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45-time handicapping champ Al McMordie welcomes you to Big Al's Sports Picks, your home for winning sports predictions. Get expert sports picks every day from 20 of the world's best handicappers.

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I have been a client of Big Al's since 1996, and love his sharp analysis. Big Al was BIG DATA before anyone ever heard of BIG DATA!! His data-driven takes are *crucial* for avoiding the emotional traps and recency bias that bury most bettors.

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I joined Big Al in the late 1990s, and he's the most successful handicapper I've ever used. 2019 was an unbelievable year. We won our NCAA Basketball futures wager on Virginia, then hit the Nationals to win the World Series (I had both tickets at 22-1), and capped off 2019 with our 8th straight winning NFL season. Cheers!

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I'm a numbers guy, so what I love about Al is that he doesn't pick games based on his gut instinct. When Al gives me a play, it's based on numbers and his database, which ESPN called the "most valuable sports handicapping database" in the world. Al's the best, and I'm a client for life.

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Cherry Hill, NJ

Big Al's completely turned me around as a bettor. I used to bet five minutes before game time, and at just one book. Now, I shop for lines and get most of my football action in on Tuesdays and my basketball action in at 6 am. I get much better numbers and I win a helluva lot more. Thanks Al!

Scott G.

Cleveland, OH

I've been with Big Al since 1992, and I've also used other handicappers. I have found Big Al to be the most diligent, hard-working and sophisticated handicapper. More importantly, he provides the best results.

M.S.

Long Island, NY

If Big Al makes a Futures recommendation - you MUST take note!! In the past couple of years, I cashed in on the Astros (2017) & Nationals (2019) in the World Series along with Virginia (2019) in the NCAAB Championship! All three were released before the season and CASHED at Juicy Double-Digit Odds!

D.K.

Las Vegas, NV

Big Al's approach is both analytical and contrarian, which I love. But he also has the experience and the historical perspective that's only gained from doing this for decades. I like to bet large amounts of money on games, so I need to trust the information. And there's no one I trust more than Al.

JPF

Las Vegas, NV

I first came across Big Al in an ESPN article. I joined him for the next NFL season and he actually had a losing year. But I could tell from his analysis that he knew what he was doing, so I signed up the next season, and he hit it out of the park. I've been with him nine years now, and all he's done is won the last eight NFL seasons in a row!

William Garrison

Dallas, TX

My first year with Big Al was in 2000, when I thought I would have a go at betting on American football. He went 10-0 in the NFL Playoffs! I couldn't believe it. I figured he had inside info, but it's really just superior skill. I live in Australia, and love Al's early release schedule. The games are out by 5 am (7 pm Australia time), so I can get the bets in! Big Al's picks are great, and his service is equally great.

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2021

#1 NBA/NCAAB Combo - Win Percentage

#2 NCAAB - Net Wins

#7 NFL Playoffs - Return on Risk

#10 NCAA Bowls - Return on Risk

2021

Cashed Preseason Futures Wager on the Milwaukee Bucks @ 13-2 odds to win NBA Championship

2021

Cashed Preseason Futures Wager on Baylor @ 12-1 odds to win NCAA Basketball Title

2020

Cashed Preseason Futures Wager on the Los Angeles Dodgers @ 4-1 odds to win MLB World Series

2020

Cashed Preseason Futures Wager on the Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7-1 odds to win NHL Stanley Cup

2019

Cashed Preseason Futures Wager on Virginia @ 22-1 odds to win NCAA Basketball Title

2019

Cashed Futures Wager on Washington Nationals @ 18-1 odds to win MLB World Series

2018

#1 NFL-Net Wins

#2 NCAAB-Net Profit

#2 NBA-Net Profit

2017

#1 NHL - Return on Risk

#3 March Madness - Net Wins

#4 MLB Playoffs - Net Wins

2017

Cashed Preseason Futures Wager on Houston Astros @ 10-1 odds to win MLB World Series

2016

#2 NCAA Football - Net Profit

#2 NHL - Return on Risk

#3 MLB - Net Wins

2016

Cashed Preseason Futures Wager on Golden State Warriors @ 5-1 odds to win NBA Championship

2015

#1 (of 1727 entrants) Las Vegas Westgate Casino NFL Mini-Contest

2014

Cashed Preseason Futures Wager on San Antonio Spurs @ 14-1 odds to win NBA Championship

2014

#1 NHL - Net Profit

#5 NBA - Win Percentage

#5 NFL - Net Profit

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NBA 2021-22: Top 10 In-season Trends

