Hockey Picks, March 29th

One game stands out on a busy NHL schedule.

$35 on St. Louis (-210) over Dallas

The Blues are 29-9 at home this season while the Stars are 14-21 on the highway. St. Louis has won 2 of the 3 match ups this season and have won 7 of the last 9 versus Dallas. Both teams are playing well, with the Stars winning 3 of their last 4 and the Blues running off 3 straight wins, outscoring their opponents 11-4.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                       $18.75
Current Bankroll                           $1,518.75

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Hockey Picks, March 28th

One game looks good on tonight's hockey menu.

$16 on Anaheim (-160) over Edmonton

The Ducks have beaten the Oilers six straight, including twice this season. Over the last 18 games between the two, Anaheim has won 16 of them. The Ducks have won 4 of their last 6 and the Oilers have lost 3 in a row, getting outscored 16-4.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                       $34.75
Current Bankroll                           $1,534.75

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Basketball Picks, March 28th

A couple NCAA Tournament games look promising.

$11 @ -105 on Michigan (-2) over Tennessee

Both teams are playing well, with the two seed Wolverines winning 9 of 10 and the #11 seed Vols 8 of 9. Michigan has played a tougher schedule, so they get the nod. MGM Mirage has the best line.

$11 @ -105 on Iowa State (-1 1/2) over Conneticut

The #3 Cyclones have won 6 straight. The #7 Huskies have won 4 of 5. UConn has played their conference tourneys at Madison Square Garden the past few years (except this year), so they will be more familiar with their surroundings.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      $118.75
Current Bankroll                           $1,618.75

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Hockey Picks, March 27th

We finally have a game worth a look.

$20 on St. Louis (-200) over Minnesota

The Blues are 25-9 on home ice this season while the Wild are 14-22 on foreign soil. St. Louis has beaten Minnesota 8 straight, including 3 times this season. The Wild have dropped 5 of their last 7. LV Wynn has the best line.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                       $24.75
Current Bankroll                           $1,524.75

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Texas Lottery Chronicles- Bonus Weekly Grand

Our fourth ticket in our chronicle series is titled "Bonus Weekly Grand." The ticket has three separate games, with the top prize of $2.500 per week for 20 years. Nice!

Odds of winning a prize on the ticket is about 4-1 against, but I'm due. So, with crossed fingers, here we go!

The object of Game 1 is to have three matching prize amounts and you win that prize. Should you get two matches, plus a "Stack of Cash" symbol, you win double the prize amount. Reveal three "GRAND" symbols and you win the big one, $2,500 a week for 20 years.

As you can see, nothing matches on the top row. Hopefully the bottom row will bring a pleasant surprise.

The bottom row brings no relief as nothing matches.

Strike one.

The second game is simple. Match two of the three symbols and you win $50 "instantly." I'm really hoping to win this one just to see a $50 bill magically appear in my hand..."instantly."

Well, it looks like my fifty bucks will appear in someone else's hand.

Strike two.

The third and final game on our ticket today is similar to the card game "Battle" or "War." If our number is higher than their number, we win that prize. Should a "2X" symbol appear, we double our prize. Finally, if the prize we win is marked "GRAND," then we win the grand prize, which is $2,500 a week for 20 years.

After scratching off the left side of the ticket, it looks like we whiffed again, so now we're down to our final three lines.

Things can only get better...or stay the same :)

Looks like another swing and a miss on the right side of the ticket.

Strike three. And we're out.

Look on the bright side though, that's a big amount of money we didn't win!

Tickets                       4
Winners                      0
Investment             $20.00
Winnings                  $0
Net                        ($20.00)

Basketball and Hockey Picks, March 26th

I know it's been a few days since I've made any picks on basketball or hockey, but I just haven't seen any games that are strong enough to put a few shekels on. I'll be sure to post them as soon as I do.

In the meantime, while you wait...

 

Basketball Picks, March 22nd

One NBA game looks good.

$11 @ -105 on Philadelphia (+17) over Chicago

The Sixers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 outings. Da' Bulls have failed to cover in their last 4 games. Seventeen is a lot of points for an NBA game.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      $108.25
Current Bankroll                           $1,608.25

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Basketball Picks, March 20th

One game looks good on the first full night of the NCAA Tourney.

$22 on Oregon (-215) over BYU

The Ducks have won 8 of their last 9 and are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7. The Cougars have won 6 of 7, but are 0-3 ATS in their last 3. Main man Collinsworth is out for BYU with a blown knee. That will hurt them. Oregon won the only match up between the two this season 100-96 (OT) at home. And that was with Collinsworth playing 41 minutes for the Cougs.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      $98.00
Current Bankroll                           $1,598.00

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Basketball Picks, March 19th

One game on tap tonight that's worth a gander.

