“Oooh . . . interesting question . . . never really looked into it till now.”
— Steve Makinen
I did it.
After almost 10 years of working together, I finally came up with a betting trend that Steve Makinen hadn’t considered.
I asked him how teams that played in the Hall of Fame Game fared in Week 1 of the preseason.
His research:
📊 5 straight: Teams that played in the Hall of Fame Game are on a five-game SU and ATS winning streak in their second preseason game. (The 2023 teams split, but the team that played later the next week won.)
📊 4 straight: Teams that lost the Hall of Fame Game have rebounded to win their next preseason game four straight times, both SU and ATS.
📊 6 straight: Teams that allowed 20+ points in the Hall of Fame Game have bounced back to win six straight SU and ATS. They also went 5-1 Under, with their defenses allowing just 9.2 points per game in the next outing.
Wrote Steve: “Some pretty good stuff . . . good thought.”
My work is done here.
OK, maybe not.
I asked Steve about the Hall of Fame Game participants because I heard VSiN PrimeTime host Matt Youmans talking about why he likes the Raiders (-1) against the Cardinals on Thursday.
Arizona, of course, lost 33-30 to Carolina in the Hall of Fame Game.
Then I read Dave Tuley’s Takes on Week 1.
He likes the Cardinals.
“Kirk Cousins will start the Raiders’ preseason opener with No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza also expected to get some reps with the starting offensive line, so that’s basically why the Raiders are favored. However, I’ll be on the Cardinals as I like the fact they have a game under their belt. Besides, Carson Beck looked good in the Hall of Fame Game as the Cards also have Gardner Minshew behind Jacoby Brissett.”
👉 Tuley’s Takes on Every NFL Preseason Week 1 Game →
📊 Makinen’s Team-by-Team Preseason Betting Trends →
This week’s episode of Circa Survivor: The Quest for $18.7 Million picks up with a carnage-filled NFL Week 10 and the pressure mounting with Thanksgiving approaching.
Streaming live on YouTube tonight at 9 p.m. ET.
👉 Watch Episode 4 →
🏈 Playing the Circa Contests?
Winner’s Circle is VSiN’s preferred proxy for Circa Survivor, Circa Million and Circa Grandissimo.
👉 Learn More About Winner’s Circle Proxy →
Greg Peterson has his Best Bets for today’s MLB card.
Yesterday’s results are now posted, and today’s AI-generated plays will be available a few hours before first pitch.
⚡ VOLT: Yesterday’s Results • Today’s Plays →
The FedEx playoffs open with the St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
VSiN golf analyst Wes Reynolds thinks world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (5-1) will win this week even though he has just one victory in 2026.
So where does that leave Wes looking for value?
The “Without Scheffler” markets.
👉 Wes Reynolds’ St. Jude Championship Best Bets →
Wes, Kelley Bydlon and Matt Brown also weigh in with their opinions on the latest Long Shots podcast.
🏈 DonBest Football Rotation Guide
Every NFL and college football game through Nov. 2, including preseason schedules, rotation numbers and matchup information in one convenient guide.
👉 Purchase for $4.99 →
🔥 August Young’s WNBA run continues.
August Young from Doc’s Sports is now 21-3 (88%) this WNBA season for nearly +7,000 in documented profit, including an incredible 16-1 (94%) run for +5,760.
Young is coming off another winner Tuesday night as he continues his run through the women’s pro league.
