The Sports Bookie Blog

The Miami Heat  stamped their ticket to the NBA Finals with a Game 5 win over the Chicago Bulls  last Thursday and now have their eyes set on a rematch of the 2006 championship  series.

The last time  the two teams met, Dwyane Wade led the Heat over the Dallas Mavericks in six  games. Now, however, a more experienced and even more determined Dirk Nowitzki  seeks vengeance.
How will it  all play out? Bet on the NBA Finals with Bodog.

Though Miami may have had a  dominant Shaquille O’Neal in their line up the last time they fought for the  Larry O’Brien Trophy, this time around they have former two-time MVP LeBron  James.

Ever since it  was announced last summer that James - along with All-Star forward Chris Bosh -  would join Wade in South   Beach, the team has been  pegged as a title favorite. Though their regular season campaign had its ups  and downs, there’s no denying the potential the star-studded roster has shown  over the course of this postseason.

After a brief  adjustment following a Game 1 loss to the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern  Conference Finals, the Heat showed an unparalleled dominance over the remainder  of the series. Do the Mavericks even stand a chance?

The Miami Heat  are listed as -4.5 favorites in Game 1 and have long had the advantage in long  term futures play. Provided the club can keep getting production from the Big  Three and a reasonable presence from the rest of their shallow roster, a  championship is well within reach.

Get all your  NBA odds at Bodog Sportsbook.

Kentucky Derby champion Animal Kingdom continues his pursuit of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing on Saturday, May 21, at Pimlico Racecourse for the 2011 Preakness Stakes.

The Preakness Stakes is the shortest leg of the three-race series at 1 3/16 miles. And while Animal Kingdom showed he has no problem going the 1 ¼ mile distance of the Kentucky Derby, the big question is whether he has the speed needed to win the Preakness Stakes – especially with Shackleford, Flashpoint and Dance City in the field.

Get all your 2011 Preakness Stakes odds at the Bodog Racebook!

The Chicago Bulls broke the Eastern Conference semi-finals series split against the Atlanta Hawks with a 95-83 victory in Game 5 on Tuesday night, sending the series back to Atlanta with a 3-2 lead.

The NBA’s 2010-11 MVP Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 33 points in the game, knowing how important it was to take that pivotal game and swing momentum back Chicago’s way. Rose is averaging 32 points-per-game in the series, proving why he’s the NBA’s youngest MVP, and he’s hoping to carry that onto a NBA Finals MVP Award.

Bet on the NBA Playoffs with Bodog.

This wasn’t Chicago’s easiest win. They trailed early in the fourth quarter when Rose and Taj Gibson caught fire and combined for 22 of the team’s 26 points to snatch the victory.

The Bulls are still looking for their first NBA championship in the post-Michael Jordan era, while the Hawks are looking for their first championship period since relocating from St. Louis.

Bodog has the Bulls with 7/2 odds of winning the NBA championship, while the Hawks have 100/1 odds overall, but the outcome of Thursday’s Game 6 will impact those numbers greatly.

Can Joe Johnson, Jeff Teague, Al Horford and the Hawks rise above the overwhelming odds, or will Derrick Rose and Co. move to their first Eastern Conference Final since they won it all in 1998?

Get all your NBA odds at Bodog.

The Boston Celtics took down the Miami Heat in their season opener last October, much to the surprise of the many who had them pegged as almost certain NBA finalists.

The situation hasn’t exactly improved ever since.

Although the Heat have put together a solid 2010-11 campaign - one that has seen them rise to the top of the NBA pile and then back down again (they currently trail the Chicago Bulls in the East) - they’ll have to prove that they can defeat Boston if they hope to compete for a championship this summer.

In three meetings so far, the Celtics have swept the board, winning by eight, five and three points in October, November and February respectively. Can Miami avoid the season sweep with a win this Sunday?

BOSTON CELTICS at MIAMI HEAT
Starts 3:30pm Sunday 11th April - Live on ABC.

Bet on Heat/Celtics with Bodog.   Get all your NBA odds at Bodog.

At the beginning of the 2010-11 NBA season, there were two teams in the league who stood out as potential NBA champions - the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and the star-stacked Miami Heat. 

Although the actual field of contenders was far deeper than a simple pair, the minds of the public were made up that the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat were at the top of the pile.

In mid-March, however, that same public is not so sure.

This Thursday the Miami Heat will host the Los Angeles Lakers less than three months after handing them a Christmas Day beating, but a second victory might not be as attainable as the first.

