Archive for February, 2007
Man Utd’s Ronaldo demands £160,000-a-week
Ronaldo’s representatives want to seal a deal that would guarantee the Portuguese superstar £160,000 a week. A source close to Ronaldo confirmed to the News of the World: “There are lots of meetings taking place regarding Cristiano’s new contract. “But if United say he’s the best player in the world they have to give him the best salary in the world.” Barcelona are ready to pounce. The European champs are being backed in the market by Sheik Mansour Al-Balawi, who owns Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad. He confirmed “I will do what is necessary to help Barcelona sign a great player like Cristiano.”
Liverpool chief: Benitez came close to Madrid move
“Rafa clearly had to consider the approach from Real Madrid,” Parry told Radio Five Live. “In his position it would both appeal to the heart and the head; it would be very, very tempting.” So tempting, in fact, that Liverpool’s board spent an entire day persuading the Spaniard to stay. “We sat down for a day, we re-affirmed our commitment to making progress and continuing to invest in the team,” said Parry who told Benitez that the club was likely to shortly change hands. “Of course, we believe it [the take-over] will be a major factor in reinforcing his view that he made the right decision last summer.”
Portsmouth boss Redknapp in shock Tottenham link
The People says property developer Kemsley is believed to be one of the main prospective buyers of Spurs and has privately expressed an interest in purchasing the 32.7 per cent share held by Enic, the sports investment company which is the largest stakeholder in the club. Spurs have been tipped as the next takeover target for private investors, sending shares soaring by 60 per cent in the past four months. And Kemsley is thought to have approached Mike Ashley, the billionaire who owns Sports World, the UK’s largest sports retailer, for help with funding. If Kemsley succeeds with his plans, the first major casualties will be manager Martin Jol and sporting director Damien Comolli. The new owner would bring in Portsmouth boss Redknapp, who is a close friend. Kemsley took the unusual step last week of rebuffing the speculation on the club’s website.
Newcastle to offer £5M for West Ham’s Reo-Coker
The News of the World says Toon boss Glenn Roeder has earmarked the Hammers skipper as a possible replacement for Turkish star Emre, whose future is in doubt over a race row. And Roeder is ready to raid his former club to make a move for 22-year-old midfielder Reo-Coker.
>>This page brought to you by Globet Bookmaker – click here to visit this great all round online bookie.
PS: My personal views not Globet’s on Ronaldo!
February 12th, 2007
Did you know that top bookie bet365 is running a ‘Big Match Correct Score Free Bet Offer’? This deal runs all season and is available each week on a different selection of televised games.
THE NEXT bet365 ‘BIG MATCHES’:
Monday – Doncaster v Crewe
Tuesday – Middlesbrough v Bristol City
Wednesday – Bolton v Arsenal
SO, HOW DOES THE PROMOTION WORK?
Take a winning correct score bet in a bet365 ‘Big Match’ and they’ll give you a free correct score bet, to the same stake, on the next bet365 ‘Big Match’. If your free bet also wins, you will qualify for a further free correct score bet on the next bet365 ‘Big Match’.
You keep picking the winners and they’ll be happy to keep giving you free bets! Sort of like compounding interest 🙂
The offer applies to the FIRST single pre-match correct score bet placed by a customer on each match (where more than 1 correct score bet is placed on the same match on the same bet slip, the first selection is deemed to be the one which is highest on the bet slip). The offer does not apply to In-Play bets, or singles in multiple bets such as Patents, Lucky 15’s, etc.
Maximum free bet per customer is £50 (or currency equivalent) per match. Free bet winnings exclude stake. Bets must be paid for and placed in the usual way. Losing free bets will be automatically credited to qualifying accounts within 1 hour of the completion of the match. In the event of a bet365 ‘Big Match’ being postponed, or abandoned before the result is determined, then any qualifying free bets must be placed on the next bet365 ‘Big Match’ to take place. All bets 90 minutes play only.
Good luck!
Mike
>>GO TO Bet365
>>Read more on Bet365
February 12th, 2007
A quick run down of some of the common – and more obscure – multi-bets that punters can place.
The more profitable members of the BookieLabRat.com team 🙂 generally tend to follow a KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) approach to placing bets and stick with Asian Handicaps, 1X2 bets and the occasional special bet for interest.
We consider that accumulators are often ‘mugs bets’ as unless every leg of a bet is a value bet you can be handing the bookie money on a plate!
