Double Down on Saturday's Rebel Stakes

In a rare twist of scheduling at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, Saturday's Grade 2 Rebel Stakes gives horse bettors a chance to bet on a major Kentucky Derby prep race twice. Due to track problems at Santa Anita Park that forced the cancellation of last Saturday's San Felipe Stakes, the 19-horse field for this year's Rebel Stakes was split into two divisions. The $1 million price purse was also increased to $750,000 for each race. The top four finishers in each race will also be awarded qualifying points for the 2019 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 4.

As part of my weekly horse racing coverage for the highly popular sports betting site Scores & Stats, I broke down the field for both of the Rebel Stakes divisions to come up with my top trifecta pick for each. Please click through the link below for my complete race preview.


LINK: 2019 Rebel Stakes Free Trifecta Pick

Cash In on Kyle Busch in Sunday's TicketGuardian 500

Each and every week of NASCAR's Cup Series schedule I break down the betting odds to win in search of the best value when it comes to picking a straight-up winner. Last Sunday, I cashed in on Joey Logano at longer +1150 odds when he crossed the finish line first at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as my top-valued contender.

One of my top picks to win this Sunday's race at ISM Raceway in Phoenix is Kyle Busch as a +375 second-favorite behind Kevin Harvick. Busch came close to winning this year's Daytona 500 and his recent track record in Phoenix features a second-place finish in this event last year followed a victory in the second race at this track late in the 2018 season.

For my complete race preview at SportsBettingStats.com along with my free top-valued favorite, contender and longshot betting picks, please click through the link below.


LINK: MONSTER ENERGY SERIES TICKETGUARDIAN 500 PICK

Rockets Should Keep Things Rolling in Toronto

Before the NBA regular season began, the betting futures to win the Western Conference suggested that the Houston Rockets were the only team that had a chance of knocking Golden State off its lofty perch. The Rockets remain a distant second-favorite on BetAnySports' updated NBA futures to win the conference at +825 while the Warriors remain the prohibitive favorite at -345.

In the midst a straight-up five-game winning streak, Houston is starting to play to form at the perfect time of the year. It is just one game back in the battle for third place in the Western Conference standings, but six full games behind the top-seeded Warriors. Gaining home court advantage through the conference semifinals would still help the cause.

In search of an underdog as a solid betting team for Tuesday's NBA games, I have a good feeling that Houston can go into Toronto and come away with the SU win as a 3.5-point road underdog with BetAnySports. At the very least, the Rockets should cover with the points.

For my full game preview and betting pick for Ask the Bookie sports betting website, please click through the link below to the site.


LINK: Dogs Ready to Bite the Book: Take Houston (+3.5) at Toronto

Tiger Wood's Betting Odds to Win a 2019 Major

The PGA Tour started its Florida swing this week with the Honda Open leading up to the early start of this year's Players Championship later this month. The big question on both golf fans and golf bettor's minds is can Tiger Woods break through this season with his first victory in a Major since 2008 when he won the US Open?

BetAnySports online sportsbook recently released its betting odds to win a Major this season and Woods is among three golfers that made my "best bet" list based on the value in their number. As part of my sports betting coverage for Scores & Stats, I covered this topic in detail at the link below.


LINK: Professional Golf Betting Odds to Win a 2019 Major

2019 MLB Futures 'Best Bets' - Win Totals

Spring training in both Arizona and Florida for all 30 MLB teams is underway with the first exhibition games on the slate for Friday, Feb. 22. The 162-game regular season schedule gets underway in April with wins and losses counting for real in the standings. BetAnySports online sportsbook has released its betting odds based on each team's projected win total this season with a moneyline for both the OVER and UNDER.

The Houston Astros have the highest total on the board at 96.5 wins. They are coming off a 103-win campaign in 2018. At the complete opposite end of the spectrum are the Baltimore Orioles after falling off the face of the earth last season at 47-115. They have the lowest projected total for wins this season at 60.5. When it comes to betting on projected MLB win totals, the best value for a play on the OVER tends to lie with a team at the bottom of last year's standings looking to take a big step forward this time around. If you are looking for a value play on the UNDER, a good place to start is with a winning team poised for a step backwards in 2019.

As part of my coverage of 2019 MLB futures for the popular sports betting site Scores & Stats, the link below highlights my top-valued bets for both the OVER and UNDER for win totals for the upcoming MLB regular season.


LINK: 2019 MLB Futures Betting - Total Wins

Warriors are Heavy Home Favorites Against Kings

The Golden State Warriors return to action this Thursday night as heavy 13.5-point home favorites against the Sacramento Kings. Going back to early January right up until the recent NBA All-Star break, the Warriors posted a straight-up 16-2 record over their last 18 games. While their performance on the court has them on top of the Western Conference standings at 41-16 SU, with just one cover on the closing number at BetAnySports online sportsbook in their last seven games, they are now 24-32-1 against the spread.

As part of my weekly sports betting coverage for Ask the Bookie, I am always looking for an underdog that is ready to bite the books. This week, I turned to Sacramento as a heavy dog on the road. They have lost their first three games this season against division rival Golden State SU, but the Kings have been able to cover in all three contests. Heading into Thursday night's game, they have covered in four of its last five road games against the Warriors. For my complete betting preview and free pick for this matchup, please click through the link below to Ask the Bookie.


LINK: Dogs Ready to Bite The Books- Sacramento at Golden State

2019 Daytona 500 Race Preview & Free Betting Picks

NASCAR's Cup Series kicks off its new season on Sunday with the biggest event of the year on the 36-race schedule. The annual running of the Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway is NASCAR's most sought after racing title next to winning the yearly racing championship. This Sunday's Great American Race features a 40-driver field in a slated 2:30 p.m. start on FOX.

As part of my weekly coverage of NASCAR for the sports betting website Sports Betting Stats, I have broken down Sunday's Daytona 500 field to come up with a trio of drivers that offer the best value in their odds at BetAnySports' online sportsbook to win as a top favorite, contender and longshot. This is one of the widest-open races all season long with any number of cars having a chance to win. Taking home the Daytona 500 title requires a fast car, tremendous patience and a whole lot of luck. Please click through the link below for my complete race preview and free betting picks.


LINK: NASCAR CUP SERIES BETTING - DAYTONA 500 PREDICTIONS