The Heat have struggled of late, dropping recent contests to a number of worthwhile opponents. Miami have lost four straight games heading into the week, and will be charged with the task of slowing down a Lakers squad that’s won seven consecutive of their own.

Will the Heat be able to bounce back in time for the big reunion? And at what point will the Heat (with 3/1 odds of winning the NBA championship, tied with LA for the league’s best) fall out of the top spot altogether?

Get all your NBA odds at Bodog. You can Bet on the Heat/Lakers with Bodog.

The NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft will be held for the first time in NHL league history on Friday, January 28th 2011 in anticipation of the All-Star Game in Raleigh, Carolina two days later.

The fantasy draft is a new format for the NHL and one that has hockey fans excited about an All-Star game that has been growing stale for quite some time. The premise is simple and goes back to the schoolyard or backyard rink when teams were decided by two captains picking the players. The best player goes first, as captains pick players alternately.

Bodog have put together odds and betting lines on which player will be the first one taken and, also, who will be the last one drafted. Now, it is worth noting that the last selection must be a forward since all goalies and all defencemen have to be chosen before Round 15 of the draft.

The two team captains are Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes and Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings, so they’re out of the running for both categories. In addition, two alternate captains for each team will be named later and will assist the captains in the selection process.

So let’s get to which player is likely to go first. There are two favourites, Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin, the reigning MVP of the league, and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, a fairly decent player himself. Both Sedin and Ovechkin are getting 4/1 odds to be selected first overall. After that it’s Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby at 5/1, followed by the Lightning’s star sniper, Steven Stamkos, at 7/1.

It will be interesting to see how the captains play this.

You have to think that if Lidstrom gets the first pick, which will be determined by a coin toss, that he might be tempted to look at his fellow Swedish countryman Sedin.

And if patriotism plays any part, Staal, a Canadian, might be pressured into picking Crosby first. Of course, Sid the Kid is widely considered the best player in the world, so it’s not like anyone would accuse Staal of favouritism.
As for Ovechkin, the Capitals’ sniper is suffering through a rather disappointing season to date. One of the most dangerous goal-scorers in the game today, the Russian superstar has failed to match the torrid pace of his previous campaigns.

Get all your 2011 NHL All-Star Game odds and make your hockey bets at Bodog.

The difference in quality between the NBA’s Eastern and Western Conferences is no secret.

This week we will see a handful of games that test the gap while simultaneously serving as perfect NBA betting opportunities for players looking to capitalize on some interconference action.

For a point of reference, the seventh best team in the East - currently the Indiana Pacers - would sit 12th in the Western Conference.

Although the East has its fair share of contenders, the sheer depth of the Western Conference is what makes it the more renowned of the two conferences.

Though emerging as conference champions in either will prove to be a monumental task, the simple daily grind of life in the West is a chore in itself.

Dallas Mavericks @ Chicago Bulls

This Thursday, the Chicago Bulls, one of the Eastern Conference contenders, will host the Dallas Mavericks. Although the Mavs have slid down the standings recently in the absence of star Dirk Nowitzki, the All-Star returned to the Dallas lineup this past weekend and hopes to be at full health in time for their next big challenge.

Will Derrick Rose and the Bulls pull off a big win, tightening their grip on the Central Division and continuing to gain ground on the Miami Heat? Bet on the NBA with Bodog.

New Orleans Hornets @ Atlanta Hawks

On Friday the Atlanta Hawks will host the New Orleans Hornets as each struggles to position themselves for home court in the first round of their respective playoffs. The Hawks have posted a better regular season record thus far, but it’s hard to consider them favorites against a Hornets club that has spent time at the top of the NBA standings this year.

Boston Celtics @ Utah Jazz

Not long after that, the Utah Jazz will host the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics. Though the Celtics have come out strong this season, proving that Miami to the NBA Finals is no guarantee, the Jazz are one of a select few teams to have taken down both the Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers so far this season.

We think that the Mavs, Hornets and Jazz can beat their Eastern Conference opponents this week.

Get all your NBA odds at Bodog’s online sportsbook.

The NFL’s preliminary wild card round was a real doozy last weekend, taking a turn that nobody quite expected. Next up is the divisional playoffs, where those same first-week winners will try their luck on the road against the #1 and #2 conference seeded teams.

The Seattle Seahawks surprised the entire league with a 41-36 victory over the reigning champion New Orleans Saints just one week after becoming the first NFL team in league history to qualify for a playoff berth by leading their division with a losing record. Though they finished just 7-9 in regulation, the Seahawks now have 40/1 odds of winning the Super Bowl (but I don’t recommend it)

Pete Carroll and his team of overachievers will try to take the momentum of their historical wild card win and put it to good use against the Chicago Bears. The Bears finished the season with an 11-5 mark after getting out to a good start in 2010 and never looking back.

