Under a seemingly never ending cloud of illegal drug use, sportsbooks have opened Spain's Alberto Contador as an overwhelming 2/3 favorite to capture the 2011 Tour de France, the premier event on the elite International Cycling Union (UCI) calendar. The 2,150-mile bicycle race starts out with a 112-mile flat stage from Passage du Gois on July 2 and concludes with the traditional ride down the Champs-Elysees, in Paris, July 24.
It's not exactly Pacquiao versus Mayweather but as far as boxing betting fans are concerned, the heavyweight unification showdown broadcast by HBO between reigning IBF, WBO and IBO champion Wladimir "Dr. Steelhammer" Klitschko and WBA heavyweight champion David "The Hayemaker" Haye slated for Hamburg, Germany, July 2, may be the next best thing.
Aided by a home field advantage that most observers believe will be significant, Germany opened as a solid 5/4 future book favorite to capture the sixth FIFA Women's World Cup, which will take place at nine venues across Deutschland, beginning June 26 in Berlin and ending with the final in Frankfurt, July 17.
With at least three men given a realistic chance to bring home the singles title and the women's bracket considered wide open, tennis betting fans may want to take a forehand whack at the future books posted for Wimbledon, the sport's third Major, which takes center court outside London, beginning June 20.
How do you fall from No. 1 to No. 13 in the world rankings, go 19 months without a victory and still wind up as the golf betting favorite to win the US Open at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, June 16-19? You probably have to have the cache and name recognition of Tiger Woods.
Statistics compiled by the Jockey Club paint a grim picture of what's facing horse racing betting fans and why it's increasingly difficult to beat the game. The Jockey Club, which was founded in 1894 and has as its mission the improvement of thoroughbred racing and breeding, published its findings in the 2011 Fact Book.
Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom and Preakness hero Shackleford are headed for a rubber match at Belmont Park, June 11, but that doesn't mean that Belmont Stakes betting is just a two-horse race. There won't be the bulky 19-horse field that Animal Kingdom dominated at Churchill Downs or even the 14-horse field that Shackleford beat at Pimlico but this year's Belmont Stakes field should have both enough quantity (10-13 horses) and quality to make the final jewel of the Triple Crown a challenge for horse racing betting fans.
Sometimes, when it comes to sports betting, it's easy to get lost in the statistics and minutiae of the individual games, often forgetting (or never learning) that whether the gambler is challenging sportsbooks in baseball, boxing or badminton, certain basic rules apply:
With two months and about a quarter of the current MLB season already in the books, there's more than enough of a sample for baseball betting enthusiasts to take stock and re-evaluate their wagering strategy, analyzing whether expectations have matched reality.
What's unique about the World Series of Poker, 58 separate card games that begin in Las Vegas, May 31, is that's it's the one endeavor where you can gamble on how well people gamble. Poker betting, especially when it comes to the Main Event, which starts on July 7, no longer is limited to those players sitting at the table.
If competition is the fuel that propels the wagering engine, then Indianapolis 500 betting fans should have no complaints when "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" returns to the Brickyard, Sunday, May 29. The race, like its four-legged counterpart of three weeks earlier, the Kentucky Derby, appears wide open.
Animal Kingdom was the 20/1 upset winner of the Kentucky Derby, May 7 but Preakness betting fans eying another big payday will have to settle for a much smaller return should that 3-year-old colt capture the second jewel in the Triple Crown at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, May 21.
Conventional wisdom, especially when it's dispensed by squares and people who engage in horse racing betting as a pastime, not a living, should be taken with many grains of sodium chloride. In reality, what for decades has been passed down as equine wagering gospel are little more than myths and betting sins.
Rafael Nadal is an odds-on favorite to win a record equaling sixth French Open men's singles title but the tennis betting is wide open on the women's side where Carolina Wozniacki is listed as the tepid 4/1 choice to capture her first-ever Major. The French Open, the second of tennis' Grand Slam events, begins serve on the red clay courts at Roland Garros, May 17.
The MLB campaign may not even be a month old but it's not too soon for baseball betting practitioners to assess if expectations have matched reality during the first four weeks of the season.
Every spring about this time, Kentucky Derby betting fans complain about the inscrutable handicapping puzzle that is the Run for Roses, grousing that the first leg of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, which gets its annual airing around the Churchill Downs oval in Louisville May 7 this year, is "wide open.
Savvy sports betting practitioners understand that getting value involves comparing price to the likelihood of a favorable outcome. But even sophisticated bettors might wonder why they even bothered to bet if they knew the true odds of some of their wagers. That topic heads the list of some of the most informative, funny, silly and downright outrageous things said, whispered and written, recently:
Since sports betting would exist even if there weren't legally sanctioned wagering, the NCAA owes sportsbooks a debt of gratitude for helping to expose those liars, cheats and point-shaving thieves who would taint the sport of college basketball by throwing games or bribing players to throw games for financial reward.
They've cut down the nets, paid off all those happy UConn backers, and cleaned up the confetti at Reliant Stadium in Houston but college basketball betting is far from over thanks to a number of enterprising and accommodating sportsbooks that already have posted future book prices to win next year's NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, scheduled for the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, April 2.
Some sportsbooks already have posted college basketball betting future book prices on which team will win next year's NCAA Men's championship but savvy gamblers might be wise to survey the results of the most recent March Madness before investing too much on the 2012 Big Dance.
For the gambler compelled to analyze as many as 20 precocious 3-year-olds running faster and farther than they've ever run before, successful Kentucky Derby betting probably comes down to an understanding of five fundamental factors: Preparation, stamina, running style, luck and value.
The fights may be separated by more than 3,000 miles and the Atlantic Ocean but boxing betting fans will be able to view both ends of a championship fistic doubleheader on HBO, April 16. On the left side of The Pond, in Mashantucket, Connecticut, it's Andre Berto versus Victor Ortiz for Berto's WBC welterweight title. Across the ocean, Amir Khan risks his WBA super lightweight belt against Paul McCloskey in Manchester, England.
