Posts filed under 'General Banter'
Super Bowl XLIII Preview from the team at Bodog Sports.
Sunday, Feb. 1 is the singular red-letter day on the betting calendar, the mother of all sporting events: Super Bowl XLIII at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. This year’s gala coincides with the inauguration of President Obama, so it’s only natural that the matchup between the Arizona Cardinals (12-7 SU and ATS) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (14-4 SU, 11-7 ATS) is being treated as a watershed moment for the sports gambling industry.
Nobody’s predicting a possible take of $100 million on the Las Vegas Strip this year. But action is already coming in fast on both sides with the Steelers opening as 7-point favorites (-105). The total is 47, and according to market reports, roughly 70 percent of bettors at press time were taking the over at +100.
Business will pick up over the course of the next two weeks, especially once the market opens for Super Bowl props. This has been a major area of growth for the online industry; bettors love the entertainment value and the potential giant payouts from laying cash on individual athletes. Our live betting feature takes this to another level, allowing you to bet on every single play of the big game as it happens.
We’ll have more coverage of the different betting markets as they open. The most popular prop bets will deal with the most popular players in the game itself. In this case, that would be Arizona QB Kurt Warner. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV leading the St. Louis Rams and their “Greatest Show on Turf” offense to victory over the Tennessee Titans. A series of concussions seemed to derail Warner’s career, but he’s persisted and played his way back into the Super Bowl with a 96.9 QB rating, just a shade below his peak years in St. Louis. The tastiest Warner props will deal with how many TD passes (or interceptions) he’ll throw.
Ben Roethlisberger (80.1 passer rating) is the Pittsburgh quarterback and thus the team’s star player by default. His QB props will also be popular, but it’s the Steelers defense that really runs the show. Safety Troy Polamalu’s name will be heard a lot in the marketplace; he was one of the stars of Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl XL win over Seattle, and he returned an interception for a TD last week against the Baltimore Ravens.
Bet on Super Bowl XLIII in the Bodog online sports book.
There was some concern about Polamalu’s health after he strained his calf during the Divisional Round, but his play last week against the Ravens was more than reassuring. WR Hines Ward is likewise expected to be fine for the Super Bowl after twisting his right knee against Baltimore. And Roethlisberger now has some sore ribs courtesy of the Ravens. Otherwise, the Steelers are as healthy as an NFL team could hope to be in January.
The Cardinals have a few nagging issues; WR Anquan Boldin (groin) was at visibly less than full capacity in the NFC title win over the Eagles, and LB Travis LaBoy suffered a biceps injury that could knock him out of the big game. LaBoy is a role player whose absence shouldn’t hinder Arizona. Boldin is a top-shelf receiver, but the Cardinals have other options downfield in Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston, and Boldin has another two weeks to heal before the Super Bowl.
These two teams have only faced one another twice during the regular season over the past decade. The Cardinals (+5.5) beat Pittsburgh 21-14 at home last year; Warner and Matt Leinart split the QB duties in that game, and both Boldin and Ward were out of commission, but the two rosters are otherwise much the same for the Super Bowl. The Steelers (-7) downed visiting Arizona 28-15 back in 2003 when the starting quarterbacks were Tommy Maddox and Jeff Blake.
There are strong positive trends for both teams going into the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh has covered seven playoff appearances in a row, while the Cardinals are on a 4-0 ATS run and 12-5 ATS in their past 17 against winning teams. The strongest betting trends are on the over: 12-2 in the last 14 Steelers playoff games and 35-16 in Arizona’s last 51 overall. The over is a combined 23-14 for these two clubs this season. If there’s any line movement during the next two weeks, it’s probably going to be against the total.
For more on Bodog Sports check out the latest sportsbook reviews:
>>Bodog Sports Review at BookieLabRat.com
>>Review & Rating of BodogLife.com sportsbook at GoonersGuide.com
>>Compare Bodog with the other popular online sportsbooks for American bettors
January 21st, 2009
Here’s the latest contribution to the BookieLabRat.com blog from popular onlineline sportsbook Bodog Sports: The 2009 Australian Open.
