GAMBLING GUIDE

Red hot Bookie Busters: NFL Draft picks, NBA and Champions League

The NFL Draft offers some betting opportunities. Brett Deering/Getty Images

Bookie Busters went 5-2 last week, and we look to keep the streak going. Soccer plays are on an outrageous 19-1 Run (all Documented through Houstonsportsmap.com/ sportsgamblingpodcast.com and Twitter)

2018 Draft Bets

Overall First Pick

Sam Darnold      -260

Josh Allen           +250

Baker Mayfield    +535

Saquon Barkley   +975

Josh Rosen      +5000

Bradley Chubb  +10000


QB's drafted in the 1st round over/under 5½?

Over    +180

Under  -260

RB's drafted in the 1st round over/under 1½?

Over     -245

Under   +175

WR's drafted in the 1st round over/under 2½?

Over    +110

Under  -150

How many wide receivers drafted in the 1st round over/under 2½?

Under 2.5 Wide receivers drafted in the first

C.Ridley draft position over/ under 19½?

Under 19.5

Top 3 picks of the draft are all QB's        +130

Any other result -180

Any other result

NBA

Raptors vs. Wizards

The Toronto Raptors return home after letting Game 4 slip thru their hands. When Bradley Beal fouled out in the fourth on a phantom call, the Raptors were in position to steal the road game and come home comfortable. Instead, they blew the opportunity and now return home with the pressure now on them. Toronto was the second-best home team in the NBA where they won 83 percent of their games sitting at 36-7 straight up and 45-40-1 ATS. Toronto was the third best scoring team in the opening halves of contests averaging 57 per the first 24 minutes. Thier average margin in first halves is +4.5, and in the last three, that number has risen to 7. The Wizards are an average team in terms of first-half scoring and only hold a+.1 point margin. Look for the Raptors to come out hot and take control of this game early.

Raptors -4 1st half

Thunder vs. Jazz

Thunder home games went under 55 percent of the time while Utah loves to slow the pace. In a must-win for the home team, expect spurts in this game where both teams struggle to score.

Under 207.5

Soccer Champions League Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid

The Allianz Arena is a venue that takes your breath away, and that's what the Germans have done to visiting clubs going undefeated this season playing at home. The Germans haven't tasted defeat at the Allianz in 21 instances, and in 14 of those matches, they netted at least three goals.

There have been a total of 384 goals in the 121 matches in this year's Champions League, thus far breaking last year's record.

Both of these clubs thrive on scoring with Madrid averaging 2.6 goals per match and Bayern 2.3.

When these two clubs have faced off, Real Madrid has beaten the Germans four out of the last five times. Picking a side will be tough. Instead, I'll sit back and wait for goals to happen in a matchup that guarantees to see chances from both sides.

Over 3

Bayern Team Total Over 1.5

For any questions or comments reach me @JerryBoknowz on Twitter

 

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

A new hotel is in the works near Minute Maid. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images

Astros owner Jim Crane says the team is ready to break ground on a major construction project that will include a hotel and entertainment complex across the street from Minute Maid Park as soon as the 2023 baseball season wraps up – hopefully with another World Series parade in downtown Houston.

AstrosWorld!

But another hotel? Another entertainment complex? More construction downtown? My first reaction was, how much more does Houston need? I remember when the Super Bowl was held in Houston in 2004, clubs and restaurants sprung up downtown practically overnight, only to disappear virtually the morning after. When it came to downtown development, the expression “less is more” turned out true. At least that Super Bowl.

I asked my contacts in government and the Houston welcome wagon, is this a good idea, building a hotel and entertainment complex next door to Minute Maid Park? Do we need it? Can we sustain it?

The answer every time was a resounding yes! For a couple of reasons: first, downtown Houston, coming out of Covid, is booming, leadership is creative and budget-minded these days, and most important, if Jim Crane is behind the idea, you can trust it’ll work. The guy’s got a track record.

“In 2004, the idea was to turn downtown’s Main Street into Bourbon Street. Is that what we really want? It was a misguided plan, the wrong philosophy, and businesses opened and closed in short order,” a source told me.

It was a different story when the Super Bowl returned to Houston in 2017. This time Houston saw the Marriott Marquis, a 1,000-room hotel complete with an iconic Texas-shaped swimming pool, open in time for the tourist onslaught. Also, Avenida Houston greeted downtown visitors with new restaurants and entertainment venues. Both the Marriott and Avenida Houston have continued to thrive long after the Super Bowl left town.

“We want our downtown to attract visitors while providing services for the growing number of singles and families who are making their home downtown. As we continue to host major events and conventions, there will be a need for more hotel rooms,” the source said.

The Astros’ plan to build a sprawling hotel and entertainment complex originally was discussed in 2021 but was put on hold due to Covid. Now Crane and the Astros are ready to come out swinging. Similar complexes operate successfully next to the baseball stadium in St. Louis, Chicago and other cities.

An Astros-themed hotel adjacent to Minute Maid Park is particularly intriguing. The lobby could be home to an Astros museum and team Hall of Fame. Rooms and restaurants could be decorated in honor of Astros legends – the “Nolan Ryan honeymoon suite,” or “Strech Suba’s Bullpen Bar and Grille.” There could be meeting space for autograph and memorabilia shows. There could be a broadcast facility for post-game interviews and analysis. And maybe one day, fingers crossed, a betting parlor like the Cubs have at Wrigley Field.

The Astros have a contract to play at Minute Maid Park through 2050 – the only long-term contract that doesn’t make Crane cringe. Anything that enhances the fan experience and generates revenue is good for the team and the city. I might even consider going downtown on non-game nights.

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome