Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Rather amazingly, the NFL is going to be able to complete its full regular season during a coronavirus pandemic, something that Major League Baseball, the NBA or NHL couldn’t do. Week 17 is upon us, meaning every game is played Sunday and is an intradivisional matchup.

Some spreads will look a bit unusual this week where perhaps an inferior team is favored over a clearly better one. That’s because some playoff-bound teams have nothing to play for and likely will rest starters. For example, when the Los Angeles Chargers visit the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kansas City has wrapped up the top seed in the AFC, and Coach Andy Reid already has acknowledged he’s going to rest some key guys – a list that starts with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. It concludes a fabulous season for Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who should win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Los Angeles is a 3.5-point favorite despite winning just once in the past 13 in the series.

The top seed in the NFC is up for grabs when the Green Bay Packers visit the Chicago Bears. Green Bay gets home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a victory, and Aaron Rodgers is now the favorite to win a third career regular-season MVP Award. Chicago has turned its season around on a three-game winning streak and will be a Wild-Card team with a victory. The Packers are -5.5 and have covered eight of their past 10 in Chicago.

Only twice in NFL history has an 11-win team missed the playoffs. The Indianapolis Colts could be the third. The Colts almost surely will get to 11 victories Sunday as they are 14-point favorites over the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars, but Indy has to have at least one other AFC playoff-relevant game go its way to reach the postseason. The Jags, meanwhile, already have wrapped up the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and the chance to select expected franchise-altering quarterback Trevor Lawrence of Clemson. Jacksonville has covered nine of the past 11 in this series and upset the Colts in Week 1.

The Cleveland Browns need a victory to earn their first playoff spot since 2002 as they host the AFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Cleveland probably will get that victory as Steelers coach Mike Tomlin will rest most of his starters, including QB Ben Roethlisberger. That has shot the spread up to Browns -9, but Cleveland is 0-7 ATS in its past seven games against AFC North foes.

A playoff spot is guaranteed to the winner of Sunday’s Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams matchup, and the Rams could still get in with a loss but the Cardinals can’t. Arizona will catch a major break in that Rams starting quarterback Jared Goff is expected to miss the game due to thumb surgery as will top receiver Cooper Kupp due to COVID. The Rams would have been favored if healthy but are 3-point underdogs. They have won the past seven in the series (6-0-1 ATS).

The post NFL odds roundup: Week 17 lines & trends appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.

If 2020 was the year where COVID-19 became an unwelcome player at the world’s poker table, we’re about to enter 2021. With everyone’s least favourite infection station – namely the virus – still hanging onto chips, what can we do to help you, the healthy poker player, make the most of the next 12 months whatever happens on and off the felt?

1. Start as you Mean to Go On

Kick off you year in style by playing with positivity, holding your nerve and making the kind of plays you want to. However you did in 2020, it’s time to start 2021 with a bang and in modern poker that means bringing your A-game. Don’t turn up at the felt unless you know that you can give your best.

2. Prepare for the Best, Expect the Worst

Make preparations for each game or session that you play. What are you hoping to achieve at the tables, and what is your cash out or stop loss amount if you’re playing cash games? If you’re playing tournaments, keep a ruthless track of your profits, positions you finish and why you went out – be honest!

Put a bankroll together, no matter how small and make sure you have a plan to deal with even the worst of downswings. When you do better than that, you can then push on with plans to step up or take shots in other events. In short, under promise and overachieve.

3. Travel Even if it’s From Home

Let’s face it, making travel plans for 2021 is a fool’s errand. It’s highly unlikely that you’re going to be able to gad about the globe like James Bond playing tag with Jason Bourne. Instead, set reminders, network and then connect with players from other countries online and try to build your worldwide community as a poker player.

Learn about another culture in the world with the common ground of poker to fall back on. It’ll be an incredibly rewarding part of your year, we promise.

4. Mix It Up

We know that you guys love No Limit Hold’em (NLHE) but this year could be your year in any number of different poker formats. From traditionally popular poker variants such as Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) to newer games such as Short Deck Poker, there are several different games for you to get your teeth into.

If you’ve never played a slightly different version of poker, you never know if it won’t suit you even better than NLHE and provide the springboard for major success. Just ask players like Matt Ashton, who has a long list of WSOP and SCOOP titles to tell you about.

