Zolak & Bertrand: The Football Card – Week 5

The crew owns a record of 12-8 after Week 4 with Beetle, T-Bone, and Hardy all coming off wins. Zo and Milliken weren't so lucky. Just a quick refresher on last week’s picks:

Zo had taken the Bengals (-2.5) over the Titans. Beetle picked the Ravens (-2.5) to cover against the Browns. Hardy put his money on the Bills (-2.5) against the Dolphins. T-Bone put his hopes in the Jaguars (3) against the Falcons and finally Milliken had the Chiefs (-8.5) over the Jets.

One of the biggest questions we get each week is what betting lines do we make our picks from. In past years, sports betting wasn’t allowed in Massachusetts, but that barrier has finally been broken down. Check out Bet MGM to see the exact same lines the guys are looking at.

Zo isn't a fan of the Steelers offense whatsoever. Even with the Ravens going on the road, he sees this as a looming beatdown for Mike Tomlin and his crew as they try to get Kenny Pickett back on track.

The 49ers have been the best team in the NFL to start the season and that won't change on Sunday against the Cowboys. Just because Mike McCarthy and his squad railroaded the Patriots a week ago, doesn't mean anything against a roster with this kind of talent. The loss of Trevon Diggs looms big in matchups like this.

Patriots have been getting the crap kicked out of them to start the year, but Hardy thinks they'll get their second win of the season on Sunday. Mac Jones has to show some fight with his career on the line. The losses of Christian Gonzalez and Matt Judon are scary, but if J.C. Jackson is suited up, he should provide a bit of a spark for the defense against an injured Derek Carr.

T-Bone doesn't care about the Broncos comeback last week. Both teams have been a disaster to start the season, but the Jets have some momentum after Zach Wilson put on a show last week. He bets the Jets keep this game close, even while dealing with the altitude in Denver.

Milliken is desperate for a win, so he's putting his money on two of the worst offenses in the NFL not being able to put points on the board. Patriots and Saints are the only teams in the NFL not to score 20 points in a game yet. Add in Derek Carr still battling a bad shoulder and a struggling Mac Jones that was benched last week, and this should be a low scoring affair.

Mobile sports betting will launch in Massachusetts Friday morning at 10 a.m.

On Thursday's Toucher & Rich program, the Bankroll Boys—Joe Murray and Dan Lifshatz—join the show to give advice to new sports gamblers.

Lifshatz: I put out some rules on Twitter yesterday for new beginning bettors, and maybe you guys should follow them. 

Rich: Give me your best rule. One that you abide by. 

Lifshatz: One that's huge for me for new bettors is not for established bettors. Newer people includes should bet with consistency, this is in terms of how much you're betting.

Don't bet $500 here, $100 here, and $200 there. Keep it consistent, especially early on when you don't know what you're doing. 

If you like a bet more, add a little bit more, that's fine. But for the most part, consistency is key, and it will help you down the line if you decide to do this more seriously.

Bankroll management is the biggest thing that really hurts bettors. People will bet $100 and win a couple hundred dollars and then bet $500 next instead of just betting $100 again. So, consistency early on is key when you're betting. 

Lifshatz: Some rules for new bettors. Don't follow anyone on Twitter who's like, "Up 400 units in a week! Follow me!". 

Don't do that. There are 4 billion accounts on Twitter that do this.

Also, don't buy picks. There are very few services that win. They all claim to win, but very few services actually beat the line and are profitable. This is extremely difficult to do.

Those are a couple of things I would tell you to be careful about. 

Rich: Okay, so mobile betting goes live at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning? 

Lifshatz: Yes, 10 a.m. I don't know if this is the truth, but just from a few things I've read, I would advise that you take advantage of these promos before mobile betting goes live. 

Fred: Well, you have to do that before 10 a.m. tomorrow. The disclaimer, I believe, on all of them is that as soon as the first bet goes through in Massachusetts, the deal is over. 

Lifshatz: If you want to get your bonuses and some expire tonight at midnight, you'll want to sign up today. Today is the day. 

Ryan Beaton is a producer for 985thesportshub.com. You can follow Ryan at @ry_beaton on Twitter.

Follow @Toucherandrich on Twitter, @Toucherandrichofficial and @fredtoucher on Instagram to keep up with the show!