Archive for June, 2006

Play Three Card Poker

Tuesday, June 20th, 2006

Three Card Poker is often the busiest game in any casino while the crowd watching will inevitably stand around for hours observing the game! It is a game of high intensity and everybody wants to join in as either a player or a spectator!

The game of three card poker often throws people because of the two types of bonus available. However, you should not be put off as the Pair Plus Bonus and the Ante are very easy to understand.

The largest payout in three card poker is from the Pair Plus. To earn this bonus you must place a bet in the Pair Plus Area and the cards you are dealt must be a pair or higher. You can bet here only before the cards are dealt. You can expect to see the following bonuses:

Pair = one times your bet

Flush = three times your bet

Straight = six times your bet

Three of a Kind = 30 times your bet

Straight Flush = 40 times your bet

The great thing about this game is if you lose, but you have a pair or higher, you still get the bonus! This is one reason many people love this game because you are paid even as a loser.

The Ante bonuses are harder to win because you required a straight or higher to win and it pays out as follows:

Straight = one times your bet

Three of a Kind = four times your bet

Straight Flush = five times your bet

You still get the Ante bonus if you have a straight, three of a kind or a straight flush even if you lose your hand. Additionally, if you bet the pair plus and the ante you win both!

This game is exciting but if you are not catching the cards you need your bankroll will diminish quickly so please bear that in mind. Before placing a bet, decide if you are going to be playing the Pair Plus bonus.

Poker Book Report: Phil Gordon’s Little Blue Book by Phil Gordon

Monday, June 19th, 2006

Have you been wondering what Phil Gordon has been doing since leaving Celebrity Poker Showdown? And where has he been since The Little Green Book became a best selling poker book that provided juicy tournament strategy and a lot of poker-love between its cute little covers? Ok, maybe not, but when Phil Gordon isn’t writing, it really is our collective loss, so I do tend to keep track.

As if we didn’t know, Phil Gordon has been playing poker. Only in preparation for The Little Blue Book, Phil was kind enough to take notes. The result of those notes is a compilation of lessons and hand scrutiny specifically played out in No Limit Hold’em games where Phil was the key player, usually faced with a major decision.

As you may be aware, Phil Gordon has a very entertaining style of describing NL Poker hands. What could easily be a boring lecture of odds, position, stack, profiling etc. Gordon plays a hand out like theatre, allowing you to feel the participant’s stress, the gratification of making a critical call, and the anger and depression of being drawn out. Even better, in several of these hands Phil shows you where he went wrong, clearly making a less-than-stellar play, and then explaining how you can avoid such situations yourself.

The situations range from online tournaments, qualifying tournaments, major buy-in tournaments, online NL cash games, and live NL cash games in some of the nicest casinos in the world. The cash games bring a new angle to Gordon’s writing as he has up until now focused his writing talents on NL tournaments. And these hands are very interesting. In one live casino game, he was way ahead and got his opponent to commit about $15,000 to of his chips to the pot, only to be dealt runner-runner diamond sickout. Ouch. Pot was $30,000!

All of the hands come with a simple, easy-to-read table view with no distracting, contrasting graphics. Phil then goes on to explain the necessary details and brings us through his thinking process as the hand develops. Phil’s humility is always welcome here as he applies it with a humorous twist and lets us all know that he too can be horrified in the face of aggression from an intimidating opponent.

Some of these exciting hands involve Phil Hellmuth, Phil Laak, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harmon, Chris Ferguson, Chris Moneymaker and DevilFish Ulliot. In essence you get into some really high stakes games here, and feel the aggression dead on.

Although The Little Blue Book isn’t as captivating as The Little Green Book, to Gordon’s credit, that is some act to follow. Still, well worth the 25 bucks as it is an easy, enjoyable read with thought provoking, game advancing advice and would make a great gift for your poker love as well.

Tilt and Other Poker Terms

Sunday, June 18th, 2006

There are some poker terms often used by pundits, in articles and by players at the table which you may find helpful to learn. Here they are, tilt and all!

