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Ben Burns |
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Ben closed a frustrating February by going 5-2 on Sunday. He's off to a winning (3-2) start in March. |
FREE PICKS | ||
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Matchup | Selection | W/L |
NHL | Mar 02, 2021 Hurricanes vs. Predators |
Predators +117 at LINEPROS |
in 8h |
The Hurricanes have had the Predators' number here in recent seasons. In fact, including a 4-2 win here earlier this season, the Canes are 5-0 their last five visits here. I feel that the Preds may be finally catching them at the right time though and that they're offering fair value as home underdogs. Carolina is off a hard-fought OT win against Florida last night. In addition to playing the second of b2b games, this will mark the Canes' third game in four days. Both the previous two went past regulation. The Preds, on the other hand, had last night off. Not only are they rested but they've played well lately, winning four of their last five. Schedule and venue in its favor, consider Nashville. |
YESTERDAY'S PLAYS | ||
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Matchup | Selection | W/L |
NBA | Mar 01, 2021 Jazz vs Pelicans |
Pelicans +7 -104 at pinnacle |
Won $100 |
Play Type: Free | ||
The Pelicans lost a pair of games at Utah, in January. At the time, those lines were -6.5 for the Jazz. Now, thanks to Utah having been so hot, the Jazz are laying that many points on the road. With all due respect to the Jazz, who just keep covering, that's providing excellent value with the Pelicans. New Orleans has a winning home record and is also 9-7 ATS as an underdog. Playing with double-revenge, the Pelicans are going to be highly motivated to show that they can compete with this team. Don't be surprised when they give the Jazz all they can handle. Consider grabbing the points. |
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Matchup | Selection | W/L |
NBA | Mar 01, 2021 Hornets vs Blazers |
Blazers -6½ -110 at Draft Kings |
Won $100 |
Play Type: Premium | ||
I'm playing on PORTLAND. The Blazers badly need a win and this one sets up very nicely for them. Not only do they get to face a sub-500 team from the East but they've also got the venue and schedule working in their favor. The Blazers had the past two days off while Charlotte is off a hard-fought 1-point win last night. This will be the fifth game of a 6-game trip for Charlotte. In addition to playing their second game in two nights, this will also mark the Hornets' third game in the past four days. Off four straight losses, the Blazers will show no mercy. They know they need to take advantage of games/spots like this one. While they've had some trouble against elite teams, the Blazers 12-7 ATS (13-6) against teams with a losing record. Expect them to improve on those stats in "blowout fashion" tonight. |
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Matchup | Selection | W/L |
NHL | Mar 01, 2021 Flames vs Senators |
Flames -161 at linepros |
Lost $161.0 |
Play Type: Premium | ||
I'm playing on CALGARY. The Flames turned the corner with Saturday's big win here. I expect them to build off that effort this evening. Note that Calgary is 8-2 its past 10, when facing an opponent which allowed five or more goals in its previous game. Meanwhile, the Sens are a dismal 3-14 their last 17, when allowing five or more goals in their previous game. Here's what I said prior to Calgary's win on Saturday: "I was winless on Thursday, an ugly day in a bad month. The Flames also hit rock bottom Thursday, a 6-1 loss to the lowly Senators. Just as I fully expect to bounce back, I fully expect the Flames to do the same today. That wasnt just an ordinary loss. It was a humbling and embarrassing one. It should be noted that the Flames were playing their fifth game in seven days on Thursday, the second of b2b games. They've since had a day off. If this team has any pride, which I believe it does, a response is required. Note that the Flames are 10-2 their last 12, when facing a team which scored five or more goals in its previous game. Expect them to come out with a vengeance and to improve on those stats this afternoon." While the Flames did indeed come out with a vengeance, it will all be for naught, if they don't follow it up with another win here. Expect them to do exactly that. |
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Matchup | Selection | W/L |
NBA | Mar 01, 2021 Mavs vs Magic |
OVER 226 -104 |
Won $100 |
Play Type: Top Premium | ||
