A Few Handy Online Casino Betting Tips

It occurred to us recently that when we talk about betting online, many of you don't quite know what exactly we are referring to. So, for you old fashioned types that still use your dad's sketchy friend as a bookie, you might want to heed some of the advice that was recently passed on to us regarding online casino betting.

Play Online Casino Games and Win Big

When you play casino games online, make sure you look for a secure network that you can rely on. The safer your site, the better you online casino experience will be!

Searching for a Safe and Secure Online Casino

Millions of people enter casino gaming sites every day like this site - http://www.casino.com/ca/casino-games/, and it is a top priority of the company to provide their members with a secure environment 100% of the time.  You want to be able to focus on your gaming strategy and finding the perfect blackjack or roulette game for you, and not have to think twice about whether or not your money is safe and secure.  Online gaming companies are continuously working on updating software and improving the experience of its members. 

Security on online gaming sites is by far one of the most important priorities for any company, and this is one reason why people keep coming back to play their favorite casino games day after day.  The software that you are able to download is secure and safe to use on any computer, with access anywhere in the world.  Many sites offer software in a wide range of languages, with members spanning the globe.

The Importance of Customer Support at Your Fingertips

Aside from the guaranteed security of your private information, one benefit of playing casino games online is the availability of help when you need it.  Casino gaming sites have a reputation of providing the best customer service and are available 24 hours a day, every single day of the year.  It doesn't matter where you are or when you are playing, you can always feel free to contact a customer service representative and receive the help you need.

So sign up at your favorite gaming site and download the secure software to start playing with real money.  The sooner you start, the sooner you walk away a winner.  Be sure you play a few rounds in practice mode to get the hang of it, and then create a real money account to start winning real cash prizes.

Entering the Age of the Personal Sportsbook

There's nothing like the thrill of placing a sports bet at a casino. The wide array of TVs, the gathering of anxious patrons, the overpriced concession food that somehow always hits the spot, and the palpable feeling of action in the air. It can't be beat.

It's like flipping through the yellowing pages of a used paperback, with each flip of the page inhaling the musty scent of the dozen libraries its belonged to. Holding a piece of literature in your hands is half the reason for reading the book in the first place, just like going to a sportsbook is all part of the experience of sports betting.

And yet, convenience will cause you to drop these essential elements of the experience quicker than you can close a pop up ad. Just as many modern readers prefer the Kindle to a hardcover book, many bettors prefer the ease of the iPhone to their hardened bookie. Through sites like http://www.mobilecasino.mobi/, the casino is in the palm of your hands, 24/7. All you have to do is find some crappy but oddly fulfilling concession food (Jack in the Box is a good substitute).

While those wagering on a mobile device may miss out on certain elements of the gambling experience, few of them will miss it. There are occasions when placing your wager and watching a game from a sportsbook are appealing, but if you bet every day, week, or even month, casinos become a chore. All the things you thought you enjoyed--the people, the food, the buzz--become annoyances in the way of your moneymaking. And they are a thousand times more annoying if you're moneylosing. There is a tremendous appeal to being able to bet from the comfort of your own coach, or bathroom, or secret sex dungeon, and that's exactly what mobile betting provides.

More and more we find ourselves sneaking in some blackjack on the iPad when we can't fall asleep at night, or conversely, hurriedly placing a wager on the early football games when a night of drinking turns into a morning of regret. No longer are hangovers a deterrent to our earning potential.

And, outside of our sex dungeon, we've found the convenience of the mobile to be greatly beneficial. We haggle over numbers and articles and game footage when it comes time to making our picks, and we rely on a combination of those things when we finally pick a side on a game. The problem, though, is that we arrive at our conclusion at various points in our day. In the shower, on a jog, out at dinner--something will click for us, no matter where we are, and we know which way we're picking. With mobile betting, we don't have to wait any longer than that moment to get in on the action at the best possible price.