BIG BLIND The largest of the two required (called “forced”) bets, twice the size of the posted “small” blind.

BOARD Area where five “community” cards are placed for all players to use to make a hand.

BULLY An aggressive tactic used by the strongest player with the most chips to force another player’s hand.

BUTTON The round “button” or disc that shows which player plays last.

BUY-IN The amount of money you have to “put up” in order to play in a tournament.

EARLY POSITION First two or three seats located to the left of the big blind.

FIRST POSITION First player on the left of the big blind.

FLOP The first three cards dealt to the community, dealt face up.

LATE POSITION One or two seats to the right of the button.

MIDDLE POSITION Players 4th-7th player positions after the big blind.

(THE) NUTS The best possible hand showing with what is on the board.

RAISE Betting larger than the previous bet.

RERAISE Making another bet after the pot has already been raised.

RAKE What the House Charges to operate the game.

REBUY In tournaments, if it is a re-buy event, you can re-buy chips when you run out.

RIVER The final community card dealt.

SHOWDOWN Cards are turned over on the river by the players left in the game.

TURN the fourth community card dealt.

And the one everyone needs to know – TILT. After a few bad hands some people play too aggressively or too “loose” and usually end up losing their chips.

Use these terms to improve your poker game and understand what the other players are talking about, but try to stay calm and avoid the dreaded tilt!

St. Louis Rams Season Predictions

Saturday, June 17th, 2006

Offense should not be a problem for the 2006 Rams football team, but the defense is going to have to step up for St. Louis to make a run at the playoffs. There was a lot of turnover from last year’s team, but the most important change happened at head coach with the departure of Mike Martz and the addition of Scott Linehan, former offensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins. The key losses where with Adam Archuleta at safety and tackles Daminoe Lewis and Ryan Pickett. The team did go out and spend a lot of money though to shore up the holes on defense. The team brought in Corey Chavous and La’Roi Glover to replace their key losses, and Glover is an upgrade. The team also gained depth at quarterback with Gus Frerotte and Will Witherspoon will start at linebacker.

The Rams have a couple of good quarterbacks in Marc Bulger and Gus Frerotte. Bulger injured his shoulder last season and his health will be key to a successful year, with his accurate passing and smart decision making ability being assets to the passing game. At running back the team has moved on from the days of Marshall Faulk with Steven Jackson gaining 1,000 yards last season. He has had problems with injuries in the past, and in that case an aged Faulk will have to carry a little bit more of the load. The receivers are some of the best in the league with Torry Holt putting up monster numbers once again. Isaac Bruce struggled with injuries and had a very unproductive season, but look for a bounceback here.

The 2006 Rams football team should be better defensively than the team that ranked 31st in points allowed in 2005. The defensive line is a weak, but the Rams spent two of their first six draft picks trying to shore things up. Leonard Little and Glover can prove to be a pretty dangerous tandem if some other guys can step it up. The weakest unit on last year’s team is now probably the strength after adding Will Witherspoon and Raonall Smith. Both of these guys can roam the field making tackles. The secondary is weak, with Corey Chavous and Fakhir Brown being new faces on a team with only 13 picks last year.

Defensively the team is going to struggle again, but the offense is in good hands with Bulger, Jackson, and Holt. The tough part of the schedule is in facing the AFC West, but the team does have a good set of games against the NFC North and their own weak division. A 8-8 mark isn’t out of reach so we will go with the Rams Over 7 +105 at Pinnacle.

Poker Affiliate Partners

Friday, June 16th, 2006

Even though there is such a huge range of poker affiliate partners now available, we are sure that a poker affiliate program is the ideal way to make your web site profitable.

Currently, Poker sites make their money through a highly unique but hugely effective way, using a poker affiliate Partners program. Unlike in other online gaming industries there is no gambling against the house in poker, so money is not won and lost in the same way. Because of that many online poker sites use a poker affiliate partners program to generate traffic, so with dozens if not hundreds of people competing in single table and multi table tournaments throughout the day, the online poker rooms have a simple but effective way to generate revenue without the player being affected too much.