Mired in the longest slump of his career, Tiger Woods nevertheless has been installed as a 13/2 future book favorite to win The Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club, April 7-10. Those golf betting fans who wager on Woods will do so with the same trepidation they feel standing over a four-foot putt.
No sport collects more statistics than Major League Baseball so it should come as little surprise that sportsbooks utilize those numbers to produce hundreds of ways to keep baseball betting fans involved in the game.
As often is the case, the team's with the best records in the NL West, the Giants and the Padres, also rewarded baseball betting devotees with the division's best ROI (Return On Investment), +10.6 and +9.6 percent, respectively, if you bet San Francisco and San Diego in each of their games last year.
The only division in the Major Leagues with six teams produced some double-digit baseball betting plays in 2010, a ROI (Return On Investment) bonanza that gamblers hope to replicate during the upcoming season:
The Phillies were the dominant team in the National League East Division last year, both on the field and, as baseball betting aficionados can readily attest, at the windows. In fact, Philadelphia was the only NL East team to finish the season with a positive ROI (Return On Investment) as Atlanta, Florida, New York and Washington all finished in the red.
The American League West was not the place to turn for baseball betting enthusiasts as all four teams posted a negative ROI (Return on Investment) last season, a fate avoided by each of the league's other five divisions. However, as savvy wagering wonks fully understand, while none of the teams were profitable overall, each could be a reliable money earner for gamblers in specific situations.
Performance on the field was duplicated at the windows as baseball betting enthusiasts who stuck with the AL Central Division's top teams, the Twins and White Sox, did better than those who chased the Indians and Royals last season. The Tigers, 81-81 overall, also were very close to .500 as a wagering proposition, posting an ROI (Return On Investment) loss of 1.5 percent.
The Red Sox improved themselves during the off-season, making moves that could also translate to success at the windows for baseball betting fans, especially those who were crushed wagering on Boston last year, losing on their ROI (Return On Investment). With shaky starting pitching, the Yankees will be underdogs more than usual this season and that has not been a scenario that's been kind to bettors who have backed the Bronx Bombers in that situation. The Rays won't be nearly as efficient on the field as they were last season but could still be potent at the windows, in certain situations. The Blue Jays were surprisingly adept as favorites last year while the Orioles excelled in one-run games, trends worth watching this year.
The Phillies are favored to win the 2011 World Series, snapping a decade-long streak during which either the Yankees or Red Sox were the future book baseball betting choice to capture the October Classic. Philadelphia, which may have one of the best starting rotations in Major League Baseball history if execution matches expectations, opened as the 3/1 favorite for a season that starts March 31.
If there's such a thing as Christmas in March, college basketball betting fans will celebrate when they unwrap the 32 games that comprise the opening round of the 2011 NCAA Men's hoop Tournament, March 17-18. Technically, the powers that be are calling this the "second round" after a "First Four" round on March 15-16 sends a quartet of teams into the 64-team main draw. Yeah, that's just another reason to call this annual hardcourt mayhem "March Madness."
Three months into the current season and with no team having established itself as anything close to invincible, savvy college basketball betting fans are looking to find value in futures before the start of the Big Dance, March 15.
Sebastian Vettel will be a narrow Formula One betting favorite to retain his World Drivers Championship when the 2011 F-1 season roars out of the grid at the Bahrain Grand Prix, March 13. Vettel opened as an 11/4 favorite, just ahead of Fernando Alonso, who is offered at odds of 3/1. Lewis Hamilton is tick behind those two at odds of 10/3.
Relentless," a boxing betting tripleheader on SHOWTIME pay-per-view that features an overwhelming favorite, a modest wagering choice and a pick 'em fight, should have something for every gambler when the fists fly at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, March 12.
Sportsbooks already have indulged gamblers with prices on the Golden Globes and Grammy Awards--and the Tony Awards and Emmy Awards are still to come--but nothing will approach the amount of interest or action that Academy Awards betting generates. Oscar takes center stage at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Feb. 27 before a TV audience estimated at more than two billion.
It may be less than a week after Valentine's Day but most sports betting enthusiasts will be more concerned with fuel than flowers when the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season officially motors out of the garage with 53rd running of the Daytona 500, Feb. 20.
Sports betting, which is comprised mainly of wagering on football, basketball and baseball with ancillary action from auto racing, boxing, hockey, soccer, tennis, cycling, golf and horse racing, finally has gone to the dogs
The 2011 Run for the Roses will take little more than 120 seconds to complete but before the first leg of the Triple Crown is run at Churchill Downs, May 7, more than 120 days of Kentucky Derby betting will have taken place. It is a measure of the enduring appeal of America's most famous horse race that so much time and money is spent on an event that lasts all of two minutes.
Given a narrow pointspread in a game that most sports betting fans grudgingly acknowledge could be won by either of two storied franchises, the Green Bay Packers or Pittsburgh Steelers, betting on Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, Feb. 6, could, indeed, be super this year.
While the action won't even approach what's wagered on a single football game, future book betting on the 53rd annual Grammy Awards could be music to some savvy gamblers' ears when the recording industry hands out the hardware before CBS' cameras at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Feb. 13.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, which continues to thrive despite fierce competition from football, basketball and baseball, seems intent on alienating its fan base and, with it, sports betting fans who wager on the elite stock car circuit.
Can anyone beat Jimmie Johnson? NASCAR Sprint Cup betting fans will have to come to terms with that question as the elite stock car league revs up for its 63rd season, beginning with the Daytona 500, Feb. 20. Actually, the season starts with the Bud Shootout on Feb. 12 and although there will be betting on that individual event, drivers do not earn points toward the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, the 36-race campaign that concludes with the Ford 400, in Miami, Nov. 20.
While team sports such as football and basketball basically restrict the sports betting fan to winning about as much as he bets, horse racing betting offers the opportunity for a life-changing experience. That said, turning $20 into $20,000 in a single afternoon (yes, it's been done) not only requires overcoming vigorish of more than 20 percent on multi-horse wagers but a measure of skill, discipline, and, of course, luck.