Some of the better online bookmakers, like betting giant Bet365, offer extra value on accumulator/parlay bets – up to 60% bonus. Others, like novelty-bet specialist, BetFred, run special cash back offers that refund your stake or still payout if one leg of the multiple bet fails.
Accumulator:
A bet that links together two or more individual wagers and is dependent on all of those wagers winning together. The benefit of the accumulator is that there are much higher payoffs than placing each individual bet separately. But the draw back is if any of the bets in the parlay loses, the entire bet loses.
Canadian:
A multiple bet consisting of 26 bets (10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 4-folds and 1 5-fold) with 5 selections in different events (also known as a “Super Yankee”).
Heinz:
A multiple bet consisting of 57 bets (15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 4-folds, 6 5-folds and 1 6-fold) involving 6 teams in different matches.
Lucky 15,31,63:
Multiple bets on all possible combinations of 4, 5 or 6 selections. A Lucky 15 (same as a Yap) is 4 selections, so 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles and 1 accumulator = 15 bets.
Patent:
A multiple bet consisting of 7 bets involving 3 selections in different events. A single on each selection, plus 3 doubles and 1 treble.
Parlay:
Term for an accumulator bet in US. Also, a wager on two or more teams in which both must win or “cover” for the bet to be lucrative.
Roundabout:
A wager consisting of 3 bets involving 3 selections in different events (i.e. 1 single and to come and double stake double on remaining two selections, 3 times).
Round Robin:
A series of parlays. A three-team Round Robin consists of one three-team parlay and three two-team parlays.
Examples: 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.
Teaser:
Similar to a parlay, a teaser bet is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers but is different in that it also allows you to adjust the point spread of each individual wager. In exchange for the points, you will get less of a return on your bet. Each of the individual wagers must win or the bet is a loss.
Treble:
A bet consisting of 3 selections, all of which must win for the wager to be successful.
Trixie:
A multiple bet consisting of 4 bets (3 doubles and 1 treble) with 3 selections in different events.
Yankee:
A multiple bet consisting of 11 bets (6 doubles, 4 trebles and 1 4-fold) on 4 selections in different events
February 11th, 2007
Chelsea’s Obi Mikel reveals death threats over Nigeria row
The Chelsea star went against his manager’s orders to play for Nigeria on Tuesday night.
Mikel, 19, said: “Nigerian fans were threatening my family back home. They believe I have started picking the games I play for my country. People are still angry that I didn’t play in Lesotho for the 2008 African Championship qualifier in October.
“Only a few people know what I have been through at home in the past due to this situation. It was just too much for me to handle or control. It’s a shame that things turned out this way but only God knows what would have happened to my family if I had stayed away from this game.”
Chelsea wanted to withdraw Mikel from the Nigeria squad for the game against Ghana at Griffin Park after he suffered a thigh strain. But he played a full 90 minutes in his country’s 4-1 defeat and Chelsea have complained to FIFA over the incident.
Mikel said: “Was Jose Mourinho angry with me for playing? Definitely. He was totally disappointed in me but I just hope I can explain things to him and then we’ll see what happens. Hopefully he will understand what I have been through and the severe pressure I was put under. I had severe pain after our last game at Charlton and I was advised not to play on Tuesday. I did explain this to the Nigeria team officials and, when the pressure was on, I spoke with the Chelsea team doctor who explained to me that I needed to rest my body.
“He told me that if I needed to get on the field, it should be for only one half of the match. But the fact that another midfielder, Marseille’s Wilson Oruma, was ruled out of the game due to a calf injury, meant the whole thing became extremely complicated. “There was just too much pressure from the Nigerian football officials and, even though I tried to explain things to them, they refused to hear me out.”
Mikel, who joined Chelsea from Lyn Oslo for £16m last summer, clashed with Mourinho in December over his poor time-keeping and sulking. Mikel insisted: “I think the manager believes in me. He had a little problem with me last year but we have sorted that out and everything is now OK.
“The presence of the other African players like Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou and Geremi has been a blessing for me. “They make me feel at home here in London.”
>>This page is sponsored by UK and European bookie: Globet
>>Read our independent review and how we rate Globet Bookmaker here.
February 10th, 2007
Southern Comfort and Northern Delight are just 2 of today’s Special Weekend Premiership Accumulators at top Irish Bookie, Paddy Power.
