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Ben Burns |
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| After a big March, its been a disappointing April, thus far. Burns is a long way from being done yet though. Expect him to right the ship with a big winning Wednesday card. |
| YESTERDAY'S PLAYS | ||
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| Matchup | Selection | W/L |
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NBA | Apr 21, 2021 Bulls vs Cavs |
OVER 210 -110 |
Won $100 |
| Play Type: Premium | ||
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I'm playing on Chicago/Cleveland OVER the total. Wednesday offers a large NBA card and this is the lowest O/U line on the entire board. I believe that it'll prove to be too low. These teams just met at Chicago, a few days ago. That 4.17 game had a higher O/U line, by a few points, than this one. Yet, the Bulls score and allow more points on the road while the Cavs score and allow more points at home. Cleveland home games average 220.1 points, much higher than their average road score. Meanwhile, Chicago road games average 228 points, much higher than their home games. The Cavs, who have dropped three straight, have seen the OVER go 9-5 after losing their previous three games. Expect those stats to improve this evening. |
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| Matchup | Selection | W/L |
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NHL | Apr 21, 2021 Canadiens vs Oilers |
Oilers -132 at Draft Kings |
Lost $132.0 |
| Play Type: Top Premium | ||
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I'm playing on EDMONTON. These teams just played a couple of nights ago. Edmonton won 4-1. Montreal led that game 1-0 midway through the third period though and had previously dominated the Oilers. I like the way that Edmonton rallied late and "got the monkey off their back" by beating the pesky Habs. I feel thats the type of victory that will build positive momentum. Edmonton's Ethan Bear had this to say on McDavid's third period goal: "We held the line, didn't let them get in. We came back as five,. There was a turnover, and Connor just does his thing. That's what makes us dangerous." The fact is that the Oilers have been much better than the Habs, who are without Price, on the season. Edmonton scores more goals and allows less. The line could easily be higher and it should be. Oilers win, again. |
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| Matchup | Selection | W/L |
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Soccer | Apr 21, 2021 Southampton vs Tottenham Hotspur |
Tottenham Hotspur -108 at pinnacle |
Won $100 |
| Play Type: Free | ||
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There's a considerable class difference between these two clubs. Tottenham sits seventh in the standings and has the talent to be even better. Southampton is 14th in the standings. The Spurs have a +17 goal differential. The Saints, on the other hand, have a -14 goal diffential. Tottenham has dominated Southampton in h2h action. Most recently, Kane and co. thrashed the Saints 5-2 back in September. With all the outcry over the European Super League, the Spurs will be anxious to continue that domination and appease their fans. Consider Tottenham. |
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| Matchup | Selection | W/L |
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MLB | Apr 21, 2021 Braves vs Yankees |
OVER 8½ -115 |
Lost $115.0 |
| Play Type: Premium | ||
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I'm playing on Atlanta/NY OVER the total. Yesterday's game was low-scoring. However, these are two explosive lineups and I expect the bats to come to life this evening. Kluber has not pitched well so far this season. He's got a 6.10 ERA to go along with a terrible 2.227 WHIP. He has yet to go more than four innings. While he's been better than Kluber, Anderson hasn't exactly been dominant either. He's got a 4.35 ERA. That doesnt tell the whole story though. A closer look shows that he's surrendering a .448 sluggling percentage. Thats WAY higher than last season. Kluber's last start against the Braves came on 4/20, two years ago. That one hit double-digits (8-4 final) and I expect this one to do the same. |
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| Matchup | Selection | W/L |
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MLB | Apr 21, 2021 Diamondbacks vs Reds |
Reds -160 at linepros |
Lost $160.0 |
| Play Type: Top Premium | ||
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I'm playing on CINCINNATI. The Reds weren't happy with how yesterday's suspended game was handled. The weather looks more promising today (a few scattered showers but nothing that should cause a ppd) and the game doesn't figure to be nearly so close. Mahle has been excellent, he's got 2.57 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. Kelly can't say the same thing;he's got an ugly 8.44 ERA and 1.69 WHIP. While part of that has been due to the venues he's pitched in, he's still not in good form. The Reds are 5-1 the past six times that Mahle started, 7-2 his past nine starts. Look for them to improve to 32-20 their past 52, as home favorites in the -150 to -175 range. |
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| Matchup | Selection | W/L |
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NBA | Apr 21, 2021 Nets vs Raptors |
Raptors -2½ -110 at Mirage |
Won $100 |
| Play Type: Top Premium | ||
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I'm playing on TORONTO. The Raptors need to keep winning and they're catching the Nets at the right time. Not only are the Nets off a win last night and playing their sixth game in the past nine days but they're also extremely short-handed. They had only nine players available last night and will likely be in a similar situation tonight. While the Nets are in a tough scheduling spot, the Raptors have had the past two days off. The Nets brings out the best in Toronto; the Raptors have won the past five meetings. Schedule in their favor, look for the Raptors to win their fourth straight overall, covering the small number along the way. |
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| Matchup | Selection | W/L |
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MLB | Apr 21, 2021 Giants vs Phillies |
Phillies -115 at linepros |
Won $100 |
| Play Type: Premium | ||
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I'm playing on PHILADELPHIA. The Phillies gave up six runs in the eighth to blow yesterday's game. While that certainly stung, I'm coming right back with them again this afternoon. Eflin was outstanding last time out. He held a powerful St. Louis lineup to a single run, on just four hits, through seven complete innings. His other two starts have come against the Braves, another potent lineup. Yet, he's still got a stellar 0.95 WHIP so far this season, averaging nearly seven innings per start. To his credit, DeSclafani has also pitched well. He hasn't been going quite as deep as Eflin though and he's also got a poor 5.34 ERA in six career appearances vs. the Phillies. I say the Phillies bounce back. |
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| Matchup | Selection | W/L |
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MLB | Apr 21, 2021 Orioles vs Marlins |
UNDER 8 -120 |
Won $100 |
| Play Type: Top Premium | ||
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I'm playing on Miami/Baltimore UNDER the total. Yesterday's game was high-scoring but we should see a lower-scoring affair this afternoon. Rogers has been excellent for Miami. He's given up two earned runs or less in every start, good for a 2.40 ERA. He's striking out an impressive 13.8 batters per nine innings, too. Zimmerman has been fairly solid. He's allowed three earned runs or less each start. He went six innings in two of those and five in the other. He'll be happy to pitch in an NL park against the Marlins and he's got the support of a Baltimore bullpen which has pitched well on the road. Zimmerman's last start finished with a 2-1 final and Rogers' lone home start had a 4-1 final. More of the same this afternoon. |
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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. |
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