GAMBLING GUIDE
Bookie Busters: Looking to extend an epic 14-0 win streak
May 18, 2018, 6:56 am
An Epic run was what we were hoping to sustain, magic is what we've created.
14 straight wins. A 43-12 Run (78%)
Our latest edition of Bookie Busters was able to clear the board, let's see how we did;
6-0
Atletico -118 WIN
Atletico to nil +138 WIN
Antoine Griezmann to score WIN
Match Result and Both Teams to Score
Madrid and No +150 WIN
Rockets vs. Warriors Game 2
Rockets -1 WIN
Winnipeg Jets at Vegas Golden Knights - Game 3
Vegas-140 Moneyline WIN
"Little Joe never once gave it away
Everybody had to pay and pay
A hustle here and a hustle there
New York City is the place where they said:
Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side
I said hey Joe, take a walk on the wild side."
Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad
What's at stake? Not much from a competitive standpoint with Barcelona holding a 12 point lead in La Liga. Another blow to the match will be the fact that Barcelona no longer are chasing the undefeated record for the season after falling to Levante 5-4. How much will this team put forward in the last match of the season?
The Pick
The Venue; Camp Nou, and in front of 99,354 enthusiasts, the atmosphere will be filled with festivities. With nothing to lose from this match, I expect the home side to put on a show in front of their fans. With the World Cup in sight, I don't think many players will be taking chances on tackles and play somewhat loosely on the defensive side. Bank on Barca to keep this match open, in an event that is being treated as a trophy ceremony from the start.
Match result and both teams to Score
Barca / yes
Half Time / Full Time
Barca/ Barca
Luis Suarez to score a goal
Rockets vs. Warriors Game 3
Houston's performance in Game 2 leaves this series somewhat in question, or at least that’s what the Red Rowdies are hoping for.
In the Rocket's two regular season wins vs. the Warriors, pace played key, and Houston played at a pace of 103.99. Game 2, many experts are saying that the Rockets stuck to their guns and ran the ISO offense that led them to 65 wins.
While I do I agree, it was the pace that they played at, and playing late in shot clocks that led to their downfall in the series opener. Game 2 saw them get into their offense earlier into the shot clock and saw them push the pace to 102.88. The final stats are comparable to those of Game 1 as far as the efficiency in ISO situations, but it was the ambition to attack the defense aggressively and beat their man early, conclusively leading to the extra pass and an open shot. They still played Isolation ball, only they chose to run it to the chest of the Golden State defenders keeping them on the backfoot and having to switch over to help. The extra pass served to be lethal and Houston's role players shined.
The Pick
The Rockets tasted what slowing the game down too much can do when you're not ultra efficient that game on offense. When playing a team like the Warriors, you have to be cohesive on the defensive side and close out the shooters. Game 2 the quicker gameplan worked as planned and the results were fantastic for Houston, I just don't know if they can share the same success in Golden State Sunday. At home, the Warriors are averaging 114.2 points this postseason, while the Rockets allowed 113.2 points in their losses this regular season. Add in the pace the Rockets found success in and the Warriors Team Total all of a sudden has value.
Warriors Team Total Over 116
Bayern Munich vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
Bayern First Half
Bayern Team Total Over 2.5
Cavaliers vs Celtics Game 3
Over 205
Not too much more I like from a betting perspective, don’t force plays!
I’ll be participating in a 100k guarantee poker tournament this weekend. I’ll have an article about MTT tournaments and how to approach them. Also, some hand breakdowns from the tournament.
For any questions or comments reach me @JerryBoKnowz on Twitter.
Through the first month of the season, the Houston Astros' offensive struggles are becoming impossible to ignore — especially when compared to division rivals like the Seattle Mariners.
Isaac Paredes currently leads the Astros with a .392 slugging percentage, which ranks just 88th overall in Major League Baseball. Jeremy Peña isn't far behind, sitting 93rd at .388. For context, not one Astro has cracked the .400 slugging mark, while the Mariners boast four players who have — though a few haven’t officially qualified for leaderboards.
Power outage
The power disparity is stark. The Mariners have already blasted 42 home runs this season — double the Astros’ total of just 21. Houston, in fact, ranks 27th in home runs, 26th in OPS, and 26th in slugging across all of Major League Baseball, dead last among AL West teams. Paredes is the only Astro with at least four home runs, while the Mariners have six such players.
The lineup issues are even deeper. Christian Walker and Yainer Diaz — both expected to provide significant offensive contributions — are batting under .200, placing them among the 22 worst averages in the league. Jose Altuve, typically a steady force, is also underperforming by his standards. His .310 on-base percentage is his lowest since the shortened COVID season, and he has only managed five extra-base hits thus far.
Should Joe Espada consider playing Altuve at second base more often?
With second base production sagging — Mauricio Dubón and Brendan Rodgers have failed to provide much punch — the Astros could face a difficult decision: increase Altuve’s time at second to open up opportunities for bats like Chas McCormick or Zach Dezenzo. While the organization has preferred to manage Altuve’s workload at second base carefully, their hand may be forced if the offense continues to sputter. At this point, another month of this and all bets are off.
On the pitching side, there’s some potential good news. Lance McCullers Jr. is nearing a return after an impressive rehab start and could rejoin the team during their series in Chicago. Meanwhile, Forrest Whitley has suffered another setback with a knee injury. A major question for Houston is which of the two — McCullers or Whitley — will be able to make a real impact this season. Given Whitley's struggles to stay healthy, McCullers appears the safer bet.
Don't forget the Astros' biggest goal for this season
Behind the scenes, the Astros’ front office remains focused on a bigger-picture goal: getting under the luxury tax threshold. With several large contracts set to come off the books after the season, Houston appears committed to resetting financially — even if that means enduring some growing pains in the short term.
For now, though, the Astros find themselves in unfamiliar territory: chasing the division both in the standings and at the plate.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
*ChatGPT assisted.
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