Back one of Paddy Power’s “Special Weekend Premiership Accumulators” this weekend and if all your selections win except for one then Paddy Power will give you a free bet to the same value on 1st Goalscorer for the Middlesbrough v Bristol City FA Cup replay on Tuesday 13th February.
- Max Value for free bet is €75/£50 per customer/bet
- If any matches on your selection are postponed then the free bet will not apply
- Applies to the win part of each-way goalscorer bets only
- Free bet stake will not be returned to the customer
Mixed Bag: Reading, Everton, Sheff Utd and Portsmouth all to win 22/1 (23.00)
Away Day: Aston Villa, Liverpool, Tottenham and Fulham all to win 73/1 (74.00)
TV Stars: Aston Villa, Man City, Fulham and Arsenal all to win 86/1 (86.00)
Southern Magic: Tottenham, West Ham, Fulham and Portsmouth all to win 36/1 (37.00)
Northern Delight: Blackburn, Sheff Utd, Man City and Bolton all to win 72/1 (73.00)
>>Click to visit PaddyPower.com
>>Click for how Paddy rates along side the top 20 bookies in our bookmaker scorecard
February 10th, 2007
Person-to-person betting on exchanges is a relatively new phenomenon made possible by the Internet.
Betting Exchanges are sites where you can offer your own odds to other people. You can also accept the odds offered by others. Betting Exchanges comprise of a range of different betting markets (eg football, NFL, ice hockey, etc.).
No bookies are involved – the odds are offered by other punters just like you and the Exchange takes a fee (commission) for facilitating the deal. A straight win single bet is called a “back” bet. You can also place “lay” bets betting that an outcome won’t happen… and you can often bet while a game is in play. (In-running bets).
Betting Exchanges use a decimal odds system as they are easier to compare (so a few conversions for you UK and US punters!) – and you can get great odds if you know what you’re doing, but not always!
In general, Betting Exchanges are fairly complex – and not for novices as you really need to do your homework.
When you bet with a Bookmaker you’ll get ‘fair’ odds (as determined by the market) and you’ll also have a customer service team you can call on with any questions or problems. At a Betting Exchange you’re on your own – if you misinterpret the odds or make a mistake you wear it – there is no comeback and in any given wager you still may not be getting odds as good as those available through a bookmaker.
We hear the occasional ‘horror story’ where punters simply did not understand what they were committing to with their ‘great bet’ or had forgotten to allow for commission, etc.
A book we highly recommend as a good investment of a tenner: The Definitive Guide to Betting Exchanges by Paul Kealy
COMPARE THE BEST BETTING EXCHANGES
BetFair™ is the World’s largest Betting Exchange. Established in 1999 the UK licenced and based BetFair is owned by The Sporting Exchange Ltd. BetFair is only a Betting Exchange (although has extended recently into online poker)
COMMISSION: Betfair charges a Commission on your net winnings on a market. 5% is usual with discounts applying for frequent punters (up to 60% discount – ie a minimum commission rate of 3%)
SPORTS COVERAGE: BetFair’s betting coverage is very good. It is global (ie includes NFL, NBA, etc even though they do not accept USA members) Coverage is not as deep as Betsson for lower division football bets. (Note: BetFair has been known to extend to a new market if there is sufficient demand – contact them!)
Betsson™ established in 2000 & is UK licenced. Betsson is part of the successful & rapidly growing Swedish Stock Market listed Betsson Group. They offer betting exchange services in addition to a conventional sports bookmaker bets. (Plus Casino & Poker).
COMMISSION: Betsson deducts commission at a rate of four (4) per cent or lower calculated on your net winnings on any single Market when backing, laying or selling. Losing bets do not incur commission.
SPORTS COVERAGE: Betsson’s European football betting coverage is the best we’ve seen (if you want to bet on a Division 2 Polish side – Betsson is the betting exchange for you!)
February 9th, 2007
Here’s the latest football cash back on site at Paddy Power bookmaker.
If you take a first/last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast bet on the ARSENAL v WIGAN game on Sunday….
….and if the last goal is scored from outside the box in this game, Paddy Power will refund all losing bets.
– Applies to singles placed before kick off only
– Applies to correct score, first/last Goalscorer and scorecast bets only
– Applies to win part of each way goalscorers only
– Max Refund €300/£200 per customer
Paddy’s 1X2 odds are currently sitting at:
Arsenal 1/4 or 1.25
Draw 4/1 or 5.00
Wigan Athletic 11/1 or 12.00
>>Click to visit PaddyPower now
>>Read our bookmaker view on PaddyPower, Ireland’s top bookie
February 8th, 2007
The latest football news brought to you by Globet International Sports Betting Limited.
