City hopes to continue surge to seventh
Soccer Betting Lines
05/01/2009 -
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City will be aiming to put
together its first three-game win streak of the season when they host
Blackburn at Eastlands on Saturday.
A win over Rovers would not only accomplish that feat, but also continue
City's push to grab a spot in Europe next season, something that didn't look
realistic a few months ago.
The club has battled inconsistency all season, but they seem poised to put
together a strong push over the final stretch of the campaign, something that
manager Mark Hughes believes has been made possible by the team's elimination
from the UEFA Cup at the hands of Hamburg.
"The chase for seventh place now has our whole, undivided attention after
Hamburg," the manager said.
"We are having clear weeks leading into Premier League games so the only focus
is that match, which wasn't always the case this season. We've played 16 games
in Europe, so some working weeks were quite fragmented.
"At times that had an impact on our performances at Premier League level. With
the continuity we now have in training, and being able to prepare for every
game as we would like, we anticipate having a good finish."
The Citizens will need to finish strong if they are to climb to seventh place,
which would carry the final Europa League spot.
The club currently sits in ninth place and they trail seventh-placed Fulham by
three points, while West Ham is one point up on City.
The team's 2-1 win at Everton last time out has to be a source of confidence
since it was just the second win in 17 away matches for the club, but they are
now returning home, where they have flourished with seven wins in their last
eight games.
Blackburn enters the match on the heels of a massive 2-0 win over Wigan, which
helped to ease the club's relegation worries.
The win moved Rovers into 15th place, six points above the drop, and although
there are only four games left, midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen believes his
team's task is not done yet.
"We feel very good. There have been lots of smiles around the training ground
this week, but we have to get our minds settled for the next game and it is
not going to be easy against City," Pedersen said.
"The season isn't over yet. We have to focus on what is a big game and if we
get three points we'll do ourselves a massive favor with just three games
remaining."
Leaders Manchester United will have a chance to stretch their advantage to six
points on Saturday with a win at Middlesbrough, while second-placed Liverpool
hosts a desperate Newcastle side on Sunday.
Third-placed Chelsea hosts Fulham but they might be more concerned with their
Champions League semifinal second leg against Barcelona on Wednesday, while
Arsenal will also have an eye towards the Champions League as they host
Manchester United on Tuesday after traveling to Portsmouth on Saturday.
West Ham continues its quest for a spot in Europe when they visit Stoke City,
last-placed West Bromwich goes for a second consecutive win when they hit the
road to meet Tottenham, Wigan entertains Bolton, Everton invades Sunderland
and Aston Villa hosts relegation-battling Hull City on Monday.
<< Boston's Smith named WPS Player of the Month
Westwood, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Breakers forward Kelly Smith was named
the Women's Professional Soccer Player of the Month for April on Friday.
Smith becomes the league's first-ever monthly award recipient. She scored goals
in all t
<< Tigers send out new ace Galarraga in opener with Tribe
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Armando Galarraga goes for his fourth win of the season
this evening, when the Detroit Tigers welcome the Cleveland Indians to town
for the first of three games at Comerica Park.
Galarraga, who led the Tigers with 13 wins
<< Nats hope to reverse fortunes in second test with Cards
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Zimmerman has been the lone diamond in the rough for
the lowly Washington Nationals and will try to get his club back on track
tonight in the second installment of a four-game series versus the St. Louis
Cardinals at Nat
<< Mets, Phillies set to renew rivalry
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A bitter NL East rivalry commences this evening in South
Philadelphia, where the Phillies will host the despised New York Mets for
the first of three straight games at Citizens Bank Park.
In each of the past two years, the
<< Marlins try to extend Cubs' recent misery
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Marlins rookie pitcher Graham Taylor will try to
keep the ball rolling this afternoon, when he takes the mound against the
Chicago Cubs in the second test of a four-game series at Wrigley Field.
The NL East-leading
Real ready to reel in Barca in El Clasico >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid is unbeaten in 17 straight, a run
that includes 16 wins, and finally has a chance to reel in once runaway leader
Barcelona on Saturday in the El Clasico.
Real last lost in La Liga in December t
Celtic begins final push >>
Aberdeen, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Scottish Premier League season
enters its final stretch this weekend as Celtic travels to Pittodrie Stadium
on Saturday to meet Aberdeen with a one-point lead on second-placed Rangers.
Celtic
Milan still believes in title chances >>
Catania, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When AC Milan travels to Catania on Sunday
they will be doing so with the belief that they can still catch leaders Inter
Milan at the top of the Serie A table.
It appeared that the race for the Scudetto
Canadiens legend Lafleur convicted of obstruction of justice >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Montreal Canadiens forward Guy Lafleur
was convicted of obstruction of justice Friday and faces a maximum sentence of
14 years in prison.
Lafleur's son, Mark, violated his bail conditions when he sta
Levet shoots 67 to grab Spanish Open lead >>
Girona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - France's Thomas Levet shot a five-under 67 to
take the second-round lead Friday at the Spanish Open.
Levet, who trailed overnight-leader Soren Hansen by a shot entering the round,
collected six birdies again
SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
Why Sports Betting is so much fun?