5. Go Back to School

Training should always be something that you factor into your poker game, and virtually every player we know could use more. From YouTube strategy videos such as this to online study packages, it’s a great year to really amp up your poker learning.

From the latest poker literature to online courses, there’s no shortage of material for you to dive into and sometimes it can really boost you before a big tournament series or series of sessions at the cash game felt. If you have a learning gap before gameplay, put in the hours and you’ll get a lot more out of it in more ways than money.

6. Tick off a Target

What would Daniel Negreanu advise you to do in the next 12 months? OK, possibly eat some vegetables and get ripped. That’s not the point. The old Negreanu would tell you to declare your intentions and then you’ll achieve your goals. We’ll get a bit more practical than Kid Poker and tell you to declare steadily more ambitious goals.

Imagine if your only ambition next year was to cash in a $5-entry online tournament. OK, now let’s assume you go ahead and achieve that. How about a Top 10 finish? What about the win? How about winning a major tournament ticket from satellite entries? What about cashing in the Sunday Million? Your ambitions can escalate quickly if you make it easy to reach the next step. It’s all about declaring achievable intentions and patting yourself on the back a little at each stage. Damn, we’re doing that one.

7. Be Kind to Yourself and Others

Above all, in many different ways, 2021 is going to be a tough one for billions of people. We sincerely hope that doesn’t apply to you, but whether it does or doesn’t, be the kind of hero you aspire to be and treat others with kindness all year round. If you’re on the wrong end of any kind of treatment or cards yourself, smile, walk away, return to the game smiling and be good to others at all times. You’ll feel like a million dollars and get yourself in the right frame of mind to get closer to winning the same.

Make the next 12 months yours, play well, dream big and be yourself.

Have a great New Year.

The post Seven Poker New Year’s Resolutions for 2021 appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.

A judge this week denied reputed Mafia boss Peter Gotti’s request for an early release from prison. The 81-year-old brother of former Gambino leader John Gotti oversaw a criminal enterprise involved in racketeering, illegal gambling, and more, officials said.

Manhattan Federal Judge Colleen McMahon on Tuesday dismissed Peter Gotti’s plea to be set free, according to the New York Daily News.

Gotti argued he is at risk of coronavirus exposure at the Butner Federal Medical Center in North Carolina, the newspaper reported. Three inmates and six staff members at the prison have tested positive for COVID-19.

In an earlier request to be set free, Gotti said he is suffering from heart problems, dementia, blindness, and cancer, the Daily News reported. The judge denied this earlier request, saying Gotti is still a threat to society.

This week, she wrote, “Nothing has changed since last January — not even the threat of COVID-19 — to cause this court to alter its earlier decision.”

She had previously said Gotti was head of “one of the most vicious and violent organized crime organizations in New York.” 

“The danger posed by a Gambino family leader like Gotti is not that he will personally engage in acts of violence, but that he can command others to do so,” the judge wrote.

The Dapper Don

In a letter to the court during the previous request, Gotti said he wanted to be at home with his family “and tell anyone who will listen that I am a changed man and that there is no benefit to unlawful activities.” 

I truly regret my choices that hurt so many, and in the little time I have left on this Earth, would hope to be able to share some of my wisdom to help others not make the same kind of mistakes that I have made,” Gotti wrote. 

Gotti has served 18 years on a 25-year racketeering sentence, according to news accounts. Authorities have said he took over the Gambino crime family in 1999.

His brother, John Gotti, was a high-profile, reputed Gambino boss known as the Dapper Don. John Gotti was convicted in 1992 on numerous charges, including five counts of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison and died of cancer in 2002 at the federal medical lockup in Springfield, Missouri. He was 61.

Sammy the Bull

For  leniency, ex-Gambino underboss Salvatore “Sammy The Bull” Gravano aided authorities in prosecuting his former leader, John Gotti.

The effort was unsuccessful. The 75-year-old Gravano, who has admitted to killing 19 people, is active on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 

This month Gravano debuted a podcast titled Our Thing, discussing his life in the underworld.

On his website, Gravano sells iPhone cases, coffee cups, “Sammy the Bull” T-shirts, and more. His daughter, Karen Gravano, was on the Mob Wives reality television series.