Chateauroux: Arsenal have signed ‘new Henry’
French prodigy Gilles Sunu will join Arsenal when he turns 16 next month from tiny Chateauroux, whose vice chairman Patrick Trotignon said: “He plays as an out-and-out striker like Thierry Henry, but he also can play in midfield.
“Gilles is lightning quick and he has great technical skills. But the key is that he is very intelligent, older than his years.”
Barcelona has cash to sign Man Utd’s Ronaldo – Soriano
“It is a technical question, that must be decided by the coaches and technical staff. If they want him, our financial availability means Barca can sign anyone, with the only limit being common sense,” said Soriano when asked if Barca can afford to meet United’s reported £45 million asking price for the Portuguese.
Meanwhile, Soriano also denied reports yesterday that Barca had been offered Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard through intermediaries.
Atletico Madrid’s Torres favours Arsenal over Man Utd
The Mirror says Torres has also been a target for Chelsea and Newcastle but privately believes Arsenal are the only English club which will suit his playing style.
He said: “I think the top English league would be well suited for my game, and maybe that is why there has been a lot of talk. “Maybe this game is a chance for me to show what I am capable of. It will be a very good test for me against England.”
Bayern Munich deny talks with Chelsea’s Mourinho, Houllier
Lyon coach Gerard Houllier has also been mentioned as a target in the German media. However, Bayern underlined the fact they have not spoken to any manager whatsoever and will only address the issue as and when it becomes necessary to do so.
Last week, Ottmar Hitzfeld took over as coach from Felix Magath until the end of the season, but on his official presentation on Thursday, there were more than a few hints his employment could continue beyond the summer.
A 3-0 defeat to Nurnberg on Friday night merely fuelled further conjecture. “We can state with all certainty that, as of today’s date (Monday), no coach has been contacted or any talks in this respect have been held,” said a press release signed by the club’s board. “All the names and speculation circulating at the moment have no grounds whatsoever.”
Austria Vienna keen to take back Rangers pair Sebo, Papac
Paul Le Guen spent a combined sum of £2.4m on the pair after spending last summer vying with the Austrians to let the players leave. Both players have failed to live up to their price tags and have been unable to impose themselves on the SPL.
Markus Kraetschmer, the Vienna general manager, said: “They are players we would be interested in. But they went to Rangers for a lot of money and their prices would have to come down a lot if they were to return to Austria Vienna. Rangers signed good quality players from us, but then the manager was fired, and we read with some interest that Filip Sebo and Sasa have been flops.
“We feared it would be the end for these players knowing Le Guen had gone.
“I am surprised they have not done better, but maybe the new coach doesn’t play the right system for them.”
A Note from the team at BookieLabRat.com on Globet:
Globet is a solid, reliable pan-European bookmaker well worth keeping an eye on for odds. Globet is a great bookie option if English is not your preferred language and a wider range of payment methods are accepted at Globet than many UK bookies. Globet is well worth adding to the set of bookies you use regularly to maximise your profits.
February 6th, 2007
An arbitrage bet potentially exists when contrasting odds occur across different bookmakers, sports books or betting exchanges for a given event or game.
Arbitrage is also referred to as sure bets, scalps, no-risk and risk-free bets.
In theory, in an arbitrage situation, you can guarantee a profit regardless of the game outcome by placing balanced bets across all possible outcomes (e.g. in football, win, draw, and loss) at the best odds for each outcome.
In practical terms, however, real arbitrage opportunities seldom exist – and certainly not in sufficient quantities and percentages to be viable for professional punters.
If you are prepared to consider lesser (more dodgy) bookmakers you may be able to create an opportunity but the process can be far from “no risk”.
Top numbers man and betting tipster, The Gooner of www.goonersguide.com, considers that there are three main issues that dispel the myth of sports arbitrage. They are voiding, volume and money management.
Voiding
Bookmakers have rules covering themselves for “palpable error”. If they get a price wrong on their web site they can void all bets at that price. So if you take bets to cover the arbitrage that are subsequently voided you’re in trouble as your “no risk” bet has suddenly evaporated. This happens and punters find themselves risking a very large bet on the other legs of the arbitrage!
Volume and Timing
The second big issue with arbitrage is whether you can get enough volume and at the right ratios to get a real arbitrage opportunity.