Boxing betting fans can get involved in the biggest fight of the young 2011 season when undefeated world champions Devon Alexander "The Great" and Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley duke it out at the 140-pound weight limit before HBO's cameras in Pontiac, Michigan, Jan. 29.
They'll hand out the first entertainment awards of the year on Jan. 16 and while Golden Globes betting won't approach the amount of cash that's dropped on the Academy Awards six weeks later, it should give us a pretty good idea of what sportsbooks and gamblers are thinking. The Golden Globes also recognize television achievement but with the Emmy Awards not slated until September, have much less of an impact on that entertainment form.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are expected to renew their heated rivalry in the men's singles competition but the women's bracket is wide open and tennis betting fans could be in a for a couple of surprises when the year's first Major, the Australian Open, is served up in Melbourne, Jan. 17-30.
A New Year brings new hope, even for the sometimes pessimistic sports betting fan. Of course, hope will have a better chance of turning into reality in 2011 if gamblers resolve not to make the same mistakes they made in 2010:
After an intense few months of seemingly endless campaign commercials and annoying robo-telephone calls, most voters may not be eager to consider the 2012 US Presidential election but sports betting fans looking for a departure from football and basketball appear ready to cast an early cash ballot.
Golf betting, where any of 150 competitors are capable of winning an individual event and a gambler could go weeks or even months without cashing, is not for the faint-hearted. But the rewards can justify the pursuit and each new year brings a fresh set of challenges to the sports betting enthusiast
Let's end the sports and sports betting year by allowing those involved - athletes, journalists, whomever - to have the final say on the year that was 2010:
Prince William and Kate Middleton will tie the knot next year and, whether the Royal Family likes it or not, operators of sportsbooks and sports betting fans will play a part - peripheral though it may be--in nearly every nuptial decision made between now and April 29, 2011.
Northern Iowa (40-24 ATS) has been the only MVC team that has consistently beaten the spread over the past two seasons, a trend college betting fans will checking this year. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2009/10 season are in parentheses:
Mountain West Conference teams were 25-11-1 as road favorites last year, a trend college basketball betting fans will be monitoring this season. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2009/10 season are in parentheses:
Conference USA teams were a collective 44-67-2 as home favorites last season, a trend that college basketball betting followers will be watching in 2010/11. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2009/10 season are in parentheses
The six A-10 teams that won at least 20 games straight up last year also were 115-81-7 versus the pointspread, a trend college basketball betting wonks will be watching this winter. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2009/10 season are in parentheses:
Pac-10 teams were 14 games under .500 ATS versus non-conference foes, a trend that college basketball betting fans will be watching this year. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2009/10 season are in parentheses:
Overall, SEC teams were a collective 10 games under .500 against the spread last season, a trend basketball betting devotees will be tracking this year. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2009/10 season are in parentheses:
Seven of the nine Big East teams that won 20 or more games also had winning records against the pointspread last season, a statistic that college basketball betting fans will be eyeing this year. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2009/10 season are in parentheses:
Only one Big Ten team, Northwestern, was a consistently strong wager versus the pointspread last season, a trend that basketball betting aficionados will be monitoring this year. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2009/10 season are in parentheses:
Only three of the ACC's 12 teams played more over games than under games last season, a college basketball betting trend worth watching. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2009/10 season are in parentheses:
Overall, Big 12 teams have the best out of conference pointspread record over the past eight seasons, a trend that college basketball betting fans will be watching this year. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2009/10 season are in parentheses:
Full court college basketball betting won't tip off until December but sportsbooks are ready to facilitate gamblers willing to lob a couple of not-so-free throws at an NCAA Championship future book on which team will be cutting down the nets at Reliant Stadium in Houston, April 4.
OK, you don't know a fetlock from a furlong and horse race betting, with is hieroglyphic past performances and many variables can be a bit intimidating. But even novice gamblers should take the rubber band off their sports betting bankroll when the Breeders' Cup makes a stop at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, Nov. 5-6.
Boxing betting fans will have to decide whether to take another very short price or take a chance on an improbable longshot when Vitali Klitschko risks the WBC version of the world heavyweight championship against Shannon Briggs in Hamburg, Germany, Oct. 16. Vitali, who has not lost in over seven years, is half of boxing's reigning brother act with younger sibling Wladimir, unbeaten since 2004, owning the IBF and WBO versions of the heavyweight title.
Boxing betting fans will know better than to blink when IBF and WBO world heavyweight champion Wladimir "Steel hammer" Klitschko defends his titles against Samuel "The Nigerian Nightmare" Peter in Frankfurt, Germany, Sept. 11. With 75 knockouts between them, the fight is unlikely to go the scheduled 12-round distance. We'll have more to say about that in a bit
The year's final Major, the US Open, which has its first serve Aug. 30 in Flushing Meadows, NY, will offer tennis betting fans several more viable wagering options than in previous years.
He hasn't won a Major in more than two years but oddsmakers are sticking with Tiger Woods, installing the world's No. 1 ranked golfer as a lukewarm 5/1 favorite to capture the 2010 PGA Championship at the Whistling Straights Course in Kohler, Wisconsin, Aug. 12-15.
Promoter Don King's "Gateway to Greatness" fisticuffs doubleheader has become a tripleheader, giving boxing betting fans-particularly those gamblers fond of parlays-even more reasons to become financially involved in the trio of 12-round world championship fights, in St. Louis, Aug. 7.
Playing over a layout he clearly loves, Tiger Woods opened as a 5/2 golf betting favorite to win the 2010 British Open on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, July 15-18. Woods dominated play each of the last two times the Claret Jug was hoisted at St. Andrews; in 2000 when his 19 under set a record for the lowest score to par in any Major, and again in 2005, when Woods finished 14 under par, winning by five strokes. Woods also won the 2006 British Open at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
Alberto Contador dominates 2010 Tour de France betting the way Tiger Woods once dominated golf betting. But Contador is an odds-on favorite to win the world's most revered bicycle race, something Woods never achieved in a Major, even in the best of times. In fact, Contador is such an overwhelming favorite that there also is a Tour de France future book in which Contador's finish is not considered. More about that, later.
