Archive for August, 2007

Rugby World Cup Bookie Promotions

Rugby World Cup Bookie Promotions

WIN A TRIP TO THE RUBGY WORLD CUP 

Top Irish online sportsbook Paddy Power.com is giving all customers the chance to win a trip to the Rugby World Cup.

As we’ve come to expect from the Paddy Power marketing team, they introduce their great new promotion by giving the French a hard time: 

“Maybe you don’t want to hang around with French people for a month or maybe you just don’t like the smell of cheese, but other than that, you’ve got no excuse for not wanting to go to the Rugby World Cup. Just because we’re lovely, we’re giving away prizes of a trip to see the England v South Africa match AND a trip to see the Ireland v Argentina match”.

OK. How do I enter?
 
EITHER: Place a bet on any Rugby World Cup Market before the competition begins at 8pm on 7th September (BST). You will automatically be entered in the draw. One winner will be chosen to attend an Ireland match and one winner for an England match. Prize includes tickets, transport and accommodation** for 2.

OR: Any registered member of PaddyPower.com may enter this competition without placing a bet by sending a letter to RWC Competition, Paddy Power PLC, Airton House, Airton Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24 quoting reference “Rugby World Cup Tickets” and your username.

Restricted to one entry per customer

Prizes include: – flights and transport, accomdation (apparently not at a dodgy French youth hostel according to Paddy’s marketing team) – A pair of tickets to the match – A free £100/€150 bet.

Also…CLAIM YOUR FREE RUGBY WORLD CUP T SHIRT 

Click to visit PaddyPower.com for more info on this promotionAnd in a second Promotion running at PaddyPower.com, existing UK and Ireland Customers (who have already placed a bet with Paddy Power) are eligible for a FREE RUGBY WORLD CUP T SHIRT. It’s a total giveaway, not even any postage and packing charges.

 

 

Add comment August 29th, 2007

Early Season NCAA College Football Capping

by SCOTT SPREITZER

We’re now just a couple of days away from the start of the college football season. Here are some factors to remember when trying to pick winners in the season openers.

* The rules have changed in the offseason in a way that will favor the powerhouses and hurt lesser teams.

After a one year experiment that shrunk college games, the clock will run much more like it did back in 2005. Remember to put those points back on the board when outlining expectations for games in 2007. And remember that moving kickoffs back to the 30-yard line will help squads that have superior special teams.

* Remember that defenses are ahead of offenses at the beginning of a college season.

It didn’t used to be this dramatic. But in recent years we’ve seen several offenses really struggle early in the season. Defenses are much more aggressive than they used to be. If you’ve got a new quarterback, and a new running back in charge of picking up blitzes, your offense will have trouble in the first few games of the season. Last year’s timing changes exacerbated this element, leading to some very low scoring openers.

Remember when both Temple/Buffalo and Miami of Ohio/Northwestern were scoreless at the half on the first night of action? This year’s rules adjustments will just be giving some teams more plays to flounder!

* Make note of all the successful teams from last year that lost their starting quarterbacks.

There’s a slew of them! The worst thing you can do early in a season is to bet off last year’s expectations. Notre Dame is going to look like a whole different team this year. The teams that played in the BCS championship game, Florida and Ohio State, both have new quarterbacks. Strong finisher LSU does as well. Make the new quarterbacks earn your respect on the field before investing in them.

* Make note of all bowl caliber teams who return most of their offenses.

There are actually some nice second tier teams who are poised to hit the ground running in 2007 because they’ve got so many starters back. They’ll be able to handle blitzes out of the gate. And, they’ll be eager to make even more headlines this year than they did last season. The worst favorites to take will be last year’s powers that lost quarterbacks. The best favorites to take will be these second tier teams who return experience in the right spots. Heck, some of these guys will be dogs at least once early on. Be on the lookout for upset specials.

* Catch up on injuries and suspensions!

If you did a lot of research based on information in those newsstand publications that came out over the summer, you may not be aware that many top players have since been injured or suspended. The last thing you want to do is bet on a game, then find out when the telecast starts that your star running back isn’t going to play…and everyone BUT you seemed to know about it!

