Casey leads Colorado to 3-0 win over Houston
Soccer Betting Lines
08/28/2010 -
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Conor Casey had a goal and two assists in
the first 23 minutes and the Colorado Rapids defeated the short-handed Houston Dynamo, 3-0, on Saturday in Major League Soccer at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
Casey assisted on Jamie Smith's first goal of the season less than two minutes
into the match, set up Omar Cummings' sixth goal of the season in the 16th and
added his eighth goal of the year in the 23rd.
Colorado (8-6-7) had just one win in its last 10 games, a 1-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes thanks to an own goal, but cruised to just its second victory
since early June after Houston's Lovel Palmer was sent off in the 10th minute.
Houston (6-11-5) ended a 10-match winless streak last week with a 4-3 win over
the Chicago Fire, but never recovered from Smith's early goal and Palmer's red
card. The Dynamo have gone 42 league games without back-to-back wins.
Colorado grabbed the lead inside two minutes when Casey played Smith into the
left side of the penalty area with a long pass from midfield. Smith placed the
ball perfectly into the bottom-right corner to finish the play.
Palmer was sent off in the 10th minute after he tangled with Colorado's Pablo
Mastroeni and kicked the Rapids' captain. Mastroeni received a yellow, but the
Dynamo paid a much bigger price.
Casey set up Colorado's second goal with a perfect cross from the right that
Cummings just had to direct across the line from six yards out just minutes
after Houston went down a man.
After picking up his fourth and fifth assists of the year, Casey increased his
goals total by scoring off a rebound. Mehdi Ballouchy forced Dynamo goalie Pat
Onstad to stop a rocket from the edge of the box, but Casey was lurking at the
back post and headed the ball into an empty net.
Rapids goalie Ian Joyce, making his first MLS start with Matt Pickens out with
back spasms, denied Brian Mullan from close range in the 56th to keep Houston
from getting back into the match. Joyce finished with fourth saves to earn his
shutout.
Colorado can build on the win Sept. 4 when it hosts Chivas USA. Houston hopes
to rebound Sept. 5 when it hosts the San Jose Earthquakes.
<< Cardinals hold off Bears
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derek Anderson and Matt Leinart each tossed a
touchdown as the Arizona Cardinals downed the Chicago Bears, 14-9, in the
third preseason game for both teams.
Anderson went 7-for-12 for 94 yards while Le
<< McCown burns Bucs as Jags claim first preseason win
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luke McCown threw the game-winning touchdown
pass and Josh Scobee booted four field goals as Jacksonville came from behind
to beat Tampa Bay, 19-13, at Raymond James Stadium.
David Garrard played deep into
<< Carolina downs Titans as offense continues to struggle
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Goodson returned a kickoff 91 yards for
a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to give the Carolina Panthers a 15-7
win over the Tennessee Titans in the third preseason game for each club.
Matt Moor
<< Chacin, Gonzalez pace Rockies over Dodgers
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jhoulys Chacin tossed seven innings of one-run
ball and Carlos Gonzalez powered the Rockies' offense in a 5-3 victory over
the Dodgers.
Gonzalez tripled and hit a two-run homer for the Rockies, winners in
<< New receivers make impact in Vikes win over Seattle
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Javon Walker, signed earlier in the week
after it was revealed Sidney Rice will miss extended time with a hip injury,
caught the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter from Sage Rosenfels to
help gi
Ravens WR Stallworth breaks foot, out two months >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Donte'
Stallworth broke his foot in Saturday's preseason game against the Giants and
will miss up to eight weeks after undergoing surgery.
Stallworth, who according to
Cain's hit in 11th lifts Brewers over Pirates >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lorenzo Cain's RBI single in the 11th
inning lifted the Milwaukee Brewers to an 8-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates
in the second contest of a three-game set.
With Wilfredo Ledezma (0-1) on the m
Arizona pummels struggling Giants >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Reynolds and Adam LaRoche each
homered and Daniel Hudson continued to impress with seven sturdy innings as
Arizona downed San Francisco, 11-3, in the second of three meetings at AT&T
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Millwood dominant as O's blank Angels >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Bell hit a two-run homer and Kevin
Millwood pitched his best game of the season, as the Baltimore Orioles shut
down the Angels, 5-0, in the second test of a three-game series.
Millwood (3-14) ga
Dixon's late score lifts 49ers over Raiders >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anthony Dixon's one-yard touchdown run late in
the fourth quarter helped the San Francisco 49ers take a 28-24 win over the
Oakland Raiders in the third preseason game for both squads.
Dixon finished the ga
American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
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