$11 @ -105 on Illinois (-2 1/2) over Boston

The Fighting Illini have won 5 of their last 7 and are 6-5 on the highway this season. The Terriers have won 9 of their last 11 and sport an 11-5 home record. Illinois played a much tougher schedule.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      $87.50
Current Bankroll                           $1,587.50

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Hockey Picks, March 17th

Although it's a short schedule, two games are worth a look.

$18 on Boston (-175) over Minnesota

The Bruins have run off 8 straight wins, outscoring their opponents 33-12. Thet also have a stellar 27-9 record on home ice. The Wild are 12-20 in enemy territory and have dropped 4 of 5 overall.

$23 on St. Louis (-230) over Winnipeg

The Blues have won 7 of their last 8 games. They've won 3 straight against the Jets and 6 of the last 7. Winnipeg has struggled since the break, losing 6 of their last 7.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                       $4.50
Current Bankroll                           $1,504.50

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Back2Back Bay-Bee!

Our Vegas or Bust Poker League met last Friday for the eleventh of twelve league tournaments. At stake are two seats to this summer's WSOP and an all expenses paid trip to Vegas for our top two finishers.

I was fortunate to win first place in our league last year and parlayed that into a WSOP cash, which you can read about here.

I was solidly in second place this year and could wrap up my seat with a high finish last Friday. Philly Phanatic was closest to me in the standings, followed by Ranger Rick. My primary goal was to keep both at bay and in a perfect world, put enough distance between us to clinch second place.

Things didn't start well, as Philly doubled up early with aces full of jacks, out-boating Big Daddy's jacks full of aces. I was able to build my stack steadily at the early levels, but tried to avoid any big pots. The one thing I couldn't afford was busting early.

Big Daddy busted first, followed by Rick, which was very good for me. Now Philly was my only concern.

League leader Lil' Annie Okie and Philly were both felted on the same hand when Tin Man boated on the river. Philly frittered away his big stack by playing too many hands out of position, but it put me in a great position to add a little daylight between myself and third place.

Dealer Larry and Bobby Dee were next to fall on their swords, both at the hands of Tin Man, who acted as executioner for over half of the table.

J-Dawg was next, followed by Stamps.

Tin Man and I were now heads-up, but he had a 4-1 chip advantage. I was able to win a hand or two, but busted when my Q-7 hit middle pair on the flop and I pushed. Tin Man had paired his king and I was unable to improve, so it was adios Duck.

Although I would have loved to win the tournament, my second place finish garnered me enough points to move into first place, but more importantly, to clinch no worse than second place in the league.

Las Vegas here I come!

Again!

April is our final tournament and my main objective will be to win first place in the league again. Going into it I have a 1 point lead over Annie, who has also wrapped up a seat. Click here for the latest standings.

Till next time, win the flips.

Hockey Picks, March 15th

One match up on the ice tonight is worth a peek.

$16 on St. Louis (-160) over Nashville

The Blues are 4-0 versus the Predators this season, outscoring them 16-7. St. Louis has won 6 of their last 7 and Nashville has won 3 in a row. The Blues are 21-12 on the highway this season and the Preds are 15-20 on home ice and are 1-5 in their last 6.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      ($5.50)
Current Bankroll                           $1,494.50

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Basketball Picks, March 15th

One game on the college schedule looks interesting.

$11 @ -105 on Michigan (-1 1/2) over Ohio State

The Wolverines whipped the Buckeyes 70-60 in Columbus last month. Michigan has won 6 straight and OSU has won 3 in a row. The Buckeyes haven't covered in their last 5 games.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      $77.00
Current Bankroll                           $1,577.00

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Hockey Picks, March 13th

One game on the ice looks good.

$34 on Boston (-170) over Phoenix

Both teams are playing well, but the Bruins are red hot, winning 6 in a row and outscoring their opponents 26-10 during the stretch. Phoenix has won 4 of 5.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      ($25.50)
Current Bankroll                           $1,474.50

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Basketball Picks, March 13th

Two games in the hoops world are worth a peek.

$21 @ -105 on Iowa State (-2 1/2) over Kansas State

The two teams split their season series. The Cyclones have won 5 of their last 6 games and the Wildcats are 2-2 in their last 4. K-State is 3-7-1 ATS versus ISU in their last 11 match ups.