For most Internet users the idea of getting a piece of this money may seem to be an unrealistic, even impossible dream. But through poker affiliate partners programs any person with online capabilities can share in this extremely simple but effective revenue system. The poker affiliate partners program simply works by having websites host advertisements for a site.

When a person follows the link and becomes a fully signed up member of the site, those poker affiliate partners are rewarded with a percentage of the player’s lifetime money generated. Therefore all a person needs is a little initiative, a website and an affiliate program and they too can begin earning money in this unique poker affiliate partners system.

So, what are you waiting for? Click to join now a poker affiliate partners program, the poker affiliate program members earn up to 25% Revenue Share generally and no fees or bonuses are deducted from their earnings. Additionally, they usually pay you in monthly basis with several payment options; so you can choose the payment method that suits you best.

NBA Totals: Know Your Reference Points

Thursday, June 15th, 2006

At this point in the NBA season, there are an abundance of reference points to go to when assessing potential point spread covers. There are overall stats, home/road play, coaching strategies and adjustments, and injuries. Another outstanding reference point, which too many novice sports bettors ignore, is previous meetings.

We’ve just passed the halfway mark of the NBA season. Each team has played every team in the league at least once, and some have multiple meetings. Don’t ignore these previous meetings. The Internet has made it easy to quickly check on past box scores of every game a team has played. Use them!

Granted, what happened in a previous game doesn’t mirror everything that is going to happen in the upcoming meeting. However, there is a plethora of information available, you just need to work on what to look for and how to use it. Some examples: Sometimes a team was without a key player when they last met. Make a note of it. Another would be a rebounding edge. Did one team dominate the boards the previous three meetings? If so, did that correlate in three point spread covers? Shooting percentages are another great tidbit. If a team shoots 49%, 47% and 52% against the same team the last three games, that is a valuable clue that either the opponent plays terrible defense or they can’t properly guard that particular team, which would suggest a match-up deficiency. This likely means they will shoot well in the upcoming meeting. That is something to consider when assessing the side or the total the next game.

This was a tactic I used Thursday when releasing a play on the Mavericks/Grizzlies game. I gave out the over on the game. At first glance, both those teams are outstanding defensively, so the betting line was going to be geared toward looking at a low scoring game. Memphis plays a slow-down style, while Dallas has made huge leaps and bounds defensively this season under coach Avery Johnson. Which makes me wonder why Dallas stayed with Don Nelson so long, as the Mavs always underachieved defensively under his watch.

However, in my analysis on the game I looked back on previous meetings. I mentioned: ‘The posted total on this game is just way too low. The only other game played in Dallas this year with a total lower than this number was back on November 22nd when the Mavs hosted the Rockets. That game flew over the posted total by 17 points! The last five games here between these two have resulted in total points scored of 204, 199, 200, 213 and 202. All much higher than the total posted Thursday.’

I’ve made numbers on basketball games for many years and I could tell two things. One, the number was too low. Two, the public perception on the game would look at it as a low scoring battle, so oddsmakers were forced to make the number lower than it should have been. But I didn’t stop there. I looked back at the previous meetings between the two teams. They have already played in Dallas earlier in the season, and the total was 185, yet the final score was Memphis 112, Dallas 97!

A year ago Memphis was also a strong defensive team under Mike Fratello, yet in the two meetings in Dallas last season, the Mavs torched the Grizzlies for 110 and 112 points! Finding winning NBA totals takes careful analysis, and a terrific frame of reference that everybody can utilize is to look back at the last few meetings between the same teams. There’s a bevy of information available, you just need to dig up the hidden gold and turn into cash at the wagering window!

Baccarat - the Royal Game & Great Odds

Wednesday, June 14th, 2006

Baccarat, the royal game, was originally played only by the European aristocracy from the 15th century onwards.

Still today, there is an air of exclusivity about it and today more and more people are discovering at as online gaming becomes more popular.