There's not doubt that mobile betting--as with mobile anything--is on the rise as we become more and more technologically dependent as a society. But we don't think it will bring down the number of patrons in sportsbooks and casinos. Rather, it will introduce--and reintroduce--several others to the wonderful, and unbelievably convenient, world of sports betting.

Nike NFL Jerseys Dropping the Collar?

Last year, when Nike rolled out their version of the NFL uniforms, feared disaster was largely averted, as only minor changes (excepting the Oregon Seahawks) were made to most kits--that is, save for one major flaw in the new design.

Because of the NFL's new flywire collar technology, many teams were given a two-toned collar, which Uni-Watch has dubbed the Neck Roll--in honor of Eric Dickerson and the fashionably inept NFL of the 1980s.

Inexplicably, 11 uniforms were ruined by this annoyed toilet seat ring around the necks of the NFL's elite. But, it appears, progress is being made to alleviate the issue.

We were flipping through Nike.com's NFL shop and we noticed that the promo images for several previously collared teams no longer included such collarssal failure.

Both the Vikings and Dolphins revamped their uniforms, not surprisingly leaving the collar out to die, but five other teams appear to have ditched the Neck Roll look as well--the Ravens, Broncos, Redskins, Chargers, Bills and Buccaneers. Click the above photo to enlarge (or visit the individual links to the Nike pages).

Great news on all accounts. This welcome change would leave just the Bengals, Saints and Rams in collared hell. The Bengals' collar actually might benefit their clustered shoulders, upgrading them from chaos to organized chaos. The Rams' and particularly Saints' stand out a little more to us, but if we can contain this problem to the NFC South, we're in a lot better shape than we are a year ago. It wouldn't be the fist thing we hid in the south and then never spoke of again (we're talking to you, overt racism!).

Either way, if you couldn't tell by our nitpicking of NFL jerseys, this weekend's NFL Draft has once again successfully brought us full-steam ahead into football mode, so you can expect our content going forward to reflect as much.

Our Highly Anticipated 2013 NFL Mock Draft

Fair warning: if we're your source for NFL draft information, you need to learn how to use Google. Our annual mock draft is hardly a reliable predictor of how things will shake out, and our knowledge of each draft class is basically what we've gleaned from NFL Network and the first paragraph of ESPN Insider articles before they make you pay to read the rest. But we have this blog thing, and we like doing a horribly inaccurate mock draft every year, and so that's what we're going to do.

One of the reasons we love the draft an unhealthy amount is that you never know what's going to happen. And when you never know what's going to happen, it's fun to bet on what's going to happen.

When it comes to the annual draft, there are many sports betting options available for those looking to profit on the prospects. Draft bettors who visit Bovada sportsbook will know exactly what we're talking about. It's props galore!

The best part about all of this is that, every year, we're not all that much worse off than most of the rest of the mock drafts in early April, excepting our "bold" pick last year of RGIII going No. 1 to the Colts. And to help us out this year, we waited until the last possible minute to get it posted, to ensure accuracy and the fame that will come with it.

So, without further delay, Stock Lemon Blog is on the clock:

1. Kansas City Chiefs: Luke Joeckel, T, Texas A&M
2. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon
3. Oakland Raiders: Eric Fisher, T, Central Michigan
4. Philadelphia Eagles: Lane Johnson, T, Oklahoma
5. Detroit Lions: Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
6. Cleveland Browns: Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU
7. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina
8. Buffalo Bills: Chance Warmack, G, Alabama
9. New York Jets: Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU
10. Tennessee Titans: Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah
11. San Diego Chargers: Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
12. Miami Dolphins: Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State
13. New York Jets: D.J. Hayden, CB, Houston
14. Carolina Panthers: Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri
15. New Orleans Saints: Jarvis Jones, LB, Georgia
16. St. Louis Rams: Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
17. Pittsburgh Steelers: Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State
18. Dallas Cowboys: Shariff Floyd, DT, Florida
19. New York Giants: D.J. Fluker, T, Florida State
20. Chicago Bears: Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia
21. Cincinnati Bengals: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
22. St. Louis Rams: John Cyprien, S, Florida International
23. Minnesota Vikings: Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina
24. Indianapolis Colts: Datone Jones, DE, UCLA
25. Minnesota Vikings: Manti Te'o, LB, Notre Dame
26. Green Bay Packers: Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
27. Houston Texans: Robert Woods, WR, USC
28. Denver Broncos: Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State
29. New England Patriots: Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise State
30. Atlanta Falcons: Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington
31. San Francisco 49ers: Matt Elam, S, Florida
32. Baltimore Ravens: Kevin Minter, LB, LSU