The dust, or more appropriately the red clay, barely has settled at the French Open in Paris but for tennis betting fans it's on to the third Major of the year, Wimbledon, at the All England Tennis Club, outside London, June 21-July 4.
Humbled by injury, humiliated by scandal, and with his No. 1 ranking hanging by the results of a single tournament, Tiger Woods opened as a narrow golf betting future book favorite to win the 2010 US Open, in Pebble Beach, California, June 17-20.
Whether you're handing over Euros, dollars, yen, pesos or something else, World Cup betting on the 2010 championship of soccer is expected to break all wagering records this year. The 32-team event kicks off June 11 in the host country of South Africa with the final slated for July 11 (local date) in Johannesburg.
A simple truth of sports betting is that it's the superior bettors who succeed, not the most competent handicappers. So, while it may be difficult to contain the snickering when someone says they have a handicapping system, a bit more respect must be shown to those who apply a system to betting.
Both Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and Preakness hero Lookin' at Lucky will sit out the third leg of the Triple Crown but that doesn't mean that Belmont Stakes betting will be any less attractive for the 135th running of the race, June 5th.
Boxing betting fans will have to decide if it's kosher to bet against a budding rabbi when Yuri Foreman risks his WBA middleweight championship against Miguel Cotto before HBO cameras in New York's Yankee Stadium, June 5.
Scott Dixon opened as a tepid 3/1 favorite but Indianapolis 500 betting fans will have plenty of other viable wagering options when the 94th running of the "Greatest Spectacle on Earth" gets its annual 200-lap run around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in front of ABC-TV's cameras, Sunday, May 30.
Before he could even speak, primitive man probably engaged in sports betting of some kind, wagering a meaty boar leg or a prime spot in the cave on who could run faster or throw a stone farther. Gratefully, speech has caught up with betting and athletic prowess, providing an often humorous, sometimes revealing and never-ending stream of entertaining words.
If you're interested in playing poker it will cost you $10,000 to enter the 2010 No-Limit Hold 'em World Series of Poker Championship. But if you interested in betting on poker, you can be a part of the action for a whole lot less. That's because many sportsbooks already have a future book posted on which card player will win the 13-day marathon event.
"Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather Jr. (40-0, 25 knockouts) opened as a -400 favorite (bet $400 to win $100) to beat "Sugar" Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) in their welterweight showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, May 1 but sportsbooks also are offering dozens of other ways to bet on the scheduled 12-rounder. HBO will offer the fight on a pay-per-view basis.
There are a few more unknowns and a bit more uncertainty but betting the Kentucky Derby is just like betting any other horse race: You have to have value. So when the Run for the Roses takes its annual trip around the Churchill Downs oval, May 1, sophisticated horse race betting fans will be comparing a runner's odds of victory to his betting odds and looking for value.
When it comes to Kentucky Derby betting, the best strategy is to try to ascertain which horse will race best on the first Saturday in May, not which 3-year-old colt is the best racehorse now.
Unlike football betting and basketball betting which utilize a pointspread, baseball betting primarily employs a money line, a function which intimidates many gamblers but can be a wagering asset if played properly.
Sometimes you don't even have to ask a silly question to get a silly answer in the world of sports and sports betting. Witness some of the gems uncovered over the winter months by those who play, write about, officiate and administer the games we all love:
Tigers Woods returns from a five-month layoff, adding a twist of doubt to a Masters betting cocktail that always is an unpredictable mix of skill, luck, talent and guile. The year's first golf Major will tee off at Augusta National on April 8 with Woods listed as the tepid 4/1 favorite, a relatively robust price in comparison to seasons past. In fact, Woods, who has admitted to frequent episodes of marital infidelity, was a 5/2 Masters favorite in 2009, a 4/5 betting choice in 2008, and a 5/4 wagering darling in 2007. Woods' current odds not only reflect his long layoff but whether the world's No. 1 ranked golfer can regain his legendary focus under intense-and often unfriendly-media scrutiny.
After a 2008 campaign in which all five NL West teams were losing wagers overall, posting unit losses (if you bet on a team every game it played) from -5.3 to -37.2, the division bounced back last season with the Dodgers, Rockies, Giants and Padres all in the plus for baseball betting fans.
The only division in the Major Leagues with six teams produced some double-digit baseball betting plays in 2009, trends that will be well worth monitoring during the upcoming season:
The National League East Division has the distinction of housing the best and worst teams in the senior circuit, factors which baseball betting aficionados may be able to use to their wagering advantage again this year. The NL champion Phillies, especially in certain key betting situations, were dependable while the Nationals were dependably awful.
The American League West was friendly to baseball betting fans as all of its teams sported a positive ROI (Return on Investment) last season, something no other division could claim. That means that, overall each of the four teams were profitable investments for bettors, all showing double-digit gains in specific categories.
The AL Central Division was anything but kind to baseball betting enthusiasts last year unless they went against those five teams with regularity. In fact, none of the AL Central quintet had a positive ROI (Return on Investment), meaning you couldn't bet any one of them with frequency and expect to make a profit.
Formula One betting always has been a merger of man, machine and money, an uneasy alliance that again will be tested when the 2010 F-1 season screeches off the grid at the Gulf Air Grand Prix in Bahrain, March 14.
College basketball betting doesn't get any more exciting than the opening round of the NCAA Men's Tournament, March 18, 19. The 32 Big Dance pairings, often matching teams that would never play each other, is a test of guts and guile for both bet makers and bet takers. Now you know why they call it March Madness.
College basketball betting has been a near daily occurrence since November but the two most exciting and potentially rewarding wagering days of the year, the opening rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, March 18 ands 19, still are ahead for every March Madness betting fan.
Of all the wagering pursuits, only horse racing betting doesn't have a season, never takes a day off and offers the bettor the chance to turn $100 into $1,000,000 in a single afternoon. What's more, gamblers don't bet against the house but each other, so winners get their money from losers, meaning that strong, sophisticated, savvy bettors thrive at the expense of those who either lack the talent or diligence to become accomplished bettors.
