Archive for July, 2007
by DAVE COKIN
AN EARLY LOOK AT FOOTBALL TOTALS
While everyone this time of the year is looking at previews for football teams, let’s take a deeper look from a handicapping perspective. It’s a great time to examine team strengths and weaknesses and get an idea whether a team might provide value “over” or “under” the total. Not in terms of season wins, but on each game they play, even starting with the opener. Here are a few teams that fall into an over or under category based on their relative returning merits.
Kentucky: Rich Brooks begins his fifth season at Kentucky, and while they are not the football powerhouse that the basketball program is, there is enormous excitement around the gridiron for 2007.
Kentucky (8-5) is off a bowl season where they upset Clemson, 28-20, as a +11 dog, with an electric offense. Senior QB Andre Woodson ran the SEC’s best passing attack, with 276 yards passing per game, as he completed 63% of his passes for 3,515 yards, 31 TDs, 7 INTs. The offense is loaded, with senior tailback Rafael Little, and Woodson’s top targets, led by senior WR Keenan Burton (1,036 yards, 12 TDs).
But the defense has been porous, giving up 184 yards on the ground per game. They are reminiscent of North Carolina when they had QB Darius Durant and an awful defense. That UNC squad went over the total often and so might this Kentucky team.
LSU: Under the total teams feature a dominant defense but a suspect offense, particularly one losing its top quarterback. LSU fits that to a tee. The Tigers allowed just 7 points per game at home last season and return 8 defensive starters.
The front line is awesome, anchored by All-America DT Glenn Dorsey. They would have been the favorite to win the national title, but the offense lost QB JaMarcus Russell early to the NFL, the No. 1 overall selection. QBs Matt Flynn and sophomore Ryan Perrilloux will battle for the job, so you can imagine some 13-10 LSU games.
All of which makes the Tigers a potential “under the total” type team.
Virginia Tech: The Hokies are similar to LSU. The defense was No. 1 in the country in 2006 allowing just 219 total yards and 11 points per game. Eight starters are back on defense. But the passing offense is suspect, with junior QB Sean Glennon (11 TDs, 11 INTs), who completed just 56% of his passes. They were 8-4 under the total with all that defense.
Oh, and guess who they play September 8? At LSU! Wonder if the total on that game will get bet down to 30.
Air Force: We think of the Falcons as all-running, all the time, but head coach Fisher DeBerry retired. New coach Troy Calhoun takes over and he was the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans and brings in a pro-style attack. He has a capable QB to work with in senior Shaun Carney, a four-year starter. But this defense has been awful, allowing 31, 31 and 25 ppg the last three seasons. The secondary was torched by Tennessee, Colorado State and even UNLV.
Air Force is 20-13 over the total the last 3 years and may continue to be with their new pro-style offense and a suspect ‘D’.
Washington State: Last season the Cougars scored more points than their opponents with a strong offense that averaged 24.6 points and 259 yards passing. 7 starters return on offense, led by QB Alex Brink (19 TDs, 10 INTs), who hit 60% of his passes. But the defense was poor which is why Head Coach Bill Doba will also take over as defensive coordinator.
Washington State was 8-4 over the total last fall and could be a good over team again.
———————–
You can read more from Dave Cokin – and get all his sprts betting pick and previews at his site :
July 14th, 2007
Here’s the latest money back offers from 2 top UK online sportsbooks. If you’re into first/last goal scorer, correct score and scorecast bets read on…
Brazil v Argentina – Copa America Final Money-Back Special at Top Irish Bookie, PaddyPower.com.
If Juan Roman Riquelme or Vágner Love scores the last goal of this match in 90mins, Paddy Power will refund all losing 1st/last goalscorer, correct score & scorecast bets. Max Refund €300/£200 per customer. Own goals do not count. Goals scored in penalty shoot-outs do not count.
Fred Done at BetFred Bookmaker is obviously missing the Premier League. He’s running a “Made in England” special.
BetFred.com will refund all losing first/last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast single stakes on the Copa America Final game as a free bet – if a Premiership player scores the last goal.
Maximum refund is £100 (or your currency equivalent) per customer. Carlos Tévez, Javier Mascherano, Gabriel Heinze, Anderson, Alex or Gilberto Silva must score the last goal of the game. Own goals do not count. Extra time does not count, applies to 90 minutes play only.
July 13th, 2007
The football fever continues!
With the first qualifying rounds for the Champions League on the 17-18 July you will have plenty of football excitement with us this week.
Read UEFA Champions League Previews at GoonersGuide.com
Also follow the Copa America Final in Maracaibo on 15 July. Latin Americans and football fans alike will be holding their breaths as the final approaches.
