No Such Thing As A Lock – November 17

Ahhh…the sports betting lock. It’s a lock. It’s a sure thing. You can’t lose. Well, if you’re a smart bettor you know that the lock is a fantasy. In that fantasy world, all bets are locks and everybody wins. It’s all candy canes and unicorns. That isn’t the case in the real world.

In the real world, this is what happens. A professional bettor does all the work, all the research. He absolutely loves Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews to go Over his receptions total (4.5). Andrews has been Ravens QB Lamar Jackson’s go-to receiver for the past several seasons. Plus, the Bengals, Baltimore’s opponent, give up the fifth-most receptions to tight ends as well as the third-most receiving yards to tight ends.

Last night as we watched the AFC playoff picture get a little clearer, Andrews was off to hot start with two catches in the opening drive. However, at the end of the second reception, Bengals LB Logan Wilson rolled up on Andrews’ ankle. Andrews eventually hobbled off the field and was done for the night. And with him, went the sharp bettor’s lock. 

Listen to Sharps – No Lock

If you don’t know already, sharp bettors are those who bet on sports professionally. Sports betting is how they make their living. It is estimated that about two percent of all active bettors are sharps. Every single one of them will tell you this – there is no such thing as a lock.

Sports are extremely unpredictable. In last night’s Thursday night football game, no one expected Andrews to get hurt. But he did. No one expected Aaron Rodgers to get hurt four plays into the 2023 NFL season. But he did. Field goals bounce off uprights. Balls take weird bounces. And, it’s not just football. 

In 1995, the Dodgers hosted the St. Louis Cardinals. All fans received a commemorative baseball that night. The Dodgers trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth. Raul Mondesi got called out on a third strike. Fans didn’t like it, so they started throwing their free baseballs onto the field. The umpires called the game with one out. Cards win 2-1. If you thought you had a lock on the Dodgers that night…

Even Sal Says No Lock

One of our best handicappers here at Sports Hub is the infamous Sal Lombardi. If you’ve been a faithful reader (thank you, by the way), you’ll recognize Sal’s name. He has some pretty amazing streaks and last night he was showing off his mad handicapping skills once again. 

Sal topped yesterday’s leaderboard, but he wasn’t perfect. He went 7-2 on his nine picks. Sal missed on two of his college basketball picks and he’d be the first to tell you that there is no such thing as a lock. Our friends at Knup Sports would tell you the same thing. You can’t rely on a lock, or what you think is a lock. Knup Sports was second on the board yesterday and actually missed eight picks!

Here’s how it all went down yesterday.

• Sal likes totals: Yesterday, Sal put ten picks into the system. One ended up a push and, as I said, Sal went 7-2. Eight of the ten picks were totals bets. When it was all said and done, Sal won $480 which gives him a total of $1040 over the last seven days. With a week like that, I’d be checking to see if Sal has picks for anything tonight.

• No lock for Knup Sports: Yes, these guys lost eight of their picks, but they won 14 of them to win $380. All but two of their 22 picks yesterday were on point spreads. Knup Sports is having an outstanding run lately. They are up $1580 for the week and they are No. 1 on our 30-day leaderboard with a winning percentage of 56.65 and winnings of $2267. And they have made 346 picks! They already have a ton of picks ready for this weekend’s college and NFL football.
• Sports Hub Insider: So, our Sports Hub team has over a 100 combined years of experience in all facets of the sports betting world. You could say we’re insiders. The capper that bears our name went 3-0 last night. Now, does being an insider guarantee a win? No, because there is no such thing as a lock. Last night, though, the Insider got it done and earned $300.That puts the Insider up $1663 over the last 30 days.
• Sports Hub experts go 2-0: A pair of Sports Hub experts – Patrick Doyle and Jacob Hoffman – went 2-0 yesterday. Our friends Mike Kelly and Jay Cooper did as well. All four cappers earned $200. Jacob is No. 2 on the 30-day leaderboard with $1667 in winnings and a ridiculous 68.75 winning percentage.