Bettors all over the world have been waiting for this moment. The first major event of the 2009 tennis season is the Australian Open, starting Jan. 19 at Melbourne Park in Melbourne. The country’s sporting mecca and second largest city will be treated to two weeks of top-flight tennis. And the fields for both the men and women are wide open this year.
WOMENS AUSTRALIAN OPEN BETTING
On the women’s side, defending champion Maria Sharapova is already out of the running; the shoulder injury that took her out of last year’s Olympics and U.S. Open has yet to heal properly. That leaves the two Williams sisters as the leading candidates to win in Melbourne. Serena Williams is the top seed at this week’s warm-up WTA event in Sydney, the Medibank International. Venus Williams is idle this week; she’s never won the Australian Open, while Serena has taken this event three times, most recently in 2007.
The hardcourt at Melbourne Park is a Plexicushion surface (specifically, the Plexicushion Prestige) that made its debut at last year’s event, replacing the old Rebound Ace surface that was criticized for overheating and causing ankle injuries. The slower Plexicushion surface (slow for a hardcourt, that is) doesn’t help Serena exploit her strong volleys; Sharapova, a more classic baseline player who is still developing in other aspects of the game, won her first Aussie Open last year.
The surface change might make Venus the better bet this time around compared to her sister. She’s only been to the finals at Melbourne once back in 2003 and was eliminated in the quarterfinals last year by Ana Ivanovic. But the elder Williams got the better of world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic 6-2, 6-2 at last week’s World Team Challenge event in Hong Kong. Serena, meanwhile, struggled to beat world No. 46 and Australian native Samantha Stosur in three sets during the first round of the Sydney warm-up. It was Jankovic who eliminated Serena at the Aussie Open quarterfinals last year.
That roadblock might not be there this month. Jankovic pulled out of the Hong Kong event after losing to Venus, citing the flu. “I really have been trying my best to go on the court, but I feel slow,” Jankovic told the BBC on Saturday. “Nobody likes to be sick, and now I’m on medication and I have to rest and try to recover as fast as possible.”
MENS AUSTRALIAN OPEN BETTING
The men’s draw could be less competitive than expected, as well. Marat Safin pulled out of the Kooyong Classic eight-man exhibition on Monday with what he’s calling a shoulder injury. Safin is the 2005 Aussie Open champion and enjoyed something of a revival in 2008 by reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon, normally his weakest Grand Slam.
If Safin is out of the picture, that opens the field up somewhat for Andy Murray, the 21-year-old Scotsman who wowed the tennis world by beating both Roger Federer and Andy Roddick to win the Qatar Open. Murray also beat both players to close out 2008 with a victory at the Tennis Masters Cup in China. Both events were played on the hardcourt.
The United Kingdom is a haven for betting on tennis, and Murray has been the uncrowned champion of punters since he cracked the ATP’s Top 10 last summer. Murray is currently the No. 4 player in the world and expected to ride a wave of British money into the favorite spot for Melbourne.
Federer (No. 2 in the world) and Rafael Nadal (No. 1) figure to be crowding Murray at the top of the Aussie Open odds list. Nadal is still noted as a clay-court specialist, although he did win his first Wimbledon last year. But Nadal has never been to the finals at either the Aussie or the U.S. Open – also a hardcourt event – while Federer won at Melbourne in 2004, 2006 and 2007. For good measure, Murray beat Nadal in the U.S. Open semis last year after losing his first five encounters with the Spaniard.
Available right now are the Aussie Open warm-up events in both men’s tennis betting and women’s tennis betting; single-game matchups will also be available for the Open itself, but the tennis futures market is a very simple and popular way to wager on the Open, especially with the time zone difference Down Under. The futures format is common to tennis, golf and NASCAR, the holy trinity of summertime betting. And it is summer in Australia right now, after all.
Use the following links to BookieLabRat.com to check out the latest LIVE sportsbook prices on the Australian Open (which bookie has the best odds?)
>>Mens Australian Open Betting Odds Compared
>>Best Womens Australian Open Betting Prices
January 14th, 2009
It’s time to dust off your BetFred Bookmaker Account for the New Year. (Or set up a new account if you haven’t bet with this popular online sportsbook before).