Chicago are 10 point favourites, just like the New Orleans Saints were last weekend, but this time the favourites are at home and I expect the Bear to win easily and cover the spread.

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Elsewhere in the NFC, the Green Bay Packers will look to try their luck against the first-place Atlanta Falcons. After downing the Philadelphia Eagles in an upset on Sunday, the team will hope that Aaron Rodgers’ recent return to health continues. Has Rodgers completely recovered from the two concussions he faced during the regular season?

Atlanta are slight favourites, not surprising given their 21-4 record SU in the last 25 home games, but this game is too close to call - especially if Green Bay bring their uncompromising defence to town. Atlanta won the regular season game between the two sides here by 20-17, and are giving up a -2.5 point start on the ATS betting line.

This time - it’s the playoffs - and this game is must-watch football !!

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Get all your NFL betting lines at Bodog. 

The New England Patriots are into a best odds line of +240 (12/5, 3.40)  for the 2011 Super Bowl after securing the AFC’s top seeding for the play-offs.

Quarterback Tom Brady led the Pats to a 34-3 victory over Buffalo on Sunday, one which extended their win-loss record for the season to 13-2.

It means the New England Patriots will have home-field advantage throughout the play-offs. Brady threw for three touchdowns in the rout and extended his streak of pass attempts without an interception to a record 319.

bet365 will give you 12/5 about the Pats winning the Super Bowl, which is being staged at the Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium in Texas on February 6.

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The New Orleans Saints +1100 (11/1, 12.00) at Canbet, are now second favourites at some bookmakers and outsiders at others after a hard fought 17-14 win at Atlanta on Monday night, they still may not secure the top seeding in the NFC though as that is still in the Atlanta Falcon’s grasp.

The Atlanta Falcons are at +700 (7/1, 8.00) at Canbet, and if the Falcons earn top seeding then the Falcons 6-1 home record seems to make those odds very good value. 

The Baltimore Ravens +1425 (14/1, 14.25) booked their play-off spot with victory over Cleveland and are worthy of a punt on winning the title.

Indianapolis Colts +1600 (16/1) and Green Bay Packers +2000 (20/1) were widely cut after wins for both sides moved them closer to a play-off berth. Kansas City are already through to the post-season but they are still available at +3300 (33/1) to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

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The 2010 regular college football season is over, and the final BCS standings mean a national championship game that we’ve seen coming for weeks: No. 1 Auburn versus No. 2 Oregon.

TCU will try to make a non-AQ statement against Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO. Many believe Wisconsin, which won consecutive Rose Bowls after the 1998 and 1999 seasons, is the nation’s best one-loss team. If TCU could knock the Badgers off, it would be a major victory for the non-AQ conferences.

Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO
#5 Wisconsin vs. #3 TCU at Pasadena, Calif.
Rose Bowl Jan. 1, 5 p.m. ESPN

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In the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Oklahoma will square off with Connecticut, who are unranked in the BCS standings but representing the Big East. The Huskies lost to Michigan by 20 and Louisville shut them out 26-0 but they’re the best that the Big East has got this year.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Connecticut vs. #7 Oklahoma at Glendale, Ariz.
U. of Phoenix Stadium Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m. ESPN/ESPN3D

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Stanford is headed to South Florida to play resurgent Virginia Tech in the Discover Orange Bowl. More than a few folks believe the Cardinal are the nation’s best one-loss team. And the Hokies are riding an 11-game winning streak.

Discover Orange Bowl
#4 Stanford vs. #13 Virginia Tech at Miami
Sun Life Stadium Jan. 3, 8:30 p.m. ESPN

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Ohio State will try to reverse its luck versus the SEC in the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Arkansas. The Big Ten would really like to beat the SEC in a BCS bowl game, particularly the Buckeyes, who are winless in nine bowl games versus the SEC.

Allstate Sugar Bowl
#6 Ohio State vs. #8 Arkansas at New Orleans
Louisiana Superdome Jan. 4, 8:30 p.m. ESPN

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Two seemingly unstoppable offenses headlined by leading Heisman Trophy candidates: Auburn quarterback Cam Newton and Oregon running back LaMichael James. Just 37 days to wait for this one …

Tostitos BCS National Championship Game
#2 Oregon vs. #1 Auburn at Glendale, Ariz.
U. of Phoenix Stadium Jan. 10, 8:30 p.m. ESPN/ESPN3D