Please click on the following links (or simply scroll down the page) to view Logical Approach's offerings for the 2024 College and NFL football seasons.
2 -- College & Pro Football Newsletter
3 -- Premium Selections Service
5 -- College and Pro Football Trends & Tendencies Newsletter
6 -- History of Logical Approach
7 -- Special Bonus With Subscription
For almost 4 decades Logical Approach has been among the best in the nation in
providing clients outstanding information and winning selections.
Handicapping
is a full time job.
It's long been realized that not everybody has sufficient
time over the course of a week to fully and properly research and analyze the many
factors that result in winning selections on their own.
It's not just a case
of reviewing Power Ratings, looking at Injury Reports and making a decision.
Often it takes 7 or 8 reviews and breakdowns of a single game to uncover a high
percentage play.
Logical Approach publishes 3 football Newsletters in addition
to providing a Premium Selections Service to help you gain winning edges on a weekly
basis throughout the season.
Read on for more information and details on Logical Approach's offerings for the 2024 football season.
This is our 'bread and butter' Newsletter and has been successfully picking pointspread
winners for nearly 40 years!
Our College & Pro Football Newsletter is
designed for those who value our insights on a handful of games (and preferences
on all other games on the schedule) but don't feel the need to supplement these early
week selections with the Premium Selections which result from our repeated review
of all games during the week following publication of this Newsletter.
Actually, our most popular package season after season is the combination of our College & Pro Football Newsletter and our Premium Selections Service.
And by taking advantage of the Discounts we offer the price for this combination
package can be less than $25.oo per week for the entire season!
This weekly publication contains our early selections with write ups and analyses
on our top Games of the Week, one college and one pro, plus write ups and analyses
on three more college and three more pro 'Featured' games, and also selections on
what we call the 'Best of the Rest' (Opinions) and 'The Rest' (Leans) for the rest
of the games on that week's schedule.
The format for our College & Pro
Newsletter is pretty straightforward and consistent, having changed very little over
the past four decades. Almost every issue begins with an informative and useful article
or commentary that relates to a key area of college or pro football (some of which
are highlighted below.
We feature 4 College Football Selections and Write-ups
with one game designated as our "Top Selection of the Week" and the other
3 as "Featured Selections."
We then provide selections on all other games on the betting board that week,
separating those selections into "Best of the Rest" (Opinions) and "The
Rest" (Leans).
We then repeat the process for the NFL schedule with a
"Top Selection of the Week", 3 "Featured Selections", "Best
of the Rest" and "The Rest". Additionally we provide several Over/Under
Selections for Totals players (usually from 4 to 8 each week) that are rated in strength
similar to out "Best of the Rest" Side Selections (Opinions).
Finally,
each issue contains up to 4 college and 4 NFL "Money Line Recommendations"
for teams we project as having an above average probability of winning their game
Straight Up, without regard to the pointspread. These selections usually involve
attractive Underdogs that carry a "plus" price on the Money Line or at
times there will be very short priced favorites.
Come College Bowl and NFL
Playoff time we provide Rated Selections on EVERY SIDE & EVERY TOTAL -- rating
each Side and Total Selection from a low of 1 Star to a high of 5 Stars with Sides/Totals
rated 3 Stars or higher considered as Recommended Selections.
The Newsletter
selections form the foundation for our Premium Selections Service. As noted above,
almost every issue includes a special study or commentary, current developments and
frequently inform our readers of the many new research findings we uncover each season.
The
Newsletter also has a Spreadsheet containing unique and valuable data to assist you
in evaluating all the games and is available separately on this website, offered
FREE to both subscribers and non-subscribers.
Although the selections are based upon our early analysis of the upcoming week's
schedule and are subject to be modified for Premium Selections Service clients, the
top selections are designed to stand on their own. College Totals are not included
in the Newsletter as many Sports Book don't post college Totals until after our publication
deadline. College Totals are included in the Premium Selections Service.
If
you are content to focus on just a handful of solid recommendations each week, our
College & Pro Football Newsletter will be your BEST BET this season!