With six odds-on choices in as many key categories, chalk players are looking at Academy Award betting as an opportunity to write a happy ending to the 2009 year in cinema when the Oscars are handed out, Mar. 7. Ah, but sportsbooks will make you pay for those favorites and it wouldn't take more than an upset or two to turn this drama into a tragedy.
Unconventionally, the NASCAR Sprint Cup series runs its most prestigious race, the Daytona 500, at the beginning, not the end, of the stock car racing season and it may seem that oddsmakers have Daytona 500 betting odds in the wrong order, too.
NBC, along with TV affiliates USA, MSNBC and CNBC, will devote 435 hours of original coverage to the Olympic Games in Vancouver, Feb. 12-28, but it remains an open question whether Winter Olympics betting will come anywhere near matching the peacock network's depth, intensity and dedication to the international sporting event.
With the stock car season about to put pedal to the metal, many NASCAR Sprint Cup betting fans find themselves in a quandary familiar to gamblers who pursue golf betting or tennis betting; whether to back the overwhelming favorite at an unattractive price or try to beat him with an unpredictable longshot at a much more predictably long price.
Sports betting has long been about a lot more than betting on sports, a premise that will be tested by gamblers wagering on the Grammy Awards, which will be broadcast by CBS, January 31. The Grammy Awards, along with the Academy Awards, Tony Awards and Emmy Awards, are part of the Grand Slam of entertainment and, as has become the custom in this media-driven age, are offered for wagering consumption by ambitious sportsbooks around the globe.
There's no sure path to victory for the sports betting enthusiast but abiding by a few well-chosen New Year's resolutions could lead to greater success in 2010:
The first legitimate super fight of the New Year, the welterweight showdown between WBA champion "Sugar" Shane Mosley and WBA 147-pound title holder Andre Berto at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Jan. 30, should also be the first major boxing betting event of 2010. HBO will handle the broadcast duties but unlike many other championship encounters, this one is not a pay-per-view affair.
Roger Federer and Serena Williams, the world's top ranked players, opened as modest favorites to capture respective men's and women's singles titles at the Australian Open, the sport's first Major, in Melbourne, Jan. 18-31.
Tiger Woods didn't win a Major in 2009 but he did find himself in major marital trouble, a factor which could have a huge impact on the always difficult and tricky prospect of trying to earn some cash through golf betting, in 2010.
There's no sure path to victory for the sports betting enthusiast but abiding by a few well-chosen New Year's resolutions could lead to greater success in 2010:
Tiger Woods' marital infidelity was an easy target for chuckles while a wagering scandal in soccer produced a great many grimaces in a review of the best quotes and misquotes from the fields of sports and sports betting in 2009.
Spain opened as a slight favorite over Brazil to win the 2010 World Cup of Soccer next summer in South Africa. The largest wagering event on the planet kicks off in Johannesburg, June 11 with Mexico taking on the host nation South Africa. The final is slated for July 11.
College basketball betting fans who waited several weeks before plunging into conference future book wagering waters, now have a better idea of which teams are contenders and which are pretenders in a half-dozen major loops that begin league play at the end of this month or in early January. Unfortunately for gamblers, bookmakers also now have that enhanced knowledge.
College basketball betting fans know there's money to be made by tracking the Mid-Major teams, especially those outfits likely to make an appearance at March Madness. Let's take look at some of those NCAA Tournament candidates. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2008/09 season are in parentheses:
Mid-Major teams often don't get the ink many top notch schools do but they can be a presence in both the regular season and the NCAA Tournament. Let's take look at the most likely candidates to take part in the Big Dance. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2008/09 season are in parentheses:
They're on the board and they receive automatic bids to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, ample reason why college basketball betting fans need to monitor teams from the 11 mid-major conferences. Let's take look at the most likely candidates to take part in March madness. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2008/09 season are in parentheses:
While the majority of college basketball wagering attention is focused on the 11 major conferences, teams from 11 mid-major conferences frequently are on the board and, thanks to an automatic invitation from the NCAA, at least one team from each of those leagues will be at the Big Dance in March. That's reason enough for college basketball betting aficionados to, at a minimum, follow the leading contenders in each of those conferences. Let's take look at the most likely candidates to take part in March madness. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2008/09 season are in parentheses:
WAC teams were 7-12-1 as home underdogs last season, a trend that college basketball betting devotees will be tracking this year. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2008/09 season are in parentheses:
MVC teams were a collective nine games under .500 as home favorites last season, a statistic college betting fans will checking this year. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2008/09 season are in parentheses:
Mountain West Conference teams covered 60 percent of the time as road favorites last year, a trend college basketball betting fans will be monitoring this season. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2008/09 season are in parentheses:
With Memphis down for the first time in memory, college basketball betting followers will be watching to see if the other teams in the C-USA try to gain some revenge by crushing the Tigers. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2008/09 season are in parentheses:
Collectively, A-10 teams were 19 games under .500 versus the pointspread, a statistic that college basketball betting wonks will be watching this winter. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2008/09 season are in parentheses:
Pac-10 teams were 15 games over .500 ATS versus non-conference foes and played 21 more "over" than "under" games last season, trends college basketball betting fans will be watching this year. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2008/09 season are in parentheses:
Two of the sport's premier attractions, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao and Miguel "Junito" Cotto, will square off in a special 145-pound catch-weight bout before a packed house at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and an HBO pay-per-view television audience on Nov. 14 in which boxing betting fans will have dozens of wagering options.
Only four of the SEC's 12 teams had winning pointspread records last season, a trend basketball betting devotees will be tracking this year. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2008/09 season are in parentheses:
Despite it reputation as the nation's deepest and toughest conference, Big East teams were nine games under .500 ATS versus non conference foes last season, a statistic that college basketball betting fans will be eyeing this year. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2008/09 season are in parentheses:
Take mighty North Carolina out of the mix and ACC teams were just 54-55-4 ATS outside the conference last season, far from the expected dominance and a college basketball betting trend worth watching. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2006/07 season are in parentheses:
Even if you're strictly a sports betting practitioner, someone who doesn't know an exacta from exact change, it still might be worth your time to take a run at some horse race betting when the windows open for Breeders' Cup XXVI, to be contested this year at Santa Anita Park, Nov. 6-7.
