Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
01/29/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 59th edition of the NHL All-Star Game is on tap for today, as Team Alfredsson's hometown favorites take on Team Chara at Ottawa's Scotiabank Place.
This marks the second straight year that the NHL has forgone the Eastern Conference versus Western Conference format and instead employed the fantasy draft process for selecting teams.
The two competing sides were picked Thursday evening at the Casino du Lac- Leamy in Gatineau, Quebec. Longtime Ottawa star Daniel Alfredsson was the captain of one team and fellow Swede and New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was named as his assistant. Boston's Zdeno Chara was chosen to lead the opposition and Toronto's Joffrey Lupul was his assistant captain.
Alfredsson did not disappoint his hometown fans, as the Sens captain made sure to select all three of his All-Star teammates. He and Lundqvist chose Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson with their first pick. Alfredsson then took Senators forwards Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek in the second and 12th rounds, respectively.
"I'm obviously very happy to get all the Senators," Alfredsson said. "I wanted to make sure I got Erik and Jason, and unfortunately I had to bump (Milan) down a few spots, but I'm happy to have him, too."
Last year's All-Star Game was in Carolina and the hometown club was captained by Hurricanes forward Eric Staal. That team, which also featured Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward and forward Jeff Skinner, wound up losing an 11-10 decision to the side selected by Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom. Neither Staal nor Lidstrom are back for this year's exhibition.
This time around, Alfredsson is hoping the hometown flavor will help lead his team to victory.
"I love my team, and if the coaches can't produce a winner, they should get fired," Alfredsson said jokingly.
Team Alfredsson is led by co-head coaches John Tortorella of the New York Rangers and Todd McLellan of the San Jose Sharks. Chara's team has Boston head coach Claude Julien behind the bench as well as Bruins assistants Doug Houda, Doug Jarvis and Geoff Ward.
Chara, who is captain of the defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins, also claimed his two Boston teammates. After Chara and Lupul took Detroit forward Pavel Datsyuk with the first overall selection, they picked Boston goaltender Tim Thomas in Round 2. Chara then made sophomore sensation Tyler Seguin wait before selecting the young Bruins forward in the 18th round.
"They're well respected, great players [and] everybody's an All-Star," Chara said of his selections.
One change from last year is that the Sedin twins will be on the same side at this year's midseason showcase after Vancouver's inseparable duo were split up at the 2011 All-Star Game. Daniel Sedin was taken by his countryman Alfredsson in the ninth round and Henrik was taken four rounds later.
Team Chara boasts Pittsburgh forward Evgeni Malkin -- the NHL's leading scorer -- and Alfredsson's squad has Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos, who is pacing the league with 32 goals.
Other forwards selected by Chara were Marian Hossa (Chicago), Corey Perry (Anaheim), Phil Kessel (Toronto), Patrick Kane (Chicago), Jarome Iginla (Calgary), Marian Gaborik (NY Rangers), Jordan Eberle (Edmonton) and Jamie Benn (Dallas). Hossa and Gaborik are both Chara's countrymen from Slovakia.
Joining Chara on the blue line are defensemen Brian Campbell (Florida), Dion Phaneuf (Toronto), Ryan Suter (Nashville), Kimmo Timonen (Philadelphia) and Dennis Wideman (Washington). In addition to Thomas, Jimmy Howard of Detroit and Montreal's Carey Price were also picked as goaltenders for Team Chara.
The rest of Alfredsson's forwards for today's game will be Claude Giroux (Philadelphia), James Neal (Pittsburgh), Scott Hartnell (Philadelphia), Jason Pominville (Buffalo) and Logan Couture (San Jose).
Couture was the last player picked by either team, but he wasn't overly upset by his "Mr. Irrelevant" status. The Sharks sniper received a car for being taken last overall and $20,000 was also donated to charity in his name.
"I can't take that personally," Couture said. "I'm a young guy who plays on the West Coast. When I came in, I knew it was a possibility."
In addition to Karlsson, Team Alfredsson's defense consists of Pittsburgh's Kris Letang, Shea Weber of Nashville, Dan Girardi of the New York Rangers, Phoenix's Keith Yandle and Vancouver's Keith Yandle. Jonathan Quick of Los Angeles and Brian Elliott of St. Louis will also split time in the crease with Lundqvist.
The hometown team won Saturday's SuperSkills competition, as Team Alfredsson gained 21 points compared to Team Chara's 12. However, Chara himself was once again the center of attention as the mammoth Bruins defenseman broke his own record in the hardest shot event, uncorking a slap shot that registered 108.8 miles per hour. It marks the fifth straight time that Chara has won the event.
Ottawa is hosting the NHL All-Star Game for the first time. The only remaining NHL cities that have not staged this event are Anaheim, Phoenix, Nashville, Columbus and Winnipeg.
<< Djokovic outlasts Nadal in epic Aussie final
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Novak Djokovic became only the fifth
man in the Open Era to win three straight major titles when he outlasted
Rafael Nadal in Sunday's marathon final at the 2012 Australian Open. Djokovic
and Nadal battl
<< Rock wins in Abu Dhabi; Tiger ties for 3rd
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert Rock trumped some of
the best players in the world Sunday, including fellow third-round co-leader
Tiger Woods, to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
Rock shot a two-under 70
<< Kieffer wins maiden Challenge Tour title
Ahmedabad, India (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - German Max Kieffer parred the first
playoff hole Sunday to defeat India's own Rahil Gangjee and win The Gujarat
Kensville Challenge 2012.
