Tuesday was spent, as usual, in the Tuley’s Takes home office writing the regular weekly version of this column for Point Spread Weekly on the Sweet 16.
It turned out to be a very profitable day as we won our Best Bet on the Rangers-Devils First Period Over 1.5 -135 to improve to 26-11-1 ATS (70.3 percent) the past 38 days. We were getting a short price because the Rangers are actually one of the best 1P Under teams, but it worked out as the Rangers scored 2 goals to win our bet. As I wrote to someone on Twitter, we love betting the Devils in these wagers but the fact is they average 1.0 goals per 1st Period and allowed 1.13 goals per 1st Period, so a big part of the bet is the fact their aggressive, relentless style often gives opportunities to their opponents.
We lost our secondary NHL 1P Over play on the Blue Jackets-Penguins (which we used in a small parlay), but that’s why we also stressed our top play was betting Rangers-Devils straight.
We added to our profits as we won with Vanderbilt + 3.5 vs. Xavier in a 75-73 loss at Xavier. The Commodores jumped out to an 8-1 lead and led most of the game before having to hold on to the cover late. We hope our readers were along for both winners. On a personal note, we also hit a three-player parlay on our VSiN colleague Gill Alexander’s tennis picks on Tuesday, so that added to our day.
A reader on Twitter, @DavidAl75677617 said I should tout GIll. I replied from my @ViewFromVegas account: “Regular @VSiNLive listeners/viewers of "A Numbers Game" or readers of our FREE morning newsletters don't need me to tell them that @beatingthebook (aka Gill Alexander) is da man when it comes to tennis wagering, but consider this my endorsement :) GLA”
My point is that we’re all in this together and I do recommend that my readers totally immerse themselves in the VSiN lifestyle if they’re regular sports bettors. We cover the whole gamut of the sports betting universe here at VSiN on both the broadcast side and the written side. There is a ton of information shared every day. Of course, as I’ve always maintained as a journalist covering the sports betting beat in Vegas, people want you to apply your opinions in an actionable way instead of just talking about it. We don’t tout here at VSiN, but instead share our picks and let readers combine them with their own handicapping to make their own decisions.
Let’s get to the recaps of Tuesday’s action and then try to continue our winning ways on Wednesday as we wait for the Sweet 16 on Thursday and Friday.
Tuesday’s recaps
CBB: In the NIT quarterfinals, St. Bonaventure (+ 2.5, + 125 money line) upset Virginia 52-51 (game stayed Under 123.5) and Xavier (-2.5) beat Vanderbilt 75-73, but did NOT cover the spread (went Over 143.5), to set up one NIT semifinal matchup next Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
NBA: Faves went 3-1 SU on Tuesday with the lone upset by the Magic (+ 7.5 in 94-90 win vs. Warriors. The Hawks (-3.5 in 117-111 win at Knicks), Bucks (-6.5 in 126-98 rout vs. Bulls) and Nuggets (-6.5 in 127-115 win vs. Clippers) covered as faves. Over/Unders split 2-2 on the night.
NHL: Faves went 7-3 Tuesday with the Kraken-Coyotes game closing pick-'em. The upsets were by the Devils (+ 130 in 7-4 win vs. Rangers), Blues (+ 129 in 5-2 win at Capitals) and Sharks (+ 260 in 4-3 win at Flames). Overs 6-4-1 with the push in the Kraken's 4-2 win at the Coyotes with a betting total of 6 goals.
Wednesday’s Takes
Devils-Maple Leafs First-Period Over 1.5 -135: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We get the Devils on a back-to-back, so we like our chances as they should be more likely to give up early goals to the Maple Leafs, who are also a 1P Over team at 38-24 on the season (all betting stats via @PSUOtto on Twitter). For those who haven’t been following along, the Devils are on a 30-7 1P Over run and 43-20 (68.25 percent) on the season. For those also following along with my VSiN colleague Pauly Howard, the Devils are on a 30-4 run with the “will there be a score in the first 10 minutes” prop, which is certainly correlated with my best bet.
Washington State + 3.5 at BYU: Both dogs covered in the NIT quarterfinals on Tuesday in very close games, so I’m making a small play on Washington State on Wednesday. This game should be a coin-flip as well. BetMGM has the 3.5, though most books at 2.5 so shop around. For chalk bettors, I have Texas A&M (-2.5) as the right side against Wake Forest in the other NIT quarterfinal.
Good luck today (and every day!).