by Al McMordie

Monday, Nov 29, 2021

We're more than 20 games into the NBA season, so it's a great time to take stock of the trends that have developed over the first six weeks.  Here are our Top 10 most interesting ones.First, unrested teams that had to travel between games (i.e., they didn't play at home on back to back nights) have gone 22-31-1 ATS vs. rested opponents, including a woeful 7-18 ATS vs. opponents off a straight-up loss.  Second, NBA teams off games where they failed to cover the point spread by nine (or more) points have gone 32-14 ATS, including 8-0 ATS if installed as an underdog of more than seven points, and 11-1 ATS vs. unrested foes.Third, teams off an upset loss have gone 15-6 ATS vs. opponents off an upset win, including a perfect 7-0 ATS when laying seven (or more) points, as well as 11-1 ATS at home.Fourth, revengers have gone 38-30 ATS, including 14-6-1 ATS as a home favorite, as well as a perfect 5-0 ATS if they lost the first meeting by 29 (or more) points.Fifth, favorites off back-to-back losses have gone 30-19 ATS, including 19-8 ATS if they owned a win percentage greater than .380.Sixth, road underdogs off back to back home wins have gone 2-10 ATS, including 0-8 ATS if our road team owned a winning record, as well as 0-10 ATS if its opponent owned a W/L percentage of .400 (or better).Seventh, the Unders have gone 168-132, including 15-5 Under if the O/U line was greater than 227.Eighth, NBA teams off a game where they scored 90 (or less) points have gone 26-17 ATS vs. foes that didn't score 90 (or less) in their previous game, including a perfect 10-0 ATS when priced from -1.5 to -6.5 points.Ninth, rested favorites have gone 26-16 ATS in division contests, including 10-1 ATS if their opponent was off a win by more than five points.And, tenth, home favorites, off a home game, have gone 29-7-1 ATS vs. opponents off a win, including 4-0-1 ATS when playing with revenge, and also 13-1 ATS if our home team was off a home loss.Good luck, as always,Al McMordie

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Sports Betting: The Value of Niche Sports

by Scott Rickenbach

Sunday, Nov 28, 2021

The Value of Niche Sports in Sports BettingThis article is being written right at the tail end of Thanksgiving weekend in the US. That means it was an extremely busy weekend with a ton of sports action. This time of year you have NBA and College Basketball going and also NFL and College Football still going on. Football – College and Professional along with Basketball – College and Professional are the Big Four in sports wagering. However, handicapping other sports is a key to year round profit opportunities. One of those is still quite big as it is Major League Baseball and that keys the livelihood of year round sports bettors during the summer months. The key though is more than just baseball to think about when you think of other sports. Hockey is not followed by nearly as many bettors but, a money line sport just like baseball, there are plenty of opportunities on a nightly basis during the season and, including post-season, this is a sport with a full schedule that has games occurring in all but 3 months of a typical year! The covid pandemic has impacted our world greatly and it resulted in a complete sports shutdown for a period of 4 months form mid-March to mid-July in 2020. During that time I started studying the Premier League and have now added that version of “football” from across the pond to my sports wagering repertoire as it was one of the first leagues to come back after the sports shutdown.The 8th and final of 8 sports I handicap is Canadian Football. Why? Well normally a good chunk of the season is during the slower time of year in our sports wagering world as the season usually begins in June and is running strong through the slower months of July and August when the big sports like American Football and Basketball are in their off-seasons. Keep in mind also that there are just 9 teams currently in the Canadian Football League. You can very closely keep up with all 9 of these teams and find solid value on a week to week basis.In summary, the key point here is that the “other” sports can absolutely be a “value add” to your year-round bankroll pursuit and I personally have found the niche sports to be quite special in that regard. Yes, football (college and NFL) and basketball (college and NBA) will always get the most attention but don’t forget that attention also leads to tighter lines from the odds makers as well! That is why sometimes the best value is often found in the niche sports which is why I am always sure to focus attention on those sports too as it can truly be a big bankroll booster! 

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World Cup Report

by Ben Burns

Sunday, Nov 28, 2021

International soccer is heating up. Countries are battling hard to qualify for the next World Cup. The big event will be held in Qatar, in November/December 2022. It'll be just the second time that a WC will be held in Asia. Recall that South Korea and Japan co-hosted the 2002 tournament. It'll also mark the first time that the WC will be hosted by an Arab nation. Let's get caught up.SOCCER IN THE WINTER? In addition to being the first tournament in this part of the world, WC 2022 will also be the first to be held in the late fall. Every previous WC has been played in May, June or July. Personally, though I know it couldn't have been in Qatar, I'd rather it be played in the summer. We've got enough sports going on in November and December. LAST TIME WITH 32 TEAMSAs per usual, only 32 countries will qualify for the WC. That makes "just getting there" an accomplishment. After this, however, the field will expand to include 48 teams.ITALY/PORTUGAL: THERE CAN BE ONLY ONEWhen you think about international soccer, two of the first countries that come to mind are Italy and Portugal. Yet, one of them won't be going to Qatar. The Italians are 4-time champs. They failed to qualify for the 2018 WC but bounced back to win the Euro Cup in 2020. Meanwhile, Portugal won the 2016 Euro Cup. These two European soccer powers received an unfortunate draw though and will have to face each other, only one of them qualifying. Italy coach Roberto Mancini acknowledged. "It's not a great draw and it could have gone better. Just like we wanted to avoid Portugal, they would have wanted to avoid Italy."HERE COMES CANADAIn Canada, as is the case in the United States, the women's soccer team has achieved far more success than the men's team. The Canadian women are the defending Olympic Champions. They're led by one of the best and most recognizable players (Sinclair) of all-time and have won multiple medals. The men, on the other hand, rarely ever even make it to the World Cup. In fact, they've only ever done so once. That was back in 1986 and they failed to score a single goal. The men's team is currently riding high though and appears to be in great shape to return to the world stage. The Canadians sit in first in CONCACAF and the top three countries from that group will qualify. Even if Canada slipped all the way to fourth, it would have a strong chance to win its way in by facing a team from the Oceania region in an International Playoff. The Canadians aren't thinking about fourth though. This is their strongest team ever. Fresh off a victory over Mexico, in the snow, they're looking to win the group. 

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