Canny UK bookie Bet Fred is offering all punters the chance to win a “pretty cool football trip” – yep, it’s official I’d like to win this one! Check it out onsite at BetFred.com – Comptition details below.
Win a Fabulous VIP Package to watch Real Madrid v Deportivo at the Bernabeu Stadium on 25th January 2009.
All you have to do is wager £10 between now and 16th January 2009 at BetFred.com and you will be entitled to one prize draw ticket. The more you wager the more chance you have of winning! The winner will be notified on 17th January 2009. Good Luck!
Hotel Information:
Hotel – Husa Paseo del Arte**** – Situated among the famous “Triángulo del Arte” – amidst the most important museums in Madrid, i.e. El Prado Museum, the Thyssen Bornemisza and the Reina Sofía. It offers 260 air-conditioned, state-of-the-art rooms and suites. It has parking, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, salons, etc. Breakfast is served as a buffet.
Terms and Conditions:
- In order to qualify for one prize draw ticket you will have to wager a £10 or greater single on the Sportsbook with odds over evens.
- This promotion is only applicable to customers who have bet on Sportsbook between 7th January 2009 and 16th January 2009
- The VIP Package is for the Real Madrid v Deportivo de la Coruna match on the 25th January 2009.
- The package includes 2 x tickets for the game, superb seats above the president’s box, travel, 2 nights in 4 star Hotel in the heart of Madrid (see above for Hotel information) and Spending Money.
- Prize Draw finishes on 17th January and the winner will be picked from random from qualifying participants.
- The Winner will be notified on 17th Jan 2009.
For more on BetFred Bookmaker:
>>GoonersGuide to Gambling BetFred Bookmaker Review
>>BookieLabRat.com’s Review of BetFred Sportsbook
January 8th, 2009
While some dream of having a white Christmas, I’d much prefer a warm, but not hot, sunny day. Let’s go for 24 to 28 degrees C with no wind – just right for a leisurely stroll along the beach after a no doubt enormous Christmas feast. (Sounds unlikely? Check out Kapiti Coast New Zealand on Google Earth and you’ll see why it sounds THE plan…’cos that’s where I’ll be!)
Anyway, for those of you in the UK, bookmakers like Paddy Power and Ladbrokes are apparently “scurrying to cut odds on it as temperatures dip across the United Kingdom”.
On Wednesday, The Guardian reported that some bookmakers feared they would lose £1 million if the odds weren’t changed. The newspaper said Ladbrokes slashed the odds of having a snow-piled Christmas in London from 7-to-1 to 11-to-4 and 3-to-1. As this blog was posted the odds were at 5/1, so we think this report is pretty much bollocks – just hype to get you to have a flutter on the coolest of betting markets, so to speak.
Check out the cool White Christmas betting interactive map onsite at Ladbrokes (left). It’s got lots of facts and figures and suggests that the bookies should not really be sweating it too hard…
Christmas Day snow? – Here’s Laddies definition of what it would take to be deemed “snowing at Christmas (in this instance in your postcode)”: A snowflake, sleet or a snow grain must be officially* have been recorded to have fallen within your postcode area (1st two digits) during the 24 hours of Christmas Day. Parts of any postcode +250 metres above mean sea level do not count for this bet. Lying snow, hail or ice pellets do not count for this bet. *British Weather Services will verify all bets.
Here’s what our favourite Irish bookie had to say:
Paddy Power’s Cold Comfort – White Christmas Betting
If Paddy’s great-great-great-grandfather was unfortunate to be offering odds on ye Olde White Christmas down in ye Olde Betting Shoppe way back in the early half of the 18th Century, then more than likely the family would be something less risky – like shark fishing or grenade juggling – these days. That’s because – after an uncharacteristic bout of research – we discovered that according to the Met Office, the heyday for White Christmases was between 1550 and 1850 when the Northern Hemisphere “was in the grip of a ‘Little Ice Age'” which is like the a normal ice age, but with cuter woolly mammoths. After the recent spell of cold weather, could banking on a White Christmas in London @ 4/1 be an Ice little earner?