$11 @ -105 on Idaho (-2 1/2) over UMKC

Gotta love the team nicknames in this one. Vandals versus Kangaroos! Idaho has won 4 of their last 5 and Missouri-Kansas City 3 of 4, with the loss being to the Vandals.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      $46.50
Current Bankroll                           $1,546.50

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Basketball Picks, March 11th

One game of roundball is worth a bet.

$11 on Mississippi Valley State (PK) over Prairie View A&M

Both teams are terrible, but MVSU has beaten PVAMU 5 of the last 6 times they've met, including twice this season. The Valley Men have dropped 8 of 9 and the Ags 7 straight. Someone has to win. Right?

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      $57.50
Current Bankroll                           $1,557.50

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Hockey Picks, March 11th

A couple games look good on tonight's NHL menu.

$19 on Pittsburgh (-190) over Washington

The Penguins have beaten the Caps three times this season and 7 straight overall. They have won 3 of their last 4 and are 23-6 on home ice. Washington has dropped 4 of 5 and are 12-20 on foreign soil this season.

$20 on St. Louis (-200) over Dallas

The Blues have won both games against the Stars this season, outscoring them 9-3. St. Louis has won 7 of the last 8 versus Dallas. Currently they are on a 5 game winning streak. The Stars are playing well lately, winning 3 of 4. The Blues are 23-8 on home ice and Dallas has won 13 of 30 on the highway.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      ($15.50)
Current Bankroll                           $1,484.50

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

hot, Hot, HOT!

Although I haven't posted about it lately, I'm still playing in home poker games two nights a week. On Tuesdays I host a $20 buy-in, dealer's choice limit cash game and on Fridays I play a $5 buy-in Texas hold'em tournament, followed by a $2 buy-in NLHE cash game at Tin Man's home.

Lately I haven't had much success. It seems I can't get any decent starting hands, and the infrequent times I do, the board never improves my hand. As a result, I've been bleeding money for the last 4-5 weeks as my slump continued. We've all been thru them before, but it ain't no fun while you're in the middle of one. Fortunately we play for small potatoes, so even with all my bad luck I have only dropped around $30.

My slump continued in the tournament his past Friday at Tin Man's and I finished fifth out of nine players. However, once the $2 buy-in cash game began everything turned around in a big way.

My opening hand was pocket jacks. Every time I get them, I remember the old adage "There are two ways to play jacks, and both of them are wrong!"

This time it worked out well. Big Daddy was the only one who called my 3X raise from UTG. The J high flop gave me top set, but it also gave Big Daddy an open ender. I was hoping my luck might be turning when he didn't complete his straight and I doubled up.

After that, the deck kept hitting me in the face time after time. When the dust settled and we cashed in our chips, I walked away with $43. I know it's not much, but if you consider that $43 equals 21 buy ins, you realize what a big night it was. Another way to look at it is to compare it to a $200 buy-in at a $1-2 game in Vegas and walking away with $4,300 in your pocket. How often does that happen?

We have our monthly Vegas or Bust League tournament this Friday. I'm hoping my luck continues and I can wrap up one of the WSOP seats again this year. I'll let you know how it turns out next week.

Till next time, win the flips.

Basketball Picks, March 10th

One game on the schedule looks good.

$21 @ -105 on Northern Illinois (-2 1/2) over Bowling Green

The Huskies are 9-7 at home this season, but have won their last 4. They beat the Falcons on their home court in an ugly one (45-36) in January. BGU is 1-5 in their last 6 and are 4-10 on the highway this season. NIU is 10-0-2 ATS in their last 12 games.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      $37.50
Current Bankroll                           $1,537.50

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Basketball Picks, March 9th

One game on the college basketball docket is worth a peek.

$11 @ -105 on Florida Gulf Coast (-1 1/2) over Mercer

FCU is 14-1 at home this season and beat Mercer by 14 this season. Both teams are playing well, with FCU winning 6 of 7 and Mercer 4 of 5.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      $48.50
Current Bankroll                           $1,548.50

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Basketball Picks, March 7th

Three conference tournament games on tap tonight look promising.

$32 @ -105 on Valparaiso (-4) over Wisc-Milwaukee

The Crusaders have whipped the Panthers twice this season, by an average of 14 ppg. Valpo has walked away a winner the last 5 times these teams have met. The Panthers have won 2 straight after losing their previous 4. The Crusaders are 2-2 in their last 4.

