The Hook Brings You Back – November 8

Because the hook brings you back

I ain’t tellin’ you no lie

The hook brings you back

On that you can rely.

If you don’t know that one, it’s the great John Popper and Blues Traveler. In a song, the hook always seems to bring you back. In sports betting, the hook…well…it can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Sports Hub handicappers will often make the hook their friend. We’ll show you how. 

As with anything here at Sports Hub, you have to understand it first. We explain various sports betting terms and concepts first. Then, we give an example that helps to further explain the term or concept. Inexperienced bettors may not have encountered the hook yet. Even those with experience may not fully understand the idea. Let’s make sure you get it.

What Is The Hook

The hook in sports betting is pretty easy to understand. The hook refers to the half-point that is added to a whole number point spread. For example, the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers will meet in tomorrow’s Thursday night football (be sure to read tomorrow’s Daily Report, it’s gonna be a good one!). Chicago is a 3.5-point favorite over the Panthers. That “.5” added to the “3” is the hook.

That’s it. The hook exists to eliminate the possibility of a push. Let’s say you placed your bet on the Bears at -3. If the Bears win 24-21 or 20-17, the result is a push. There are no winners or losers and all bets are refunded. Adding that extra half-point – the hook – eliminates the push and ensures that there are winners and losers on each side of a bet.

Buying the Hook

If you lose enough bets by that pesky half-point, you might find yourself screaming obscenities until you’re blue in the face. After your tirade, you learn that you can remove the hook and just not deal with it. For inexperienced bettors, you can “buy the hook” or buy a half-point to give yourself an advantage, i.e. not lose by a half-point.

If we use the NFL as an example, we may know that there are key numbers when it comes to NFL point spreads. More games end with a scoring margin of 3 than any other number. Scoring margins of 4, 6, and 7 are common too. Knowing this, we can buy the hook accordingly.

Let’s use the 49ers-Jags game this Sunday. San Francisco is a 3-point favorite on the road in Jacksonville. Since “3” is the most common scoring margin, there is a strong possibility this game ends up 27-24 or 20-17. A wager on the Niners to cover would end up being a push. 

To ensure a win, bettors could buy a half-point and move the line down to San Francisco -2.5. When the 49ers win 27-24 for example, those that backed San Francisco win the bet. Jags bettors could also do the same. They like a close game, but they want to avoid the push as well. Instead of betting Jags +3, they buy the hook to move the line to +3.5. A 27-24 Jags loss results in a cover and a win.

Do You Like Winning?

Sports Hub handicappers sure like winning. They like it so much, they do it every day. Yesterday was no exception. Our new guy Randall Dickelman was back at it with another round of NHL bets that almost broke the bank. A full seven Sports Hub experts landed in yesterday’s top-10. 

These guys just keep winning. They are the big reason why any bettor of any level should have a Sports Hub membership. You gain access to all of these handicapper picks plus all of our free picks and computer predictions. Then, you can have days like Randall Dickelman.

Wouldn’t you like to go 7-1 and win $575?

• Winner: Yes, Randall missed just 1 of 8 NHL picks. He added $575 to his bankroll, which is up to $1065 over the last three days. In the last three days, Randall has correctly predicted 13 of his 15 picks. He already has one NHL pick in the system for tonight’s games. Check him out.

• Nothing wrong with No. 2: There’s nothing wrong with being second on the board, especially when you’re taking $300 home. Two of our Sports Hub experts – Gino Russo and James Anderson – went 3-0 and won $300. James has been having a solid month with winnings of $1150 over the last 30 days. Gino is up $715 over the same span.
• One play a day: Info Plays is a one-play-a-day kind of capper, preferring to stick with picks they really feel confident about. Yesterday was one of those days. Info Plays nailed Orlando City SC in the MLS playoffs to win as a +287 underdog. Over the last three days, Info Plays has it one pick a day and has earned $527.
• Can’t miss Sal: What would a daily top-5 be without the illustrious Sal Lombardi? The guy is en fuego! Sal went 5-2 yesterday to win $280. That gives him winnings of $1138 over the last three days and a ridiculous $2190 over the last seven! If you’re not on board, get a ticket for Sal’s money train…which is code for “sign up for a Sports Hub membership.”
• Rest of the top-10: Four of the remaining five in yesterday’s top-10 were all Sports Hub exclusive handicappers. Patrick Doyle and Diego Garcia each went 2-0 and won $200. Ben Miller and James Acker each went 3-1 and took home $190.