Read International Football Previews at GoonersGuide.com
The Tour de France is the most televised event on the planet after the World Cup and the Olympic Games. Follow all the cycling action with online bookmakers.
Bet on Tour De France at Globet.
July 13th, 2007
The Under 20 second round is on today – and there are four very open matches on offer with no side at any shorter price than 2.05
First up – Austria take on Gambia in a game wher the African side are favourites but they’ll need to overcome several deficiencies.
I saw Gambia get beaten heavily by Mexico when their goal keeper looked very weak – and then saw them waste a lot of chances against New Zealand too.
Still – they are athletic – and probably the better side – and so that’s where my money will go.
Recommended bet : Gambia 2.30 at Interwetten
Other prices : Draw 3.25 at Betsson, Austria 3.40 at Bet365
—-
Then we see the young American Eagles take on Uruguay – and I must say that I’ve been very impressed with this United States U20 side so far.
As long as they don’t get carried away with themselves after beating Brazil – and still to their hard working ethic then they should have too much for Uruguay.
Recommended bet : United States 2.05 at Bet365
Other prices : Draw 3.35 at Betsson, Uruguay 3.70 at Globet
—-
The 3rd game is the most open in my opinion as Japan face the Czech Republic and although I’ve seen Japan a couple of time and liked their skilful play I do wonder if they have the mental toughness to handlle the pressure.
So while I favour the asian side I’m not placing a bet here.
Recommended bet : NO BET
Other prices : Japan 2.50 at Interwetten, Draw 3.25 at VCBet, Czech Rep 3.00 at VCBet
—-
Finally we get to the feature match of the day – with European powerhouse Spain (especially at youth level) and South American giants Brazil.
Spain have looked good – if a bit methodical – while Brazil have looked flashy in parts but actually lost two first round games aned were lucky to scrape into the knockout phase.
However, Brazil are Brazil, and they ALWAYS have confidence – they beat Spain in the 2003 final – and I feel that the Spanish are in awe of the reputation of their opponents.
Recommended bet : Brazil 2.70 at Eurobet
Other prices : Draw 3.25 at Betsson, Spain 2.75 at Bet365
—-
Good luck with your bets if you’re playing today !!
July 11th, 2007
A special limited time Free bet offer is running at US friendly sportsbook JustBet.com until July 16.
Called “Baseball Win Fall” this join offer gives you a $250 free bet. Just deposit $500 and get a $250 Free Bet! It’s a 50% first deposit match.
…and here’s the fine print:
1. For NEW JustBet.com customers only
2. One time only and a cap at $250 on the FREE-PLAY
3. Hold on deposit and cash is 90 days (ie you can’t withdraw from your JustBet.com account for 90 days once you take up the bonus offer)
4. Must rollover the deposit and cash 7 times before withdrawal (ie if you deposit $500 and get $250 in free bets you need to place $750×7=$5250 in bets before you withdraw).
5. Winnings can be withdrawn after rolling deposit and cash 3 times
>>Here’s a special link to this JustBet.com $250 free bet offer
>>Here’s an independent review on US friendly JustBet.com Sportsbook
July 9th, 2007
Along with a bloody good and long overdue web site face lift, SportingOdds marketing team also seem to be getting the idea that online betting can be entertaining as well as profitable for punters!
There’s a new competition at SportingOdds.com!
Sportingodds ‘Master the Multiples’ promotion wants you to enjoy the Summer of Football and make it one to remember. They are offering £6,500 in weekly cash prizes for the highest-priced winning Football accumulators!
How do I play?
Simply place an accumulator (minimum £5), comprising three football selections or more priced at 1.20 or higher. The highest-priced winning accumulators will win cash.
For example…
A winning accumulator comprising 3 selections at 1.50, 2.00 and 2.50 will return a winning price of 7.50.
Competition Week Dates
Week 2 2nd July – 8th July
Week 3 9th July – 15th July
Week 4 16th July – 22 July
There are a few Terms and conditions – for example:
- Punters must place an accumulator with a minimum of three selections. Only bets placed on the ‘Treble’ or ‘Accumulator’ bet types within the Bet Slip will be accepted. For example, individual lines of three or more selections within a Football permutation bet are not accepted for the purposes of this competition.
- All bets placed must be priced at 1.2 (1/5) or higher and must have a minimum stake of £5.
>> Click to visit SportingOdds now (sorry, no US bettors)
>> Read a detailed review of SportingOdds online bookmaker
July 8th, 2007
Top Irish Bookie PaddyPower.com has come to the party with a cash back on the Quarter Final games:
Copa Load of This!
