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MLB Spring Training Bets

With MLB Spring Training kicking into full gear and no steroids visibly in sight, let’s keep the early season assessments and predictions going with a trip over to the NL West…or as many might see it, Manny Ramirez, Brandon Webb and then some other players, and I think a couple other teams, as well.

All joking aside, you have to lean toward the Dodgers here when thinking about your baseball betting plans. As unfortunate as it is to see them as the team to beat in this division before the season even starts, it’s the smart pick. Current MLB baseball odds put them fourth at 5/1 to win the National League pennant, behind the Cubs, Phillies and Mets. Those are fair odds, but given that the Cubs are the Cubs, the Phillies were a fluke (trust me) and the Mets always seem to be one bout of tendonitis away from not making the playoffs, I strongly recommend the Dodgers as a consideration when placing your bets. No doubt Manny will be Manny, but he never seems to be Manny during the playoffs, he always just seems to be a hitting machine…which is the good part of Manny.

The one area where I’ll concede bears close attention is starting pitching. With Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Clayton Kershaw, Randy Wolf and Jason Schmidt penciled in as the 1-5, my eyebrows are significantly raised, and for the Dodgers’ sake, I hope they consider adding at least one more name to the mix if they’re still fighting for positioning after the all-star break. In fact, I much prefer the D-Backs rotation, anchored by Webb, Haren and an always sporadic Jon Garland.

Speaking of the Diamondback, they aren’t far behind, with mlb baseball odds sitting at 13/2 to win the NL, only one spot lower on the chart than Los Angeles. I think in the end it’ll be a close race, could go either way and one of these teams could land the wild card spot. I think the Dodgers have the clutch play and veteran talent, while I prefer the Diamondbacks balance and starting pitching.

Of course, it’ll be nice when the World Baseball Classic is just over with already, so we can all get back to assessing the talent on these teams as a whole before the start of the season. The games might not count for the pro’s, but as far as our nascar betting bankrolls, we need to see these guys play. They’re trying out for us just as much as they’re trying out for shortstop.

NASCAR Drivers to Watch Out For In 2010

With the NASCAR betting season set to begin in Daytona on February 14th it’s that time of the year to start looking at what drivers are going to be competitive this year. Last year was another excellent year for Jimmie Johnson and if you bet on him throughout the year then you definitely made some money. Jimmie managed to do what no other NASCAR driver has ever been able to do is the history of the sport and that was win four consecutive NASCAR championships.

There has never been a driver in the history of the sport that has accomplished what Jimmie Johnson has done. The sport has gained a lot of mainstream exposure from Johnson’s success as well which has helped the sport grow. This past year Jimmie Johnson was named the AP Athlete of the Year which is a huge honour in itself. There is no doubt in my mind that Johnson is the clear favourite going into the 2010 NASCAR season, but let’s take a look at some of the drivers that could potentially pose a problem for Johnson.

* Mark Martin finished in 2nd place behind Jimmie Johnson for the NASCAR championship last season and he’ll be looking to improve upon that this season. Mark Martin won five races last year which was just a bit behind Johnson. Martin did have some bad luck throughout the season though which ended up costing him the chance to win the championship at the end of the year. Martin should have an improved car this year and that might prove enough to pull him over the hump.

* Kurt Busch has really been atop of the leaderboard every single season lately and he’ll be looking to finish in first place this season. Busch only won two races last year so he will need to win more races if he wants to have a chance at taking home the championship. Busch had a better average finish then Martin did over the course of last season and he’s always been a good bet in match-up bets.

* Jeff Gordon finished last year’s NASCAR championship leaderboard in 3rd place and proved to everyone that consistency pays off. Gordon only won one race all season, but his consistency throughout the entire season helped him earn 3rd place. There is no doubt that Jeff is going to be atop of the leaderboard again this season, but he’ll have to piece together 4-5 more wins to have a good shot at taking down Johnson.

* Tony Stewart dropped off the nascar odds radar a bit last season with a 6th place finish in the NASCAR championship, but he’s always a contender for first place. Stewart won four races last season which is more then almost everyone else on top of the leaderboard, but he proved to be a little bit inconsistent. If Tony can win 1-2 more races and finish in the top 5 more consistently next season he could easily win the championship by the end of the year.

World Cup Betting

In betting the World Cup, a soccer betting pro has the opportunity to bet on the best soccer teams in the world. The World Cup competition is divided eight into groups of four teams. In the group stages of the World Cup, each team plays one another once in a round robin competition. The top two teams from each group move on to the next stage of the World Cup.

When betting the World Cup, though it might be somewhat sexy to pick a winner right out of the gate, soccer bettors should also consider wagering on both individual games and group stage winners. When deciding which groups and which teams to bet on, it is important to consider which groups in the World Cup are softer than others.

Group A of the 2010 World Cup consists of three top 20 teams in the world. France, Mexico, and Uruguay, as well as host country South Africa make up Group A. Group B consists of two top teams in Argentina and Greece, along with Korea and Nigeria. In Group C lies ranked teams England and the United States, along with Algeria and Slovenia. Group D holds three ranked squads in Germany, Australia, and Serbia. Ghana is also in Group D. The Netherlands and Denmark are the ranked teams in Group E, while Italy is the loan top 20 team in Group F. Group G is topped off with Portugal and Brazil, while Group H holds powerhouse teams in top ranked Spain, and Switzerland.

When betting on the group stage winners in the World Cup, it makes sense to bet on the groups that have one or two clear-cut powerhouse teams, while avoiding those groups that have three top teams in them. Thus, a World Cup Bettor can confidently eliminate any bets on Group A, as well as Group D for winners of the group stages. However, when betting on individual games, it would make sense to select every team who is competing against the unranked team in those groups for individual match betting purposes. Additionally, it makes sense to lean on the top teams in the groups that contain only one or two highly ranked teams. This means that World Cup betting can confidently, as well as profitably select teams like Spain, Switzerland, England, the USA, and Portugal to win their groups and go through to the next round of the World Cup.

