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Hi everybody. My name is KD, and I watch the lines. No, I'm not talking about the line markers as they paint them onto the football field hours before kickoff (although I'd probably do that as well if I got to the stadium early enough). I'm talking about the betting lines that determine the point spreads between two combatants every week. Hopefully, you're within driving distance of a jurisdiction where betting on professional sports is allowed (wink, wink); and if you are and appreciate the early jump then we have some lines for you.
Cantor Gaming sets the lines for several Las Vegas books, and they are nice enough to provide degenerates and budding degenerates some early lines on the week-by-week action via Covers.com. At this point, often times betting action is limited to picking which team will win a division, conference or league championship. With these lines, you can get an early jump on some of the best matchups of the year.
Of course, the first game on the schedule will be the Wednesday night kickoff as the Cowboys travel to New York to take on the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants on September 5th. The Giants are currently favored by three points (the normal, built-in home-field advantage). If you are picking Dallas for the outright win it will payoff +155 (You win $155 on a wager of $100)
Follow the jump to see a table of the remaining games on the schedule for Dallas and what the early Vegas lines are.
| Week | Favorite | Line | Underdog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GIANTS | -3 | Cowboys |
| 2 | SEAHAWKS | -1.5 | Cowboys |
| 3 | DALLAS | -7 | Buccaneers |
| 4 | DALLAS | -3 | Bears |
| 5 | Bye Week | ||
| 6 | RAVENS | -5.5 | Cowboys |
| 7 | PANTHERS | -1 | Cowboys |
| 8 | COWBOYS | -2.5 | Giants |
| 9 | FALCONS | -2.5 | Cowboys |
| 10 | EAGLES | -4.5 | Cowboys |
| 11 | COWBOYS | -7.5 | Browns |
| 12 | COWBOYS | -6 | Redskins |
| 13 | Eagles | -1 | COWBOYS |
| 14 | BENGALS | -1 | Cowboys |
| 15 | COWBOYS | -1.5 | Steelers |
| 16 | Saints | -1 | COWBOYS |
Whoa. Some interesting point spreads that jump out immediately. First, it's obvious that Vegas feels that both the Eagles and Saints are superior teams to the Cowboys; giving both the one-point advantage even though the games are being played in Cowboys stadium. Those are the only home games where Dallas isn't favored.
If you add up all the covers, Vegas has Dallas entering Week 17 at 6-9, but not really. Vegas sets lines to encourage betting, and because the Cowboys are huge betting draws, these lines could easily be set to lure the millions of Cowboys fans in the betting public to get in on the action. Of course, they also expect the anti-Dallas sentiment to jump on the spreads before they get out of hand, so maybe they do believe this will be a down year? Who knows.
Dallas finished 2011, 5-10 with one push against the spread. They were 3-4-1 on the road, and a miserable 2-6 against the spread at home.
It appears by Vegas not putting lines on Week 17 they feel that lineups will be greatly affected based on playoff races, regardless of the NFL's best efforts to make all weeks count.
The Cowboys have three supposedly "gimme" games, where if they play to their potential they should be able to easily defeat the Bucs, Browns and Redskins all in Arlington, TX.
So what do you think bettors? Any early action that you can't believe Vegas has set; easy money just waiting to land in your pocket?