White Christmas Betting*
New York 6 – 4
Dublin 3 – 1
London 4 – 1
For more on the online sportsbooks in this blog post check out the following:
>>Review of Ladbrokes Bookmaker
>>Review of Paddy Power Bookmaker
December 8th, 2008
The gambling world is about to go into overdrive. Basketball is second only to football in popularity among handicappers, and the NBA is the king of the hardcourt between now and March Madness. Millions of dollars will exchange hands. Some of it could go directly into your pocket!
The 2008-09 season begins Tuesday, but the sharpest handicappers have already been doing their homework and keeping track of all the offseason changes. If you’re behind the curve, no sweat. A quick brush-up will instantly make you sharper than a large percentage of the betting public.
The new season starts with three teams hogging the spotlight. The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are coming off a dramatic NBA Finals; the Lakers are favored at 3-1 to win the title this time, with the Celtics a close second at 7-2. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the third team in question. They’re a second-tier pick at 12-1, but James is a +250 co-favorite with L.A.’s Kobe Bryant to win the league’s MVP award.
All three of these teams have made aggressive personnel changes over the past couple of years: Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Boston, Pau Gasol to Los Angeles, and a revamped supporting cast for James in Cleveland. The Cavs have the most room for improvement of the three, especially after going 45-37 SU and 37-45 ATS last year.
The Lakers figure to play better as well with Andrew Bynum in the middle. He was enjoying a breakout season last year (18.3 points and 14.1 rebounds per 40 minutes) until a knee injury put him down for the count after just 35 games. The statheads at Basketball Prospectus compare Bynum’s production to Dwight Howard’s in Orlando. Bynum certainly doesn’t share Howard’s profile, so the argument can be made that Los Angeles still has some betting value.
We can’t predict how healthy Bynum will stay, but we should get a very good sense of how well Bynum and Gasol will mesh when the Lakers host the Portland Trail Blazers in the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader on TNT. The first game, conveniently enough, features the Celtics and the Cavs. Boston faces a potential downgrade with Garnett at age 32 and Allen at age 33, but the Celtics and Lakers both have young, strong benches that keep their teams competitive through the inevitable injuries and fatigue of an 82-game season.
Again, the Celtics, Lakers and Cavaliers are at the center of public attention. It’s natural to want to pay attention to them – they play outstanding basketball. But if you’re interested in making real money, the trick is to find the next big thing, the rising team that the betting public undervalues. That could very well be the Trail Blazers. They’ve improved from 21 to 32 to 41 wins over the last three seasons, and they’ve added two potential instant stars in Greg Oden and Rudy Fernandez. Portland has moved from 50-1 at the open to 35-1 to win the title this year; perhaps Oden-Fernandez will be this year’s Garnett-Allen.
It helps that the Portland franchise is all alone in a Pacific Northwest market that used to include Seattle and Vancouver. Being isolated from the national media consciousness is a great way to sneak up on the pay window. It’s worked for the Toronto Raptors for years, although the 2007-08 season was a disappointment at 39-42-1 ATS. Trading for Jermaine O’Neal is expected to take the Raptors (25-1 title odds) to the next level; at the other end of that trade, T.J. Ford will be a big help for the Indiana Pacers, who have been largely ignored the past two seasons.
The biggest turnaround story of the year might end up coming from Los Angeles – the Clippers, that is. Losing Elton Brand to the Philadelphia 76ers was painful, but getting Marcus Camby from Denver for virtually nothing goes a long way toward replacing Brand’s production. Brand’s defection also took some of the spotlight away from the big Baron Davis signing. The bench is awful, but the poor man’s Big Three of Davis, Camby and Chris Kaman has a chance to do some excellent work in the media shadow of the Lakers.
There are dozens of sharp NBA bets out there waiting to be found just by using a simple value-based approach like this. And there’s a lot to be said for being a trendsetter instead of a bandwagon-jumper.
>>Get into the NBA Basketball betting at Bodog Sportsbook.
