UConn's Calhoun receives five-year extension

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

05/07/2010 - Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Connecticut handed longtime men's head basketball coach Jim Calhoun a five-year contract extension running through the 2014 season on Friday.

The deal is effective retroactively from July 1, 2009 and is weighted with lofty figures for appearances as well as performance and postseason incentives.

Calhoun will receive a base salary of $325,000 for 2009-10 with a $25,000 bump in each additional year. In addition to the base salary, Calhoun's agreement calls for $1,675,000 in year one of the agreement for institutional speaking engagements and media-related appearances and will increase in each year after. The combined figures will total $2,300,000 for 2010-11, $2,700,000 for 2011-12 and $3,000,000 for 2012-13 and 2013-14.

"I am very happy that this new contract will allow me to finish my coaching career here at UConn," Calhoun said at a news conference Friday to announce the pact. "This is a tremendous show of recognition and support from (Athletics Director) Jeff Hathaway and (President) Michael Hogan."

Calhoun, who turns 68 on Monday, recently completed his 24th season as head coach at UConn and his 38th as a collegiate head coach. It was a trying season for both the program and Calhoun, who experienced health problems and left the team for seven games with an undisclosed condition.

The up-and-down campaign saw the Huskies finish 18-16, including a lowly 7-11 mark in conference play. An embarrassing 75-53 loss to St. John's in the first round of Big East Tournament preceded a loss to Virginia Tech in the second round of the NIT.

"Jim is one of the elite coaches in college basketball," remarked Hathaway. "He has taken UConn Basketball to the national championship level, and he is a valued representative of the University and the State of Connecticut."

A 2005 inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Calhoun guided the Huskies to a pair of national titles in 1999 and 2004 and has gone 575-221 in his 24 years at the helm. He also coached 14 seasons at Northeastern, compiling a record of 248-137.

In 2009, Calhoun became the seventh Division I coach in NCAA history to reach 800 career wins. The year also saw the program mired in an investigation into NCAA rules violations related to the recruitment of Nate Miles. That and a myriad of health concerns led Calhoun to question his future in coaching following the Huskies Final Four loss to Michigan State.

Calhoun has survived cancer three times, including prostate cancer in 2003 and skin cancer in 2008.

Wwwohmygoodness NCAA Basketball Betting News


<< Aussie great Newcombe has skin cancer surgery
Sydney, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 John Newcombe underwent surgery to have a cancerous growth removed from the right side of his nose. "It's a cancerous growth so he (the doctor) had to cut...and finish

<< Dodgers to host Rockies in key divisional set
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier will bring his Triple Crown numbers and late-game heroics into Friday's opener of a three- game series versus the NL West-rival Colorado Rockies at Chavez Ravine. Ethier was at i

<< Angels, Mariners to square off in battle of reeling clubs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of slumping American League West rivals get together tonight in the Emerald City, where the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim collide in the opener of a three-game series at Safeco Field. The Marine

<< Bruins shoot for sweep in Philly
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will shoot for a sweep of their Eastern Conference semifinal series when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers for Game 4 tonight at Wachovia Center. The sixth-seeded Bruins are just once victory away from e

<< Brewers head to Arizona for final leg of trip
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers should feel more confident about the next opponent on their 10-game road trip, as they try and continue their recent success against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight at Chase Field. Milwaukee, which i

Canucks host Hawks in pivotal Game 4 >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks will try to grab a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals when they visit the Vancouver Canucks for tonight's pivotal Game 4 battle at General Motors Place. The second-seeded Blackhawks

Penn National joins MID in Maryland Jockey Club >>
Wyomissing, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Penn National Gaming and MI Development (MID) announced Friday morning the establishment of a joint venture to own and operate the Maryland Jockey Club. The Maryland Jockey Club conducts thoroughbred

Montreal to join MLS in 2012 >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal will be the home of Major League Soccer's 19th franchise, Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber and expansion team owner Joey Saputo announced on Friday during a press confere

Lipscomb F Hodzic withdraws for NBA Draft >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lipscomb University forward Adnan Hodzic has withdrawn from the 2010 NBA Draft and will return to the school for his senior season. Hodzic had entered the draft on April 8, but did not hire an agent. "By

Lyon desperate to get back to Champions League >>
Valenciennes, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After reaching the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time in club history, Lyon is eager to return to Europe's premier club competition, but they must first get back into the top thr


Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Why Sports Betting is so much fun?