When a bookie is markedly out-of-step with the market and creates an arbitrage situation, they are likely to take a lot of bets from general punters anyway (ie not just those trying to achieve arbitrage) and as such arbitrage windows are usually closed quickly by natural market forces.
As most arbitrage bets offer just a 1-3% profit (ie the overall difference between the balanced bets across all possible outcomes), in order to make $20 profit you’ll need to have $1000 wagered across the bets. You have to be very sure that all legs of the bet will accept the volumes you want to place in order to make the bet risk free.
Imagine the sinking feeling you’ll get if you’ve placed the $800 on and can’t get the remaining $200 placed to achieve the arbitrage. (For example you might be limited to $20 per punter instead and you no longer can achieve a balanced bet or have a ‘sure win’ situation).
Money Management
Thirdly, in order to profit from arbitrage you need to have active accounts with lots of bookies – maybe as many as 20 to 30 – to be able to identify and take advantage of discrepancies in pricing. Your betting bank (your total funds in all bookmaker accounts) needs to be spread across these bookmaker accounts in order to allow a quick response.
You also need to be able to move your available funds across each of your betting accounts quickly and without losing value. Remember that some e-wallets and many online bookmakers will charge you either a fixed fee and or a percentage each time you make a withdrawal. It is common practice for bookmakers to limit you to one free withdrawal per month.
With 20 active bookie accounts you potentially need $10K in your betting fund spread across your bookies in order to place $1000 arbitrage bets. If it is a 2% arbitrage on offer – that means just $20 profit. In our view if you’ve $10K tied up, you’d be better off just putting it in the bank!
Arbitrage is a notion that sells books and subscriptions to web sites supposedly listing arbitrage opportunities. The size and scope of the arbitrage is generally so small that these opportunities can disappear literally within minutes.
Where Arbitrage can give great value – the free bet !
When a bookie runs a promotional offer or free bet you sometimes can get value from arbitrage bets. You can lock down one leg of the bet (the free bet or cash back deal) and all you’re really looking to do is to place contrasting bets to get close to 100% stake return, no matter what result. Pocketing the promotional offer or free bet is your objective.
A memorable 2006 example saw an aggressive and relatively new sports book offering a $1000 cash back deal on an NFL football game. By taking the bet with them and placing a ½ sized bet on the opposition at another bookie, punters were guaranteed to pocket a $500 overall profit regardless of the game outcome.
We certainly took advantage of this deal along with many other bettors who grabbed at the opportunity. The only complaints we heard were from bettors who were not geared up with multiple bookie accounts or had slow payment methods and so were not able to get in before the offer was over subscribed!
Other Sports Betting Terms Explained:
>>Overround
>>Fixed Odds Betting
>>Asian Handicap Betting
>>Spread Betting
February 5th, 2007
Chelsea are now no bigger than 2/1 for FA Cup glory after they were handed another kind home draw in the last 16.
Chelsea face either Blackpool or Norwich in the last 16 of the FA Cup, which makes a quarter final spot a likely event and the price of 3.00 at Ladbrokes is attracting a bit of money.
Meanwhile Reading travel to Manchester United and the Red Devils are hugely favoured priced up at 3.50 at Ladbrokes while Reading are a huge priced 51.00 also at Ladbrokes.
Fulham host Tottenham and the home side are a big priced 34.00 at PremierBet while Spurs are at 11.00 at PremierBet to lift the Cup.
Arsenal or Bolton will replay for the right to host Blackburn, and the Gunners are on the drift now at a best-priced 7.50 at BetFred while Bolton are at 26.00 (also at Betfred) and Blackburn are 29.00 at VCBet.
In other ties – Bristol City who forced a 2-2 draw and replay against Middlesbrough – will be at home to West Brom in the fifth round if they can muster a win at The Riverside. Boro are joint 5th favourites at 26.00 at Coral Eurobet.
There is a potentially tricky tie on the cards for Manchester City, who must make the short trip to Deepdale to face Preston.
Watford are at home to Ipswich – while one Championship side is guaranteed to reach the last eight, after Plymouth were drawn at home to Derby.
The draw in full:
Arsenal/Bolton v Blackburn
Chelsea v Blackpool/Norwich
Manchester United v Reading
Fulham v Tottenham
Bristol City/Middlesborough v West Brom
Preston v Manchester City
Watford v Ipswich
Plymouth v Derby
The ties will be played on the weekend of February 17 and 18.
February 4th, 2007
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