The players often wear black tie dress, the playing area is set apart from the rest of the casino, and the playing limits are usually higher than all the other games.

Baccarat is truly the royal game as the rules, the manner of play, and the rewards all remind one of the elegant and romantic past.

Baccarat is basically a very simple game, and there are few and limited strategies to win. We shall examine them below. The odds are easy enough to calculate, and the play is rather structured as you shall see.

The rules

The rules to play baccarat are set, and really, when the bets are in, the cards will be dealt and the results are evident at once.

Here is how it works; the ‘dealer’ (and can be any player or a croupier) will deal two cards to every player, plus the banker (note: in Baccarat, the banker does not have to be the dealer). The sole object of Baccarat is to get as close to 9 as possible.

So, If your two cards equal a 9, or an 8 (both are called “naturals̶ ;) you are a winner. Should the dealer have a natural, it will be a tie game.

The rules are clear, should any player have a 7 or a 6, he must stand. If any player has 5 or less, he is obliged to take a 3rd card. That is the game.

Card values dictate that any 10 or face cards have no value.

The second digit of the number determines the value in Baccarat, so a 10 = 0. Likewise, a 10 and a 6 = 6. Suppose you receive a third card, the actual total (called the score) will be the right digit of the total of the cards. Therefore, the score of three cards equaling 16 will have a score of 6.

The Dealer’s Role.

In Baccarat, the dealer makes no choices whatsoever; His actions are completely pre-determined by the rules. Here they are. Should a player stand, the dealer takes a 3rd card if his score is 5 or less. In case the player took a 3rd card, the dealer must act as below:

If the dealer has a score of 0, 1, 2: he must draw a third card.

If the dealer has a score of 3: he must draw if a player’s 3rd Card is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9-0 (but not an 8)
If the dealer has a score of 4: he must draw if a player’s 3rd Card is 2-3-4-5-6-7

If the dealer has a score of 5: he must draw if a player’s 3rd Card is 4-5-6-7

If the dealer has a score of 6: he must draw if a player’s 3rd Card is a 6 or a 7

If a dealer has a score of 7: he must stand.

Betting in Baccarat

Baccarat has only three bets.

The first is on the player, the second the banker, and the third if you think there will be a tie game. The payout on the player bet is even money or 1 to 1, with no commission.

The banker bet is also paid out at even money, but there is a commission, from 4 % to 5% depending on the table.

A tie bet is paid out at 8 to 1 or 9 to 1 (depending on the table) and no commission.

Tips to Win at Baccarat

• Bet with the banker. The bank will win more than the player (that is why the payout has a commission!).

• Don’t card count or track the game (like you see everyone else doing). Card counting in Baccarat does not work! If it did, the casino would not supply you paper and pencil to track the game. Card counters in Blackjack are quickly evicted from the casino, because it works, but Baccarat counters are permitted.

• Also play at the table that uses the fewest decks in the shoe.

Baccarat is truly the royal game, and playing it reminds you of the gallant past and you somehow feel its elegance, even now.

Enjoy yourself, bet with the banker, and don’t overstay. Allocate your bankroll play have a win and loss target and leave when either have been hit and keep in mind your chances of winning for a game of chance are very good so good luck!

Horse Betting: Everything’s Falling into Place for BOB & JOHN and BARBARO!

Tuesday, June 13th, 2006

Why would they allow twenty horses in a race in the first place is a good question and after yesterdays post position draw, the trainers for Lawyer Ron and Brother Derek, have to be fuming on the inside.

Brother Derek the favorite for the “Run for the Roses” has been annihilating opposition in California this spring but the fields have been small and he was a disappointing fourth in his only bulky field from post 13 at the Breeders Cup last November. Now he gets the 18th starting slot!

Dan Hendricks the trainer for Brother Derek has had his share of adversity, with his most recent being a paralyzing accident from a motocross accident is 2004, so he simply suggested jockey Alex Solis will track Lawyer Ron around the 1 ¼ course.