There's our shot in the dark. And just like the NFL teams that draft these prospects, we'll provide little-to-no actual explanation for our picks. Looking back on our handiwork, a couple of names could creep into the first round on Thursday that don't appear above, including a guy like Alabama running back Eddie Lacy. We might get some quarterback action in the first round as well, even though we shouldn't, but we decided not to include any because that will be largely dependent on trades.

Either way, that's our mock, and we most certainly are NOT sticking to it.

A Beginner's Guide to Horse Betting

Every spring, when we re-realize how much we hate watching baseball, we're forced to bet on some obscure sports that we would otherwise never pay any mind to. Horse racing is one of those such sports.

We realized that our readers, some of whom are much more absorbed in the baseball festivities, likely aren't as familiar with horse betting as they are with betting on some other sports, but still feel compelled to bet on the three races that consist of the Triple Crown--the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes.

So, you know, it'd probably be a good idea to know how to bet on these races when these three events do pop up on the schedule. Or in the event that you ever feel like slumming it with some true degenerates on a random weekend at a horse track because they sell three-day old hot dogs for 50 cents each.

So before you take a closer a look at some of the 2013 Derby horse betting odds, it might be a good idea to brush up on some 2013 Kentucky Derby facts & info, and even the betting options at the track in general.

So, for those of you too young to remember the days before Twitter when we used this thing called Wikipedia for information on various subjects, we've done some beneficial copy and pasting on the parimutuel betting options you'll encounter at the track.

• Win: to succeed the bettor must pick the horse that wins the race.
• Place: the bettor must pick a horse that finishes either first or second.
• Show: the bettor must pick a horse that finishes first, second or third.
• Across the board: the bettor places three separate bets to win, place or show.
• Exacta, perfecta, or exactor: the bettor must pick the two horses that finish first and second, in the exact order.
• Trifecta or triactor: the bettor must pick the three horses that finish first, second, and third, in the exact order.
• Superfecta: the bettor must pick the four horses that finish first, second, third and fourth, in the exact order.
• Box: a box can be placed around exotic betting types such as exacta, trifecta or superfecta bets. This places a bet for all permutations of the numbers in the box. An exacta box with two numbers, commonly called quinella or quiniela, is a bet on either of two permutations: A first and B second, or B first and A second. A trifecta box with three numbers has six possible permutations (of the horses in the "box" three can finish first, two can finish second, and one can finish third: 3 × 2 × 1) and costs six times the betting base amount. A trifecta box with five numbers has 60 possible permutations and costs 60 times the betting base amount (5 × 4 × 3). In France, a "box" gives only the ordered permutations going along an ordered list of numbers such that a trifecta box with six numbers would cost 20 times the base amount.
• Any2 or Duet: The bettor must pick the two horses who will place first, second or third but can finish in any order. This could be thought of as a double horse show key (see below).
• Double: the bettor must pick the winners of two successive races (a 'running' or 'rolling' double); most race tracks in Canada and the United States take double wagers on the first two races on the program (the daily double) and on the last two (the late double).
• Triple: the bettor must pick the winners of three successive races; like doubles, many tracks offer "running" or "rolling" triples. Also called pick three or more commonly, a treble.
• Quadrella or Quaddie: The bettor must pick the winners of four nominated races at the same track.
• Sweep: the bettor must pick the winners of four or more successive races. In the US, this is usually called pick four and Pick six, with the latter paying out a consolation return to bettors correctly selecting five winners out of six races, and with "rollover" jackpots accumulating each day until one or more bettors correctly picks all six winners.

