Ralph Michaels

Ralph Michaels

Hot Streaks

WINNING MLB DAYS....NOW 59% (68 of 115 days ) WINNING DAY SINCE SEPTEMBER!

RALPH'S NRFI/MLB RUN IS NOW 17-9 (65%) & 82-50-1 (62%)!

TOP-RATED 5% MAX PLAYS ARE NOW 17-10 (63%)

+77 UNITS SINCE JANUARY! ALL SPORTS RUN 148-106-3 (58%)!

NFL/CFB TOTALS WERE #1 LY GOING 33-19 (64%)!

ALL 4% & 5% BEST BETS 13-5 (72%) & 53-33-1 (62%)!

Last updated Aug 5, 7:59 AM EDT

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All Plays

Picks pending, please check back later
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WagerTalk Specials

#1 in NFL Preseason Since 2015: Ralph's Super Early Bird for $69!

Why bet the NFL Preseason? Many NFL handicapping experts say there is more value in betting the preseason than in any other sport. One handicapper who agrees? Our very own Ralph Michaels, and he has OWNED the NFL Preseason for over a decade!

It's one of the only times all year when you can bet on a coach and team trying to win versus a coach and team that does not care to win. The motivation gap is the edge, and Ralph has been exploiting it since 2015!

Regular early bird is $99. Right now, lock in Ralph's entire NFL Preseason package for just $69. The lowest price we have ever offered.

#1 NFL Preseason handicapper since 2015:

  • All plays: 74-49-1 (62%)
  • Plays 3% and higher: 74-44-1 (63%)
  • Best Bets (4% and 5%): 41-11-1 (72%)

The Hall of Fame Game kicks off August 6. Get in now at the lowest price we have ever offered on this package!

Triple Play All-Access Baseball Pass – Includes 5% Best Bets – ONLY $49!

For a limited time, get every baseball play from your favorite handicapper for three full days — and any 5% Best Bets released — for just $49. That's only $16.33 per day for every premium baseball release your handicapper posts. You'll receive instant access the moment plays are released, ensuring you get the best possible number before the lines move.

Individually, these plays would cost well over $100, but the Triple Play All-Access Pass gives you three days of nonstop baseball action for less than half the price. As a bonus, if your handicapper releases any college or international selections during your access window — including College Baseball, KBO (Korea) or NPB (Japan) — those are included at no extra charge. Don't miss a single first pitch — lock in your Triple Play All-Access Pass today and start cashing tickets!

*Access includes all MLB selections and any college/international baseball released and played during your 3-day window.

Last Call for Summer: Buy 3, Get 3 FREE — Just $69

Keep the momentum going into August with double the access for the same low price. For a limited time, lock in 6 full days of All-Access for just $69 — the price of a 3-day pass. That's twice the coverage at zero extra cost.

You'll get every pick, in every sport, from your chosen handicapper for the entire access window.

  • 6 full days of picks, pay for only 3
  • Full access to all sports released
  • Includes any Top Rated 5% Best Bets
  • Stack multiple passes to extend your coverage even further

Whether you're planning ahead for the stretch run or just want more bang for your buck, this is the easiest way to maximize value this month. Offer ends August 31.

Get the Rest of the Year for $799 - Save $696!

One price locks in every sport your handicapper covers, all the way through December 31, 2026, 5% Best Bets included.

No monthly renewals. Pay once, and every play your handicapper releases from now through New Year's Eve is yours.

And the calendar is just getting started. Look at everything still ahead:

  • College Football opens August 29
  • NFL kicks off September 9
  • NHL returns September 29
  • NBA tips off October 20
  • College Basketball is back on November 1

You get every sport your handicapper covers, straight through the end of the year.

Paid month to month, the rest of this season runs $1,495. Lock it in now for $799 and save $696, about 47% off the pay-monthly cost.

Here's the catch. The price stays $799, but the season keeps shrinking. Every week you wait, that same $799 covers fewer games. The sooner you lock in, the more football, hoops, and hockey you get for your money.

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Downloads

2026 NFL PRESEASON GUIDE & NFL SCHEDULE GUIDE!

2026 NFL PRESEASON GUIDE, PLUS…..RALPH'S NFL SCHEDULE GUIDE & THE GOLD SHEET 2025 NFL LOGS!

TWO GUIDES IN ONE PLUS THE GOLDSHEET 225 NFL/CFB LOGS - INCLUDING:

7 years of logs & 10 years of HC, OC's & DC's!

QB rotations with stats plus preseason QB stats the L2Y!

Preseason team stats the L2Y!

The NFL Regular Season Schedule Guide with team-by-team and week-by-week breakdowns!

The 2025 Gold SHeet NFL logs with 1Q, 1H, and full game ATS and O/U records

WEEK 0/1 CFB SCHEDULE WITH LINES & TOTALS

These week 0 and week #1 lien and totals were taken from OddsLogic on Friday, May 29th.
These week 0 and week #1 lines and totals were taken from OddsLogic.com, on Friday May 29th.
They are from BetOnLine.com.

THE WAGERTALK MLB FIRST INNING REPORT

First-Inning Report for Wednesday, August 5

The WagerTalk First Inning Report from Ralph Michaels is your daily cheat sheet for YRFI/NRFI betting.

Full game lines and totals with teams that scored in the first inning (and who gave one up)           


Current streaks (3+ straight 1st inning results highlighted) 

Starting pitchers listed — Lefty indicators included
* shows which teams faced a lefty

* Day games are in yellow

From trend chasers to prop hunters, this chart is built for quick-glance insights and actionable info.