Lawyer Ron trainer Bob Holthus was diplomatic in his horse drawing the 17th hole and suggested that a muddy track will favor horses on the outside. His talented three year -old is unbeaten in six races!

I’m smiling this morning as Bob Baffert’s Bob & John my pick in the Derby has drawn the seven hole and this will allow him to get settled just off the pace and watch the rabbits in the race, run each other into the ground. If it comes up sloppy he has proven himself on this type of surface and he has been bumped around enough in California that the bulky field will not be an issue.

My second choice in the race is Barbaro and he will line up right next door to Bob & John in the eight slot. Much has been made of the schedule that Barbaro has used to prepare himself for the 132nd running of the Kentucky Derby, especially his race five weeks prior to this Saturday. Most insiders suggest that the horse will not be tight enough but he breezed 4 furlongs in an incredible 46 seconds last Saturday at Churchill Downs. The winner of the Florida Derby and Holy Bull has never tasted defeat and his trainer Michael Matz is going to be one of the best in the business for several years.

2006 Tournament of Champions

Monday, June 12th, 2006

The 2006 Tournament of Champions featured a $2,000,000 prize pool and 27 of the top players in the World Series of Poker competition. 9 came from the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event, 12 came from the winners of the World Series of Poker Circuit Tournament Main Events that have been held throughout the year and six additional players who received exemptions were invited to the competition. It is a freeroll tournament for those who will be playing. So this means that the 9 from last year’s World Series of Poker final table were champion Joseph Hachem along with Steven Dannenmann, John Barch, Aaron Kanter, Andrew Black, Scott Lazar, Daniel Bergsdorf, Brad Kondracki and Mike Matusow (who was last year’s Tournament of Champions winner). The 12 from the WSOP Circuit Tournament Main Events are Gregg Merkow, Chris Ferguson, Vinnie Vinh, Thang “Kido” Pham, Chris Reslock, Daniel Negreanu, Abraham Korotki, Darrell “Gigabet” Dicken, Jeffrey King, John Spadavecchia, Peter Feldman and Clint Baskin. The mystery six additional players who received sponsorship exemptions are Phil Hellmuth Jr., Mike O’Malley, Doyle Brunson, Mike Sexton, Sarah Strom and Gus Hansen. So this event had all the ingredients needed to be very hot. And it was filmed by ESPN so you can see it in the future. The prize to the winner is $1,000,000.

For Day 1 the blinds started off at $25/$50 with 90 minute levels. Tournament play began at 12:35 p.m. with each player having 10,000 chips each. Action got off to a solid start as Abe Korotki was the first to go when his pocket 5’s couldn’t hold up to the full house Daniel Negreanu produced. On a side note, Mike Matusow promised to wear tape over his mouth the entire World Series if Chris Ferguson shaves his head. No word on any response from Chris Ferguson. He was too busy sending Phil Hellmuth Jr. to the rail with his pocket A’s. Negreanu eliminated both Joe Hachem and Steve Dannenmann on the same hand. And Kido Pham with pocket Q’s said good bye to Scott Lazar (A K) when the board showed 8 7 5 4 5, giving Pham two pair. Day 1 ended around 11:45 p.m. with 10 players making the final table cut.

On the second day, play began at 1:00 p.m. for the 10 who sat down at the final table. Once the tournament officials raised the chips of everyone 10x and the blinds as well, eliminations began taking place as Andrew Black sent Gus Hansen home in 10th place when Andrew’s pocket 9’s held up to Gus’s A K. Gus was soon followed by Daniel Bergsdorf in 9th and Kido Pham in 8th. Chris Ferguson left in 7th when his pocket 6’s were overcome by the pocket 8’s of Darrell Dicken after the board showed no more help to either player. But the victory was not for long as Darrell Dicken was sent packing in 6th place, courtesy of WPT announcer Mike Sexton. Next one out in 5th was Andrew Black (K 9) after his all-in bet was called by Mike Matusow who held pocket K’s after nothing else helped either player. Then Mike Sexton helped Chris Reslock away from the table in 4th position. Mike Matusow who won this event last year, ended up going out in 3rd place, capping an excellent level of performance this tournament. This left Mike Sexton and Daniel Negreanu alone for the heads up battle that lasted 6 hrs and 45 min.

