The Sports Bookie Blog

Here’s a round-up of the latest special betting offers at online sportsbooks for this weekend’s English Premier League football. These offers pay out surprizingly often, and there’s nothing like a little added betting insurance as three possible outcomes from your bet (win, loss or stake-back) is far better than just two!

To take advantage of these offers we recommend you have active sportsbook accounts with a good range of bookmakers so you can pick and choose where to place your bets. For detailed reviews and ratings on each online sportsbook, visit BookieLabRat.com or GoonersGuide.com.

Demolit10n Derby  -  Man City v Man Utd - Sunday 30th November

If Robinho or Wayne Rooney score the last goal of the game in the Manchester Derby on Sunday, BetFred will refund all losing first/last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast bets as a free bet.
Maximum refund is £100 (or your currency equivalent) per customer.

Le Incredible Sulks  -  Chelsea v Arsenal - Sunday 30th November

If Nicolas Anelka or William Gallas score the last goal of the game in the Chelsea v Arsenal game on Sunday, BetFred will refund all losing first/last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast bets as a free bet. Maximum refund is £100 (or your currency equivalent) per customer.

Sunday Saver   -  Man City v Man Utd  and Chelsea v Arsenal 

If a goal is scored in second half injury time in the Chelsea v Arsenal Premier League match on Sunday, BoyleSports will refund all losing single first/last/anytime goal scorer, correct score and scorecast bets on BOTH Man City v Man Utd AND Chelsea v Arsenal matches. Maximum refund €300 or currency equivalent per customer.

Don’t Hit the Bar!  -  All Football Markets

Place a five-fold or upwards on ANY football markets and if you have only ONE losing selection VCBet will refund your stake as a free bet. Max refund £100 or currency equivalent.

C-Red-it Card!

Man City v Man Utd - Sun 1.30pm SS1
Chelsea v Arsenal - Sun 4pm SS1

If any player is shown a red card in either match Paddy Power will refund all losing 1st/last goalscorer, correct score & scorecast singles on the match. Max refund €300/£200 per customer.

Manchester City v Manchester United - Sunday, 30 November

If your bet loses and a penalty kick (a direct free kick from the penalty mark) is awarded during the first half of this match, Canbet will refund your bet (Correct Score Only).  Maximum bonus is £50 (€65)…enter the promotional code: EPL30NOV1

Chelsea v Arsenal  - Sunday, 30 November

If your bet loses and Emmanuel Adebayor scores the first goal of the match, Canbet will refund your bet (Correct Score Only).  Maximum bonus is £50 (€65)…enter the promotional code: EPL30NOV2

Bet365 Bore Draw Offer

Place a pre-match correct score, double result or scorecast bet on ANY FOOTBALL MATCH and Bet365 will refund losing stakes if the match finishes 0-0.

Into NFL Betting? Know what you should be taking into account if the weather’s crap? Check out this posting on the latest betting tips and advice from the team at Bodog Sport.

While it’s important to get a handle on every factor affecting your bet, there’s no angle square NFL bettors overvalue more than weather. This is especially true when the season starts getting long in the tooth as snow, freezing rain, and high winds start changing the way the game is played on the field.

Don’t get me wrong – weather does matter – it’s just you shouldn’t overreact and rush to the window every time a flurry might fall on Ben Roethlisberger’s helmet. Oddsmakers and sharps are both expecting you to overreact so they can take advantage of the public money that inevitably moves the line or total in one direction or another for no good reason.

Make sure to handicap the game the same way you normally would. Don’t automatically take the under or bet on the “cold weather team” just because there’s a chance of snow, especially if you notice the number is already on the move.

Get an actual weather forecast from a local news station or a meteorologist. Suzy Kolber and Sal Paolantonio aren’t your regular Brick Tamland; the mainstream sports media often plays up cold weather to create a narrative prior to kickoff. Tune in to Channel 6 for an unbiased view of the weather unless you live in Wisconsin, where the weather report will most definitely focus on the Packers game.

Don’t overestimate the effect winter weather has on the offensive side of the football while completely ignoring what it means for the defense. Public bettors often make this error, forgetting it’s the defense that has to react to the offense. Defenses that have the most trouble in winter weather are units that like to confuse the offense by blitzing often and running multiple quasi-zone formations. Those teams live and die by their ability to adjust on the fly to what the offense is doing.

NFL betting in the Bodog Sportsbook.

That having been said, it’s still about what the offense can do. A common misconception is NFL teams have no choice but to pound the run in inclement winter weather, so a good running game is the key to making money for bettors. While that’s true if you’re looking at an outright blizzard, teams with offensive balance have better success in winter weather because of their ability to keep the defense honest.

Defensive strategy during cold weather is to take something away from the offense, preferably the run. Teams that go either way are more dangerous because they disallow the defense from focusing on either the run or the pass. This is basic stuff, but it’s even more of a factor when players are losing their footing and the wind is blowing passes down left and right.

Balance on offense isn’t the only thing on which to hang your hat. You have to couple that approach with a team that is actually profitable. Teams fitting the mold (balanced and profitable) this season are the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, and Washington Redskins: All figure to be solid plays when Mother Nature rears its winter head.

Looking at stadiums most affected by cold weather, there are no hard and fast trends that deliver a magic bullet. That’s because the role of the oddsmaker isn’t to accurately reflect the differences between opponents in the spread or total, it’s to accurately assess public perception of those differences. If squares think bad weather means the game is going under, that’s where the number is headed.