Betting Sports
The most popular sports to bet on are NFL and college football along with NBA and NCAA basketball. There are multiple betting opportunities within those sports, beginning with the basic wager on a game’s outcome (also called betting the side). College Football Point spreads are used in both football and basketball in an attempt to even the attractiveness of each team in a match-up. ( See our article detailing how and why point spreads are made)
But you could also simply bet on the money line, or straight-up winner of the game. Oddsmakers use the money line so that more money must be risked on the favorite or expected winner and less money on the underdog to balance the action on both sides. While money line gambling is an attractive option for football and basketball bettors who only care about picking a winner, it is the primary option for those bettors who enjoy wagering on MLB baseball and individual sports like boxing, tennis, golf and racing events such as NASCAR. ( More details on playing the Money Line)
Points (or Runs) Scored
Another bet across all major team sports including football, basketball, baseball, and hockey involves wagering on the amount of scoring in a game, called an Over/Under total. For example, the Over/Under total on Super Bowl XXXIX was 48, which means a bettor could wager whether there would be more or less than 48 points scored by both teams combined in the game.
The final score of Super Bowl XXXIX was 24-21; the scoring of both teams added up to 45, which means the game went Under . So Under bettors won, and Over bettors lost.
Future Bets
Sports gambling doesn’t end there. Betting sides and totals are the most common wagers available everywhere, but many sportsbooks also offer future bets on big upcoming events like who will win next year’s Super Bowl and what movie will win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
The main advantage of futures is that you can get appealing odds by betting far in advance. For example, with NFL futures you often can get much higher odds on a team by betting before the season even starts. A NFL future bet on a team to win the Super Bowl odds might be 20/1 in the preseason; but by midseason, their odds might decrease to 10/1 if they turn out to be legitimate championship contenders.
Proposition Bets (or Prop Bets)
Proposition bets , also known as prop bets, focus upon the more exotic aspects of a game and are generally reserved for events that are widely televised. Prop bets are extremely popular when it comes to wagering on the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. The Imperial Palace Casino’s sportsbook is well-known for the enormous number of prop bets offered. For example, you can bet on:
- What team will win the coin toss
- What player will score the game’s first touchdown
- What will be the exact margin of victory
Types of Bets
Straight Bet
Involves one individual wager, whether it be on your team to cover the point spread, to win the game straight-up on the money line, or to go over/under the total.
A parlay is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers and is dependent on all of those wagers winning together. The benefit of the parlay bet is much better odds than placing each individual bet separately since the difficulty of hitting it is much higher.
Standard payoffs on a two-team parlay are 13/5; while a three-teamer pays 6/1; and a four-teamer 10/1.
Parlay cards are also fairly common in sportsbooks and popular with bettors, as they are released early in the week with set odds that do not change in return for a slightly lower payoff.
Round Robin Betting
Adventurous bettors who enjoy betting parlays sometimes put together a series of parlays called a Round Robin . A three-team Round Robin consists of one three-team parlay and three two-team parlays. For example, Joe likes teams A,B,C – with a Round Robin he has a three-teamer with ABC, and two-teamers with AB, AC, and BC.
Similar to a parlay, a teaser bet is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers, but is different in that the point spread is adjusted to your advantage on each individual wager. In exchange for the points, you get less of a return on your bet compared to a parlay. For example, a 6-point teaser would move the line on a 7-point favorite from -7 to -1, meaning the team would have to cover 6 less points. Each of the individual wagers must win or the bet is a loss.
These are the main types of sports bets available today. But as sports betting continues to grow, sportsbooks will continue to develop new and creative ways to bet. We’ll continue to track these changes to the sports gambling landscape, so check back often and we’ll tell you all about it!
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
your source for online betting
As the web was just getting it's footing in the business world in 1997, My Sportsbook was breaking new
ground in the online sportsbook arena. Offering over 20 Las Vegas Games and backed by Sporting Bet UK,
the largest publicly traded Internet gaming company in the world today, My Sportsbook offers betting lines
on every major sporting event in the world, including Online MLB Baseball Betting. With a wide array of bonuses including a 10% Free Money bonus
to all new customers, My Sportsbook is a top online sportsbook, poker room, casino and racebook -- join today!For those that feel that a site like My Sportsbook is only a sportsbook we would like to introduce you to
a place where a single login allows you to not only bet on every major sporting event in the world but also
to bet on horses at over 90 different tracks or play at over 20 Las Vegas style table games in their top online
casino. My Sportsbook has won many awards for it's site design and ease of use as well as it's 24/7
customer support. Get all your gaming done in one spot - try My Sportsbook Today!
|
Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
read more
|
online sportsbook and casino
Since 2000, Best eCasino has maintained a 98.5% payout rate on all their more than 20 Las Vegas style games.
Each of their award winning games including, blackjack (and blackjack super 7s), Baccarat, Roulette and Craps are
available as either a downloadable program or as java programs that can be played directly within your browser. Don't
know how to play a certain game? Read the details and strategy here and start with their Play for Fun section which
allows you to practice a game before taking on the casino. Let's see any Vegas casino do that... Best eCasino doesn't stop there, they now offer horse wagering and sportsbook lines to round off all the online
gaming industry have to offer. They are consistently at the forefront of the industry with new innovations consistently
starting with their site. These guys are the entrepreneur's of the online gaming world and they set the standard for others
to follow. So bet with a leader that's backed by the largest online gaming company in the world with 24 hour customer support,
Best eCasino.
|