This was a very interesting heads up when you consider that one World Poker Tour champion, Daniel Negreanu, ended up playing against a person who has made a career watching and studying every hand the champion has played in WPT competition. But someone had to win. The hand of victory went as follows, Sexton limped in and Negreanu raised which was followed with a re raise from Sexton. Negreanu calls and the flop shows 10d 8d 4s. Negreanu went all in holding Qh Jh which was immediately called by Sexton who was holding….pocket A’s. Turn card was an A, river was an 8c giving Mike Sexton 3 of a kind and the championship!

What made this win the icing on the cake for Mike Sexton is that he created the Tournament of Champions in 1998 in order to promote the sport. The victory marks Sexton’s second WSOP bracelet. He won the Seven Card Stud High Low event in 1989.

Sunday NFL Gridbits - Week 9

Sunday, June 11th, 2006

Matt Fargo takes a brief glance at each game this Sunday and offers some thoughts and trends.

CINCINNATI AT BALTIMORE 1 p.m.

This is Cincinnati’s last game before its bye week. The Bengals sit atop the AFC North thanks to an easy schedule where their six wins have come against teams now a combined 12-31. They host the Colts in two weeks. Trendsetter: CINCINNATI is 6-0 Over after 1 or more consecutive losses against the spread over the last 2 seasons.

The Ravens come in off a Monday loss by a single point. This is the second of four divisional games in a five game stretch, all against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. The offense scored the most points this season against the Steelers on Monday. Trendsetter: BALTIMORE is 9-1 Over in home games in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

TENNESSEE AT CLEVELAND 1 p.m.

Tennessee has dropped three straight games and the defense has allowed 31 or more points in five of its eight games. The Titans have a bye next week and then get to play four of their next five games at home. Trendsetter: TENNESSEE is 5-13 ATS against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.

Cleveland has also dropped three straight games and allowed the Texans their first win of the season last Sunday. The offense has scored 16 or less points in five of its seven games while the defense has allowed 19 or less in five straight games. Trendsetter: CLEVELAND is 10-2 Under in games where the line is +3 to -3 over the last 3 seasons.

HOUSTON AT JACKSONVILLE 1 p.m.

Houston finally got into the win column last Sunday but it might be the only one for a while as its next three games are against teams with a winning record. The Texans defense tied a season low by allowing just 16 points against the Browns. Trendsetter: HOUSTON is 12-2 ATS after having lost 5 out of their last 6 games over the last 3 seasons.

Jacksonville allowed more than 20 points for the first time last week in St. Louis and it was its first loss of the season where the offense scored in the 20’s. The Jaguars host the Ravens next week before heading out on a three game road trip. Trendsetter: JACKSONVILLE is 13-2 Under after allowing 175 or more rushing yards last game since 1992.

OAKLAND AT KANSAS CITY 1 p.m.

The Raiders won for the first time on the road last week at Tennessee and have now won three of their last four games to move a game under .500. This is the second game of a five-in-seven game road stretch after playing three straight games at home. Trendsetter: OAKLAND is 4-16 ATS in road games after covering the spread in 4 or 5 out of their last 6 games since 1992.

The Chiefs are off two straight road games and follow this game up with two more on the road before finishing the season with four of six at home. The loss at San Diego snapped a two-game winning streak and knocked them 1.5 games behind Denver. Trendsetter: KANSAS CITY is 19-8 ATS after allowing 300 or more passing yards in their last game since 1992.

ATLANTA AT MIAMI 1 p.m.

Atlanta is off a bye week which was good for rest but killed momentum from a 4-1 winning run. The Falcons are in a three-way tie in the NFC South with two straight home games following this one including a game with Tampa Bay. Trendsetter: ATLANTA is 2-11 ATS after playing a game at home over the last 2 seasons.

