The premise of this website is that Uncle Bucky and I, and I guess every gambler in this degenerate-filled world, are trying to beat the odds that bookmakers build into their lines so that we return more than we wager. Of course, given that the standard odds are -110 (risking $110 to win $100), to beat those odds, or “the juice,” one must first just beat the chimp.
Assuming that betting markets are efficient, a chimpanzee should be able to pick 50% winners in spread bets or otherwise choose bets that only lose about 5% of the wagered amount over time. But that 5% is a big number. It’s a chasm of outcomes. A financial trench separating the chimpanzees and those who are worse than chimpanzees from the true sharps. And “trench” is appropriate here, because as far as I know, that 5% has no name. It’s fallen in a no-primate’s land of gambling nomenclature – stuck between the masses of square bettors and the sharps. There’s not a term for that.
All that ends today, as I’m dubbing that range of outcomes between breakeven and -5% “The Chimp Zone.” This long lead-in is not, of course, unprompted. After going in a deep early hole, and an 11 week fight back, Beat the Juice has not managed to beat the juice. But it has entered “the Chimp Zone.” And I’ve got the graph to prove it.

At the end of Saturday night, I was outside the Chimp Zone, looking in. What had started off as a huge moneyline dog weekend with Tulsa +605 hitting over Central Florida on Thursday quickly reverted to the mean on Friday and Saturday, with my only other NCAAF pickup being Colorado over Stanford. I had lost 12 of my last 15 NCAAF plays, and honestly, was starting to doubt the strategy. Then, for the second weekend in a row, Sunday delivered big time, hitting both Dolphins +420 and Falcons +490, and pushing me to -2.61% on the year.
Bucky had a solid week himself, picking up 1.5 units mostly on the back of a 4-2 Saturday. And he was extremely close to picking up the TCU cover, but then, as we’ve covered before, this blog ain’t about horseshoes or hand grenades – sports gambling is pretty much designed to make you feel as though you are constantly on the wrong side of near-misses that will surely right themselves if you just give them another chance. Bucky is still getting out-picked by the chimps, but closing in on them at -7.02%.
And now for this week’s picks (now in an easier to read table format):
Bucky’s NCAAF Picks:
Team | Opponent | Bet | Odds | Site | Units Wagered |
Florida | Missouri | -7 | -109 | GTBets.eu | 1 |
Wisconsin | Nebraska | -14.5 | -109 | GTBets.eu | 1 |
Alabama | Miss. State | -17.5 | -109 | GTBets.eu | 2 |
Texas Tech | TCU | 3 | -109 | GTBets.eu | 1 |
Bucky’s NFL Picks:
Team | Opponent | Bet | Odds | Site | Units Wagered |
Ravens | Texans | -4 | -109 | GTBets.eu | 1 |
Saints | Bucs | -5.5 | -109 | GTBets.eu | 1 |
Panthers | Falcons | -5.5 | -107 | BetOnline | 1 |
My NCAAF Picks:
Team | Opponent | Bet | Odds | Site | Units Wagered |
No. Illinois | Toledo | ML | 125 | Bovada | 1 |
Kent State | Buffalo | ML | 200 | GTBets.eu | 1 |
UNC | Pitt | ML | 165 | GTBets.eu | 1 |
La. Tech | Marshall | ML | 165 | GTBets.eu | 1 |
West Virgina | Kansas State | ML | 495 | BetOnline.ag | 0.5 |
Ga. Tech | Va. Tech | ML | 190 | GTBets.eu | 1 |
Temple | Tulane | ML | 195 | GTBets.eu | 1 |
South Florida | Cincy | ML | 475 | BetOnline.ag | 0.5 |
Syracuse | Duke | ML | 325 | BetOnline.ag | 0.5 |
NC State | Louisville | ML | 165 | GTBets.eu | 1 |
UCLA | Utah | ML | 950 | Bovada | 0.5 |
Oregon State | Arizona State | ML | 135 | Bovada | 1 |
Coastal Carolina | Arkansas State | ML | 400 | GTBets.eu | 0.5 |
S. Carolina | Texas A&M | ML | 375 | BetOnline.ag | 0.5 |
Auburn | UGA | ML | 125 | Betnow.eu | 1 |
Kansas | OK State | ML | 650 | GTBets.eu | 0.5 |
Texas Tech | TCU | ML | 145 | Betnow.eu | 1 |
Baylor | Oklahoma | ML | 310 | Mybookie | 0.5 |
Houston | Memphis | ML | 325 | Mybookie | 0.5 |
Nebraska | Wisconsin | ML | 500 | BetOnline | 0.5 |
My NFL Picks:
Team | Opponent | Bet | Odds | Site | Units Wagered |
Redskins | Jets | ML | -115 | Bovada | 1 |
Eagles | Pats | ML | 175 | Bovada | 1 |
Broncos | Vikings | ML | 435 | GTBets.eu | 1 |
Bengals | Raiders | ML | 430 | GTBets.eu | 0.5 |
Falcons | Panthers | ML | 218 | Betnow.eu | 1 |
Bucs | Saints | ML | 215 | Betnow.eu | 1 |
Until next time, stay sharper than a chimp!