Check internet sites for reports on injuries and suspensions. Also be aware that a few returning starting quarterbacks lost their starting jobs within the last couple of weeks during late summer practices. You’d hate to bet against a team because the QB was bad last year, only to find out that a hotshot recruit is ready to turn the program around.

*Finally, remember that the oddsmakers are behind the eight-ball a bit because of the rules adjustments.

This year more than ever, you should be looking at the early games Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning to get a feel for what football in 2007 is going to look like. Then you can take advantage in later starts Saturday afternoon and evening. Really, before last year, you could pretty much handicap September football with the same old basics.

The rules changes in 2006 caught Vegas napping. Unders were a STEAL for about a month because scoring dropped so much.

And, there were many great underdog plays because the games had shrunk. Favorites didn’t have time to express their superiority in a way that matched the spreads. The tinkering and re-tinkering with the clock and kickoffs throws a monkey wrench into the line making process. If you can read the tea leaves before they do, you’ll be able to take advantage for most of the month in my opinion. Start reading as soon as the games start!

I have to tell you, I can’t recall being THIS excited about the start of a college season. I’ve stayed on top of developments day-by-day all summer long. So, I’m ready to catch the oddsmakers napping once again!

RELATED LINKS :

If you want to read more from Scott – then check out his web site at PicksOnline :

Add comment August 27th, 2007

Poor Old Jol!

Here’s 3 related items that arrived together in my inbox:

1. FA to investigate Jol sack betting
Coral’s decision to close the market on Tottenham Hotspur’s Martin Jol to be the first Premier League boss fired is to be investigated by the Football Association. An FA spokesperson said it would be looking to see if any of its rules had been broken after the bookmaker received a number of large bets last week.

2. Ferguson blames boardroom ‘hangers-on’ for managerial sackings
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has blamed boardroom ‘hangers-on’ for the high number of managerial casualties in the English game.

Martin Jol arrives at Old Trafford on Sunday with his long-term future as Tottenham manager hanging in the balance after being left in no doubt about the club’s Champions League expectations at a meeting with chairman Daniel Levy.

Ferguson is an admirer of Jol’s work as a coach in Holland and is dismayed that the Dutchman’s position has been called into question so early in the season. But with the Premier League champions yet to register a win this season, the Tottenham manager can expect no favours at Old Trafford. Yet Ferguson has no doubt who he believes is responsible for costing many of his colleagues their jobs.

“It’s just sad that there’s such a knee jerk reaction in football today,” said Ferguson. “I don’t know how many times I have sat here over the years and supported managers under pressure because you know it’s not fair. But it doesn’t change. There’s no evidence that sacking a manager gets you success. I don’t know where the root of it comes from. I know it’s probably happened here from time to time. When I had a bad spell here people were saying I should have retired six years ago, I’m too old and all that nonsense.

“There’s a root to criticism quickly in football today. If you look at the corporate hospitality of football today – you go into some boardrooms and there’s only about four directors but 30 or 40 hangers-on. They (the hangers-on) are the ones who think they know everything and are the ones who are probably laying the seeds of it. When I came here at first they used to call it the second board. They used to meet on Monday in the Grill Room (at Old Trafford) and discuss everything that happened on the Saturday and make their opinions known. That was the way. That happens at football clubs and that maybe is where the seed is sewn. And so when somebody like Martin at a club with Tottenham’s expectations has a bad spell the inevitable happens.”

Ferguson is refusing to press the panic button despite failing to see his side win any of their first three games. United start the weekend seven points adrift of the top of the table after two draws and a defeat, but believes it is only a matter of time before his side is firing on all cylinders again.

“We’ll win the game on Sunday,” said a confident Ferguson.

3. And here’s a CASH BACK SPECIAL on Man U vs Spurs!

CLick to visit BetFred.com for more info on this cash backAfter paying out over £30,000 on the England game on Wednesday, UK bookie BetFred are running another cashback offer. Called “JOL TRAFFORD”, they’ll refund all losing correct score, first/last goalscorer and scorecast single bets – if Spurs win! Maximum refund is £100 (or your currency equivalent) per customer. 

