The pay head sports experts that follow soccer always keep track of the various teams’ home and away record to see if there is any advantage in using home field advantage for betting. One of the most notable differences between European soccer teams and North American sports teams is that the home fans can often follow the European teams because travel is not that difficult. It can take hours to get from one North American stadium to the next while the European soccer stadiums are a shorter trip. The presence of opposing fans makes the energy in European stadiums much higher and it has an effect on the outcome of games.

The next time you are reading in a soccer blog about a team having a long home stand, your best bet is to pick that team to win more than it will lose. Never underestimate the power of home field advantage in European soccer.

But as unpredictable as the playoffs can sometimes be, there are still patterns that manage to hold true year after year. As the bookie software follows the trends being established by NFL playoff teams, there are consistent trends that you can use to help improve your NFL playoff betting results. The important thing to remember about NFL playoff betting is that it does tend to stay with the trends and you need to bet with the trends as opposed to betting with your heart. The best team in the regular season is not always the team that rises to the top and wins it all in the NFL.

One of the most consistent trends in the NFL playoffs is that home teams win 70 percent of the time. Think about the upsets such as the 2011 Seattle Seahawks playoff win over the New Orleans Saints or the greatest comeback in playoff history when the Buffalo Bills beat the Houston Oilers. Both of the winning teams in those improbable wins were the home team. The NFL scores also stay on the side of the home team when the spread is figured in. NFL home teams win against the spread a little over 60 percent of the time in the playoffs. It is a trend that you cannot ignore.

Another trend that cannot be ignored in the NFL playoffs is the effect of the first round bye. The home team wins the divisional playoff games in the NFL playoffs a little more than 60 percent of the time. This 60 percent figure also holds true against the spread. That extra week of rest and playing at home seem to be strong factors in determining who wins an NFL playoff game.

A teaser bet is something the price per head bookmaking websites offer that is a parlay with a twist. With a teaser, you can bet on a group of games but the lines are adjusted by a pre-determined number of points. For example, if you bet on a teaser with five-point spread to it, then you lines can be moved by five points. If you bet the favorite and the regular line is -13, then the teaser line can be -8. By the same token, if you bet the underdog who has a regular line of +4, then your teaser line would be +9. These are fun little side bets that the Sharp Sports Betting expert Stanford Wong put a little twist on.

A Wong teaser is a teaser that limits the favorites to a line of between 7.5 and 8.5 and keeps the underdogs to a line of between 1.5 and 2.5. It can be a great way to win on at least fifty percent of your teaser bets by reducing the lines that each team has to cover. Wong teasers are not a betonline scam, but they did cause the price of getting into a teaser to go up. The odds have been changed to reduce the bettor’s winning percentage, which means you will have to very careful when buying into your Wong teaser.

- Money Discipline

The price per head bookmaking websites have many options for you to choose from when it comes to games to bet on. If you want to be successful, you need to set a budget and stick to it. Once you start gambling beyond your means, you will find yourself digging a hole you cannot get out of. Put aside the amount of money you can bet each week and place bets based on that budget.

- Trust Yourself

When you are putting together your bets for the week, you will probably do a betonline review of each team and weigh their chances against the spread. When you do your research, you need to be thorough. Factors such as injuries, record against the spread and whether or not the team will be resting players because of the playoffs enter into your betting decision. If your research methods are sound, then you should trust yourself and make the bet. Avoid changing your mind based on the hunches of other people.

Becoming a successful bettor takes time and experience. Once you have created effective systems to use when placing bets, you will start to see more success. Always learn from success and failure when it comes to betting and trust your own instincts.

AT&T Cotton Bowl – January 6, 2012

Kansas State Wildcats Vs. Arkansas Razorbacks

The price per head sports experts had the Arkansas Razorbacks as a contender in the BCS championship standings for quite a while. While the Wildcats do have a very fast offense, the Razorbacks and its punishing defense will be too much for Kansas State in this game.

Pick: Arkansas

Discover Orange Bowl – January 4, 2012

West Virginia Mountaineers Vs. Clemson Tigers (-3 ½)

Clemson was another team that looked like it has BCS national championship potential when the season started. But the Tigers slipped up and put together a respectable, but hardly championship quality, record of 10-3. Clemson has been surprising the experts all season long and will continue to do so in the Orange Bowl.

Pick: Clemson Tigers

Allstate Sugar Bowl – January 3, 2012

Michigan Wolverines (-1 ½) Vs. Virginia Tech Hokies

The NCAA football experts certainly did not see this one coming. Virginia Tech was supposed to be an NCAA powerhouse this season but instead finished the year but instead finished with an 11-2 record. The Wolverines were not supposed to be as good as they wound up being and have tipped the tables away from Virginia Tech in this game.

Pick: Michigan

The online sports book websites are getting busy with all of the picks coming through on playoff bound teams. The bookie software is starting to determine playoff favorites as some critical games are played in week 12.

New England Patriots @ Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are coming off of an emotional win over the New York Giants and the Patriots are coming off of a tough Monday night game against Kansas City. Vince Young looked very efficient in his relief of Michael Vick. The Eagles will turn a few heads in this game.

Pick: Philadelphia Eagles

NCAA Football

The college rankings are getting tight as LSU, Alabama and Arkansas are all battling to see who plays in the BCS Championship game. LSU looks to be a lock. But Arkansas and Alabama are still fighting it out.