I'm playing on Dallas/Orlando OVER the total. Having just faced a few of the top teams in the East (Boston, Philly, Brooklyn) the Mavs step down in class to take on the Magic. Those games against the top teams all finished below the total. However, a game against Orlando should see the offense get rolling. (When they visited here last season, the Mavs scored 122 themselves and the game finished comfortably above the total.) Note that the OVER is 12-7 when the Mavs are favored. The Magic have given up 124 and 129 points their last two games. They've also seen the OVER go 5-2 when their previous three games were losses. Including last year's game here against Dallas, the OVER is 14-7 their last 21 against Southwest division opponents. Expect those stats to improve this evening. |
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Matchup | Selection | W/L |
NCAA-B | Mar 01, 2021 Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State |
UNDER 142 -110 |
Lost $110.0 |
Play Type: Top Premium | ||
I'm playing on Oklahoma/Oklahoma State UNDER the total. These teams played a very high-scoring game against each other a couple of nights ago. Future NBA draft pick Cade Cunningham had a career high 40 points and the game went to OT. Yes, the game would have still finished above the total without OT. However, take away those 34 OT points and its a lot closer to the number. Playing each other for the second time in three days, I expect the rematch to be considerably lower-scoring. The Cowboys have only allowed 80 or more points in two other instances. In both cases, their next game finished below the total. They allowed 60 and 67 their next game. Going back a bit and we find the UNDER is 8-4 their last 12 after allowing 80 or more. Going back still further finds the UNDER at a lucrative 63-38 when OSU played with one day's rest in between games. As for the Sooners, they've seen the UNDER go 18-6 the past 24 times that they'd scored 80 or more in their previous game. Going back further finds the UNDER at a profitable 38-18 when OU was attempting to avenge a home loss. The last time that the Sooners allowed 80 or more, they responded by allowing 56 their next game, that one finishing below the total by more than 20. Look for this one to also prove lower-scoring than many will be expecting. |
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Matchup | Selection | W/L |
Soccer | Mar 01, 2021 Southampton vs Everton |
Everton -0¼ -112 at pinnacle |
Won $100 |
Play Type: Top Premium | ||
I'm playing on EVERTON. These teams are going in opposite directions and there's a big class difference, in my opinion. Southampton is a mess right now and is off a 3-0 loss to Leeds. The Saints haven't won in their last eight EPL matches, losing seven of those. Everton, on the other hand, is off a big 2-0 win over Liverpool, the type of victory that can build confidence. Southampton's best chance would be complacency from the home side. However, given the fact that the Saints beat the Toffees 2-0 in this season's earlier meeting, that won't happen. Payback time. |
SERVICE BIO |
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Age: 45 Background In "Outliers," Malcolm Gladwell asks the question: "What makes high achievers different?" Gladwell suggests that those at the top of their field have a number of similarities - that their upbringing (culture, family, what generation they came from, experiences) had much to do with their success. As a professional sports handicapper, Ben Burns is widely recognized as being "at the top of his field." A look at Ben's upbringing shows that he fits Gladwell's model to a tee. Exposed to the world of point spreads early and often as a child, Burns reached adulthood as the Internet was first beginning to explode, just as the first offshore sportsbooks were springing up. By that time he'd already spent thousands of hours learning and studying stats. From an early age it became apparent to family and friends that Ben wasn't a "typical" fan. At age 11, he was mentioned in a major newspaper (Toronto Star) for correctly predicting a high profile trade before the Major League Baseball trading deadline. (Winner of the contest got tickets to the All Star game.) Ben's father and uncles were always involved in a weekly NFL (ATS) pool. Some of Ben's earliest memories included that pool and his fascination with it. As soon as he was allowed to play, Ben demonstrated an uncanny ability to surprise the adults. Around this time, one of his uncles moved his casino business to the Caribbean. This was the environment which he came from. The caption underneath Ben's high-school graduation photo references Ben's love for betting on football. That's because he was famous throughout his school for annually winning the local football contest, along with the $1700 per year which was awarded to the champ. Coming of age right as the first sports books were coming online, Ben was fortunate to enjoy some