by Sonny Palermo, team handicapper at www.sportsmemo.com

Allow me to present to you one of my burger analogies:

Let's say you go into Mickey D's and ask for a Big Mac. And they tell you the menu is changed, and they only offer hamburgers now. No more Big Mac's, no more Quarter Pounders, no more of those funky pseudo-chicken McNugett things.

Ya can't even get a cheeseburger -  just plain, old regular burgers.

You'd be pissed, right?

But whose fault would it be?

You would say theirs for limiting their menu, I would say yours - because that's what ya get for eating at Mickey D's in the first place.

What if you said, "OK, I'll take a burger, but hold the pickles" and they replied,

"Hey, Burgerboy, you see the sign out front? Does it say Burger King? No, I don't think so. It says Mickey D's, and if you want one of our burgers you're gonna get it our way. And that means with pickles. You want it your way? Go to Burger King and tell it to the guy with the giant freak-head."

You'd be pissed, right? You'd feel short changed, ripped off, right?

So, you wouldn't accept a limited menu from a fast food joint, but you have no problem accepting a limited menu when it comes to something as important as wagering options? Does that make sense to you?

Of course not.

Let me give you three reasons why you shouldn't limit your wagering options.

#1 - You need multiple "outs"

If you don't have multiple outs you are costing yourself money, it's as simple and basic as that. Players seem to be more aware of this, and more willing to shop for lines, during footballseason, as football is the most popular sport from a betting standpoint.

But football teams play once a week. Basketball and baseball are EVERY DAY SPORTS. Doesn't it make even more sense to have multiple outs for daily sports?

Last week I had a play on San Antonio; three books I follow had the game at  Spurs - 3' one had it at -3. Guess where my money went? And when SA won by three points I made money because I did not lose money, because I know of multiple outs.

Don't limit your action to one or two books.

#2 - You need multiple types of wagers

So, last night I sent in my first 2 unit KO Play of the post-All Star break NBA season.

I saw that SM decided to use it in a combination package with the top rated play of two other cappers. I imagined the phone calls went like this: "Yeah, I'd like to buy the 3-pack, what do ya got? OK, capper #1 has team A minus 3 points, got it, OK, and capper #2 has Over 195 in the TNT TV game, cool, and Palermo has  . . .what??!!  Over 43 in the fourth quarter of the Clippers/Spurs game? Where the hell does he come up with this stuff, and where the hell am I going to get that wager?"

I  "come up with this stuff" by doing extensive stat work, and then running the numbers through various calculations, mining for gold in the form of high Win %'s. With the Spurs play I isolated a spot where the books make lines one certain way, for all NBA teams, but the Spurs are an anomaly in a certain spot, and were a high % play based on standard bookmaking practice.

As for where are you going to get these plays? The Greek, Pinnacle, and 5 Dimes offer the variety you need.

Being a big boxing fan I like 5Dimes, because they offer more options and early lines. Greek is cool for Q4's, and Pinny has a solid selection, too.

"But Sonny, I can't get money in those places."

I'm not asking anyone to break any laws, this is all for information purposes anyway, right? (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)


But where there's a will, there's a way. A sports bettor has to be like a good boy scout (no, not a possible ped in the making, I mean he has to be thrifty, and industrious, or whatever the hell it is that they say when they mean if you're lost in the woods you have to be smart enough to adapt and survive.)

#3 - You need to NOT limit your bankroll.

And that is exactly what you are doing by being close-minded and betting only the standard sides and totals.


Remember:  "Money can't buy every thing it's true, but what it can't buy I can't use." (B Strong)

and . . .

"Money, it's a gas." (P Floyd)

and . . .

 "Money is the most important thing in the world and I don't ever intend to be without it again." (Scarlett O'H.)

and . .

"One dollar for eternal happiness? I'd be happier with the dollar."

Monty Burns

OK, maybe for this column's purpose we'll skip that last one.

But since it's tournament time, let me try an apt analogy - would you limit yourself to bets in only the Mid-west bracket?  Of course not.  Because you'd be limiting your opportunity to find winners, and thus add to your bankroll.

If you can see that clearly, you should be able to see how severely limited you are by not having multiple outs and using various types of wagers.


If you can't, then enjoy your plain burger. With pickles . . .

Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention, Q4 in LAC/SA came in at 44 points for a winner. Close one you say, but know this - the Clips were the WORST possible opponent for this play, and I still made it a 2 unit KO, and it still won.

What do you think is going to happen when a more suited opponent is facing the Spurs in this spot?

I'm about 90%-plus sure that I know . . .
 
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