 

Add comment August 25th, 2007

Rob Styles vs Liverpool

Callagher gives Rob Styles some grief - Aug 19Football Referee Rob Styles has apologised to Liverpool after admitting he was wrong to award a penalty to Chelsea during the 1-1 draw at Anfield on the weekend.

The match official has accepted he made a mistake in penalising Steve Finnan and as a result he will not be given a match to referee this weekend.

Styles said: “All referees enter into matches hoping not to make mistakes but understanding that they may happen, what none of us want is for any mistake to potentially affect the result of the match.

“Yesterday, in mistakenly awarding a penalty, I accept that I may have affected the result of the match and for that I apologise.”

It’s safe to say that Liverpool aren’t Rob Styles fans.

Here’s a link to the BBC’s “Referee File” on Rob Styles showing that after 2 games officiated he’s handed out an average of 6 card per game…

Click to visit VCBet online sportsbookHere’s some of the latest Rob Styles Specials onsite at online bookmaker Victor Chandler:

WILL ROB STYLES…
Dish out over 150 Yellow Cards this season?                    (6/4 or 2.50)
Have a Total Season Red Card count of 9 or Under?          (8/13 or 1.61)
Referee the Euro 2008 Final?                                           (8/1 or 9.00)
Get suspended again?                                                    (2/1 or 3.00)
Send Rafa Benitez off in a competitive match this Season? (33/1 or 34.00)

Check out our latest sports bookmaker review of Victor Chandler (VCBet) here.

Add comment August 20th, 2007

Beckham’s Play Schedule Already a Challenge

Footballer David Beckham Football star David Beckham insisted again on Friday that the long travel required for his international duty won’t negatively affect his performance either for England or the Los Angeles Galaxy.

“I don’t think it would affect my performance for my country nor the Galaxy,” said Beckham, who joined the Major League Soccer club last month. “I’ve handled the travelling pretty well so far. It’s something that I’ve not being used to in my career. Playing in Europe, we’ve only had to travel an hour, two hours to play.”

The 32-year-old midfielder, in New York for the Galaxy’s Saturday match with the New York Red Bulls, will travel to England Sunday to play against Germany in a friendly at Wembley on Wednesday. He will then fly back the following day to Los Angeles for a game against Los Angeles rivals Chivas USA in the evening.

“I haven’t done that since I was probably eight years, nine years old when we played games Saturdays and Sundays. It’s definitely going to be difficult,” Beckham admitted. “Hopefully I can have some rest on the plane. Everybody knows I want to play as many games possible for England.”

Despite its friendly tag, Beckham said any match against Germany is serious business. “I’m not sure any game at Wembley against Germany is a friendly,” he said. “They’re a great team. They’ve got great tradition. Last time we played them at Wembley, they beat us 1-0.”

Beckham, who arrived Stateside nursing a left ankle injury and has therefore gotten off to a slow start in the MLS, scored his first goal for the Galaxy in their SuperLiga semi-final against DC United on Wednesday, striking with a free kick in the 27th minute.

“I was a little tired after the game,” he said. “My first training session was on Tuesday and my first game was on Wednesday. That’s the first time I ran and kicked the ball like I wanted. Hopefully my ankle will hold up like it did. It felt good. It felt strong.”

In Wednesday’s match, Beckham took over as captain, a title previously held by US striker Landon Donovan. “David and Landon had a discussion,” Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop said. Landon was honored to pass the captaincy to David who has earned the right to be captain at all the teams he’s played on, including this one. It was a great gesture by Landon and greatly accepted by David.”

Asked if he was becoming familiar with the MLS style of play, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid standout said he still had work to do.  “My knowledge of MLS is not as good as it was for European teams. I’m still learning. I came to America not only to be a player, but to be an ambassador and take football to another level. “I’m not silly enough to sit up here and say it’s going to become bigger than baseball, basketball or American football,” Beckham added. “If we can raise it to a certain level, to a level that it’s never been. I think so far we’re succeeding.”

