There are many who say preseason is easier then the first week of the reg season.
Nolan would be nice to see what you think about that. [/B][/QUOTE]
NOLAN REPLIES: I have mixed emotions about this subject. The reason is -- the pro game is changing. And bettors are changing with it. They are getting much more sophisticated than in years past. The level of material available to sports bettors is much higher today than just five years ago. And, the Internet has given us a whole new world to keep in contact and learn things about what's going on in each city (I remember actually going out and BUYING out-of-town newspapers for sports news...remember those days???). So, while the pre-season games used to be VERY EXPLOITABLE GAMES by the knowledgeable handicappers (Main Reason: Amateaur sports bettors would just bet on the expected "superior" team and the line would give all kinds of value to the weaker "bad" teams and you could make a killing just goings against the public sentiment). After awhile, the public caught on that. Now, when the Ravens line up and play San Diego in pre-season, the Chargers have a damn good chance of winning and/or covering in that game -- while such a thing would almost NEVER happen in the regualar season. Certainly, the Chargers would not beat the Ravens in regular season. The line a few years ago on such a pre-season game might have been 8 or 9. Now, it's probably 6 or 6.5 (see Dallas-Oakland game on August 4th for example, where line is only 6.5 despite the Raiders being light years better than Dallas in terms of talent). Five years ago, the line on that game would have been 8 points. So, it gets much tougher as we go along.
In contrast to the early weeks of the NFL, which some bettors recommend staying away from -- I like to hit them hard. I think there are a lot of soft lines out there and weather comes into play (heat). One reason why there are soft lines is because every yokel and his uncle thinks he can beat the NFL. By week 3, a quarter of the people out there have their bankrolls in the schitter and that makes the lines get a little tigher. Totals betting is also very profitable, since offenses in many cases are just not quite in synch yet (especially heavy passing teams).
I really can't say which is better....I guess that depends on your area of specialization. I know some cappers who can make very good money in pre-season, but can't pick a winner to save their life in the regular season. Totally different animals, in my view.
NOLAN DALLA
