Home / Handicapper Guide / Big Al McMordie

Articles by Big Al McMordie

Sort By In
  20 articles found
Penn State at 11-1 Odds
Big Al McMordie Oct 13, 2008
If you’ve every played billiards or chess, you know that the best players don’t simply go shot to shot or move to move. Rather, they think two or three moves ahead. A pool player uses the current shot to smartly set up his next shot, and so on. There’s a similarity in sports wagering, as well. A ...  read more

Crushing Losses and Tailspins
Big Al McMordie Oct 9, 2008
What characterized the Detroit Lions of 2007? A team that started 6-2 and had postseason visions, only to collapse and miss the playoffs. It was a team in a total tailspin the second half of the season. They couldn’t win (1-7) or cover games (1-7 ATS). Teams can feel helpless when the wheels fal ...  read more

NFL Notes
Big Al McMordie Sep 24, 2008

Everyone talks about the great parts of football teams. The Broncos' new-look passing attack, QBs Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Donovan McNabb, or coaches like Andy Reid, Mike Shanahan and Tom Coughlin. But sports bettors can also find winning ATS opportunities by going AGAINST certain things ...  read more

NCAA Football Surprise ATS Teams in 2008
Big Al McMordie Aug 28, 2008
College football season kicks off this weekend. While all the attention is focused on teams like Florida, USC and defending champion LSU, sports bettors are more interested in teams that are going to cover the weekly number. Every year there are teams that rise and fall based on expectations.

...  read more


The Dogs Are Out
Big Al McMordie Aug 21, 2008
It’s not your imagination: The Dogs have been barking loudly this NFL preseason. In Week 1 the dogs were 9-5-2 against the number, which is not unusual with the first look at all the teams. But Week 2 was even more extreme, with the underdogs going 11-4 ATS (with one game lined at PK'em).

Two ...  read more


Let The Games Begin!
Big Al McMordie Aug 3, 2008
Football is king and August kicks off the 2008 football season. Yes, exhibition football is largely meaningless for the players and coaches, with starters sitting more than playing. Yet, there are plenty of wagering angles and insights available to help identify soft betting numbers.

Teams ha ...  read more


NFL Season Win Totals: A Forecast
Big Al McMordie Jul 10, 2008
<>With the NFL season just around the corner, this is good time to look at what might happen this fall on the gridiron. Future numbers are out for each team. A year ago in this column I looked at the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were projected at 8 ½ wins, and wrote: “Jacksonville might have been the b ...  read more

Inside Baseball Trends
Big Al McMordie Jun 27, 2008
Baseball is unique for sports bettors because teams play in very different parks. Some parks are huge, perfect for pitchers (Seattle, Oakland, NY Mets) with large outfields and plenty of foul ground for extra pop outs. Other parks (many more so these days) are small, hitter-friendly places (Fenwa ...  read more

Handicapping Baseball Defense
Big Al McMordie Jun 19, 2008
It's important for a team to have strong defense at key positions such as outfield, shortstop and catcher. Defense at centerfield, shortstop and catcher are where the term "Strong up the middle comes from." Good teams use defense to assist their pitching, turn double plays and help keep team ERAs ...  read more

Rise and Fall of AL Totals
Big Al McMordie Jun 12, 2008
Successful handicappers need to keep track daily of changes in baseball of things that may influence the side and total of a game. The Red Sox, for instance, went three straight games under the total when slugger David Ortiz went on the shelf with a wrist injury. When they got shut out by the Marine ...  read more

Back to the Future
Big Al McMordie Jun 2, 2008
There's no doubt what the theme of the 2008 NBA Finals is: Back to the Future! Celtics/Lakers is going to have producers combing through archival NBA playoff footage from the 60s and 80s, with Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain crashing the boards, and Larry Bird and Magic Johnson running the break i ...  read more

NBA Playoff Notes: Adjustments and Defense
Big Al McMordie May 25, 2008
For the record, 75% of NBA teams in a 1-1 series that win Game 3 go on to win that series. That will give a little comfort to the Celtics after their surprisingly easy win in Game 3. It is already shaping up as an odd series. After home teams dominated the last round, the Celtics and Pistons then ...  read more

Baseball's Post Steroid Era.
Big Al McMordie May 18, 2008
It’s not your imagination: Nobody is scoring runs! Home runs are down 20% from two years ago. It’s tough to clarify exactly why this is the case, but one answer might be cool weather. Historically home run hitters start slow as April and May have cooler weather, which helps pitchers. Sluggers don’t ...  read more

What's Wrong With....
Big Al McMordie May 11, 2008
Each baseball season expectations are strong for most teams, at least as far as improvement. Then the season starts. Suddenly, things don’t go quite according to plan. Some teams play better than expected, others stumble through hitting slumps or injuries. Fortunately, it’s only May, so there is ple ...  read more

NBA Playoffs Strategic Adjustments
Big Al McMordie May 4, 2008
It's the time of the season where NBA coaches REALLY earn their money. The NBA Playoffs is largely about three key points: Talent, defense, and adjustments. Naturally, you can't win without talent on the court. Defense is another key, as well as strategic adjustments by the coaching staff. If yo ...  read more

NBA Stretch Run Notes
Big Al McMordie Apr 7, 2008
In the East, the Celtics and Pistons have wrapped up the No. 1 and 2 seeds. In the West, it’s a different story, with the Hornets, Spurs and Lakers all with a shot at No. 1. The amazing Hornets are certainly playing like a hungry team that wants that No. 1 slot, on a 9-1 SU, 8-2 ATS run. It will be ...  read more

Streaking/Slumping Toward the Finish Line
Big Al McMordie Mar 31, 2008
As we come down the home stretch of the NBA season, it’s a great time to utilize a different handicapping angle. Namely, are teams motivated to finish strong? Or have they given up? Teams fighting for playoff berths are the most obvious at being extra-motivated.

But other times, even teams wit ...  read more


Down the Stretch
Big Al McMordie Mar 23, 2008
There are a couple of key points to keep in mind from a handicapping perspective as the NBA season begins to wind down. One is that this is the end of a long season. That means teams have had to endure a lot of road trips, airline flights, and all the difficulties that hinder a professional team awa ...  read more

More Tourney Tips
Big Al McMordie Mar 10, 2008
If you didn't get enough madness this weekend, or were out of town, don't sweat it. You get to go mad all over again! This is a unique week as teams play for conference titles with trips to the postseason play at stake. One of the great parts of March tournament play is the amount of sidebars that c ...  read more

NCAA Tourney Tips
Big Al McMordie Mar 10, 2008
Many times during the season, and even in some conference tournament games, you can find teams that are less likely interested in wanting to play hard. That is, they know they’re going to get hammered, or they’ve slumped so badly down the stretch that they realize they have no shot at going anywhere ...  read more


 
©Copyright 2008 Free Sports Betting Picks. All rights reserved. No portion of freesportsbettingpicks.com may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form.
Web design & hosting by www.VMG-interactive.com