As you see, there is more than one way to send a horse to the glue factory. We are simple-minded folk, and we like to stick with straight-up picking winners randomly based on their names (like any educated horse betting enthusiast), but we also enjoy Perfectas and Trifectas, as it is often easy to dwindle down realistically to to three strong horses in the field. Like long odds on prop bets, we are anti-longshot in horse betting. Sure, people win on them, but the odds are long for a reason, and it's because people usually lose on them.

Seems easy enough, right? That's the thing about horse betting--it feels like it should be much easier than it is, roping you back in after each loss on the premise that it really isn't all that hard to pick a winning colt. It keeps roping us in, anyway, until we realize that mini-camps are opening in the NFL, and then we go back to forgetting what the hell a quinella is anyway.

How to Fill Out The Perfect NCAA Tournament Bracket

The answer to the title of this post is obvious: do it after the tourney ends (does that count as past posting?). It's really the only way, and you're a damn fool to think otherwise. 

Contests will offer extraordinary prizes for anyone who accomplishes that feat, and they'll do so with the backing of the insurance companies who would cover the cost of said prize, because the actuaries know that there is a 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 (9.2 quintillion) to one chance that you, random reader of this sporadically active blog, fill out that perfect bracket.

If you haven't been around these parts in March, you don't yet know that this is the time of year when we blatantly plagiarize RJ Bell of Pregame.com.  

But this time our poor journalistic ethics have a purpose: to help you be that one in 9.2 quintillion, while the rest of us 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 idiots envy your brilliance. 

So here's a little information that might go a long way toward helping you overcome some long odds. Based on historical data, here's some round-by-round advice: 
 
FIRST ROUND picks:
TIP: Pick ZERO #1 or #2 seeds to lose.
#16 seeds are 0 for 112
#15 seeds are 6 for 112

TIP: Pick at least ONE #13 or #14 seed to win.
At least one Top 4 seed has lost in the first round 24 of 28 years
#13 and #14 seeds combined win 18% of first round games

TIP: Don't be shy picking upsets with #12 through #9 seeds.
#12 seeds have won at least one game 22 of 24 years
#9 seeds are 4 wins above .500 vs. #8 seeds

SECOND ROUND picks:
TIP: Advance #1 seeds into the 3rd round unless very good reason not to.
88% of #1 seeds advance to the Sweet 16

TIP: Keep advancing any #12 and #10 seeds you picked to win in Round One.
#10 and #12 seeds combined win about half the time in Round Two
#12 seeds have the same number of Sweet 16 appearances overall than #7 seeds
A double digit seed has made the Sweet Sixteen 26 of 28 years

TIP: Pick at least ONE upset of a #2 or #3 seed.
Only once in 28 years has all the top three seeds (#1, #2, #3) made the Sweet Sixteen

TIP: Do NOT pick any seed worse than #12 to win in the 2nd round.
Only 7 of 448 teams (1.6%) advancing past Round 2 were seeded worse than #12

Sweet 16 round picks:
TIP: Advance exactly three #1 seeds into the Elite 8.
72% of #1 seeds make the Elite 8
(that's a higher percentage than #5 seeds that win a single game!)

TIP: Advance no team worse than a #11 seed into the Elite 8
26 have made it the Sweet 16, but only 1 has ever advanced

Elite 8 round picks:
TIP: Advance exactly ONE or TWO #1 seeds to the Final Four.
The Final Four has included exactly one or two #1 seeds 22 of 28 years

TIP: Advance no team worse than a #8 seed to the Final Four.
Only 3 of 112 Final Four teams have been seeded worse than #8

FINAL FOUR round picks:
TIP: Advance NO team worse than a #6 seed to the Championship game.
Only ONE team worse than #6 has made it in last 27 years

TIP: Do NOT advance TWO #1 seeds to Championship game
Since tournament seeding began 34 years ago (1979)
only 6 times have two #1 seeds made the finals

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME pick:
TIP: Pick a #4 seed or better to win it all.
For 24 straight years the champion has been a #4 seed or better

We'll let you decide which teams your picking--it is, after all, YOUR perfect bracket--but that's how things usually measure up in terms of seeding. At least, that's what RJ Bell tells us.