The Magic has been 30-16-2 against the spread versus Southeast Division foes over the past three seasons, an evolving wagering trend that betting devotees will be eyeing again this year. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish with straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2008/09 season in parentheses:
Art Linkletter used to insist that "kids say the darndest things" but when it comes to the fields of sports and sports betting, it looks like the children have little on athletes, journalists, politicians, administrators and just plain folks.
Despite a 21-month absence from the ring following a hasty retirement and a subsequent injury, Floyd Mayweather Jr. opened as a solid -400 favorite (bet $400 to win $100) to beat Juan Manuel Marquez in a welterweight showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Sept. 19. Take back +300 (bet $100 to win $300) on Marquez.
Defending champions Roger Federer and Serena Williams opened as future book favorites to successfully defend their respective men's and women's singles titles at the final Major of the year, the US Open Tennis Championship in Flushing Meadows, New York, Aug. 31-Sept. 13.
Although he failed to win any of the year?s first three Major events, oddsmakers are sticking with Tiger Woods, installing the world?s No. 1 ranked golfer as a 5/2 favorite in PGA Championship future book golf betting. Woods, who boasts four PGA Championship titles among his 14 Major victories, will head a field of 156 golfers who tee off for the season?s final Major, at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, Aug. 13-16.
Just five of the Sun Belt Conference's nine teams have pointspread records dating back nine years so there's not a great statistical data base for bettors. Among independents, only Navy has been a decent play versus the number since 2000. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish with 2008 records, returning starters (RS) - including kickers - and returning lettermen (RL) in parentheses:
Tiger Woods opened as a consensus 9/4 future book favorite to capture his fourth British Open Championship, in Turnberry, Scotland, July 16-19. Two-time defending champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland is the distant second choice at odds of 14/1.
Their results may have been different in France but Roger Federer and Serena Williams each cross the Channel to England as tennis betting favorites to win respective men's and women's singles titles at the Wimbledon Championships, outside London, June 22-July 5.
"There are three kinds of lies," wrote Benjamin Disraeli, "lies, damned lies and statistics." Devotees of the oft-quoted British Prime Minister (1874-1880) will have to forgive baseball betting fans if they differ with him on the value of statistics.
Since bursting on the scene more than a decade ago and quickly establishing himself as the man to beat in every tournament he enters, the fundamental question for golf betting fans always has been whether to take a short price on Tiger Woods or whether to shop for longer odds and wager on someone else.
Horse racing betting fans were left wondering if Rachel Alexandra would join the boys in the in the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 6 after the filly worked a half mile at Churchill Downs, Monday, May 25.
Although it's fun and occasionally profitable, sports betting can be an unapologetic and unrelenting pursuit, filled with doubt and uncertainty and with far more failure than success.
Fans of boxing betting may be eying a wagering parlay when HBO presents a fight doubleheader featuring a pair of rising stars against a couple of aging former title holders, from Ft. Lauderdale, May 30.
The World Series of Poker, which began nearly four decades ago with less than a dozen players, has grown into the biggest and richest poker game in the world, an event so large in size and stature that gamblers now can bet on the poker betting. Last year, nearly 55,000 card players fought it out for some $180 million in prize money, numbers that could be aced this year.
Rafael Nadal is an overwhelming choice to win a fifth consecutive men's singles title but on the women's side, au contraire, where as many as four ladies can claim to be the tennis betting favorite to capture individual glory on the red clay courts at the French Open in Paris, beginning May 24.
Helio Castroneves had the beat and beat the federal government. Now, with Indy 500 future books listing him as the favorite, can he beat the odds and win America's most revered motor race, May 24?
If winning the Triple Crown, a task that's been accomplished just 11 times in 133 years, is the ultimate achievement for any thoroughbred, then having a winning wager on each of the three races is a primary goal for any horse racing betting enthusiast.
Horse racing betting fans, eager to forge ahead to the second jewel in the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, May 16, might aid their handicapping cause by first looking back at the results of the May 2 Kentucky Derby.
Boxing betting enthusiasts understand that fighting styles, motivation and conditioning can be almost as important in determining the outcome of a fight--and a wager--as talent. But this time gamblers also will have to ponder whether injury will be a factor when Chad Dawson (27-0, 17 KOs) defends his IBF lightweight championship in a rematch against Antonio Tarver (27-5, 19 KOs) in Las Vegas, May 9.
It's been more than three decades since Affirmed became thoroughbred racing's 11th and last Triple Crown winner, compelling evidence that whether your game is horse racing betting or horse racing breeding, a horse's pedigree and the best intentions do not assure success.
Horse racing betting fans, long famous for carping about the difficulty of handicapping races, will have a legitimate complaint when the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby is contested at Churchill Downs, May 2.
There hasn't been a winner of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown in more than three decades but the trio of races that comprise the triad, the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes, also pose quite the challenge for horse race betting fans, as well.
With its wager-friendly dime line and the inability of bookmakers to influence the outcome of games through a pointspread, baseball betting may be a player's best bet.
The latest version of the British Invasion to America's shores means that boxing betting fans will be tested on successive Saturday nights, April 25 and May 2.
The daily six-month drudgery of money lines and game totals that is baseball betting can wear on any gambler but there are other, far less intensive and much more enjoyable ways to wager on America's pastime.
From the provocative to the insightful to the ridiculous and downright silly, few venues afford the total wealth of verbal treasure as the twin fields of sports and sports betting.
For the past decade or so, the fundamental question facing golf betting enthusiasts has been whether to bet on Tiger Woods or against him. Once again, gamblers will have to ask and answer that query when Woods and some 125 other of the world's premier golfers tee off at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, April 9-12.
Boxing betting will get a boost when Showtime and HBO bring the action to gamblers during the first two weekends of April. As has conclusively been proven by other sports, most notably football, events that appear on television generate more activity at the betting windows.