You could fund an entire college research department figuring out the cold weather trends in NFL stadiums. Taking a small extrapolation of games played in December or later in Green Bay, Cleveland, and Buffalo since 2005, nothing jumps out except the over trend. The Packers, Browns, and Bills are a combined 17-6 O/U during those circumstances over the time period, meaning there’s at least some benefit to avoid pounding the under at all costs when cold weather strikes.

For more on popular US-friendly online sportsbook Bodog, check out the latest Bodog review onsite at BookieLabRat.com or compare Bodog with the other two most popular, safe offshore sportsbooks for American bettors.

Manchester United v Blackburn Rovers
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Manchester United remain clear favourites and are at 2/1 (3.00) at Centrebet after being handed a home draw against Blackburn who are now out to 10/1 (11.00) at VC Bet.

Burnley v Arsenal
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Arsenal’s youngsters face Chelsea’s conquerors Burnley at Turf Moor and the Gunners are second favourties at a best 5/2 (.350) with BetFred while Burnley are now out to 41.00 at Centrebet.

Watford v Tottenham
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Spurs have been clipped to third favourites at 7/2 (4.50) at Ladbrokes to retain the Carling Cup after avoiding the big guns in the quarter-final draw.

Harry Redknapp’s men, who beat Liverpool 4-2 in the last 16, face a short trip to Championship side Watford and the Hornets are the outsiders at 67.00 at BoyleSports.

Stoke City v Derby County
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Stoke City have been cut to 14/1 (15.00) at at BoyleSports after avoiding Premier League opposition in the last eight. They face Derby County in an all-midlands clash. Derby are 40/1 shots at Centrebet.

Pick a Final
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BetFred are offering 8/1 for Manchester United and Arsenal to meet in the final while an all-North London derby at Wembley on March 1 between Spurs and the Gunners is a 10/1 chance.

It’s 100/1 that bitter rivals Blackburn and Burnley will contest the final and 66/1 for two of the three remaining Championship clubs to fight out the showdown.

BetFred  spokesman Jon Wilde said: “A United-Arsenal final may not please the neutrals who like to see the silverware spread around, but it would certainly be an interesting spectacle considering the line-ups their managers tend to send out in the Carling Cup.”

Here’s the latest update from the team at Bodog Sportsbook. We suggest you check them out if you’re into betting on North American sports (whether you’re based there or not!).

Tuesday’s Election Day coverage was awash in numbers. Thanks to statistical analysis (and holographic interviews), we now know the voting habits of independent North Dakota centenarians. Let’s put some of that number-crunching power to good use for this weekend’s football games. For current lines, visit Bodoglife.com.

New Orleans at Atlanta: Teams coming off a bye week are 14-10 SU and ATS this year. The Saints had Week 9 off; the Falcons (-3) beat Oakland 24-0 and are coming all the way back home after playing four of five on the road.

Texas El Paso at UL-Lafayette: Ragin’ Cajuns QB Michael Desormeaux leads the FBS at his position with 107.4 rushing yards per game. UL-Lafayette hasn’t dropped the cash since the first week of the season, and Desormeaux’s improvement in his senior campaign is key.

Tennessee at Chicago: Devin Hester has zero return touchdowns this year. He had six in each of the past two seasons. The Bears’ special teams unit has gone from No. 1 in efficiency to No. 17. Tennessee is at No. 25 despite the fine kicking of Rob Bironas (17-for-19 on field goals).

Wyoming at Tennessee: The Volunteers are No. 115 in the nation in total offense at 272.4 yards per game. UT’s 3-6 record SU and ATS has prompted coach Phil Fulmer to tender his resignation (effective at the end of the season) after a largely successful 17 years in Knoxville.

Kansas City at San Diego: The Chargers have allowed the most first downs of any NFL team at 181. The Chiefs’ defense is stingy by comparison at 160. This will be San Diego’s first game since firing defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell.

NFL odds are in the Bodog Sportsbook.

Kansas at Nebraska: A YouTube clip of Nebraska coach Bo Pelini’s finest sideline rants eclipsed 25,000 hits after just two days. The Cornhuskers are 5-4 SU (4-5 ATS) this year; Pelini says his temper is partly to blame. “It’s something I have to fix,” he told the Associated Press on Tuesday.

Buffalo at New England: The under is 7-1-2 in New England’s last 10 home games. The single over came in the shocking 38-13 loss to the Dolphins (+12.5) in Week 3. Otherwise, the Patriots defense has stood firm at Gillette Stadium.

Illinois vs. Western Michigan: The MAC is 2-9 SU and 8-3 ATS against the Big Ten this season. This will be the first MAC-Big Ten matchup of the year for both teams. In their only other meeting back in 2004, the Fighting Illini won 30-27 as 10-point home faves.

St. Louis at N.Y. Jets: The Jets haven’t picked up a win (SU or ATS) against the Rams in over 20 years. They’ve only played seven times since 1986, but St. Louis/Los Angeles has prevailed every time.

Utah State at Boise State: There have been four different bright blue Smurf Turfs over the past 22 years at Broncos Stadium. The one in use right now is brand-new FieldTurf installed just this summer. Boise State is 8-0 SU and 5-2 ATS on this surface.

>>For more information on Bodog Sport check out:
1. Bodog Online Sportsbook Review at BookieLabRat.com
2. Compare Bodog to the other top rating US-friendly online sportsbooks