Avalanche Notebook: Avs are bookies’ best bet for most points, Calvert takes junior hockey job

We’re a legal sports betting state here in Colorado, where ’tis a privilege to live. Pot is legal here, mushrooms are legal here (sort of) and so betting on sports is damn well gonna be legal too. So, yeah, there is going to be some betting talk here occasionally on this site.

For the last three hockey seasons, I’ve written three daily best bet recommendations, every day, for Bookies.com, which all of you should read and follow on their Twitter account. And, I don’t mind saying: my success rate in picking winners has never been below 57%. So, DaterJinx THAT.

Full disclosure too: The betting numbers I’m about to quote are from an official sponsor of this site: SuperBook Colorado. I heartily endorse any of you signing up for a free account with them. Do that until the start of the NFL season coming up, and you’ll get your first deposit/bet matched, dollar for dollar, up to $750. That is much higher than most other sportsbooks give you for a “free” first bet.

It’s like this: Say you want to bet $750 that the Broncos will win their first game of the season coming up? If you LOSE that bet, you’ll get your $750 back to use for other bets. It’s that simple. (If you win the bet? Then you keep all the winnings and have a hell of a fun rest of the night). I know a lot of you might think “it sounds too complicated to sign up with a sportsbook.” It’s not. It only takes a few minutes. And probably many more of you think, “Gambling…sounds sketchy and risky.”

I mean, by the very meaning of the word, gambling/betting is risky. And, yeah, I used to be one of those people with the reservations listed above. But I’ve found it to be surprisingly fun, and not too terribly addictive. Sports betting has gone mainstream now. It used to be a secretive part of the culture, but not anymore. Of course, there are risks with everything, and if you find you have a gambling problem, well, call 1-800-522-4700.

So, getting to the point of this lead note: SuperBook Colorado just came out with their “totals” points predictions for every team in the NHL, with odds to match that you can make bets on, and your Colorado Avalanche is the pick to get the most regular-season points this coming season. That point total forecast is for 110.5 points.

You can bet the over/under on this total, right now. The odds for the over and the under are the same: -110.

A lot of you are asking right now: what the hell does -110 mean? It means this: It’s all based on a divisible of 100 when you see odds like this. In this case, if you bet $100 on the Avs to get more than 110.5 points and they do, you’ll win $190.91 (your $100 back, plus $90.91). It’s the same profit total if you bet the under of 110.5 points and the Avs, in fact, get no more than 110 points.

A successful $10 bet, at -110 odds, would win you $19.09 (your $10 back, plus $9.09). That’s how the odds work. A MINUS number in front of the actual odds number means that the thing being bet upon is a FAVORITE to win. A PLUS number in front of the odds means you’re betting on the underdog, where the payouts are bigger if they actually win (let’s say the Avs are +335 to win the Stanley  Cup – that means if you bet $100 on the Avs to actually win the Cup and they do, you win $435 (your $100 back plus $335 more).

Get it?

It takes a little time, but it’s easy once you do it a few times.

So, the Avs are listed as the NHL team that will finish with the most points in the regular season, at 110.5. I’m going to hold off on making an official recommendation on that total just yet. But I’ll give my take on that at some point before the start of the season. What do you think of that number, Avs fan?

Matt Calvert got a new job today. It’s the player development director for the Brandon Wheat Kings, the place where No. 11 not only played his junior hockey, but where he grew up and still lives. So, this is no doubt a great day for Matt Calvert. He’s fully come home again.