The big risk, big reward strategy that is an inherent part of future book Kentucky Derby betting, never has been more evident that this year when several winter favorites stumbled in the spring on their way to the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
From a baseball betting standpoint, there was no more inept division than the National League West last year. In fact, all five teams were losing wagers overall, posting unit losses (if you bet on a team every game it played) from -5.3 to -37.2.
The teams that were good on the field in the National League Central division also were pretty good to baseball betting fans last year. On the other cleat, the two division teams with losing records, the Reds and the Pirates, rarely merited a gambler's devotion in 2008, trends that are more likely than not to continue in the approaching season.
Not surprisingly, the two teams in the National League East Division that were better than expected, the Phillies and Marlins, also surged at the baseball betting windows last year. But will higher expectations in 2009 take away that crutch from baseball betting fans?
The only suspense in this division will be at the baseball betting windows where gamblers see if LA's field dominance again translates to some wallet-fattening or if bookmakers adjust their money line prices to such an extent that the Angeles become a betting liability.
The Twins, Indians, Tigers and White Sox all have a legitimate chance to win the AL Central title but although these teams are evenly matched on the field, baseball betting enthusiasts know that won't necessarily be the case at the wagering windows.
Seemingly, all it took was exorcizing the name "Devil" from their names for the Tampa Bay Rays to become not just an on-field success, but a baseball betting powerhouse in the American League East last season.>Seemingly, all it took was exorcizing the name "Devil" from their names for the Tampa Bay Rays to become not just an on-field success, but a baseball betting powerhouse in the American League East last season.
While NASCAR still has more auto race betting horsepower, Formula 1 and Indy Car competition, which rev up with their respective season openers Mar. 29 and April 5, each have been gaining speed with wagering wonks, recently.
First there was "The Real World," which started on MTV in 1992. Then there was "Survivor," a CBS staple since 2000. But no reality show has gained the mass appeal, including the betting attention, of "American Idol," which has been broadcast by Fox since 2002 and currently is in its eighth season.
"April is the cruelest month" wrote T.S. Eliot, who probably didn't have Major League baseball betting on his mind when he first put pen to paper to scribble those words. But for anyone who's endured the daily six-month grind of wagering on America's National Pastime, April can seem like little more than the start of a long and difficult journey that has no certain destination or outcome.
The Super Bowl attracts more attention but many sports betting fans believe the opening round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, which tips off March 17 this year, is the best wagering opportunity of the year.
With its inherent unpredictability from both the fighters and the judges and the reality that a contest can end at any time, betting boxing is neither for the faint of heart nor light of wallet.
WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko opened as a prohibitive -1000 favorite (bet $1,000 to win $100) to dismiss mandatory challenger Juan Carlos Gomez in a bout that will cap two weeks of intense international boxing betting action in March.
The Super Bowl attracts more attention but many sports betting fans believe the opening round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, which tips off March 17 this year, is the best wagering opportunity of the year.
The 2009 Run for the Roses won't be contested until the first Saturday in May but Kentucky Derby betting fans can run to the windows (or their computer screens) now to place a future book wager on America's premier horse race.
"April is the cruelest month" wrote T.S. Eliot, who probably didn't have Major League baseball betting on his mind when he first put pen to paper to scribble those words. But for anyone who's endured the daily six-month grind of wagering on America's National Pastime
College basketball betting will reach an insane pitch this month with March Madness but you can avoid a trip to the asylum and maybe even make a few bucks by observing a few simple rules when wagering on the 2009 Men's Basketball Championship.
Wagering interest won't be nearly as keen as was on the Super Bowl but with a viewing audience of some two billion people, sportsbooks aren't about to let the Academy Awards be handed out in Los Angeles on Feb. 22 without offering that enormous pool of potential gamblers some Oscar betting with their popcorn.
Before leaving 2008 and plowing into the sports betting action in 2009, we offer a fond look back at the athletes, journalists, executives and just plain folks who gave us so much pleasure with the simple act of opening their mouths:
Students of college basketball betting will have to crack open a book before testing their wagering skills on the Ivy League. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
Horizon League teams were 51-40-2 ATS outside their conference a year ago, trend college basketball betting enthusiasts surely will be watching this season. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
The over/under for the conference's eight teams was 99-134-3, giving college basketball betting technicians a solid trend. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
For the second straight season, the five MAAC teams that won 18 or more games straight up also had winning records against the spread, a trend college basketball betting enthusiasts will be monitoring this year. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
The teams with the three best SU records also had the best ATS marks, a trend college basketball betting fans will be monitoring this season. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
Despite a faltering economy, NASCAR betting shows no signs of running out of gas any time soon. Even the start of the 2009 Sprint Cup season, which puts tires to the racetrack at the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15 - the Budweiser Shootout, Feb. 7, is a non-scoring event--demonstrates how stock car racing can attract an expanding audience despite a defiance of conventional wisdom.
With Friday the 13th on the calendar for both February and March (and, for those of you scoring at home, November, as well) superstitious athletes, sports betting fans and sportsbooks may be knocking on wood for the next couple of months.
All seven teams that had a losing straight up won/lost record also were unsuccessful against the pointspread last season, a trend that college basketball betting followers will be watching again this year. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
College basketball betting followers should expect the unexpected in an Ohio Valley Conference that could look a lot different than last year. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
College basketball betting aficionados made a bundle betting "over" in the Big Sky, a trend they'll be tracking again this season. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
Only four of the Sun Belt Conference's 13 teams had winning records against the spread, a trend college basketball betting followers will be watching this season. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
With its enormous payoffs but slim chances for success, golf betting is something less than an ideal wagering pursuit for weak-kneed gamblers who might be prone to choke over a two-foot putt.