BANKING ON BECKHAM:

In a “down under” news article (deep down under, as in New Zealand)… In a classic case of money can’t buy you love, the ever image-conscious owner of the Phoenix, New Zealand’s top non-national football team, is keen to fork out even more money to drag Beckham to New Zealand as a show piece.

Serepisos, renowned for turning gently aging commercial buildings into fairly squalid inner city apartments – including one recently included in an eyesore of the year list – is obviously hoping some of David Beckham’s charm rubs off.

Add comment August 18th, 2007

Seeing Red This Weekend?

Click to visit PaddyPower Bookmaker for more info on his latest cashbacksOnline sportsbook PaddyPower.com has just launched it’s latest money back deal for the weekend’s English Premier League football.

Called Red Card In Sight – Punter’s Delight it’s fairly self explanatory!

This cash back offer applies to both the Liverpool v Chelsea (Sun 4pm SS1) and the Man City v Man Utd (Sun 1.30pm SS1) games and could once again see good refunds.

If any on-field player is shown a red card in these game, Paddy Power will refund all losing 90 minute win-draw-win bets on that game.  A Max Refund of €300/£200 per applies customer.

Eds note: After Paddy’s payouts last weekend on both Derby v Portsmouth and Arsenal v Reading matches (as a goal was scored in the first 10 minutes) you’d think he try to make it harder. I think both of this weekend’s cash back games have potential to be fairly feisty! 

PS: Here’s a link to the latest Paddy Power Sportsbook review on site at BookieLabRat.com

Add comment August 16th, 2007

NFL Preseason Preview – week two

NFL Preseason Preview for Thurs./Friday.
By David Harrison

The second week of the NFL preseason begins on Thursday night when Miami takes on Kansas City. Four games are on tap on a busier Friday night, including Atlanta at Buffalo, Carolina at Philadelphia, Minnesota at the Jets and Tennessee at New England.

Here’s a quick rundown of all five games.

Thursday

Miami at Kansas City (-3)

Trent Green makes an early return to Kansas City this week, hoping to improve on the form he displayed in his Miami preseason debut last week. In the Dolphins’ 18-17 win over Jacksonville, Green was booed by the hometown fans after completing 6-of-15 passes for 60 yards and an interception. The usually fiery Dolphins’ defense will be tame Thursday night with Zach Thomas, Keith Traylor and Jason Taylor all expected to sit out.

The Chiefs are coming off a 16-12 loss to Cleveland in which the offense fizzled. Both Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle threw an interception in the loss, while the Chiefs’ running game flat-lined without Larry Johnson. With Johnson’s holdout still ongoing, he’ll be nowhere near Kansas City on Thursday, while tight end Tony Gonzalez will also likely be absent due to a lingering knee injury.

Friday

Atlanta at Buffalo (-3)

The Falcons’ preseason began with a thud last week as they were crushed by the Jets 31-16. Joey Harrington was 6-of-9 for 88 yards in limited duty, while Jerious Norwood displayed his blazing speed while rushing for 29 yards on eight carries with a touchdown. Norwood was hit by a stomach bug earlier in the week and may be unavailable on Friday.

The Bills pulled off a 13-10 win over New Orleans last week despite receiving very little production from their starting offense. Quarterback J.P. Losman connected on 4-of-6 passes for 20 yards, while Marshawn Lynch’s NFL debut was a short one, in which he rushed for three yards on only two carries.

Carolina at Philadelphia (-3)

The Panthers kicked off the preseason with a 24-21 win over the Giants. Jake Delhomme looked like his old self while completing 5-of-8 passes for 30 yards and a touchdown. DeAngelo Williams missed the opener with an ankle injury and is questionable for Friday night.

The Eagles were humbled by Baltimore 29-3 in their preseason opener without QB Donovan McNabb. Rookie Kevin Kolb completed 11-of-22 passes for 77 yards in the second half, but could not march the Eagles into the end zone. McNabb is listed as probable for Friday night and will likely see his first action of the preseason.