And if things work out for you, remember us as the place where you got someone else's helpful information from.

Will This Be The Year a 16-Seed Upsets a 1-Seed In the NCAA Tournament?

Hey, look everybody, the calendar says it March. And you know what that means... NFL Free Agency! Oh, and this madness thing everybody seems to be absorbed in.

If you're ability as a human to breath and string together complete sentences is still in tact, you're probably betting on the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament later this month--and if you're able to breath and talk and also are a compulsive gambler, you might just be betting on the NIT and CBI and women's tournaments as well.

There are NCAA Tournament Bracket Contests all over the place, and you really have to go out of your way not to accidentally gamble this month. Even the President fills out a bracket!

Purely from a social acceptance standpoint, March is the best time for betting, since literally every human with running water fills out an NCAA Tournament bracket and takes part in this annual March Madness ritual. It's a fun period of time that promotes comaraderie in the workplace and brings large groups of people together (but god forbid please don't legalize this awful sports betting thing).

When you're filling out your bracket, it's important to be a little different. You don't want to end up with a cookie cutter bracket that has all the top seeds advancing and then miss out on all the fun when the VMIs and Butlers of the world wind up in the Final Four.

Having said that, though, you also don't want to be the guy that overdoes it. To us, the most important round is always the first round (or, with play-in games, the second round). You might not get as many points in your bracket pool for a team advancing out of the field of 64, but with 32 games going it, it really is the framework of your bracket, and mistakes early can be costly.

To the question we pose above: will this be the year that a 16-seed upsets a 1-seed in the tournament? The answer is absolutely not. At least, you shouldn't bet it that way. The probability is slim to none, and actually, we probably have a big enough sample size at this point to say that the probability is none.

As much fun as it is to pick Coppin State or Austin Peay to win early, remember that you're knocking out a top-seed that figures to go on much further, and thus losing all those future points should your upset fail, as it is likely to do.

While you want upsets, it's better to be overly cautious than overly risky in the early going, because it's likely that if you don't have that 15-seed winning in the first round, neither does anyone else in your bracket, so it's really a wash (unless you have the 2-seed going particularly far).

The point of all the obvious stuff above is that we just don't want you falling behind from the start without at least having an honest look at the historical data available. Since the tournament expanded to include at least 64 teams back in 1985, here are the results int he field of 64:

The #1 seed is 112–0 against the #16 seed (100%)
The #2 seed is 106–6 against the #15 seed (94.64%)
The #3 seed is 96–16 against the #14 seed (85.71%)
The #4 seed is 88–24 against the #13 seed (78.57%)
The #5 seed is 74–38 against the #12 seed (66.07%)
The #6 seed is 74–38 against the #11 seed (66.07%)
The #7 seed is 67–45 against the #10 seed (59.82%)
The #8 seed is 54–58 against the #9 seed (48.21%)

As you see, the top four spots advance to the next round more than 75% of the time, and given that there are four-seeds each, the probability is that all 16 of the top seeds advance. You often hear about the 12-seed vs. 5-seed being the biggest upset potential, and it rings pretty true. As you see, the 12% drop from a 4-seed's advancement probability (78%) to a 5-seed (66%--same as a 6-seed) is the largest disparity on the board. In all cases for seeds 5 through 8, it's likely that at least one of the high seeds will be going home after their first game.

It's also interesting to note that more 9-seeds have won the 8-seed/9-seed matchup in the tournament's history, so that game is really a toss up at that point.

Study these historical figures. Know these historical figures. But don't live or die by them. Use your own judgement, but know that in some cases you may be doing so against the grain. Just so long as you know that going in, you'll already have an advantage over most of your historically inept coworkers.

Would Legalized Sports Betting Turn Stadiums Into Casinos?

The issue of legalized sports betting is popping up more and more recently as state governments recognize the potential revenue stream it could provide for their local economies. States like New Jersey and California are asking the question: why should Nevada, Delaware, Montana and Oregon be the only states allowed to cash in? And it's a legitimate question.

Though the two aren't closely related (at least, it's recommended that they aren't), the issue of legalizing sports betting is a lot like that of legalizing marijuana. Some states have started to do it, and the public sentiment is generally, sure, why not? People who want to smoke weed will find a way to smoke weed, so why not regulate it? If we can tax marijuana and make a little money for the community, isn't that better than leaving all the profits to some sketchy characters in parts unknown?

Sounds familiar, right?

Thanks to the internet, we've all seen so much messed up stuff online that we're sort of desensitized to the lesser evils in life--such as smoking weed or gambling--to the point that we realize they aren't really evils at all. Whether we're lowering our moral standards or just coming to our senses it seems like the legalization of sports betting is right around the corner.

The reason it isn't legal already? The old guys that run the major sports league continue to express unreasonable concerns over the corruption it will cause in the game. They'll site the nearly 100-year-old Black Sox incident--when players were making pennies to play the game--as reason enough not to legalize gambling, all the while contradicting themselves by promoting fantasy leagues that are clearly just that: gambling (but by the time the major sports leagues began acknowledging the existence of fantasy sports, they were already too popular to dismiss).

If (and hopefully, when) sports betting becomes legally nationwide, will it change the in-arena experience and sporting events? It's an interesting question, and we think the answer is inevitably yes, but not without some strong resistance by the major sports leagues. In addition to being able to bet on the game you're watching, we envision what must be a dystopian scenario for Commissioner Roger Goodell and others: "off-the-track" betting at arenas and stadiums.

Sports will eventually go the way of horse racing, where you bet the game, but can also stick around and bet a plethora of other games and events simultaneously. Already, the major sports need to figure out a way to make the in-arena experience more enjoyable to fans, and this would be an easy solution. In the age of hi-definition television, the only way to get fans back into stadiums is by adding a bunch of hi-definition televisions--tuned to games fans can bet on. The revenue can be split between the teams/leagues and state government, and everybody wins! Expect for thousands of amateur bettors at the games, of course.

What do you think? Would legalized sports betting turn stadiums into less-depressing versions of the horse track? Hit us up on twitter @stocklemonblog with your thoughts.

For those of you looking to get to a game even without off track betting, you can find some great deals on tickets at tonsoftickets.com.

A Few 2013 MLB Season Win Totals To Keep An Eye On

We're not going to get too in-depth on major league baseball this season, and unlike past years, we won't even pretend to roll out any "Free Picks" for a week or two. We're going to casually watch it and be generally annoyed by it until eventually we get into the good stuff in August and September. And by "the good stuff," we of course mean the beginning of football season.

But that doesn't mean that we can't try to find some value while we're at it, and win totals--especially for lazy degenerates like ourselves, are a good way to have some action on the 2013 MLB season without having to pay too much attention to the daily minutia that is the MLB schedule.

The 2013 MLB win totals are out, and there were a few that jumped out to us. Whether you're getting your odds from Unibet or another source--there will be variances between books--most are generally the same, but be sure to shop around for the best value. 

So here are our three favorite MLB win totals to watch this season. You know, because three strikes and we're out. Baseball reference.

Milwaukee Brewers UNDER 81 1/2 wins

With a roided out Ryan Braun and a doughnut-sized hole where Prince Fielder used to be, it looks like a down year for the beer makers. Betting that they'll have a losing record seems like one of the surest bets on the board this year.

New York Yankees OVER 87 1/2 wins

The Yankees are getting old, but they've hit this number in each of the last 12 seasons and we see them back where they belong again this year.

Toronto Blue Jays UNDER 88 1/2 wins

So getting a bunch of overrated and expensive players from a 69-win team is a formula for success these days? We get a very Philadelphia Eagles vibe from the Jays this year. Despite all the big offseason additions, we just don't think they'll live up to the hype.

There's a decent amount of value on the board early in the baseball season, and we're a big fan of win totals in general. Public perception often drives these numbers away from reality, and if you know what to look for, you can swoop in and make some cash--all without having to actually sit through too many baseball games.

2013 NFL Scouting Combine Prop Bets

The NFL season may be finished, but we're not finished betting on the NFL. With sportsbooks offering prop bets and odds on the combine, the draft, and in some cases, free agency, we'll have no trouble finding action on the NFL when there is no real NFL action.

This year's combine feels a little more important than in year's past. Maybe it's the amusing Leon Sandcastle stuff, even if it has already gone a little too far, that has the masses excited to watch large men run and jump and lift in their underwear, or maybe it's the fact that there isn't a clear No. 1 pick and it feels like the combine might clear things up for the draft nuts out there. Whatever it is, it's become a popular enough event that it warrants prop bets, and for that, we are eternally grateful.

We just wanted to take a quick look at the basic combine props offered and compare the values set to the historical data available at the event. While technological advances mean that players will continue to get stronger, run faster, jump higher, etc., we prefer to rely on historical data to see just how many players have hit the totals for the workout's key events.

Let's start with the 40-yard dash, arguably the most talked about event thanks in part to the increasingly horrible Rich Eisen and his annual tradition of running in a full suit (Which you can also wager on, but for us it isn't worth having to watch that segment on NFL Network. That said, we'd take the over on that one if we had a serious gambling problem).

Best 40-yard dash time by any player at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine
OVER (-130)/UNDER (-110) 4.30 seconds

Since the NFL began televising the combine each year, they've kept pretty extensive data on the previous combine results dating back to 2006, which were using extensively here. In the 40, we can see that the 4.30 second mark has been exceeded three times in the last seven years, with Chris Johnson's 2008 time of 4.24 remaining the gold standard.

Jacoby Ford (2010) and DeMarcus Van Dyke (2011), whoever the hell that is, clocked in under 4.30 in consecutive years, but Josh Robinson's 4.33 was the fastest time at least year's combine.

Like many of our Super Bowl prop bets, we're operating under a basic assumption about prop bettors: they like to see good things happen (much more true for a larger event like the Super Bowl, which brings out more casual bettors). So in the case these benchmark combine props, we think most of the action will ultimately wind up on the side of under--though the current vig doesn't reflect as much. 

Pessimists that we are, we tend to lean over on this one.

Most bench presses by any player at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine
OVER (even)/UNDER (-140) 44 reps

We can see here that the bench press kings have emerged in recent years, and while it's true that only two players have exceeded 44 reps, this is our most optimistic outlook. Stephen Paea lifted a ridiculous 49 reps in 2011 a year after Mitch Petrus' 45 in 2010, while Dontari Poe would have pushed on this one with 44 reps last year.

The eye-opening number that most are trying to reach is 40, so we're depending on someone to squeeze out at least four more reps after reaching what is probably their stated goal, but we think it's doable. In this case, a push is an acceptable outcome for us, and we think a likely one at that. With so many quality offensive and defensive linemen vying for draft position, we'll take a gamble on the over for even odds.

Highest vertical jump by any player at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine
OVER (even)/UNDER (-140) 43.5

In the vertical jump, the last of the Big 3 events, the results since 2006 read a lot like the bench press: one outlier (Donald Washington's 45 inches in 2009) and only one other player exceeding the over/under (A.J. Jefferson's 44 inch vert in 2010). Then we have a few who have a couple who have reached 43.5, including Kashif Moore in 2012.

We're not expecting anyone to join the prestigious 44+ club this season, and we don't have a whole lot of evidence to support that hunch. Then again, we don't have a whole lot of evidence to support our previous two prop bet leans.

It's not the most scientific approach to rely solely on historical data and a very basic working knowledge of this year's participants, but the data should be part of the equation when determining which way to go on some of the combine's more popular events and prop bets.

Just take the tiny sample of historical data for what it's worth: a tiny sample of historical data. As the old adage goes, those who don't know history are bound to lose money on future prop bets.