To Buy or Not to Buy That Extra Half Point -- Analysis of "Key" Numbers
in the NFL
Measuring A "True" NFL Home Field Advantage
Weekly
Spreadsheet Featuring Unique and Exclusive Statistics -- Including "X"
Factor
The NFL -- A Study in Parity? Or Mediocrity? -- An Analysis of Close
Games
Mid Season College Football Report -- Over-Achievers & Under-Achievers
NFL
Mid Season Review -- The Statistics That Point to Pointspread Success
Playing
the NFL Money Line -- A Study of Winning and Losing Favorites
NFL Overs &
Unders -- A Total-ly Different Perspective
The Continued Need For A Real College
Football Playoff -- A Practical Solution
Preparing for the College Bowls --
Conference Strength Factors
NFL Playoffs -- Round by Round Historical Pointspread
Data
NFL Season Review -- AND -- Preview for Next Season
For the 2024 football season we will again be offering a single Premium Selections Service that features our best, top rated releases in both college football and the NFL each week. There are two levels of selections which are classified as either Single Plays or Double Plays. Selections include both Sides and Totals (Overs/Unders). All Double Play selections are rated equally and all Single Play Selections are rated equally.
Unlike most others in the industry we have only one Premium Selections Service.
Handicapping, linesmaking and the betting marketplace have all changed significantly
in recent seasons with the explosion of not just the information that is so widely
available but the proliferation of large betting groups/syndicates on a global basis
that have entered the marketplace and have greatly impacted the markets. There are
routinely major line swings, some of which are one way moves and that are used to
set up middles and/or buy backs. Some of the moves are legitimate opinions and others
are set ups designed to induce further movement in a certain direction before seeing
action come in on the other side/total and often creating significant middle opportunities.
There is greater volatility in sports "investing" than ever before with
many competing and often conflicting interests involved. More and more groups using
techniques that in the past were utilized mostly in the financial and stock markets
-- investors/bettors who play "numbers" and not "teams."
Over
the years Logical Approach's founder and sole proprietor Andy Iskoe has kept pace
with changes in the sports wagering/handicapping environment and has been in the
forefront of conducting research to go behind the commonly available statistics,
data and other information to uncover situations, metrics, patterns, trends and other
factors not reported in the public media.
For many years the edges to be gained
were edges that came from having key information before it hit the mainstream media
or was learned by the linesmakers and other bettors. These days virtually all information
is available and transmitted virtually instantaneously. With the advent of Twitter
and other social media platforms player injuries are often known worldwide as the
injured player is being carried to the sidelines. The edges are now more often found
in how that information is used -- the key being to use such information in ways
that others are not using that same information.
And that's an area in which
Andy and his Logical Approach have excelled in for many years and continue to prioritize
as a key ingredient in a successful handicapping and wagering program.
The
changes in the sports handicapping landscape has resulted in the transition from
"old style, traditional" handicapping techniques to ones that are more
reflective of the more sophisticated and constantly changing environment.
Logical Approach takes pride in having one -- and only one -- Premium Selections
Service. All subscribers receive the same, identical selections, week after week,
season after season.
The expectations are that 2024 shall produce another
outstanding season!!!
Put another way, there are ALWAYS cases that can be made for each side in a game. Obviously some factors are stronger than others and a proper analysis of all factors leads to a selection on one of the two sides or, in many games, neither side because the differences are negligible. If when you do your own handicapping and can only think of reasons to play Side A and none for Side B you should immediately pass that game because you are displaying, possibly unconsciously, an inherent bias towards Side A.
Our strongest selections each week are rated as "Double Plays" while
our other qualified, playable selections are "Single Plays." In a typical
season Double Plays will represent about 20-25% of the total plays we recommend with
Single Plays representing 75-80% of our total plays. In a typical week (Tuesday through
Monday) we expect a total of 10 - 15 plays although we tend to average closer to
the lower end of that range than to the higher end.
We never have -- and
never will -- insult your intelligence with claims of 70%, 80% or 90% winners --
claims that many others make and may indeed be true -- over a fairly short period
of time (like a day or a weekend or maybe even a month) but are intended to convey
they are for a full season or several seasons. Yes, we've had outstanding winning
seasons. But we've had an occasional losing season as well along the way. Everyone
has. They are inevitable. Just take a look at the high number of "random"
results and games that are decided in the waning moments.
Anytime you are
approached or solicited to receive (either for free or on a paid basis) a "Lock"
game you should IMMEDIATELY run the other way -- such promoters and advertisers are
only after your money on a one-time basis (unless you happen to win -- and there
are schemes and scams designed for just that purpose) rather than in providing you
with a realistic approach designed to give you edges on a season to season basis.