Minnesota at NY Jets (-4.5)

The Vikings also had troubles scoring in their preseason opener, which they lost to St. Louis 13-10. Rookie QB Adrian Peterson saw a fair share of action with 11 carries for 33 yards in the loss.

The Jets found their backup QB for Chad Pennington in a 31-16 win over Atlanta. Pennington skipped the game which gave Kellen Clemens the opportunity to pass for 174 yards and three touchdowns.

Tennessee at New England (-5.5)

Without Vince Young the Titans struggled in their opener, losing 14-6 to Washington. Young was serving a one-game suspension for breaking team rules and should be back in a limited capacity on Friday. Chris Henry looked good in his Titans’ debut, rushing for 42 yards on 12 carries.

The Patriots sat a good chunk of their starting offense in their 13-10 loss to Tampa Bay last week. Randy Moss, Donte’ Stallworth and Laurence Maroney all sat out, while Tom Brady only threw seven passes, completing five for 34 yards.

Bet with BODOG sportsbook

Add comment August 16th, 2007

Midweek Premier League Picks and Value Bets

Fred Done of BetFred Bookmakers has shared his personal picks for the midweek Premier League football.

For the full “reasoned argument” behind Fred’s picks you can read his previews onsite here at GoonersGuide.com

Tottenham 8/11 v Everton 100/30 (9/4 draw)
This game is a tricky one really, 8/11 is a poor price about the London team – 100/30 is much more tempting in a 50/50 game in my opinion. That said, the draw is what attracts me most, I can see both teams scoring and 9/4 for the draw is my pick. The usually reliable Berbatov is 9/2 to bag the first goal – not a bad price.

Birmingham 5/4 v Sunderland 7/4 (9/4 draw)
Kapo who scored an outstanding goal for Birmingham is priced at 8/1 to score first, which given his performance against Chelsea is a good price. I would side with home advantage in this game and go for a Birmingham win at 5/4. Draw half time – Birmingham full time may be a good bet at 9/2.

Fulham 6/5 v Bolton 15/8 (11/5 draw)
I think a Fulham win is the only option here, Bolton were so poor at the weekend and if they do not improve on that form they will be beaten at Craven Cottage. A 6/5 banker.

Man City 8/13 v Derby 4/1 (12/5 draw)
8/13 is a very skinny price given Derby’s battling display against Portsmouth, but it will be a home win. So the best place for some value is in the correct score market, another 2-0 win is 13/2. Bianchi to score first is 9/2, he has adapted well to Man City scoring in pre-season and on his Premier League debut.

Portsmouth 9/2 v Man Utd 4/7 (12/5 draw)
I’m going to be brave and go for a draw at 12/5! 1-1 and 2-2 are 6/1 and 14/1 respectively. Tevez to score first is 9/2.

Reading 9/2 v Chelsea 8/15 (5/2 draw)
8/15 is actually not that bad a price considering it is Chelsea, 2-0 is the best bet at 6/1. Florent Malouda seems to have taken to his new team like a duck to water. He is 7/1 to score first.

Wigan 6/5 v Middlesbrough 15/8 (11/5 draw)
Get on Boro! 15/8 is a decent price about Boro and should not be missed.

Click to visit BetFred.com bookmaker nowBetFred.com has 2 cash back offers running for the midweek games – they refunded more than £35,000 following their cashback offers on the weekend.

Click for more info onsite at BetFred BookmakerClick for more info onsite at BetFred.com

 

 

 

 

First Goalscorer Cashback Offer
If you back a player to score first and he fails to score the first goal in the game but scores last, BetFred.com will refund your stake.

Scorecast Cashback Offer
If you place a scorecast bet on any Premiership game and you only get one half of your selection correct, Betfred.com will refund your total stake.

Maximum refund for both offers is £100 (or your currency equivalent) per customer and they apply to all Premier League matches played on 14th and 15th August 2007. 

