Gambling Guide

Bookie Busters: Another day, another dollar

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Grind is a word you hear thrown around quite a bit in the gambling world, but do gamblers really resemble the definition when wagering? Many bettors think they can find success overnight because they've been watching sports their entire life; those find out quickly that it doesn't work that way.

You have to give yourself opportunity and space to work, play comfortably. Allow your bankroll to breath by factoring in variance to your bet sizing, make sure you can sustain consistency in your bets time after time, not just put it all on a few games and bet yourself out of the game. Try and make this an enjoyable experience, I'll do all the grinding.

Good luck

New Plays

UPDATE645 CST

Philadelphia 76ers at Brooklyn Nets

Nets TT over 113 8U

First half over 117.5 8U







UPDATE 120 CST

Man City/Tottenham

Both teams to score and over 2.5 +105

5U Man City ML First half 5U

Update 141 CST

City / Tottenham Over 3 10U MAX BOMB this play

5U Aguero goal 5U

First half over 1 -210 Risk 10U

UPDATE 149 CST

Porto/Liverpool Both teams to score 5U

Mane scores goal 3U




Previous Plays

Juventus TT over 1.5 3U

Ronaldo scores goal 5U

Rockets first Q TT over 27 10U

UPDATE 826 cst

Harden Over 34.5 Points 5U

assist over 6.5 5U

UPDATE 938 CST

Rockets TT 3rd Q over 26.5 10U

Thunder 2nd half -.5 10U MAX

CLUB AMÉRICA VS CRUZ AZUL Over 2 BIG PLAY 10U MAX

Germany

Berlin/Hoffenheim

Both team to score and over 2.5 10U MAX

Italy

Sassuolo/Parma

Over 2.5 8U

FH Over 1 8U

Netherlands

PSV/Graafschap

Over 4 8U

PSV TT Over 3 10U MAX

Warriors TT over 30 3rd Q 1U

Man United TT over 2 risk 10U

game over 3 5U

Arsenal/Napoli

Both teams to score and over 2.5 5U

Both teams to score risk 6U

Barca/United FH over 1 1U

Messi Goal 5U

Barca FH draw no bet 3U

Both teams to score risk 10U

UPDATE

115 CST

Juventus TT over 1 -170 risk 10U

For any questions or comments reach me @JerryBoKnows Twitter.

Be sure to check out my show MoneyLine with Josh Jordan on ESPN 97.5. We're on every Sunday from 10-noon, and we'll talk a lot of fantasy football and NFL gambling. Also, be sure to follow us @Moneyline975 on Twitter.

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The Rockets are in it to win it this year. Composite Getty Image.

While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.

The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.

Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.

As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.

The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.

VanVleet signs extension

Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.

For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!

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