Remember that no matter how many edges you perceive that your selection has, any
game can lose.
But nobody works harder at finding winning situations and making
plays that carry a high probability of winning than does Logical Approach's Andy
Iskoe. And he's been doing it successfully for almost 40 years, the last 33 of which
he's been based in Las Vegas!
Many of you may be familiar with him from his
numerous and regular appearances over the years on the radio -- including nearly
a decade as co-host of the long running "Stardust Line" until that great
hotel/casino closed in 2006 -- plus his many contributions as a speaker at seminars
and his writings in various publications including his long affiliation of more than
20 years with Gaming Today -- which for a very long time was THE industry's most
respected sources of gaming and wagering information.
The Premium Selections
Service is a single complete package that also has one additional benefit not offered
by most other handicapping service -- the ability to have personal consultations
during the season. Whether you have questions on the games recommended, or questions
on other games of interest to you, or questions on handicapping in general, as
a subscriber to the Premium Selections Service you may telephone or e-mail Andy
with your questions, comments, etc. and you will receive a prompt response.
This
benefit alone can be well worth several times the cost of the Service and makes Logical
Approach rather unique in the Sports Advisory industry.
Devoted entirely and exclusively to NFL Teasers, in each issue we present and rank the teams for the current week's games showing the strongest likelihood of covering as part of a two team, 6 point Teaser, along with recommendations as to how you might play them (round robins, keys, etc.). Season to date statistics plus a weekly educational/informative feature (see below) supplement the selections to give you a full appreciation of what may be the best bet in football.
The underlying concept as to why we are successful in our Teaser recommendations
is that the linesmaker can't have it both ways -- as the linesmaker sets a better
line for the regular pointspread, Teasers become even more attractive with the additional
six points added to the line.
Our recommended teams are classified according
to likelihood of Teaser success and issues include statistical breakdowns of how
the season is progressing, recommended strategies for playing our Teaser teams (based
upon how many plays you are comfortable making each week) plus other valuable insights
and studies designed to give you even more of an edge when making this very profitable
wager.
We first published our Teaser Newsletter way back in 1988 and have had great success
in beating Teasers -- one of the most misunderstood of wagers but also one of the
most profitable ones as well. Sports books have increasingly had to change the payouts
on Teasers because of the great success the players have had in beating them -- many
by using our Newsletter!
Since 1988 we have recommended over 3,000 teams
and over 70% of these teams have been successful in two team, 6 point Teasers with
more improvements and refinements planned for 2024 to produce even more winning Teasers
and provide even more information critical to Teaser success.
Historical Team by Team Teaser Success Rates
Strategies for "Hedging"
& "Middling" With Teasers
Mid Season Team by Team Teaser Success
Report
Historical Teaser Success Rates By Role and Pointspread Range
6
vs. 6 1/2 vs. 7 Point Teasers -- An In-Depth Study
End of Season Wrap Up and
Recap
Even without the selections the Teaser Newsletter is a season-long handicapping course in understanding, handicapping and successfully playing two team Teasers!!!
The selections in this Newsletter are derived from the material in our highly
acclaimed Pointspread Encyclopedia series of books that had been published for more
than two decades. These books reported how every pro and college team has fared against
the pointspread in a variety of situations.
In essence, the selections are
based upon historical trends, patterns and angles and the philosophy that the linesmaker,
and -- more importantly -- the betting public, consistently overrates or underrates
teams in similar situations that often repeat.
The selections are basically
mechanical in nature based upon formulas and algorithms we have successfully employed
for many years.
This is a 'no frills' Newsletter that simply presents the
selections without commentary. The Selections consider the totality of the teams'
current situations and do not focus in on or rely upon just one or a few high percentage
factors bur rather on the combination and overlap of Trends/Situations developed
from our proprietary computer program that determines those profiles on a week to
week basis.
College Sides, NFL Sides and NFL Totals are rated from a high of 5 Stars to a
low of 1 Star basis with a number of games not rated due to no clear cut historical
edge based on the myriad factors considered.
Logical Approach was founded by Andy Iskoe in 1982 and has remained a one person enterprise for all of its 41 years. It's stated mission has been to provide quality information in an effort to inform, educate and assist handicappers, bettors and other 'Sports Investment" enthusiasts to have success in taking advantage of opportunities in the major sports of college and pro football, college and pro basketball, major league baseball, hockey and other sports.
