Each day, one of our experts will offer up a best bet (or two or three) that mobile sportsbooks are offering. It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer.
Here are our best bets for Wednesday, April 5:
TOP PLAY
The play: The Masters, Cameron Smith to finish in top 20
The odds: -145
The book: FanDuel Sportsbook
Time/TV: Thursday through Sunday on ESPN, ESPN+ and Golf Channel and NBC on the weekend
Our take: I get it – betting on LIV golfers is not easy for some. But here, there are many from “that other tour” that could have a great week in Augusta, and Smith is at the top of the list.
Not only is he +2800 at FanDuel to win, which might be the best value in the entire tournament, for Daily Best Bets, we’re going to stay a little small and safe. Although Smith hasn’t been dominant on the LIV the past month or so – finishing in the top 30 in three tournaments – he has been fantastic at The Masters.
In his past five outings here, he has four top-10 finishes (he’s +185 for that, if you would rather), with three in the top five – third last year, second in 2020 and fifth in 2018.
Smith knows how to play in bad weather, which is forecasted for the entire weekend, and he will have as much motivation as ever with all the talk of PGA vs. LIV. While we also like Dustin Johnson, Joaquin Niemann and potentially even Brooks Koepka, Smith stands out over all of them.
UM, WHERE DID THAT LINE COME FROM?
The play: NBA, Pelicans -5 over Grizzlies
The odds: -110
The book: FanDuel Sportsbook
Time/TV: 8 p.m. (NBA League Pass)
Our take: What in the holy heck is going on around here? In the “this line makes absolutely no sense” department, with the Grizzlies still fighting for a No. 1 seed in the West and the Pelicans still not guaranteed a play-in spot, for some reason New Orleans is a big favorite?
So you know how we roll. When we find something that makes no sense, this is where we’re at our best: We take the side that doesn’t make sense. Knock it if you like, but time after time, when Vegas tells us something, we listen. And we win.
HOW WE’VE FARED
NBA: Warriors -8 over Thunder (WON)
MLB 5-inning parlay: Guardians over Athletics and Dodgers over Rockies (WON)
Tuesday’s record: 2-0
Total for the week: 3-1
Total for April: 4-4
Total for 2023: 69-74
NOTE: If a line or odds are minus, it considers the juice one must lay to place the bet. Ex: Team A is -160 on the money line, one would have to bet $160 to win $100 (or $16 to win $10). OR Team B is a 5-point favorite at -110, one would have to bet $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10.)
Conversely, on positive lines, if Team C is +140 on the money line, $100 would bring in $140 (or $10 to win $14).
