Click Away for Free Picks from the Nations Best   The TINDER BOX by Tom Scott - 11/01/2002 The Tinder Box takes it's name from my football newsletter, and it's steam engine logo . The tinder box on a steam engine was the place where fuel (mostly wood) was kept before it was tossed into the engine's boiler. The material you will read in this column will be YOUR fuel to keep you OUT OF THE BOILER. TRIPLETS - TRIPLETS - TRIPLETS In music, they are sets of three notes played in series. In life, they are three babies born out of the same pregnancy. In handicapping, they are one of the most valuable tools for the technical handicapper. Last week, the our triplet angle produced the Cleveland Browns in their SU underdog win over the Jets. Today we will start from the same basic angle then take a different road to NFL profits. Just as a reminder - The handicapping definition of triplets is a three game set in an "ABC" format with "A" being the role and result of the game two games before the one you are playing today, "B" being the role and result of your last game, and "C" being today's game. In our jargon, the "A" game is called the "STARTER", THE "B" game is called the "SETUP", and the "C" game is called the "TARGET". In the NFL this week you have one our most profitable triplets in effect. It is structured in this manner: STARTER = Lost both SU and ATS as a road underdog SETUP = Won both SU and ATS as a home favorite TARGET = Road underdog We'll start then, with this premise: Play ON any road underdog who won and covered as a home favorite last week if they lost and failed to cover as a road underdog the week before the home win. That simple parameter gives us a 50-35 record worth 58.8% winners and starts us on the way to a 81.2% angle with accumulative conditions. Our first added condition insures that our team can play a little defense. We restrict our study to those teams who allowed less than 17 points in their last game. That condition eliminated 13 winners but also took out 15 losers and left us with a 37-20 record worth 64.9%. Next, we want to make sure that our opponent doesn't have the motivation of a previous game loss to hinder our team. So, we insist that the opponent must be off a win. That condition moves our angle to 23-9, or 71.9% and sets up our final angle. Add this parameter: Our team won its previous game by 15 or more and we have an angle that reads: Play ON any NFL road underdog who allowed less than 17 points and won by 15 or more as a home favorite last week if he, in the game before that, lost both SU and ATS as a road underdog and this week's opponent is is off a win. That angle is 13-3 ATS over the past 22 years  Owned and operated by Alliance Sports Media  Any information furnished by this site is for information and entertainment only and is not to be used in violation of any federal, state, provincial or local laws - Privacy Policy Contact Servus - Picks2bet.com