For more on Bodog Sportsbook:
>>Bodog Sport Review at BookieLabRat.com
>>Review of Bodog Sportsbook at GoonersGuide.com
Compare US-friendly online sportsbooks (Bodog Sportsbook, JustBet, Bookmaker.com)
October 27th, 2008
Here’s what the team at Bodog Sports think you’ll be betting on this week… and we think they’re probably right!
What’ll it be this week? We’ve got a Rays-Phillies World Series, the halfway point of the NFL season, college football matchups with major title implications, a fresh sheet of hockey games – it’s Oktoberfest for handicappers. And just think: NBA action starts next week.
These are the Top 5 games of the week (all times Eastern):
1. NCAAF: No. 3 Penn State at No. 9 Ohio State (Saturday, 8:00 p.m.)
The college gridiron takes the spotlight away from the pros, at least for one week. The Nittany Lions (8-0 SU, 5-1-1 ATS) are playing like they’re the best team in the nation, destroying opponents by an average score of 45-12. Ohio State (7-1 SU, 2-5 ATS) only has the loss to USC on the record, but the Buckeyes were having trouble getting their offense going until last week’s 45-7 thrashing of Michigan State (+3.5 at home). Beanie Wells ran 31 times for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Stopping him will stop the Buckeyes.
Ohio State easily won the last two meetings SU and ATS. The home team is 8-2 SU and 9-1 ATS over the past 10 years.
2. NCAAF: No. 6 Oklahoma State at No. 1 Texas (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.)
Over in the Big 12, the No. 1 Longhorns have yet to be corralled at 7-0 SU and ATS. But the rival Cowboys have also stormed up the rankings at 7-0 SU and 6-0 ATS. They can’t both get paid on Saturday. Texas has won every single game between these two clubs this past decade, going 7-3 ATS. That’s old news now, though. OSU has flourished this year under coach Mike Gundy, and his team has betting value as the lesser hyped of the two parties involved. ‘Pokes QB Zac Robinson (14 TDs, four INTs) is not far behind Heisman frontrunner Colt McCoy (19 TDs, three INTs) in production.
3. NFL: N.Y. Giants at Pittsburgh (Sunday, 4:15 p.m.)
Here’s a classic East Coast slugfest with the added bonus of a 50-50 chance of rain at press time. The Giants lead the NFC East at 5-1 (4-2 ATS), while the Steelers are atop the AFC North at the same 5-1 (3-3 ATS). That’s about where the similarities end. The Giants are running one of the best offenses in the NFL, while Pittsburgh has relied on its defense to keep the team in the game. New York is playing at a higher level overall; those three points seem like a gift, even at –125 juice. But buyer beware: The Steelers are 9-2 SU and 7-4 ATS in their last 11 at home.
4. MLB: World Series Game 1; Philadelphia at Tampa Bay (Wednesday, 8:00 p.m.)
The entire MLB postseason has been one big moneymaking opportunity for handicappers – simply put, there’s a lot of dumb money out there right now waiting to be scooped up. Most of the interest in this series will be regional, as fans of the Phillies and Rays bet on their own teams. Philadelphia has made the biggest playoff profit up to this point at 7-2 and 5.83 units in the black. Tampa Bay is 7-4 with 2.69 units. The Rays took two of three interleague games from Philly back in 2006 but haven’t played since. Both clubs are –105 on the moneyline for Wednesday’s matchup with southpaws Cole Hamels and Scott Kazmir on the mound.
5. MMA: Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote, UFC 90 (Saturday, PPV starts at 10:00 p.m.)
Cote might be gone in 60 seconds. Silva is undefeated in the Octagon at 7-0, dispatching four of his opponents in the first round, most recently James Irvin in July with a devastating KO punch at 1:01. The UFC’s middleweight champion is considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world; Silva is a titanic –650 favorite in this bout. Cote has been training in Montreal with Georges St. Pierre and is 4-0 in UFC since appearing in The Ultimate Fighter 4.
Honorable Mentions:
NFL: Tampa Bay at Dallas (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.)
NCAAF: No. 7 Georgia at No. 13 LSU (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.)
NHL: Boston at Buffalo (Tuesday, 7:05 p.m.)
NASCAR: Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (Sunday, 1 p.m.)