A different New York Mob case also made the news this month involving the sentencing of an alleged Genovese crime family member.

This follows news in November that 15 Philadelphia reputed mobsters have been indicted on suspicion of gambling, drug trafficking, and more.

The post Judge Denies Early Release for Reputed Mafia Boss Over Prison COVID-19 Exposure appeared first on Casino.org.

2020 has provided entirely new hurdles to new businesses and work life. Here are the top Venture stories that took a peek into what was happening, and how we could help, in 2020.

New gold mines are waiting to be explored (but not where you think)

SpaceX is making the dreams of every 12-year-old boy come to life. The Elon Musk led company is sending ordinary people into space, and now they’ll be targeting asteroids for mining operations. SpaceX thinks that each asteroid is the perfect opportunity to mine gold and other precious metals.

Dragan Donkov gives the warning signs for an employee in trouble

The Richmond Foundation has been an advocate for mental health in the Malta area since 1993. Becky Liggero Fontana spoke with Dragan Donkov, on how employees can work on techniques remote workers can use to protect their mental health.

Drones now have an enemy: the counter-drone

2020 may be the rise of the drones. Before you think Skynet, drones are now doing everything from delivering pizza to Amazon packages. Before the drones take over, General Dynamics have begun to develop an anti-drone. The drone killer is programmed to detect and protect against drone threats.

Tips for setting up the perfect home office

The perfect home office has become the holy grail for most workers in 2020. Working remotely isn’t the vacation that it’s made out to be. Building a dedicated workspace is one of the keys to forging a successful work at home career. Learn how to turn your office into the ideal place to get things done.

How to write a great business plan

A great business plan is the foundation of any successful business. While getting the basics right can be a challenge for new entrepreneurs, we break down the tips for writing a great business plan. A A great plan will help get your business idea from the fantasy to reality.

Check out the rest of our 2020 year in review.

The post CalvinAyre.com’s most read Venture stories of 2020 appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.

Casino operator Caesars Entertainment, Inc. has secured US antitrust clearance for its acquisition of British bookmaker William Hill and anticipates the transaction to close in March 2021.

In a statement issued Monday, the casino powerhouse, formed by this year’s $17.3 billion tie-up between Caesars Entertainment Corp. and Eldorado Resorts, announced the early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR Act) in relation to its proposed takeover of William Hill.

When it was enforced more than 40 years ago, the HSR Act established a federal pre-merger notification program, which aims to provide the US Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice with information about large merger and acquisition deals before they actually occur.

The parties involved in such deals must file certain forms with federal authorities and may not close the transactions until the waiting period has passed or authorities have granted early termination of the waiting period.

As it has secured federal antitrust clearance for the acquisition of William Hill, Caesars said that it continues to work toward clearing other regulatory hurdles before it can finalize the transaction.

Caesars approached William Hill with a formal takeover offer in September which the board of the British bookmaker quickly recommended. Caesars’ offer valued William Hill at £2.9 billion. The deal was backed resoundingly by William Hill’s shareholders in late November.

Regulatory Approvals

The transaction needs to obtain approvals by gambling regulators in a number of states before it can be closed. Caesars said on Monday that its combination with William Hill was given the go-ahead by the Mississippi Gaming Commission on November 19 and the West Virginia Lottery in December 16.

The multi-billion tie-up is still subject to approvals by the Indiana Gaming Commission, the Nevada Gaming Control Board and Gaming Commission, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and Casino Control Commission, and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

In addition, the deal requires final approval from the English High Court as well as administrative and post-closing approvals from a set of US agencies.

Caesars said that while it still has a lot to do to satisfy all closing conditions, it believes the deal is on track to close in March 2021.

Caesars has set big goals for William Hill’s growth once it becomes part of the casino giant. The casino operator already owns 20% in the bookmaker’s US sports betting business through a joint venture it formed with William Hill in 2018.

It is namely the betting firm’s US operations that Caesars is most interested in and would look to grow in future. The casino operator said that it would sell William Hill’s UK and international assets after the acquisition deal closes this coming spring.

William Hill is already a major player in a number of US states where sports betting is legal and Caesars will be working toward growing the betting operator’s market share in these and other states.

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The post Caesars Clears Antitrust Hurdle for William Hill Acquisition appeared first on Casino News Daily.