Updated every morning with the freshest MLB data — only at WagerTalk!

 

PLUS…..RALPH LOADS A FREE FIRST INNING PLAY DAILY BY NOON ET M-F AND BY 11 AM ET SAT & SUN ON HIS HOME PAGE - WT.BUZZ/RM

THE 2026 DRAFT GUIDE - WHAT EACH CFB LOST

THE 2026 DRAFT GUIDE - WHAT EACH CFB LOST

Analyzing the NFL Draft in terms of how much it helps each NFL team is vital—but just as important (if not more) is how much each CFB program lost.

Ralph’s exclusive weighted grading system.

THE VALUE OF EACH CFB PLAYER DRAFTED

First Round: Top 9 (8 pts), Picks 10-20 (7 pts), Rest of round #1 (6 pts)

Round #2: 5 points, Round #3: 4 points, Round #4: 3 points

Round #5: 2 points and Round #6 & Round #7: 1 point

>> Get the draft sorted alphabetically and by points lost. 
>> Most points lost in the L5Y 

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Free Picks

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Last 20

Date
Sport
Pick
Result
Aug 04
MLB
(955) Pittsburgh Pirates at (956) Milwaukee Brewers: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-135) Jared Jones (RHP), Logan Henderson (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Aug 03
MLB
(911) St. Louis Cardinals at (912) New York Yankees: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-120) Michael McGreevy (RHP), Cam Schlittler (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Loss
Aug 01
MLB
(909) Minnesota Twins at (910) Seattle Mariners: Total First Inning Over 0.5 (115) Connor Prielipp (LHP), Logan Gilbert (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Jul 31
MLB
(971) St. Louis Cardinals at (972) Toronto Blue Jays: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-130) Kyle Leahy (RHP), Dylan Cease (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Jul 31
MLB
(955) Washington Nationals at (956) Atlanta Braves: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-110) Foster Griffin (LHP), Bryce Elder (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Loss
Jul 30
MLB
(903) Miami Marlins at (904) New York Mets: Total First Inning Under (-145) Eury Perez (RHP), Nolan McLean (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Jul 29
MLB
(969) Kansas City Royals at (970) Minnesota Twins: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-125) Randy Dobnak (RHP), Joe Ryan (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Jul 29
MLB
(967) New York Yankees at (968) Chicago White Sox: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-125) Cam Schlittler (RHP), Davis Martin (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Loss
Jul 28
MLB
(911) Milwaukee Brewers at (912) San Francisco Giants: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (71) Logan Henderson (RHP), Landen Roupp (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Jul 27
MLB
(963) Baltimore Orioles at (964) Detroit Tigers: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-115) Kyle Bradish (RHP), Keider Montero (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Loss
Jul 27
MLB
(971) Cleveland Guardians at (972) Cincinnati Reds: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-120) Slade Cecconi (RHP), Chase Burns (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
No Play
Jul 26
MLB
(913) Cleveland Guardians at (914) Tampa Bay Rays: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-135) Parker Messick (LHP), Drew Rasmussen (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Jul 25
MLB
(959) Los Angeles Dodgers at (960) New York Mets: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-135) Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LHP), Nolan McLean (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Jul 25
MLB
(953) San Diego Padres at (954) Miami Marlins: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-115) JP Sears (LHP), Eury Perez (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
No Play
Jul 24
MLB
(919) Houston Astros at (920) Chicago White Sox First Inning Under +0.5 (-105) Spencer Arrighetti (RHP), Davis Martin (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Loss
Jul 23
MLB
(959) Arizona Diamondbacks at (960) St. Louis Cardinals: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (100) Brandon Pfaadt (RHP), Michael McGreevy (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Loss
Jul 22
MLB
(929) Miami Marlins at (930) Houston Astros: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-120) Sandy Alcantara (RHP), Peter Lambert (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Jul 22
MLB
(901) New York Mets at (902) Milwaukee Brewers: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-130) Christian Scott (RHP), Logan Henderson (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Jul 21
MLB
(951) Los Angeles Dodgers at (952) Philadelphia Phillies: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-110) Justin Wrobleski (LHP), Zack Wheeler (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Loss
Jul 20
MLB
(911) Tampa Bay Rays at (912) Toronto Blue Jays: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-140) Nick Martinez (RHP), Dylan Cease (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
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Consultant Bio

Ralph was raised in the home of handicappers in Cleveland, Ohio. Starting in the industry as a key member of Phil Steele's early team, which expanded Northcoast Sports during the mid-90s. Ralph's personal following grew fast, allowing him to strike out on his own as the founder of California Sports. Over the next dozen years as General Manager of Phil Steele Publications and lead handicapper of Northcoast Sports, Ralph managed the creation of some of the most popular sports betting content ever, including Phil Steele's College Football Preview Magazine and Northcoast's Power Sweep Newsletter. Content displaying expertise so elite that Ralph was invited into college football's most exclusive club: Heisman Trophy Voter
Ralph Michaels has a math mind, steadily searching for a value in the numbers in addition to matchup edges, situational advantages, and hidden gems of information. Ralph finds more big bets in the college versions of football and basketball, but his handicapping approach also uncovers selective winners in the professional leagues like MLB. Small conferences are particularly profitable due to mispriced injuries and his profiling of exploitable coaching tendencies.

 

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