For more on Bodog online sportsbook check out the latest reviews onsite at:
>>Bodog Sport Bookmaker Review (BookieLabRat.com)
>>Review and Rating of Bodog Sportsbook (GoonersGuide.com)
>>Visit Bodog Sports for a look around
>>Compare Bodog to other popular offshore online sportsbooks that accept American bettors
October 22nd, 2008
BetFair Celebrates 2 Millionth Customer!
A Swedish man became Betfair’s two-millionth customer after he placed a small bet in favor of John McCain’s White House bid, the eight-year-old online betting company announced today.
Betfair, who reached the one-million mark almost two years ago, rewarded the 59-year-old with a V.I.P. weekend for two in London.
“In a year when we won a Queen’s Award for International Trade, it is fitting that Betfair’s two-millionth account comes from outside the U.K.,” said David Yu, chief executive of Betfair, in a prepared statement. “Our international customers are already an essential part of our business, and they are growing larger in number every day.”
If you rate yourself as a fairly savvy bettor and are prepared to do your homework to make some betting profits – isn’t it time you joined Betfair Betting Exchange?
…
Check out the latest views and reviews on BetFair Betting exchange:
>>Betfair Review at GoonersGuide.com
>>BetFair Review at BookieLabRat.com
PS: Betting Exchanges let you offer your own odds to other punters. You can also accept odds offered by other bettors. No bookies are involved – the odds are offered by punters (like you) and the Exchange charges commission for facilitating the traded bet. A straight win single bet is called a “back” bet. You can also place “lay” bets (betting that an outcome will not occur)… and you can often trade bets while a game is in play.
>>Compare the top 2 Betting Exchanges here at BookieLabRat.com.
October 16th, 2008
Here are the latest money back specials that give you some more betting options on the 2008 US Open Tennis. Check them out:
Serbs us Right! Men’s US Open 2008 and Women’s US Open 2008
If either Novak Djokovic or Ana Ivanovic win their respective singles events, BoyleSports will refund all losing single bets placed in either the men’s or women’s Tournament Outright markets. Max refund per bet per customer is €300 (or currency equivalent)
Sets Appeal!! US Open 2008 – August 25th – September 7th
If you place a losing match bet on any match that is decided over 5 sets, Paddy Power will give you a Free Bet to the same stake on any other US Open match. Max Free Bet €300/£200 per customer. Does not apply to the 2008 Mens US Open Final.
‘Treble Tiebreak Loser’ Refund US Open Tennis 2008
Place a bet on any men’s singles match and if he loses the match 3-0 in 3 consecutive tiebreaks, Ladbrokes will refund your entire losing stake. Match betting only. No maximum refund. Refund applies to win singles only. Refund applies to main men’s matches only
6-0 Winning Bonus US Open Tennis
– Place a bet on any women’s singles match and if your player wins 6-0 6-0, Ladbrokes will double your winnings
– Place a bet on any men’s singles match and if your player wins 6-0 6-0 6-0, Ladbrokes will treble your winnings
Match betting only. Total bonus per customer up to a maximum return of £25,000
‘Two Sets to Love’ Refund US Open Tennis
Place a bet on any men’s singles match and if he leads the match two sets to love and goes on to lose the match, Ladbrokes will refund your entire losing stake. Match betting only, No maximum refund
Refund applies to win singles only. Refund applies to main men’s Championship matches only.
>>Check out the best sportsbook odds on offer for US Open 2008 Tennis betting here at BookieLabRat.com
>>Other recent blog posts on US Open Tennis:
Online US Open Tennis Betting – Roger Federer, the Swiss master was the early the favourite at bookies…
US Open: Is it Nadal all the way? – There are some juicy outsiders to be had lower down the list with question marks over the form of Roger Federer and the mercurial Novak Djokovic…
August 24th, 2008
US Open: Will Nadal Get Lost In The Meadows?
Here’s what the team at Bodog Sport thinks about the Spaniard and his opposition as the tournament gets underway.
The final tennis Major of the year is upon us, where Spain’s Rafael Nadal will start as Bodog’s outright favourite. It’s been some year for the Mallorcan; he’s won all over the shop in 2008 – most notably of course the French Open, Wimbledon and most recently Olympic Gold in Beijing.