What to Bet on Today

Our handicappers are already hard at work piecing together today’s puzzle. There are dozens of picks in our database already across a number of sports. From tennis to college basketball, our cappers put in the time to bring their best picks to all of our members. What can you bet on on a random November Wednesday you ask? Well, there is plenty on the schedule.

Let’s have a look at today’s sports schedule.

1. More MAC-tion: If three MAC football games weren’t enough for you last night, strap in for three more tonight. Akron (2-7) plays at Miami (OH), which is 7-2 and 4-1 in conference play. A win pushes the RedHawks closer to a bid in the MAC championship game. Bowling Green (5-4) is playing at Kent State (1-8) and Eastern Michigan (4-5) is playing at West Division leader Toledo (8-1).
2. The ATP Tour: On the men’s professional tennis tour, the Moselle Open and Sofia Open are currently being played. There are a couple picks for today’s match between Jack Draper and No. 1 seed Lorenzo Musetti in the Sofia Open. Visit our picks database to find our capper picks.
3. The NBA is back: Because of election night, the league took yesterday off. All but two teams will play tonight. The league has 14 games on the schedule and the ESPN doubleheader should be a good one. Fans will get to see No. 1 overall pick and rookie sensation Victor Wembenyana as the Spurs visit the Knicks in New York. The late games features Steph Curry and Golden State going up against two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Denver Nuggets.

4. 3 games in the NHL: There are only three games on the NHL schedule tonight, but fans can tune into the TNT doubleheader tonight. Game 1 is a battle between Florida and Washington. The late game pits Los Angeles at Vegas, which maintains the best record in hockey at 11-1-1. 
5. Playoff soccer: The MLS playoffs continue with the New England Revolution playing the Philadelphia Union. Philly leads the series 1-0. The major pro soccer leagues around the world are all off today. If you need to get your fix, the South American pro leagues are in action as well as some of the second-tier European leagues.
6. College basketball: We’re off to a strong start with the new college basketball season. There are more essentially meaningless games on tap tonight. Only one ranked team – No. 10 Florida Atlantic – plays tonight. They will play at Loyola-Chicago. You may remember the Ramblers. They went all the way to the Final Four in 2018. Don’t forget to check our picks database for CBB picks for tonight.

With the number of games and betting markets available, bettors have ample opportunities to collect some wins tonight. If you can’t find any value, let our Sports Hub handicappers help. Visit the members’ area now.

Latest CFP Poll Raises Some Questions

The latest College Football Playoff poll was released last night. Every Tuesday from now until the end of the season, the CFP committee will release its rankings. Last night, they revealed this week’s poll and, to some surprise, the top-4 remained unchanged. 

No. 1 Ohio State struggled with Rutgers before pulling away and gaining a double-digit victory. Second-ranked Georgia beat then No. 12 Missouri in SEC play. No. 3 Michigan completely destroyed Purdue 41-13 as expected and No. 4 Florida State beat Pitt. No. 5 Washington rolled over a USC team that was ranked No. 20 last week, giving the Huskies two wins over ranked opponents. In the eyes of the committee though, not much changed.

What else is going on in the sports world?

• NFL quarterbacks: It’s the most important position in sports. The Rams need another one so they signed Carson Wentz. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel announced that rookie Will Levis will be the team’s starter moving forward. Jets head coach Robert Saleh stated that he is sticking with Zach Wilson.
• Off to strong starts: We’re only a few weeks in, but the Celtics, Sixers, Nuggets, and Mavericks are all off to good starts in the new NBA season. The defending champion Nuggets are 7-1 and are beating teams by an average of 10.9 points per game. Dallas is 6-1 and Boston and Philadelphia are both 5-1. The Celtics lead the NBA in point differential (+14.5).
• Rodgers return?: On the Pat McAfee show, Jets QB Aaron Rodgers hinted that he could return to the field in six weeks. Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon in Week 1 of the NFL season. While it’s unlikely, Rodgers has said his goal is to play a few games at the end of the season. For now, the Jets will make do with Wilson.
• Betting totals: We had to throw this in there. Several of our handicappers are killing it betting on game totals. Half of yesterday’s top dog Randall Dickelman’s picks were on totals…and he won them all!

Whether you bet totals, spreads, or moneylines, Sports Hub has you covered. We’ll continue to provide you with content you can use. Like our explanation of the hook today. We want bettors to fully understand terms and concepts so they can use them to their advantage. Anyway, have a great day and make it a winner! Come back tomorrow to see how our cappers continue to win.