There are many sports handicapping services out there that guarantee “locks” and “games of the year”.  The funny thing about both of those comments is that they are both completely false and are nothing more then words that get thrown around by salesmen.  The first thing we at Hate Picks want you to know is that there is there no such thing as a lock!  This word gets tossed around the betting world all the time.  People empty savings accounts on certain games because some handicapper called a game a “lock”!  You will never find that word used at Hate Picks. 

Every game that we handicap to our clients is a game that we personally are wagering our own money on, in one of the five large Las Vegas casinos.  The real professionals that are making a substantial living off of handicapping games know that you can’t bet 5 or 6 games a night, 7 nights a week and expect to make money.  The casinos love these types of players.  The real pro’s are placing wagers on 1-3 games a night and sometimes not playing at all.  Not playing at all is really hard for the recreational sports bettor.  The recreatational bettor has to have action all day everyday and over the long run will end up dead broke!  The handicappers at Hate Picks only want you to play our games that we are wagering our own money on.  If we win, and 65-75% of the time we do, so will you!

Experts Bio:

Name: Michael Burgess

Age: 49

Years in handicapping: I have been wagering on sports for over 20 years.  I laid my first bet when I was a sophomore in College at NYU.  I was a recreational gambler for 5 years and then created my own sportsbook in the NY area.  I ran my sportsbook for 6 years and occasionally played a few games on my own with other sportsbooks around town.  Seeing how the public wagers money on games definitely changed my outlook on how sportsbetting is supposed to be done.  When I was 29, I packed up my stuff and headed west to Las Vegas to become and professional handicapper.  I have been excelling in handicapping games in Las Vegas for over 20 years now.

Achievements in Handicapping: I have won the following events; Vegas Sportswire Invitational Contest, Alatex Football Contest and have been in the top 5 in Hilton NFL Super Contest and the Stardust Invitational Handicapping Contest.  I haven’t had a losing season in 6 full years of handicapping MLB, NBA, NFL, NCAAF, and NCAAB.

Biggest Win from Last Season: My single biggest bet/win in the NFL this past season was Superbowl XLII. I was convinced the defensive line was going to be able to slow down the powerful Patriot offense and keep the game close.  I honestly didn’t see the Giants winning, but definitely covering the 12.5 spread. Final score, 17-14.

Biggest Loss from Last Season: After a great start to the college football bowl season, I came across the Music City Bowl.  This was Kentucky vs. Florida State.  Florida State had over half of their starting players on suspension for an academic scandal.  They were playing a decent SEC team with a high powered offense.  I thought their defense would crack due to lack of substitutions and Kentucky would roll easily covering the 9.5 pt spread.  Due to a last minute turnover and TD by Florida State, the Seminoles managed to cover the spread just as time expired.

Systems used for handicapping a game: I like to look at different aspects of the games that other cappers don’t. For example, trying to determine when (and why) a team will be extra motivated to play their best and also when they may be ripe for a “letdown.” It also includes determining whether the teams will be fresh or whether fatigue will be a factor. Besides studying stats, trends, and coaching tendencies he spends a great deal of time reading the daily sports pages from various newspapers around the country.

Favorite Scenarios: I like to ride teams that are streaky. This really comes into play in MLB. For NCAAF, I’ve had great success betting on SEC teams when they play at home against non-conference teams.

Sports he excels at handicapping: NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAAF, and NCAAB.

Name: Bernard Edwards

Age: 52

Years in handicapping: Growing up on the south side of Chicago, I was immediately exposed to gambling.  Poker rooms in the back of restaurants, small time casinos in people’s basements, or the neighborhood bookie sitting on a park bench.  I had seen it all by my 21st birthday.  After 5 or 6 years of losing money in the casino’s and playing poker, I tried sportsbetting.  At first it was hard because I took the better teams each game like the rest of the betting public and got crushed.  I then realized I needed to change my thinking.  5 years and 100k profit later, I headed to Las Vegas.  After being in Las Vegas for 2 years sportsbetting, I was hired as a consultant and worked for 3 of the largest sportsbooks in Las Vegas.  I did that for 7 years and have been on my own ever since.  I have been professionally handicapping games for 22 years and haven’t had a losing season since 1995.

Achievements in Handicapping: Runner up at the “Las Vegas Hilton Handicapping Championship”, Winner of the “Wise Guys Football Contest” and “Vegas Sportswire Invitational”, 3rd place in “Money Talks Invitational”, and two top 5 finishes back to back at the “Millenium Invitational Handicapping Contest”. Biggest Win from Last Season: In the second round of the NFC playoffs, Green Bay hosted a very weak Seattle team.  Green Bay was laying 7 or 7.5 depending on when you got the game  The spread could have been 10 and I still would have taken Brett Favre in December.  Seattle is awful on the road and the Packers in the post season at Lambeau Field are 12-3 all time.  Packers won and covered easily 42-20. 

Biggest Loss from Last Season: It was the last week of the 2007 NCAAF season. Ohio State vs Michigan.  This game was painful to watch unless you love defensive struggles. I felt Michigan would come out ready to play in front of their home crowd especially it being Lloyd Carr’s last home game in Ann Arbor.  Michigan’s defense held Ohio State to a season low 279 yards, yet managed to gain only 91 yards of total offense for the entire game. Guess we should have played the under!

Systems used for handicapping a game: I rely on fundamental, situational, and statistical analysis to handicap games. I also have created a software application that helps me handicap player injuries, roster changes, motivation, and any coaching edges.   

Favorite Scenarios: I love to take the large underdogs, especially when the team is at home.  People rode the Patriots train all the way from week one through the Superbowl.  I bet against them each week feeling the double digit spreads were too much.  I started out getting crushed, but after playing against them every week, the 2nd half of the season started to pay off and I ended up netting positive cash flow.

Sports he excels at handicapping: NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAAF, and NCAAB.