There is no doubt that Nadal is the likely winner but he’s a very short price and with question marks over the form of Roger Federer and the mercurial Novak Djokovic so difficult to predict, we feel that there are some juicy outsiders to be had lower down the list.
We are, after all, in a spell of some decent tennis tipping form with followers of this column counting a healthy profit after we tipped Nadal’s Beijing final opponent Fernando Gonzalez each-way at an eye-watering 66/1.
That said, with class players like Nadal, Federer and Djokovic around it’s always going be difficult to find a likely large-priced candidate to come through, but don’t completely rule out the chances of Marat Safin at Flushing Meadows.
When the Muscovite party animal won this event eight years ago he was destined for greatness. Despite some classy results – in particular the Australian Open title in 2005 – it has never really happened for big Marat.
At 28, time is running out, but at Wimbledon Safin showed us when he genuinely puts his mind to it he can still be a force to be reckoned with. He made a sterling run to the semis, eventually losing to Federer in straight sets, although he spurned some great opportunities to claim the second set in that match on a tie break.
Safin has not done much since SW19 but over the best-of-five set format – the hallmark of all Major events – he must still be respected, especially at the venue he holds dearest to his heart. Have a tickle at his colossal price.
Now rated number six in the world rankings many will look to Andy Murray to build on what has been a fine season. His feisty nature is something the rowdy New Yorkers warm to and if he gets on a roll he is capable of doing some real damage.
His best effort so far was reaching the 4th round in 2006, but he arrives in the Big Apple a much better player and will be in confident mood having won the Cincinnati Masters at the start of August.
Murray bombed out in the Olympics but we’re prepared to overlook that effort given his progressive form this season.
Finally, have a close look at Argentine David Nalbandian. The hard hitting baseliner from Cordoba won the junior US open title as a youth and has a liking for the fast, high bouncing Flushing Meadows courts. He is capable of beating anyone on his day, having thrashed both Nadal and Federer on hard courts in the past 12 months.
Bet on the US Open at Bodog Sports.
Here’s a snapshot of today’s best odds on the outright winner of the Men’s US Open – for live tennis odds check out BookieLabRat.com.
Rafael Nadal 2.50 at Betsson
Roger Federer 4.33 at BetFred
Novak Djokovic 4.51 at PinnacleSports
Andy Murray 15.15 at PinnacleSports
Juan Martin Del Potro 46.00 at BoyleSports
Mario Ancic 75.00 at Betsson
Andy Roddick 81.00 at Canbet
Lleyton Hewitt 100.00 at Betsson
August 23rd, 2008
We thought we’s share the latest blog from the team at Bodog Sport UK on their views on this weeks’ England Captaincy announcement – ah, say what you think guys…don’t hold back. Really!
And the England captain is…. John Terry. Booooooo!
We should have guessed when all the newspapers this morning reckoned Rio Ferdinand would get the permanent job of captaining England that canny ol’ Fabio Capello would throw a curveball and go for someone completely different. So it’s not Rio, who has barely put a foot out of place in the last two seasons for Man. United, who is easily the best defender England has, who has impressed all and sundry with his mature displays in the centre of defence for club and country.
It’s John flamin’ Terry. Terry, who has been injured on and off for the past two seasons. Terry, whose form has flitted between poor, indifferent and average for those two seasons. Terry, who slipped over when handed the chance to win the Champions League, thus screwing his penalty wide in Moscow.
And Terry, who was captain under Steve McClaren’s miserable tenure and so, has actually proven that when it comes down to the serious business of qualifying for a major tournament, he cannot inspire his teammates to win – or eve draw (remember Croatia at home?) the big games.
John Terry, England captain. Humph. Wrong choice, Fabio.
To bet on football and a whole other raft of sports then check out Bodog Sport. You know it makes sense.
>>Find out more about Bodog Sportsbook check out the latest Bodog Sports Review here at BookieLabRat.com. Punters from around the world are welcome at this popular online gambling site – except Canadians due to licencing restrictions.
August 19th, 2008
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