A Look at Trending Sports News

It was a difficult day for some NFL teams. Injuries can thoroughly wreck an entire season and that may be the case after last night. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh made an announcement in relation to his suspension ahead of the Wolverines game with Maryland this week.This is just a sampling of the trending sports news right now.

Let’s take a look.

• Harbaugh accepts suspension: There was a hearing set for tomorrow related to Michigan’s challenge of the Big Ten’s three-game suspension. Harbaugh and Michigan have agreed to the suspension. The Big Ten, which found no evidence that Harbaugh knew anything about Connor Stalions scouting of opponents, will no longer investigate the Michigan football program.

• TNF injuries last night: We already mentioned how Andrews got hurt and ruined that so-called lock on his receptions total last night. It’s been reported that Andrews will miss the rest of the season. That will have a huge impact on the Ravens offense. That wasn’t the only big injury last night. Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow left last night’s game in the second quarter. He has a sprained right wrist. The Bengals lost last night, which puts them in an even deeper hole at 5-5. Their playoff future hopes are dim.
• MLB MVPs: It was unanimous in both the AL and NL. The league MVPs were announced yesterday. Shohei Ohtani became the first player to win two AL MVPs by unanimous voting. Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. won the NL MVP after becoming the first member of the 40-70 club. Acuna hit 41 homers and stole 73 bases all while leading the NL in on-base percentage (.416), OPS (1.012), hits (217), and runs scored (149). He also batted .337, which was second in the majors.

Plenty of Sports Action on Friday’s Schedule

We are always thankful that it’s Friday. At this time of year, it means that we can look forward to another weekend full of football. We get a football appetizer tonight with a couple of college games that includes a nice Pac-12 After Dark special. Betting boards are full today. Our cappers are sorting through it all and will have hundreds of picks for you today. Check the members’ area throughout the day.

Here’s what’s on tap for today.

1. College football: There are two games on the schedule. The first is an AAC battle between UTSA (7-3, 6-0) and South Florida (5-5, 3-3). UTSA needs a win to stay in the hunt for an AAC title game berth. The late game is a Pac-12 After Dark showdown between Colorado and Washington State. Colorado has lost four of its last five games. The Cougars have lost their last five in a row. Remember, both of these teams were ranked in the AP Top 25 at one point. There’s no such thing as a lock.
2. College basketball: A couple early season tournaments start up college basketball today around noon. It won’t end til an 11:59 tip-off out west between Washington and Xavier. In between, there are dozens and dozens of games all day long. A number of ranked teams – No. 3 Arizona, No. 9 Duke, and No. 12 Miami, for example – are in action today.
3. Friday night ice: There are three games on the NHL schedule tonight. Toronto (8-5-2) takes on Detroit (8-5-3) in a battle of Original Six and Atlantic Division opponents. That game is part of the NHL’s Global Series and takes place in Stockholm, Sweden.

4. Big NBA night: There are 11 games on tap in the NBA tonight. The ESPN doubleheader starts with Sacramento at San Antonio. Fans should be getting used to this. The Spurs and their rookie, Victor Wembenyana, have been all over these national broadcasts. Phoenix plays at Utah in the late game.
5. Huge soccer board: Play in the CONCACAF Nations League continues today. There are 11 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches today and the U-17 FIFA World Cup continues.
6. Tennis: The quarterfinals of the LP Open by IND are today on the WTA Tour. No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz plays No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, Italy. 
7. Golf: Round 2 of the RSM Classic is underway today. Three Americans, led by Austin Eckroat, shot 65 to lead after Round 1. On the LPGA Tour, Round 2 of the CME Group Tour Championship is underway in Naples, Florida. Nasa Hataoka and Ruoning Yin shot 63 to lead after the first round.

There’s a lot to choose from if you’re betting today. Remember, there is no such thing as a lock. Nothing is a sure thing in sports betting, but you can have success. Our Sports Hub handicappers prove that on a daily basis. Head to the members’ area, find your favorite capper, and see what he’s betting on today. That’s as close to a lock as you’ll get.

Come back tomorrow and we’ll do this again!