Betting Sports

The most popular sports to bet on are NFL and college football along with NBA and NCAA basketball. There are multiple betting opportunities within those sports, beginning with the basic wager on a game’s outcome (also called betting the side). College Football Point spreads are used in both football and basketball in an attempt to even the attractiveness of each team in a match-up. ( See our article detailing how and why point spreads are made)

But you could also simply bet on the money line, or straight-up winner of the game. Oddsmakers use the money line so that more money must be risked on the favorite or expected winner and less money on the underdog to balance the action on both sides. While money line gambling is an attractive option for football and basketball bettors who only care about picking a winner, it is the primary option for those bettors who enjoy wagering on MLB baseball and individual sports like boxing, tennis, golf and racing events such as NASCAR. ( More details on playing the Money Line)

Points (or Runs) Scored

Another bet across all major team sports including football, basketball, baseball, and hockey involves wagering on the amount of scoring in a game, called an Over/Under total. For example, the Over/Under total on Super Bowl XXXIX was 48, which means a bettor could wager whether there would be more or less than 48 points scored by both teams combined in the game.

The final score of Super Bowl XXXIX was 24-21; the scoring of both teams added up to 45, which means the game went Under . So Under bettors won, and Over bettors lost.

Future Bets

Sports gambling doesn’t end there. Betting sides and totals are the most common wagers available everywhere, but many sportsbooks also offer future bets on big upcoming events like who will win next year’s Super Bowl and what movie will win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

The main advantage of futures is that you can get appealing odds by betting far in advance. For example, with NFL futures you often can get much higher odds on a team by betting before the season even starts. A NFL future bet on a team to win the Super Bowl odds might be 20/1 in the preseason; but by midseason, their odds might decrease to 10/1 if they turn out to be legitimate championship contenders.

Proposition Bets (or Prop Bets)

Proposition bets , also known as prop bets, focus upon the more exotic aspects of a game and are generally reserved for events that are widely televised. Prop bets are extremely popular when it comes to wagering on the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. The Imperial Palace Casino’s sportsbook is well-known for the enormous number of prop bets offered. For example, you can bet on:

Types of Bets

Straight Bet

Involves one individual wager, whether it be on your team to cover the point spread, to win the game straight-up on the money line, or to go over/under the total.

Sports Betting Parlays

A parlay is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers and is dependent on all of those wagers winning together. The benefit of the parlay bet is much better odds than placing each individual bet separately since the difficulty of hitting it is much higher.

Standard payoffs on a two-team parlay are 13/5; while a three-teamer pays 6/1; and a four-teamer 10/1.

Parlay cards are also fairly common in sportsbooks and popular with bettors, as they are released early in the week with set odds that do not change in return for a slightly lower payoff.

Round Robin Betting

Adventurous bettors who enjoy betting parlays sometimes put together a series of parlays called a Round Robin . A three-team Round Robin consists of one three-team parlay and three two-team parlays. For example, Joe likes teams A,B,C – with a Round Robin he has a three-teamer with ABC, and two-teamers with AB, AC, and BC.

Betting Teasers

Similar to a parlay, a teaser bet is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers, but is different in that the point spread is adjusted to your advantage on each individual wager. In exchange for the points, you get less of a return on your bet compared to a parlay. For example, a 6-point teaser would move the line on a 7-point favorite from -7 to -1, meaning the team would have to cover 6 less points. Each of the individual wagers must win or the bet is a loss.

These are the main types of sports bets available today. But as sports betting continues to grow, sportsbooks will continue to develop new and creative ways to bet. We’ll continue to track these changes to the sports gambling landscape, so check back often and we’ll tell you all about it!

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker
Since opening in 1997, MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker has been a leader in Internet wagering, providing single account access for sports and casino play. This sportsbook has a revolutionary payment method, Direct Bank Transfer, gives players a faster and more secure transaction option for both deposits and withdrawals. This Internet Sportsbook takes pride in offering an aggressive VIP rewards program, along with seasonal reduced juice specials and high parlay payout odds. MySportsbook.com has set new standards in the sports betting industry, from their fantastic customer service, industry leading bonuses, extensive selection of wager types and props, to the fastest payouts anywhere... MySportsbook.com is America's Sportsbook! Open an account today at MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker, or call toll-free 1-866-238-6648

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