalties. Flacco looked awesome out there, running and throwing and controlling the game in general. In the end the Ravens were just too much for Kansas City on both sides of the field. Although the spread was never really in question, it was the over/under that came down to the wire. With only a few minutes left and needing another score to go Over, the Chiefs went for it on 4th and 20something from their own side of the field. An interception by the Ravens deep in their own end preserved the under and had more than a few sports bettors cursing at the screens in the Las Vegas sportsbooks! Next up, Packers at Falcons. Calling all winners and calling all losers… double it up or bail yourself out. The Packers came into this one red hot and no stranger to the inclement weather. They also came in with a gameplan on how to stop Mike Vick. From the beginning it looked like the Packers were going to roll but a strong fight out of the Eagles in the 2nd half made for an interesting finish. In the end, it was a banged up Mike Vick that threw the interception that cost the Eagles the game and cost the sports bettors in Vegas the over. And there you have it, opening weekend in the NFL Playoffs and everyone got their moneys worth.
Next weekend in the AFC we’ve got two divisional matchups while the NFC continues with it’s unpredictability and interesting matchups. If you’re going to beat the sportsbooks then you’ve got to pick your plays and bet them big. Don’t get stuck at the book all day, don’t start spreading it around all over the board. The NFL Playoffs are special and a good sports bettor will treat them as such. Sniff it out this week and come back even stronger next weekend.

New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks
Saturday, January 8

The Line: Saints -10
Over/Under: 44.5

The defending Superbowl champs begin their quest to repeat and the oddsmakers in the sportsbooks in Las Vegas sure think it’s going to be an easy win in the first round. Seattle won their division and the rights to a home game in the Playoffs with their win over the Rams last Sunday. The Seahawks are the first NFL team to make the Playoffs with a losing record since the league has gone to a 16 game schedule. Seattle has a significant home field advantage, especially in the Playoffs, but it may not be enough to get them past the Saints. These teams played each other in Week 11 and the Saints lit them up with Drew Brees having one of his biggest days of the year. Can Pete Carroll and Charlie Whitehurst be starting something special in Seattle or will Drew Brees and the Saints become one of the more dangerous teams in the Playoffs?

2011 Allstate Sugar Bowl
Ohio State vs. Arkansas

The Line: Ohio State -4
Over/Under: 58

The Ohio State Buckeyes make their sixth consecutive BCS bowl appearance as they take on the Arkansas Razorbacks tonight in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Amid the controversy of selling bowl rings and merchandise in exchange for tattoos, Ohio State looks to finish the season on a high note with their first win against an SEC opponent in a bowl game. This game features two of the top quarterbacks in college football with Arkansas’s Ryan Mallett looking to showcase his skills to the NFL scouts in preparation for his upcoming role as a franchise NFL quarterback. At 6′ 7″ and with the pocket presence of an NFL veteran Ryan Mallett could be the steal of the draft in April. As Mel Kiper Jr. says about the Buckeyes QB Terrelle Pryor, his best shot at a successful NFL career is as a “position change” guy. I guess he’ll be looking to win another bowl game so he has more goods to sell because the NFL may not be in his future. While the NFL scouts are thinking about big business these college programs are thinking about winning the Sugar Bowl tonight and this one looks like a fantastic matchup. Pick a winner and enjoy the game.

2011 Discover Orange Bowl
Stanford vs. Virginia Tech

The Line: Stanford -3
Over/Under: 57.5

The best season in Stanford Cardinal history culminates tonight in a visit to the 2011 Discover Orange Bowl in South Florida. Their only loss was in early October to undefeated Oregon. Stanford has the most sough after coach and quarterback in the nation right now with Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck respectively, Luck is the odds on favorite to be the first pick of the draft as well. Tonight is his showcase game and there will be a lot of eyes watching as he steps on the field against the hard nosed Hokies of Virginia Tech. The quarterback on the other sideline is Tyrod Taylor, an explosive and exciting young player who leads a Virginia Tech offense that can really run the ball. Watch out for big special teams play as that is a benchmark of the Virginia Tech football program and they will be pulling out all the stops tonight to get themselves a big BSC bowl game win.