Conference bully Davidson again had the best pointspread record last year, something students of college basketball betting will be watching this season. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
VCU not only did it on the court but also proved kindest to college basketball betting devotees of the CAA last season. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
College basketball betting fans will take note that only three of the conference's nine teams had winning pointspread records last season. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
Big 12 teams were 70-57-2 ATS outside their conference last season, providing a winning trend for students of college basketball betting. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
Atlantic 10 basketball betting junkies profited from the league's 83-64-2 non-conference ATS mark last season. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
College basketball betting followers did well going against the WAC in one-conference games (33-57-2 ATS) and will be watching that trend this year. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
Missouri Valley Conference teams were worth a wager at home last year, something college basketball betting followers will be monitoring this season. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
Memphis gets most of the coverage but college basketball betting fans know that other Conference USA teams may be better pointspread plays than the Tigers. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
The teams with the best records also were the best bets in the Atlantic Coast Conference last year, a trend which college basketball betting fans will watch closely this season. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
College basketball betting fans have to be careful gauging the ever-changing power struggle in the Big Ten. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
For all its prowess, only five of 16 Big East teams had winning records against the number last season, something college basketball betting devotees will be watching closely this year. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
Only three of the Pac-10's teams failed to post a winning pointspread record last season, making the league a favorite of college basketball betting fans. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
There should be a lot of volatility in the SEC, forcing college basketball betting aficionados to stay on their wagering toes this season. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2007/08 season are in parentheses:
The US Open Tennis Championship takes center court in Flushing Meadows, New York, beginning Aug. 25 but for the first time in recent wagering memory oddsmakers can't even agree on which players should be made the tennis betting favorites to win the men's and women's singles titles in the year's fourth and final Major.
With two-time defending champion Tiger Woods still in rehab following June knee surgery, golf betting fans shouldn't have any difficulty finding value at the final Major of the year, the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, Aug. 7-10.
When it comes to boxing betting, anything that removes the outcome from the hands of the judges is preferable, thus the affection gamblers have for those knockout prone heavyweights who seem to rarely leave matters to the ringside pencil-pushers.
For the greater part of a decade, when it came to golf betting, the key question always was whether to take a short price on Tiger Woods or put your cash on some other player at much longer odds.
If gamblers accept assurances that doping scandals truly are a thing of the past, then Tour de France betting should get a wagering boost when the world's most revered bicycle race wheels out of the western naval port of Brest on July 5 to start its annual three-week journey across the country before concluding with a ride down the Champs-Elysees in Paris, July 27.
Anyone who is contemplating a round of golf betting tees off by asking themselves if Tiger Woods, the world's No. 1 ranked player and the most dominating force on the links since Jack Nicklaus, is worth the price.
Favorites may have been dominate in recent years but if you want to do more than just scratch the surface of French Open Tennis Championship betting, look to, well, the surface.
The first thing you should know about Preakness Stakes betting is that it's even farther removed from the Kentucky Derby, the opening leg of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, than the 494 miles that separate Louisville from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, the site of the triad's middle jewel, May 17.
Rain may have washed away the race's second round of qualifying on May 11 but many bookmakers, looking for maximum wagering mileage, raced to open their windows for Indy 500 betting on the annual Memorial weekend American racing classic at the Brickyard, Sunday, May 25.
The Kentucky Derby, dubbed "The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports," surely is the greatest two minutes in horse race betting and, come to think of it, probably also is the two greatest minutes in sports betting.
Joe Calzaghe has never lost (44-0, 32 knockouts) so it shouldn't come as
a major surprise that the former super middleweight champion of the world opened as a solid favorite
to continue his unbeaten streak before HBO's cameras at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, April 19.
As the only one of golf's four major events that can boast a permanent home course, betting The Masters is a little more predictable than golf betting in general.
It was in early 1992, just after the successfully concluded Gulf War, when the first President Bush had a popularity rating of 90 percent that Roxy Roxborough, the nation's preeminent price maker at the time, came under fire for political future book betting odds he'd posted on the upcoming US presidential election.
The best two sports betting days of the year, the opening round of the NCAA
Men's Basketball Tournament, dribbles into the wagering picture on March 20 and
21 and gamblers already are sharpening their attacks for the 32-game onslaught.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup series puts pedals to the metal later this month but sports betting enthusiasts need not wait a minute longer to jump start their wagering engines.
While most of us have bid farewell to 2007, it's not too late for one final look back at the athletes, administrators and journalists who have given the arena of sports and sports betting such fabulous lip service over the past 12 months
A 23-59-3 pointspread record outside their league last season tells college basketball betting followers all they need to know about the prowess of the Ohio Valley Conference teams.
The four MAAC teams that won 18 or more games straight up also had winning records against the spread last season, a trend college basketball betting enthusiasts will be monitoring this year.
The conference's only 20-game winner also was the only reliable pointspread play, an emerging trend that college basketball betting aficionados will be watching this season.
With a non-conference record of 41-51-1 ATS, college basketball betting followers of the Sun Belt Conference had to be careful picking their wagering spots last season.
All five teams that had a winning straight up won/lost record also were successful against the spread last season, something college basketball betting followers will be eyeing this year.
Conference bully Davidson also had the best pointspread record last year, something students of college basketball betting will be watching this season.
The three teams that won 20 or more games, Butler, Wright State and Illinois-Chicago, also had the best pointspread records a year ago, a trend college basketball betting enthusiasts surely will be watching this season.
Six of the eight teams had losing pointspread records outside the conference, an indication to college basketball betting technicians to tread lightly with this group.
The Big 12 played just .500 ball ATS outside the conference last year, leaving students of basketball betting to ponder if the league will be as good as advertised this season.
The Pac-10 could be the nation's strongest hoop loop this year, hardly a surprise to college basketball betting fans who backed the league's teams to the tune of a 63-48-3 ATS record versus non-conference foes.
Back-to-back titles by Florida and a 77-63-2 out-of-conference ATS record have alerted every college basketball betting aficionado to the power of the SEC.
With HBO as an unwitting accomplice, betting on boxing should move to the top of the sportsbook betting menu around the globe over the first three Saturdays in July.
While betting totals for the Feb. 25 Academy Awards won't approach what was wagered on Super Bowl XLI earlier in the month, with a worldwide television audience estimated at more than two billion people, there's plenty of incentive - including cultivating a slew of new bettors - for sportsbooks to post prices on many of the top categories.