Copa America 2007 1/4 Finals
Money-Back Special
If the last goal is scored from outside the penalty area in any of the Quarter Finals, Paddy Power will refund all losing 1st/last goalscorer, correct score & scorecast bets on that match only.
Own goals do not count
Max refund €300/£200 per customer.
Here are the latest 1X2 (win draw win) odds on site at PaddyPower.com:
Argentina 1/4 (1.25)
Draw 4/1 (5.00)
Peru 11/1 (12.00)
July 8th, 2007
Venus Williams moved towards a fourth Wimbledon title with a hard-fought victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarter-finals on Thursday and is now just 3.00 to triumph.
Williams, a 10/1 chance before the tournament started won 6-3 6-4 to set up a semi-final meeting with Ana Ivanovic.
Ivanovic is a best 16/1 at Canbet to lift the trophy but has been backed at a massive 600-1 to win the tournament on Betfair.
The sixth seed traded at those enormous odds when on the brink of defeat in her quarter-final against Nicole Vaidisova. But, Ivanovic saved three match points and went on to prevail 4-6 6-2 7-5.
Justine Henin is still the hot favourite to win her first Wimbledon singles crown (best price is 1.53 at SportingOdds) while semi-final opponent Marion Bartoli is the massive outsider of the last four at 81.00 at PinnacleSports
RELATED LINK :
Get all the live 2007 Wimbledon Open odds at our special page.
July 6th, 2007
Sportingbet Plc has announced that discussions with bwin Interactive Entertainment AG regarding a possible acquisition of Sportingbet have been mutually and amicably discontinued.
The Board of Sportingbet Plc announced in March that they were in discussions with bwin regarding an acquisition of Sportingbet. The announcement at the time caused the online gaming company’s shares to rally, pushing Sportingbet’s market capitalisation to over £261.0 million.
‘Both parties decided to terminate the discussion. As a result of regulatory and legal changes in a number of markets in which both BWIN and Sportingbet operate, and not just ones with European Union borders, we have not been able to agree on terms,’ said Konrad Sveceny, head of Investor Relations at BWIN.
Following today’s announcement, shares of Sportingbet Plc (LSE:SBT) had fallen 8.94% to 53.50 pence by 10.15 GMT. Shares of bwin Interactive Entertainment AG were down 0.5% to €23.98.
SportingOdds.com, an online sportsbook owned by SportingBet has just completed a make over.
SportingOdds’ In Play Betting looks fantastic but just finding and placing bets has also improved considerably.
Well done guys!
>>GO TO SportingOdds.com
>>READ review on Sporting Odds Bookmaker
July 4th, 2007
UK Bookie Victor Chandler has stopped all betting on the Tour de France after news of a suspected doping scandal involving one of the leading teams, Astana, broke. The UK bookmaker said that betting would resume once it knew for sure who would be competing.
Sick of the weather? Wet ‘n’ Wild: British Summer Specials
Also on site at Victor Chandler are the latest Wild and Wet Bookie Bets. With the weather wreaking havoc in the UK, how will the tradtional sporting summer be affected?
British F1 Grand Prix rained off? (British F1 Grand Prix to not be completed on Sunday 8th July 20/1)
Carnoustie to get nasty? (The Open Golf Championships to require play on the Monday – wil The Open require a fifth Day? 5/1)
Not so Glorious Goodwood? (Any day at Goodwood to be abandoned due to waterlogging 8/1)
No Indian Summer? (Cricket: Any England v India Test Match to be a total washout – no ball bowled 14/1)
Soggy Seaside Arrows? (Darts: Any day of the World Matchplay darts to be “weather affected” 100/1)
World Bog Snorkelling Championship (Llanwrtyd, Wales, 27th Aug) – Event to be abandoned due to weather conditions 7/1
Any day of the English Croquet Champs (22-23 Sept) to be completely rained off 1/1
Visit VCBet.com, read the latest bookie rating and review on Victor Chandler Bookmaker
Too damp? What about some of top Irish Bookmaker PaddyPower’s latest weather bets?
Hot Summer 2007 – Singles Only. Settled in accordance with Met Eireann & The Met Office. Applies to 2007.
– 2007 to be the warmest year on record in the UK 7 – 4
– Top UK Temp to reach over 38.5ºc in 2007 10 – 3
– Top Irish Temp to reach over 33.3ºc in 2007 4 – 1
– 2007 to be the warmest year on record in Ireland 9 – 2
Visit Paddy Power, read the latest bookie rating and review on PaddyPower.com
July 3rd, 2007
Next Posts
Previous Posts