The Dolphins won for the first time on the road last Sunday at New Orleans and are now just a game behind the Patriots in the AFC East. Miami hosts New England next Sunday before heading out for two straight non-division road games. Trendsetter: MIAMI is 10-1 Over after playing their last game on the road over the last 2 seasons.

DETROIT AT MINNESOTA 1 p.m.

The Lions suffered a tough home loss in overtime last week against the Bears who took over first place in the NFC North. Detroit has allowed 21 points or less in five straight games but the offense has scored 20 or less in four of those contests. Trendsetter: DETROIT is 2-13 ATS as a road favorite of 7 points or less since 1992.

The Vikings season got worse when Dante Culpepper went down for the rest of the season with a knee injury. The Vikings two wins have been against teams a combined 3-12 but a win against Detroit could get them to within a game of 1st place. Trendsetter: MINNESOTA is 18-5 ATS as a home underdog since 1992.

CAROLINA AT TAMPA BAY 1 p.m.

The Panthers have won four straight games and both of their losses have been by just three points each. Carolina has played the easiest schedule in the NFL thus far but it gets more difficult with six of its last nine games against teams with a winning record. Trendsetter: CAROLINA is 8-1 Over in road games off a home win over the last 3 seasons.

Tampa Bay was either caught looking ahead or it just isn’t that good of a team following its loss at San Francisco. Three of its next four games are at home before a brutal three game road trip starting in December. The defense is still ranked 1st in the NFL. Trendsetter: TAMPA BAY is 13-2 ATS off an upset loss as a road favorite since 1992.

SAN DIEGO AT NEW YORK JETS 1 p.m.

San Diego will be looking for revenge on the Jets from last season’s overtime playoff loss. The Chargers have won four of their last six games and all four of their losses on the season have been by four points or less. They have a bye next week. Trendsetter: SAN DIEGO is 10-1 ATS in road games over the last 2 seasons.

The Jets haven’t played at home since October 9th in a win over Tampa Bay. The offense is reeling, having scored 17 or less points in six of their seven games this season. New York is 4-0 coming off a bye week under Herm Edwards. Trendsetter: NY JETS are 8-1 Under after being outrushed by 75 or more yards last game over the last 3 seasons.

CHICAGO AT NEW ORLEANS 4:05 p.m.

The Bears have won three straight games and are now in first place alone in the NFC North. The win over Detroit last Sunday was their first on the road this season and it was the first game that the offense scored more than 10 points away from home. Trendsetter: CHICAGO is 14-2 Under in road games against teams who give up 24 or more ppg since 1992.

New Orleans has dropped four straight games and six of its last seven. The defense allowed fewer than 28 points for the first time in four games and the Saints catch a break with the offensively challenged Bears coming in. New Orleans has a bye next week. Trendsetter: NEW ORLEANS is 10-23 ATS in home games after having lost 4 or 5 out of their last 6 games since 1992.

SEATTLE AT ARIZONA 4:05 p.m.

Seattle is coming off a bye week after having won three straight games to take a 1.5 game lead in the NFC West. The Seahawks alternate home and road games for the rest of the season and six of their nine remaining games are against teams under .500. Trendsetter: SEATTLE is 8-0 Over when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

The Cardinals trail the Seahawks by three games and a loss here likely ends any chance of a division title. Arizona is 1-2 at home with both losses coming by five points or less and both coming down to the final minute. Three of their next four are on the road. Trendsetter: ARIZONA is 8-1 Over revenging a road loss against opponent over the last 3 seasons.

NEW YORK GIANTS AT SAN FRANCISCO 4:05 p.m.

New York took the NFC East lead with a thrashing of the Redskins last week. This is a sandwich game following two home games with two more home games on deck. Tampa Bay was caught sleeping last week and the Giants must avoid the letdown. Trendsetter: NY GIANTS are 0-9 ATS versus poor offensive teams - averaging