Take Note of the Betting Public – December 20

It’s a doubleheader night in the NBA and you might want to think about betting against the public. There is a big game in Philadelphia tonight when the 18-8 76ers host the 20-5 Minnesota Timberwolves. The Sixers are 3-point favorites and the game total is set at 225. The betting public loves favorites, home teams, and teams with popular players. 

The 76ers have a very popular player in C Joel Embiid, the winner of last year’s NBA MVP. That makes the Sixers a huge public favorite. They are playing at home and happen to be in the midst of a 6-1 SU run. Here at Sports Hub, we want to make sure you understand the differences between betting with and against the public.

Why Bet Against the Public

Think about this. Sportsbooks are in the business of making money. The books know that the public will wager on the favorite. They know that most casual bettors will bet on the home team. Oddsmakers know that the average Joe will wager on the team with a superstar like Joel Embiid. If 70 percent of all the wagers and the money comes in on Philadelphia for tonight’s game, why would it make sense to bet against that?

That’s easy. Betting against the public wins a ton of bets. If 70 percent of the money that came in on tonight’s Sixers-TWolves games is on Philly and the Sixers lose…the sportsbook just made a boatload of cash. And, so did you if you bet against the public. 

Sportsbooks win more often than the betting public does. That’s why they are still in business. Now, that doesn’t mean that you haphazardly run out and start betting against the public all the time. But, consider this. Beginning in Week 10, Monday night football underdogs are now 7-0 SU. In Week 10, the public was all over the Buffalo Bills. A week later the public lathered up the Kansas City Chiefs. I could go on, but the point is that betting opposite the public can produce some big wins.

When Betting Against the Public Makes Sense

William Taylor is a Sports Hub expert who understands betting against the public. He put that to the test last night when he hit all four of his picks. He ended up winning $460 total. One of the wagers was on the Minnesota Wild, a +160 underdog against the Boston Bruins. Now, if you don’t know, the Bruins are the class of the Eastern Conference. Even after last night’s upset loss, Boston still leads the Atlantic Division.

The public was all over the Bruins to win, especially since they were playing at home. The Phoenix Suns were the road team last night in Portland, but they were a heavy favorite against the 7-19 Trail Blazers. With the public all over the more popular Suns, William hit on Portland to cover. The Blazers actually pulled off the upset and beat Phoenix 109-104. William ended up No. 2 on our leaderboard yesterday among some other Sports Hub experts.

Let’s take a look.

• Knup Sports: It’s been a while, but the guys at Knup Sports put together a solid day yesterday. They went 16-8 on 24 picks and earned $765. Among those picks were a number that went against the public. With the big day, Knup Sports is now up $1865 on the 30-day leaderboard.
• James Anderson: After William at the No. 2 spot, James came in at No. 3 going 5-1 and earning $450. He hit on the Flyers, a +150 road underdog, who beat New Jersey 3-2.
• Seth Cohen: Seth has been tearing it up recently and went 4-0 yesterday to put himself in the top-5. He hit all four of his picks to earn $400. That gives him $990 over the last three days. Seth is 10-1 during that span.
• Sean Kuchman: Sean made 11 picks yesterday – all NHL – and went 7-4. He earned $305 in the process, which puts him up over $1800 for the last 30 days.
• Sports Hub rules: Jimmy Liu and Robert Ferguson, two more SportsHub experts went 3-0 yesterday and Bill Blatt went 4-1. Our Sports Hub Free Picks went 2-0 as did Evan Lewis, Neal Harris, and Ryan Davis. 

Bet Against the Public Tonight

If you’re smart, you’ll find games on tonight’s schedule where betting against the public makes sense. Don’t worry if you can’t find those games. Our Sports Hub experts can help. Just as they did last night, our experts will offer up their best picks for tonight’s NBA, NHL, college basketball, and soccer action.

Sports Hub members can visit our picks database at any time during the day and see what our experts have decided to bet on. Keep in mind, the top-3 handicappers on our 30-day leaderboard are all Sports Hub exclusive cappers. You won’t find them anywhere else. All three are winning 62 percent of their picks or more and all three are up at $2000 for the month. That’s consistent success.

Check them out before diving into tonight’s schedule.

1. Wednesday night NBA: That Minnesota-Philadelphia matchup is among the 10 games on the NBA schedule tonight. The TWolves-Sixers game is the early game on an NBATV doubleheader. The second features Boston at Sacramento. The Celtics lost to Golden State on the road last night.

2. Light night in the NHL: There are only three games on the ice tonight. The Islanders are at Washington in a key Metropolitan Division matchup. Detroit plays at Winnipeg and Seattle visits the Los Angeles Kings.
3. World soccer: Check out our picks database today because there will be several soccer picks. There are big games in the Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, and the French Ligue 1.
4. NCAA men’s basketball: It’s a big night in college basketball. No. 10 Baylor and No. 21 Duke will battle at Madison Square Garden tonight. That’s not the only matchup of ranked teams. Later on, No. 11 North Carolina faces No. 7 Oklahoma at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. No. 4 Arizona hosts Alabama and No. 5 UConn plays Seton Hall in an early Big East game.

Morant Makes a Difference

It was Ja Morant’s first game back after a 25-game suspension. Morant was a big part of the Grizzlies win last night. Then, there was that 2022 NBA Finals rematch. That didn’t go so well for the Boston Celtics. There is also some NFL quarterback news that bettors should be aware of.

Here’s what we know.

• Morant hits game-winner: It was almost as if it was scripted. The Memphis Grizzlies were down by 24 points. Morant, who wound up with 34 points on the night, helped the Grizzlies battle back to tie the game with 9.6 seconds left. Morant went on to hit the buzzer-beater and give Memphis a 115-113 win over New Orleans, which had won four straight prior to last night.

• Celtics lose on the road: The Boston Celtics are a perfect 14-0 at home this season. They are 20-6 overall after losing to Golden State on the road last night. That means the Celtics are 6-6 in road games this season. They play the Kings in Sacramento tonight. The Celtics opened as 2.5-point favorites, but are now 2.5-point underdogs.
• Stroud out again: Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud is likely out again this Sunday when the Texans play the Cleveland Browns. Veteran Case Keenum went 23-for-36 for 229 yards and a touchdown as Houston beat Tennessee 19-16 in overtime. 
• Rodgers not coming back: Jets QB Aaron Rodgers indicated that he probably will not return and play this season. It was thought Rodgers might play in one of the final weeks of the season, since he has been practicing with the team. With New York out of playoff contention, Rodgers will wait until next season.

Keep your eyes on these quarterback changes. They can have a huge impact on the outcome of games in the NFL. Also keep an eye on when to bet against the public. You can always read more about the subject here at Sports Hub. Our expert handicappers contribute great content full of betting tips and strategies. They also provide the best picks in the industry. Don’t forget to check the picks database before making your wagers today. Good luck and come back tomorrow for more!