$11 @ -105 on Wright State (-3) over Oakland

The Raiders beat the Golden Grizzlies twice this season and have won 4 straight against them overall. Oakland has won 3 of their last 4 and Wright State is on a 4 game winning streak.

$11 @ -105 on Northern Iowa (-4 1/2) over Southern Illinois

The two teams split their season series. Both are playing well right now, with the Panthers sporting a 3 game winning streak and the Salukis winning 3 of 4.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      $81.00
Current Bankroll                           $1,581.00

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Hockey Picks, March 6th

It's been a while, but after a long break for the Olympics, hockey is back! I wanted to let the teams get a few games under their belt before risking any money. Tonight's schedule presents one game that looks good.

$15 on St. Louis (-145) over Nashville

The Blues have won a couple in a row and are 3-0 against the Predators this season, outscoring them 14-7. Nashville has dropped 2 in a row and are 1-5 in their last 6 games.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      ($25.75)
Current Bankroll                           $1,474.25

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Basketball Picks, March 6th

Two conference tournament games look like opportunities to bank a few bucks.

$21 @ -105 on Portland (-3 1/2) over Loyola-Chicago

Neither team is playing well as evidenced by the Pilots 4 game losing streak and the Lions 1-8 record in their last 9 outings. But, Portland has won 4 of the last 5 match ups between the two teams including 2 wins this season over the Lions.

$21 @ -105 on Bradley (-2) over Loyola-Marymount

Again, a match up of two teams not playing well. The Braves are 1-5 in their last 6 and the Ramblers have stumbled six straight times. Bradley matches up well with LMU, winning both games this season by a total of 26 points.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      $123.00
Current Bankroll                           $1,623.00

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Basketball Picks, March 5th

A couple NBA games look interesting.

$20 on Golden State (-195) over Boston

The Warriors have won 6 of their last 8 and have already beaten the Celtics onco this season. Boston has lost 6 of 7 and have only won 12 home games in 30 tries this season. Golden State is 19 -14 on the highway.

$20 on Indiana (-190) over Charlotte

The Pacers have won 5 straight over the Bobcats, including twice this season. Indiana has won 5 of their last 6 and Charlotte has dropped 3 in a row. The Pacers are 17-10 on foreign soil and the Cats are 15-14 at home.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      $132.50
Current Bankroll                           $1,632.50

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Basketball Picks, March 4th

One game looks good in the hoops world tonight.

$14 on Michigan (-135) over Illinois

The #12 Wolverines bring a 21-7 record to the party and have whipped the Illini 5 straight times. Michigan has won 4 of their last 5. Illinois has played better of late, winning three straight and are an impressive 10-5 on their home court. Michigan is 6-4 on the highway this season.

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      $122.00
Current Bankroll                           $1,622.00

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!

Texas Lottery Chronicles-"Cash Machine"

Today's entry is titled "Cash Machine." Let's hope it is.

Top prize is $100K and we have 20 chances to win a prize. The top of the ticket has five "winning" numbers. We are hoping to match one of those numbers to win a prize. Other chances to win include getting a "money bag" symbol of a "stack of cash" symbol. The "stack of cash" symbol doubles the prize amount. Sweet!

Overall odds of winning a prize are 3.3 to 1.

Let's get started, shall we?

After scratching off the "winning" numbers row, we'll be looking to match the following five numbers: 27, 34, 30, 18, and 24. My birthday is on the 27th, so that's a good thing. Right?

The prizes varied from $5 to $1,000 on the first two lines of the ticket, and as has been our wont, we whiffed on all the numbers. After not winning anything on our first two tickets, and now half of this one, I'd say we're due to hit something.

Onward we go.

The third line included the big one... $100K, but our number didn't match. We also missed on the other four prizes on the line, so now we're one line away from losing our five bucks.

We got another shot at the big prize on the last line, plus a couple chances at $500. Not bad if you can hit one of them, which we can't. So after buying three straight losing tickets in our little experiment, the math (3.3 to 1) indicates that the next one should be a winner :)

Unfortunately for us, "Cash Machine" turned out to be exactly that... for the state of Texas.

Tickets                        3
Winners                      0
Investment             $15.00
Winnings                  $0
Net                        ($15.00)

Basketball Picks, March 1st

Three games look good on the Saturday schedule.

$11 @ -105 on Indiana State (-2 1/2) over Northern Iowa

$11 @ -105 on UNLV (-4) over Air Force

$11 @ -105 on Minnesota (-3) over Sacramento

Starting Bankroll                           $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                      $112.00
Current Bankroll                           $1,612.00

All picks are for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good luck!