Falcon Points
3 ways to still get your gamble on while we have no sports
Apr 15, 2020, 6:55 am
Falcon Points
Yes, things seem bleak right now, especially in the sports world. But you can still get your gambling fix. It is limited right now, but here are three things you can bet on right now:
Several tracks are still conducting racing without fans. Oaklawn Park, Gulfstream, Tampa Bay Downs and Los Alamitos and Remington Park are all racing on the weekends. Tracks such as Will Rodgers Downs and Fonner Park race during the week. The pools have been large, leading to some nice payoffs. You can learn more about horse racing with the audio book Acing Racing 2016. You can pick up past performances, picks and info at Daily Racing Form. You can play in Texas at betusracing,com (use promo code The Blitz). Horse racing offers a variety of low-risk, high reward wagers. Think of it as having many different prop bets on a given race.
We have done this through pokerstars.net. We have a free league, and are also doing a charity tournament on Saturdays. You can play there, or set up your own home game with your friends and exchange money through Venmo or PayPal. Unfortunately pay poker sites are still not legal in most states, but by creating your own, you can work around this. There are several other sites you can use as well.
Some sites now allow you to bet on the weather. Mybookie.ag is allowing wagering on Madden and NBA 2K simulations as well as whatever sports are going on in the world. While not ideal, at least you have some ways to play. You can also bet on the result of the elections, and of the NFL Draft.
Who knows when we will have familiar things to bet on again. But there are at least some options, especially if you are going to be stuck at home for a while.
Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.
The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.
The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.
On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.
Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.
It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.
The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.
How the mighty have fallen.
Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.
Screenshot via: MLB.com
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