Arkansas @ LSU (-12 ½)

Arkansas can lose this game but still affect the NCAA football standings. If the Razorbacks can keep this one close, then that could put them into the number two spot in the rankings for the rest of the season.

Pick: LSU

NHL

Sidney Crosby makes his comeback on Monday and the entire NHL odds get turned upside down. The Penguins were a good team already, but Crosby’s return makes it a legitimate contender.

Pittsburgh Penguins @ Montreal Canadiens – Saturday November 26

Montreal goaltender Carey Price has been playing well, but by the time the Penguins come to town, Sidney Crosby will be one week into his comeback. The Penguins bruising style of play complimented by Crosby’s talent will make this a tough game for the Habs.

Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins

Tuesday November 8, 2011

Winnipeg Jets @ Buffalo Sabres

The Winnipeg Jets will play the 2011-2012 season in the Eastern Conference before switching over to the Western Conference next year. In the meantime, the Jets get to log more travel miles than any other team in the league as Winnipeg has to play the schedule of an Eastern Conference team while being based in the west. This game against the Sabres will be interesting because there seems to be some question as to which goalie will carry the Sabres to the playoffs this season. Superstar Ryan Miller has had his challenges while back-up Jhonas Enroth is undefeated in four starts this season.

Pick: Buffalo Sabres

Edmonton Oilers @ Montreal Canadiens

What a great hockey game this should be. Both the Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers are benefiting from great goaltending and timely scoring. Edmonton’s rookie sensation Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is living up to the hype while Montreal goalie Carey Price has found his game again. This will be a close game, but the Canadiens have a slight edge in offense that will help them win the game.

Pick: Montreal Canadiens

Colorado Avalanche @ Detroit Red Wings

The bookie software shows the Detroit Red Wings on a horrible slump. Detroit is 4-5-1 in the last 10 games and looking for anything that can help create positive momentum. Unfortunately for Detroit, the Colorado Avalanche are almost unbeatable on the road this season.

Pick: Colorado Avalanche

Goaltending

One of the single most important factors in determining if a team can win in the NHL is whether or not it has good goaltending. NHL goalies tend to play differently on the road than they do at home, so take that into consideration when picking your teams. Goalies are usually either consistently good, or consistently bad. Be sure you know who is starting in goal before placing your bet.

Goal Scoring

Some teams score goals in bunches, while other tend to score consistently. It is best to bet on teams that score consistently because they manage to find ways to get past the better defensive teams. The teams that score in streaks not only drive NHL fans crazy, but they can also be bad bets.

Injuries

Just like any other sport, NHL teams are affected by key injuries. But before judging the effect of injuries, take a look at the players that the team puts in to replace key players. The Pittsburgh Penguins lost superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for most of the year last season, but the team still dominated. A team with a very strong defense can overcome injuries to offensive players easier than an offensive team can survive injuries to key defensive players.

Tampa Bay Lighting At Washington Capitals – In a rematch of round two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Washington Capitals welcome the Tampa Bay Lighting. The last time these two hooked up, the Lighting sent the Capitals back to the drawing board, as they were swept in rather convincing fashion. One of the main issues the Capitals had was that they were using a rookie goaltender in current backup Michael Neuvrith. This offseason, the Capitals agreed to a one year deal with veteran goalie Tomas Vokun, with the belief that Vokun could be the deciding factor in a Stanley Cup run.

Despite the embarrassing second round exit at the hands of Tampa Bay five months ago, the Washington Capitals are a sports betting favorite to win the Cup this season. As we noted earlier, Vokun will be the dark horse for the Capitals success, as the team’s new approach to defense, will be irrelevant if he struggles out of the gate. Look for Washington to make a statement against the Lightning as they try to exorcise past demons.

Carolina Hurricanes At New Jersey Devils – Both the Hurricanes and Devils will aim to put last season’s playoff misses in the rear view mirror. Carolina is shaping up to be more of a Toronto Maple Leafs castoff center then Calgary, as the additions of Tim Brent, Tomas Kaberle and Alexi Ponikarovsky to a team that already includes Jay Harrison, and Jiri Tlusty, makes fans wonder what exactly is going on.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, the return of Zach Parise can only mean good things for one of the oldest cash strapped teams in the NHL. On paper, the veteran lineup of the Devils should have more firepower. Yet, this is the same team that ranked dead last in goals a year ago. Pick: Carolina.

Texas A&M Arkansas Odds – Saturday, 12:00 PM ET

The No.14 Aggies are 2.5-point favorites in this neutral-site affair in Dallas in the latest edition of the Southwest Classic, which resumed two years ago. The No.18 Razorbacks have won both meetings with Texas A&M in Dallas, and both of those games have fallen under the posted total.

Clemson Virginia Tech Odds – Saturday, 3:30 PM ET

The No.11 Hokies are favored by a touchdown at home against the No.13 Tigers in this ACC showdown according to most price per head services, and they’re 3-0 in Blacksburg against Clemson since 1999, covering the spread on all three occasions. Two meetings went under the posted total (there was no total in 1999), which is likely down to a Virginia Tech defense that is consistently good.

Alabama Florida Odds – Saturday, 8:00 PM ET

Finally, the No.3 Crimson Tide are favored by 3.5 points in Gainesville, where they are 1-3 SU and 2-2 ATS in their last four trips to “The Swamp”. There have been totals in the last two meetings, and one went over the posted total, but you can expect this to be a defensive showdown and a low-scoring affair when you bet football online this weekend.