success with his some of his early online sports betting endeavors. He did so well that the first shop he ever played at ended up refusing to take his hockey bets. Also, in the very early days of the Internet, Ben won an NBA playoff contest, put on by a company which was called NSS.net. The contest victory awarded him a trip for two to Las Vegas, $1000 cash, a limo at his disposal, free shows, hotel and live sports odds for a year. Not a bad prize for a kid in his early 20s. However, the bigger prize was that Ben was exposed to the world of "professional sports handicapping." Inspired by his personal success and encouraged by his peers, Ben first made his picks available to the public in 1998. Achievements in Handicapping/Sports Top Ranked NFL Handicapper From the years of 1998-2007, Ben's selections were independently documented at one of the Internet's earliest and most respected sports monitors, Big Guy Sports. During that time, Ben earned literally dozens of documented Top 3 finishes in football, basketball, baseball AND hockey, including numerous #1 titles. Competing against a field of 150 of the biggest names in the industry, he ranked as the #1 NFL handicapper in the existence of that sports monitor, in their All-Time rankings. No competing handicapping service ever came close to matching his NFL record. In fact, Ben also ranked as the #1 combined NFL/NCAA football handicapper. 10 Straight Super Bowl Winners A big part of the reason for Ben's #1 NFL titles was his annual success in the playoffs. He fared particularly well with his Super Bowl selections. In fact, from 1999-2007, he released 10 Super Bowl picks (3 Sides, 7 totals) and went a perfect 10-0. (All selections independently documented.) In the middle of that 10-0 streak, in the 2002-2003 season, Ben won with both the Bucs and the "over" the year that they beat the Raiders. That win was particularly sweet as he predicted that Tampa would win the Super Bowl in a number of national magazines, prior to the season even starting. Fantasy Legend Ben got pretty seriously into the DFS world in 2014 and 2015. Recently, he was featured as "The High Roller" in the 2015 documentary, "Living the Fantasy." A regular fixture at Fan Duel and Draft Kings live championship events, Burns has taken down 6-figure scores in football, basketball AND baseball. While many of the other prominent DFS players come from a poker background, two decades as a sports handicapper provide a unique perspective. Biggest Win of 2016 The year has just begun but Ben has already enjoyed some notable wins. His "Bowl Game of the Year," which happened to be a total (WVU/ASU "over") saw the teams combine for 85 points and 1196 total yards, all of them in regulation. Closing out the campaign with wins on Clemson AND the "over" in the championship game was also rewarding. Systems Used For Handicapping Bruce Lee noted: "Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style of system." Lee was known to talk about being shapeless, formless (like water) and ready to adapt to any situation. Likewise, Burns doesn't rely on any one particular methodology. Rather, he combines fundamental, technical and situational techniques, making use of any and all data, which he deems relevant to the situation. Ben does tend to pay particular attention to the 'situational' side of things. Among numerous other factors, this includes trying to determine when (and why) a team will be extra motivated ("pumped up") to play its best and also when a team may be ripe for a "letdown." Burns has a contrarian nature and this trait is often revealed in his selections. Betting Philosophy Ever adapting, Burns is just as likely to take points as he is to lay them. Over the years, he's played more "unders" than "overs" but that doesn't mean that he won't pull the trigger on an "over" when the time is right to do so. While many handicappers shy away from playing MLB/NHL favorites on the money-line, Ben has proven that one can be highly successful by doing so. For him, it’s all about value. If he can get a team at -130 that he likes and that believes should be -160, than that's a play.
Rating and Titles of Plays Ben uses a scale of 5-10 to show his level of confidence with each play. Plays may include "titles" in order to give users a better idea of what to expect. Some of those titles include: Personal Favorite - Strongest favorite (or pick'em game) in that sport for the day. Best Bet - Strongest underdog (or pick'em game) in that sport for the day, occasionally can be a total. Blue Chip Total - Strongest rated total in that sport/category for the day. Main Event - Big play which is featured on national television. Game Of The Week/Month/Year - Top rated side or total for that particular week/month/year. |