Kieffer earned his first European Challenge Tour title
<< FCS players perform at Senior Bowl
Mobile, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - None of the FCS players distinguished himself at
the 63rd Senior Bowl on Saturday, although each hopes to have made his mark
during a week's worth of practices and preparations amid NFL scouts.
The North posted
Reeling Magic welcome Pacers to Central Florida >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Eastern Conference playoff contenders meet in
Central Florida on Sunday when a struggling Orlando team plays host to the
Indiana Pacers in the Magic Kingdom.
Orlando has dropped three of four and is coming off a
Nets and Raptors clash at The Rock >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlantic Division rivals meet in North Jersey Sunday when
the Nets welcome Toronto to The Rock.
New Jersey has been on an uptick recently, winning three of their past four
games. Deron Williams recorded a double-double wit
Mavs and Spurs renew rivalry in Dallas >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Longtime Lone Star State rivals meet with first place in
the Southwest Division on the line as the Mavericks welcome San Antonio
to Big D.
Dallas, the reigning NBA champs, and the Spurs, the defending division champs,
bot
Hawks and Hornets tangle in the Big Easy >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Hornets hope to build on their first win in over two
weeks when they host the Atlanta Hawks in the Big Easy.
New Orleans tasted victory for the first time since Jan. 9 on Friday when Carl
Landry netted a team-high 17 p
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.
American Idol Betting Odds: Season 6
The online gambling websites are in the process of deciphering each American Idol contestant and his or her chances of winning Season 6 to come up with the early American Idol betting lines.
Tim Dalton of MySportsbook.com has been locked away in a soundproof room coming up with all the latest tallies, we are told. "American Idol has become one of the most significant betting events of the year," claims Jack Black of MySportsbook.com. "Last year, millions were bet during the season across the globe, not just in America.It's tough early on since we really do not have a glimpse as to how well each of these individuals will perform solo on a week-to-week basis. It's like Week 1 of the NFL. Pre-season means nada!
We do know the 24 finalists however.
Sanjaya Malakar is the young man whose sister failed to make it into the Top 24. He's very low key but - unless he totally flubs - will probably win over the young girlie vote for a few weeks anyway. He's too young to go all the way, according to Payton O'Brien.
Brandon Rogers - Who?
Phil Stacy is the military guy who missed his daughter's birth because of the Memphis audition. He should go a good distance.
Chris Sligh - He's got the humor and in many ways he's the Anti-American Idol much like last year's winner Taylor Hicks was. And this is why he'll probably get pretty far in this competition. He's chubby, white with a big curly afro....but more importantly, a great voice! People love "real", not "real cute" to go all the way.
"Blake Lewis should go far because of his uniqueness and looks. He's the boy next store with a twist - he beat boxes. But on top of this, he's a great singer, and I adore him," Payton O'Brien relayed.
A talented beat-boxer Blake Lewis was a hit during the group sing in Hollywood but Simon explained that this is a singing contest just before he told him he was “in.”
Paul Kim has caught our own roving reporter, Jenny Woo's eyes.
"I love the fact that there is a Korean American on the show and he is bound to get more Asians tuning into the show," Woo said from her Miami Beach estate. "There has never been a major presence of Asian-Americans on American Idol in the past. He's a hottie with a nice voice so that should help to take him far. Expect heavy betting action from the Asian community."
Sundance Head - He's not perfect, but he's got the personality that will take him through a few weeks, plus he's got the lineage (son of Roy Head - whose 1965 single, "Treat Her Right," hit No. 5 in the charts)
And the others:
Rudy Cardinas
AJ Tabaldo - the 5th time is the charm
Nicolas Pedro
Chris Richardson
Jared Cotter
The girls
"Melinda Doolittle has one of the best voices," says MySportsbook.com Reporter and an acclaimed dancer in her own right, Destiney Lewis. "It is great to see a back up singer step out like she has. The girl needs to gain more confidence but that can also be a positive. I think she will go far."
Alena Alexander - Those tears (she never seems to stop bawling) should get her far.
"Single mom Lakisha Jones I suspect will be a pretty big favorite entering Week 1 of the competition," says Destiny Williams. Jones is an excellent singer and down to earth. "She'll have a wide appeal," echoed O'Brien.
Nicole Trellis - Seems to exert confidence.
Amy Krebs - a powerful singer.
Antonella Barba
Gina Glocksen
Hailey Scanardo
Jordan Sparks
Stephanie Edwards
Leslie Hunt
Sabrina Sloan
MySportsbook.com is offering a 20% signup bonus with an initial deposit (i.e. open your American Idol betting account with $300, receive another $60 in which to bet with).
Last two contestants will be?
1 Male/1 Female +100 (a $10 bet pays $10 plus your initial $10)
2 Males +170 (a $10 bet pays $17 plus your initial $17)
2 Females +130 (a $10 bet pays $13 plus your initial $10)
MySportsbook.com is an online sportsbook accepts Visa Credit Cards and online sportsbook accepts Mastercard Credit Cards for easy American Idol betting lines.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting