Matt Jacob is a former local sports writer who has been in the sports handicapping business for more than four years. For his weekly column, Vegas Seven has granted Matt a “$7,000” bankroll. He's currently at $5,827. If he blows it all, we’ll fire him and replace him with a monkey.
Michigan State will make it a happy new year by leading the parade of postseason picks
Shoebox filled with holiday receipts staring you in the face? Dreading the daily walk to the mailbox out of fear that your credit-card bill will reach out and strangle you?
Read More »Remember when a college bowl game was a reward for a successful season? And remember when a successful season was defined as a record that featured at least twice as many wins as losses? Well, those days—much like daily newspapers, the sport of boxing and my 34-inch waist—are long gone.
Read More »Perception: Professional sports handicapper ranks among the five easiest and most enjoyable occupations in the world, slotting somewhere between Steve Jobs’ financial adviser and backstage hand at a Victoria’s Secret fashion show.
Reality: There’s a reason my once jet-black hair is now more salt than pepper—and it has nothing to do with being married with children (OK, little to do is more accurate).
Read More »The last time I had a big week, I patted myself on the back so hard that my arm ended up in a sling for a month. Then, of course, karma got me the following week as I got crushed. So instead of bragging, let me just point out—for the record—that last week I hit all three of my big plays, finished 7-3 and cleared $1,040. With that, I’m now 28-14-2 with my picks the last five weeks.
Read More »If this is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, then why am I more depressed than Oscar Goodman at the sight of an empty gin bottle? No, it’s not because I went 6-2-1 last week and yet cleared only $77 (seriously, this is getting ridiculous; I’m 21-11-2 over the last four weeks, and I’ve lost $234!). Rather, my melancholy stems from the news that the Minnesota Vikings fired coach Brad Childress, which comes just two weeks after the Dallas Cowboys gave Wade Phillips his pink slip.
Read More »For a while there last week, I felt like Manny Pacquiao against Antonio Margarito, sticking jab after jab and wearing down my opponent with vicious body shots.
San Diego State plus the points against TCU? Easy winner. Ditto Texans-Jaguars over the total, South Carolina, Minnesota, Oklahoma State and the Bengals plus the points against the Colts.
Read More »I should’ve known. The second I submitted last week’s column patting myself on the back for a positive October, I should’ve known the Gambling Gods would unleash their fury on me—and do so cruelly.
Read More »Wondering who had the most profitable October? It took some digging, but I uncovered that list, and it goes like this:
Read More »On the opening Sunday of the NFL season, I walked into the Las Vegas Hilton sports book 75 minutes before the first set of games kicked off. Judging by the sea of humanity in the joint, you would’ve thought it was 75 minutes before the start of the Super Bowl—one endless line after another of NFL jersey-clad gamblers with their parlay cards in one hand and their cash in the other.
Read More »How do you go 5-3 with your football picks, including solid upset winners with Texas over Nebraska and the Rams over the Chargers, and end up upside down for the week? You put your biggest chunk of money on the Chicago Bears, who lost as a six-point home favorite to a Seattle Seahawks team that had just three wins in its previous 21 road games.
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