In addition to providing insights on sporting events Andy published the highly respected Pointspread Encyclopedia series of book for more than two decades that was one of the most comprehensive sources of pointspread results and information much of which was hard to find in the days before the Internet. He also has an extensive inventory of data base information with game by game data and pointspread information dating back to the 1980's for college and NFL football, college and NBA basketball and Major League Baseball.
Andy and his Logical Approach have a long track record of consistent
and sustained football handicapping success for nearly four decades, highlighted
by the following accomplishments
-- Multiple Top 20 Finishes in the prestigious
Westgate/LVH/Hilton NFL SuperContest including a third place finish in 2002 and a
tenth place finish in 2008
-- Multiple Top 10 Finishes in other Las Vegas
Based College and Pro Football Handicapping Contests including a second and third
place finish in LeRoys 2006 College Football Contest
-- Deep runs in several
High End and/or Invitational "Bracket" Contests sponsored by leading Sports
Books
Clients to Andy's Logical Approach Newsletters and Premium Service
Selections have also enjoyed repeated successes over the years
with Premium Selections
and College & Pro Newsletter Selections including College Bowls and NFL Playoff
successes.
But perhaps his most impressive accomplishment as a public handicapper
took place in 2002
For nearly 25 years Andy authored weekly colummns
on the major sports of the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball.
In his NFL
handicapping columns for the Las Vegas-based newspaper Gaming Today Andy made
Side
or Totals selection against the pointspread for every game played on that week's
schedule.
. He had long term with his weekly selections with the highlight
of his career taking place in the 2002 NFL season.
For week 7 of 2002 he
was an astounding 14 for 14 ATS (Against The Pointspread)! -- in print!!
The odds against that occurring are 16,383-1!
You can check it out! It
was Gaming Today's Issue # 42 of 2002 (October 15-21, 2002)
A year earlier,
in 2001, he won the weekly $10,000.oo top prize by hitting 17 of 17 selections in
the Stardust's All American Football Contest!
The odds against going 17 for
17 are 131,071 to 1!!!
Andy was a long time co-host of the popular Las Vegas based Saturday
night Stardust Line Radio Show for nearly a decade until the Stardust closed in 2006.
Additionally,
even prior to moving to Las Vegas in 1991 Andy was a popular guest on several other
national weekly radio programs during the football season.
He continues to
share his insights and analysis on multiple radio shows and podcasts throughout the
football season as well as year round.
He was a featured columnist for nearly 25 years for the nation's
most respected weekly gaming publication, Gaming Today.
2024 will mark Andy's
34th football season in Las Vegas. Throughout his years in Las Vegas -- and continuing
to this day -- Andy has openly and freely shared,
and continues to share -- on
radio and in print -- his thoughts, analyses, opinions and predictions
on upcoming
college and pro football games as well as other sports depending on which are in
season
Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Andy's expertise BEFORE the
general public gets his final top opinions by subscribing to
one or more of Logical
Approach's outstanding football Newsletters or by becoming a private client of the
Premium Selections Service.
Take advantage of his expertise with one or more
of his weekly Football Newsletters and/or get his top Premium plays
of the week
-- Sides and Overs/Unders -- Pro and College -- by subscribing to his Premium Selections
Service.
Notes:
1 -- All Newsletter and Full Season Premium Selection Subscriptions
cover the regular season, the college Bowls and the NFL Playoffs, except for the
NFL Teaser Newsletter which is only published during the regular season and does
not cover the colleges nor the NFL Playoffs.
2 -- Newsletters are e-mailed
weekly on Tuesday evenings, generall by Midnight PM Pacific time (occasionally on
Wednesday mornings and at various times during College Bowl season).
3 --
Premium Selections are sent via email generally 24 hours prior to kickoff with selections
for weekends (Saturday through Monday) generally emailed on Friday evenings prior
to 11 PM Pacific time. Selections may be emailed earlier in the week on occasions
where a firm and finalized selection has been determined.
4 -- Newsletters
and the Premium Selections Service subscriptions are available only on a full season
basis (or balance-of-season basis for in-season subscription purchases).
5
-- Newsletter Subscriptions may be ordered individually (i.e. just 1 of the 3 Newsletters)
or in combination with discounts for subscriptions to either 2 or all 3 of our Newsletters.
6
-- Be sure to see the Order Form for details and prices.