Add comment August 13th, 2007

Flying Start to EPL Season

Paddy Power bookmaker money back specialsPunters at Paddy Power were off to a flying start this EPL football season. Both the Derby v Portsmouth and Arsenal v Reading matches had goals scored in the first 10 minutes of play and so refunds were paid out. The canny Irish Bookie’s “Off to a Flyer” Money Back Special deal was a real customer pleaser! 

Here’s Paddy’s mid week special – called Late Spur. If Dimitar Berbatov scores the last goal of the Tottenham v Everton match (Tues 8pm Sky Sports 1) Paddy Power will refund all losing 90 minute win-draw-win bets on this game. (Max refund €300/£200 per bet).

OK, so who picked the Man U Reading draw?

Top rated UK bookie Bet365 is running a new promo this season called BORE-DRAW.

The Reading Man U game hardly qualified as boring, but Bet365 is paying out on any pre-match Correct Score, Half-Time/Full-Time or Scorecast bets on the match as the game finished 0-0.

This offer runs throughout the whole 2008 football season.

Click to visit PaddyPower.com sportsbookCheck out the latest offers on site at PaddyPower.com

Click for Bet365 bookmakerVisit Top Rating UK Bookmaker Bet365.com

Add comment August 13th, 2007

Fred’s View on Man Utd v Reading

Click to visit Fred Done Bookmakers (BetFred.com)The intrepid Fred Done of BetFred.com Bookmaking fame shares his views on Sunday’s Manchester United vs Reading fixture.

We’ve sat, we’ve waited, and we’ve only just seen the weather improve enough to call it ‘summer.’ Now that the sun’s shining, the Premier League is back – and let’s hope with a resounding win for United.
 
Like many of you, I’ve watched Sir Alex make some strong moves in the transfer market over the last few months, and there may be more drama to come in the Tevez saga. The talk is that it’s going to happen any day now, but I don’t expect him to be playing on Sunday. Perhaps we’ll see him paraded at Old Trafford on Sunday in a new United shirt!
 
The way the Premier League is these days, you’ve got to get off to a flier to keep up with the strong competition all around. This Sunday could be the perfect start for United, with a weakened Reading team visiting the Theatre of Dreams. After having sold their best midfielder in Steve Sidwell, they’re now without Leroy Lita after he picked up a muscle injury in bed. I know that sounds a bit dodgy, but apparently the strain was in his lower leg and seems to be a problem with a nerve. Now we shouldn’t make fun, should we? For match betting, United are clear favourites for this one at 1/5, with Reading 9/1 and the draw at 9/2, so for the pessimistic in you there’s some value to be had on a nil-nil result.
 
After Paul Scholes played 90 minutes against Dunfermline on Wednesday night, I’m looking for a strong performance from the midfield dynamo and he’s 8/1 to score the first goal. As you’d expect, Rooney is favourite to open United’s account against Reading, at 7/2. If you fancy a man that found his range towards the end of last season, you might want to look at Michael Carrick, who’s priced up at a generous 16/1 with MU Bet.
 
When United are at home, the scorecasts always end up costing me a fortune. If either Rooney or Ronaldo pick up the first goal, I’m always in trouble and end up paying out big! Even so, I can’t help but look at the 22/1 available for Rooney first goal and United to win 3-0, or 33/1 on the same scorer and a 3-1.
 
If you’re a scorecast punter, then look no further than Betfred for a great offer. If you back a scorecast but only get one of the two parts correct, I’ll give you your money back. I’ll also give you your money back if you back a player to score the first goal but he only scores the last. That means you get another chance to win big with United. These offers also apply to all Premier League games, so you’ve got plenty to choose from!
 
I’ll be satisfied whatever the scoreline if United win on Sunday and am looking forward to getting back in my seat after a long summer without the Premier League.
 
Let’s get behind United on Sunday and get off to a similar start to last season.
 
Good luck,
Fred

Click to visit BetFred.com nowHere’s a link to our latest online sportsbook review of BetFred.com so you can read what’s hot and not about this UK bookie. 

Add comment August 10th, 2007

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