Ralph Michaels
Featured Pick
ONLY 6th NRFI BEST BET (4% & HIGHER) THE L3W...THEY ARE 3-0 (100%) & 4-1 (80%)!
MLB RUN IS NOW 59-36-3 (62%)! • CONTAINS 45-7 (87%) TRENDS!
•• Why wait 3 hours to cash an MLB bet when you can do so in the first 15 minutes?
•• Ralph dropped his NRFI selection on Wednesday, dropping his MLB run to 59-36-3 (62%)!
•• Ralph has cashed 54 of the last 88 MLB days (61%)!
•• Ralph’s all sports run is 133-98-2 (58%) since January, while going 52-36 (59%) on all totals plays since April, with MLB totals 55-35 (61%).
•• Ralph’s MLB Best Bets over/unders are 3-0 (100%), 4-1 (80%), 10-4 (71%) & 18-8 (69%)!
Hot Streaks
RALPH'S MLB RUN IS NOW 4-1 (80%) & 59-34-3 (63%)!
MLB NRFI/TOTALS 4% & 5% ARE 3-0 (100%) & 18-8 (69%)!
TOP-RATED 5% PLAYS NOW 4-2 (67%) & 16-8 (67%)!
+57 UNITS SINCE JANUARY! ALL SPORTS RUN 133-96-2 (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 Jun 30, 10:34 AM EDT
All Plays
ONLY 6th NRFI BEST BET (4% & HIGHER) THE L3W...THEY ARE 3-0 (100%) & 4-1 (80%)!
MLB RUN IS NOW 59-36-3 (62%)! • CONTAINS 45-7 (87%) TRENDS!
•• Why wait 3 hours to cash an MLB bet when you can do so in the first 15 minutes?
•• Ralph dropped his NRFI selection on Wednesday, dropping his MLB run to 59-36-3 (62%)!
•• Ralph has cashed 54 of the last 88 MLB days (61%)!
•• Ralph’s all sports run is 133-98-2 (58%) since January, while going 52-36 (59%) on all totals plays since April, with MLB totals 55-35 (61%).
•• Ralph’s MLB Best Bets over/unders are 3-0 (100%), 4-1 (80%), 10-4 (71%) & 18-8 (69%)!
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.
4th of July Special: 7 Days for the Price of 3 (4 days FREE)!
Celebrate Independence Day with a full week of picks from the handicapper of your choice, including any 5% Best Bets they release. Get 7 straight days of all-access for the price of just 3 days. That is a $99 value for only $69, a $30 savings to kick off the holiday weekend.
At $69 for a 3-day pass, you get 4 days FREE.
Pick your expert, lock in your week, and ride it through the fireworks and beyond.
PITCH TO KICK-OFF, OPENING WEEKEND OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL FREE!
Lock in every play your handicapper releases that is played during your access window, from now through college football opening weekend on August 29. That is up to two full months of your handicapper's selections, including 5% Best Bets, straight through to kickoff.
What You Get:
- Every play your handicapper releases that is played during your access window, all sports in season
- MLB straight through to college football opening weekend, August 29
- Opening weekend of College Football included FREE
- 5% Best-bets and top-confidence plays
The sooner you buy, the more days you get, so every day you wait is a day of picks gone.
Note: Offer expires July 31st at midnight. Includes plays released and graded within your access dates.
All-In for 365 Days: Ultimate All Access Pass Under $4 a Day!
Lock in 365 days of every pick, every sport, and every 5% Best Bet released from your favorite handicapper for far less than buying packages individually.
If you paid $99 per week for a year, you’d spend $5,148. At $299 per month, it’s $3,588. The 1-Year All-Access Pass is just $1,459, discounted from the regular price of $1,999.
Your pass includes every sport your handicapper releases, including MLB ($699–$899 value), NFL/CFB ($849), NBA ($795), College Basketball ($595), NHL if offered ($699), and any other sports they cover — all included. Every 5% Best Bet is part of your access.
You’ll also receive a 25% off bonus coupon valid on regular-priced daily, All-Access, and Flex Pass purchases sitewide during your access period.
Stop paying week to week. Lock in the full year and maximize the value!
NOTE: AA-ACTIVE & FP-ACTIVE coupon code eligible!
Downloads
2026 NFL PRESEASON GUIDE/ NOW 3 GUIDES IN ONE!
2026 NFL PRESEASON GUIDE, PLUS…..RALPH'S NFL SCHEDULE GUIDE & THE GOLD SHEET 2025 NFL LOGS!
THREE GUIDES IN ONE - 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
2026 NFL Schedule Guide: Lines, Totals, Rest Edges and Team Logs
What's Inside:
2026 NFL Rest Differential Chart: See which teams drew the toughest rest schedules in 2026 and which ones got the easy ride.
Opening NFL Odds for All 32 Teams: Win totals, playoff odds, division odds, and Super Bowl futures at a glance.
Week-by-Week Schedule with Lines and Totals: Every game from Week 1 through Week 18, sorted by home team line.
Team-by-Team Schedule Logs: Full 17-game breakdown for every NFL franchise with lines, totals, byes, and line distribution.
2025 NFL Game Logs From The Gold Sheet: Last season's complete results on every team across 1Q, 1H, and full game.
Bonus: Ralph Michaels' NFL Preseason Preview: A first look at WagerTalk's #1 preseason handicapper since 2015.
THE WAGERTALK MLB FIRST INNING REPORT
First-Inning Report for Thursday, June 2
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
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 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
Free Picks
THE PLAY: First Inning Over 0.5 (-140) Ian Seymour (LHP), Stephen Kolek (RHP) Must Start
(913) Tampa Bay Rays at (914) Kansas City Royals: Total
First Inning Over 0.5 (-140) Ian Seymour (LHP), Stephen Kolek (RHP) Must Start
Both starters have ERAs north of 4, with Seymour posting a 4.32 ERA and Kolek a 4.15 ERA
Seymour has a 7.41 road ERA compared to a 2.73 ERA in Tropicana.
Kolek has a 5.54 ERA in his L5 starts.
Tampa Bay is 6-0 YRFI.
The Rays are 8-1 YRFI with a total of 7.5 & higher.
KC is 3-0 YRFI & 6-0 YRFI at Home.
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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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