Gambling Guide

Bookie Busters: The grind

Bookie Busters: The grind
Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images

If anyone ever tells you this game is easy, run the other way. It's a grind, and you probably heard that term used in gambling a few times by now.

But why grind?

You literally have to grind out wins and profits in this game. Take some, lose some, pick more spots, rinse and repeat. We've had our runs that got us over 300+ units for 2018. The weekend punched us, but we turned right around and started another streak.

Let's keep pushing towards a goal. This year is just getting started, Set a goal and reach it.

Previous Plays
NBA
Mavs vs Wolves

Over 222.5 1U +1

England

Leeds vs Derby

Over 2.5 -9

P.Mahomes rushing yards over 16½ 2U -2.4

T.Kelce pass receptions over 6½ Kidney +8

yards over 88.5 3U +3

Cowboys +4.5 -5.5U
Cowboys +8.5 8U MAX +8
TT over 3rd 3U +3
1 unit 10 Point Teaser -1

Colts +14.5

Cowboys+17

Under 59

Parlay 1U -1

Colts ML

Dallas+7

Under 50

Chargers+4

Saints TT over 30.5

Colts +4.5 3U -3.6

ML 3U -3

Zeke Rush TD 5U MAX +5

Gurley over 4 receptions 5U MAX -6

Man U vs Tottenham Over 2,5 8U MAX -9.5

BTTS and over 2.5 8 U MAX -8.8

Saints first Q TT over 6.5 5U MAX -6.5

Saints TT first half over 14.5 8U MAX -8.8

Saints Game TT over 30.5 8U MAX -8.8

Brees over 2 pass TD 10U MAX Prop of the season PUSH
Saints -2.5 8
Saints -2.5 +3
Pats -27.5 2U -2.2
Pats TT first half over +2
Game over 63.5 5U +5
Chargers-2.4
Man City first half -1 2U +2

KANSAS TT over 80.5 5U MAX -5.6
Texas vs. Kansas 2nd half over 75 2U +2
Australia

BRISBANE ROAR FC VS MELBOURNE VICTORY Over 3 3U MAX +3.2

Melbourne TT over 1.5 5U MAX +5

Melbourne 1U +1.2

Arkansas/Tenn

Over 150 3U +3

Buffalo -14 2U -2.2

TT over 86 2U +2

-29.9

The last article read +33.2U -29.9= +3.3

This doesn't include a lot of my wins from live bets as its hard to be on the same page. All those plays graded on my page on Twitter.

New Plays
England
Derby at Southampton
Over 2.5 1U


UPDATE 10:54 CST

Juventus -1 3U

UPDATE 11:15 CST

Juventus TT over 1.5 3U


UPDATE

Ronaldo Goal 1U


Update 133 CST

France

Saint Etienne vs Marseille

St E TT over 1.5 +115 2U

St E ML draw no bet 5U MAX

Over 2.5 1U

UPDATE

Saint Etienne +1 5U MAX


UPDATE

NCAA Hoops

Houston PK 3U


UPDATE 745 CST

NCAA Washington -9 -120 ( 9.5 Buy the hook) 3U T

eam total over 75 3U

For any questions or comments reach me @JerryBoKnowz 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 @Moneyline975on Twitter.

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Jeremy Pena and Isaac Paredes have been the Astros' best hitters. Composite Getty Image.

It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.

Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.

What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.

His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.

The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.

And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.

Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.

But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.

Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.

And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.

For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.

Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.

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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