Standing with Soft Hands

In online blackjack games, many players feel obligated to hit when they have a soft hand, regardless of the value of the up card that the dealer is showing. In all fairness, hitting a soft hand will never result in a bust, so the hit is surely safe from busting. However, just because a player will not bust when they hit a soft hand does not mean that hitting is the most profitable move with all soft hands. In fact, there are instances when standing with a soft hand is the most profitable move.

As always, the dealer’s up card in comparison to the blackjack player’s total should serve as a guide when determining whether to hit or stand with a soft hand. A player is always correct when they hit their hands that are valued seventeen and under. Some hands under seventeen justify doubling down. When a player holds a soft hand that is valued at eighteen and up, it is not always in the player’s best interest to hit. When the blackjack dealer is showing an up card of a nine, ten, face card, or ace to a player’s soft eighteen, the player should take a card. However, if the dealer possesses an up card of a two, seven or eight, the player should stand, as the most likely results give the player the edge. If the dealer’s up card is between three and six, the blackjack player should double down if the house rules permit them to do so, as the double down has the largest expectation out of any of the available actions. Should the rules forbid doubling down on soft eighteens, however; a blackjack player holding a soft eighteen should stand, as standing in these instances is the second most profitable course of action for the blackjack player.

When a blackjack online player possesses a hand that is valued at a soft nineteen or better, the rules for optimal play are much simpler. Players holding a soft nineteen or soft twenty are never correct in taking a hit or doubling down, as the most profitable course of action is standing. Thus, the blackjack player need not pay attention to the dealer’s up card in these instances. By understanding when the correct course of action in blackjack is to stand with soft hands, a blackjack player will tighten up his game and increase the amount of money won on the blackjack table.

Do Bad NBA Teams Fair Well ATS?

Call em cellar dwellers, the cement in the basement or just straight up bad basketball betting teams. Every division has to have a last place team. Most NBA teams in last place lose far more than they win, but does this mean one should consistently bet against the worst the NBA has to offer? Logic and common sense might tell you to bet the farm against the cellar dwellers, but will this strategy pay the bills? The money line is surely priced fairly to reflect the last place team’s knack for losing, but is there value betting for or against last place teams when the spread is factored into the mix?

New Jersey, Indiana, the Washington Wizards, Golden State and the Timberwolves are among the NBA teams that are residing in the depths of their divisions. Combined, these teams have lost just over 75% of their games, which is not to be confused with teams like the Lakers who have won over 75% of their games. Betting against the cellar dwellers straight up would generate a positive return over three-quarters of the time, but even with that being the case – are you really going to find value in betting against a somewhat sure thing?

While these same teams have lost around 75% of the time straight up, some of these last place teams’ records against the spread is quite different. While Washington and Indiana perform just about the same ATS as they do straight up, teams like the Nets, Golden State and Minnesota have a much better record ATS than they do straight up. In fact, against the spread, the Warriors actually have a winning record! This means they are not nearly as bad as they are believed to be. Moreover, the Timberwolves are just about a .500 team when pitted against the spread and the Nets have won ten more games ATS than they have straight up.

No one is suggesting that an NBA bettor should bet on last place teams when pitted against the best the NBA has to offer. However, considering the win rate of these last place teams jumps from 25% straight up to 43% ATS and teams like Golden State beat the spread more than they lose to it, despite having a win rate straight up of 30%. In light of this, an NBA bettor at sportsbook.com might be well off taking advantage of the public’s perceptions of some of these last place teams and take them with the points when pitted against some of the best NBA teams like the Lakers or the Celtics, who do not fare well ATS.

Super Hero Slots

In the live casino, the most successful and popular slots games stand out from the pack. Whether it is an attractive progressive jackpot or the slots game is branded after a popular part of culture – be it a movie, historical figure, or a television show, the slots that get the most action stick out and capture the eye. One of the more popular themes for online slot machines lately is the slots games that are branded after super heroes from the comic strips. Legendary heroes such as Spiderman, the Fantastic Four, and even the Incredible Hulk all have slot machines branded in their likeness.

As one would expect, Super Slots Casino games are well designed. These games are rich in graphics and often feature animations and even special scenes in their bonus games, where a player can choose a specific path, capture criminals, and even save the object of the heroes’ affection. Additionally, these super hero slots games each provide numerous scatters in the forms of their very comic book’s heroes and villains.

In addition to being rich in graphics and quite interactive, most of the online Super Hero slots games have a variety of progressive jackpots tied to them. Each progressive has a different way in which it can be triggered and won. Some of the progressive jackpots in the Super Hero slots games are even awarded randomly, which is a pleasant surprise for any unsuspecting slots player.

While the Marvel brand of comic strips initially inspired the various Super Hero Slots games, DC Comics are also bringing their heroes to life in their own slots games. Childhood heroes like Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and even Wonder Woman and the Flash all have their own brands of slot machines on the internet. Just like their Marvel counterparts, the DC line of online slots provide interactive bonus games, progressive jackpots, and a ton of scatter bonus opportunities for comic book lovers to enjoy.

Super Hero themed slot machines can be found on Crazy Slots and present innovative graphics, a ton of bonus games, progressive jackpots and scatter bonuses for all to enjoy. These slots games are branded and patterned after the comic book heroes and provide hours of fun and enjoyment when playing online slots. So next time you are on the internet and looking for a fun and exciting slots game to play, give one of the many comic book Super Hero slots games a try.