10/15/2008 - Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - U.S. Open champion Roger Federer, Australian Open titlist Novak Djokovic and former world No. 1 Andy Roddick highlighted Wednesday's second-round winners at the $2.78 million Madrid Masters -- the eighth of nine ATP Masters Series events this year.
The second-seeded Swiss Federer, playing his first ATP match since capturing a fifth straight U.S. Open title last month, drove past dangerous Czech Radek Stepanek 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) on the indoor hardcourt at Madrid Arena.
The 13-time major champion and 2006 Madrid titlist Federer was upset by Argentine star David Nalbandian in last year's finale here.
Federer's third-round opponent on Thursday will be Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.
The third-seeded Djokovic was leading qualifier Victor Hanescu 3-1 in the third set on Day 4 when the Romanian retired due to a leg injury. The Serbian Djokovic dropped the first set 6-7 (8-10) and won the second 7-6 (8-6) before embarking on the abbreviated third.
Up next for Djokovic will be 6-foot-10 Croatian slugger Ivo Karlovic.
An eighth-seeded Roddick rolled past Spanish crowd favorite Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-4 in a brisk 68 minutes to setup a third-rounder against French Open semifinalist Gael Monfils. Roddick fired 13 aces at the overmatched Robredo, who failed to break the American's massive serve throughout.
Upsets came when American qualifier Robby Ginepri took out fifth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, Feliciano Lopez upended sixth-seeded fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) and the French Monfils toppled 12th-seeded Olympic silver medalist Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 6-4. Monfils was a runner-up in Vienna last week. The Chilean Gonzalez reached the final here in Madrid in 2006, losing to Federer.
Meanwhile, a seventh-seeded and defending Madrid champion Nalbandian got past big Czech Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, ninth-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro downed Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-2, 4-2 and 10th-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka overcame German Philipp Kohlschreiber 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5). Nieminen retired in the second set against del Potro due to a leg injury. Nalbandian, who also reached the Madrid finale in 2004, is fresh off his title in Stockholm last week.
In other second-round action, a 14th-seeded Karlovic snuck past last week's Stockholm runner-up Robin Soderling, of Sweden, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (10-8) and a 16th-seeded Tsonga came back to beat Spanish qualifier Marcel Granollers 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5).
In addition to Federer-Tsonga, Djokovic-Karlovic and Roddick-Monfils here on Thursday, world No. 1 Spanish hero Rafael Nadal will take on 15th-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet. The 2005 Madrid titlist Nadal is the reigning Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champ.
Some other marquee third-rounders on Day 5 will pit fourth-seeded U.S. Open runner-up Andy Murray against rising Croat Marin Cilic and Nalbandian versus his Argentine countryman del Potro.
The 2008 Madrid titlist will collect $490,000.
<< Blue Jackets put F Boll on IR
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets placed forward Jared
Boll on injured reserve Wednesday.
Boll, who is suffering from a head/neck injury, is expected to be out for the
next seven-to-10 days.
In his second season
<< Report: Celtics to exercise option on Rondo
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics reportedly plan to exercise
their option for the 2009-2010 season on point guard Rajon Rondo, an integral
member of the club's championship run last season.
Celtics general manager Danny
<< Federer, Djokovic reach third round at Madrid Masters
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - U.S. Open champion Roger Federer and
Australian Open titlist Novak Djokovic were among Wednesday's second-round
winners at the $2.78 million Madrid Masters -- the eighth of nine ATP
Masters Series events thi
<< Furyk clips Harrington to win PGA Grand Slam of Golf
Tucker's Town, Bermuda (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jim Furyk sank an 8-foot putt for
eagle on the first playoff hole to defeat Padraig Harrington and capture the
26th annual PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
This event is reserved for the year's four ma
Former Chargers DL Mims dead >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former San Diego Chargers defensive lineman
Chris Mims was found dead in his Los Angeles apartment on Wednesday. He was
38.
According to KTLA in Los Angeles, police say that Mims was found around 9:30
Report: Notre Dame TE Yeatman suspended for season >>
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Notre Dame has reportedly suspended tight
end Will Yeatman for the rest of the 2008 season after a second alcohol-
related offense this year.
The South Bend Tribune reported Wednesday that Ye
North Carolina WR Tate undergoes surgery >>
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - North Carolina senior wide receiver Brandon
Tate underwent successful surgery on his right knee Wednesday to repair a torn
ACL and MCL.
The operation was performed by Dr. Tim Taft at UNC Hospitals.
"We
Seven groups submit applications for MLS expansion >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seven potential ownership groups submitted
official applications to become one of the next two Major League Soccer
expansion teams, MLS President Mark Abbott announced on Wednesday.
The U.S.'s top-
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.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants (LVSC) is the world’s premier oddsmaking company and the most respected authority on making the lines. Mike Seba is a Senior Oddsmaker at LVSC and has been making lines for the last six years. In our extended interview, Seba explained that there are 4-5 oddsmakers assigned to make lines for each of the major sports (pro & college football and basketball; MLB, NHL, boxing, golf). Each of these oddsmakers bring unique opinions, strengths and weaknesses to the process. Oddsmakers at LVSC are professional sports junkies who love what they do and would probably do it for nothing if you asked them, but they do get paid for it. By necessity their approach is very research-oriented and concise, since with millions of dollars at risk there is little margin for error.
“You either have a passion for it or you don’t,” Seba said.
“The #1 thing for us is to make a line for each game that creates good two-way action. We do this by drawing from past experiences and applying them to current situations. People think it’s much more complicated, but it’s not. “Divided action means the sportsbook is guaranteed a profit on the game because of the fee charged to the bettor (called juice or vig – typically $11 bet to win $10).
Power ratings are the oddsmaker’s value of each team and are used as a guide to calculate a "preliminary" pointspread on an upcoming game. The power ratings are adjusted after each game a team plays. Examples of non-game factors that would require an adjustment to a team's power rating are key player injuries and player trades.
Once a game’s power rating based pointspread is determined, the oddsmaker will make adjustments to that line after considering each team's most recent games played and previous games played against that opponent. Also, adjustments are made after reading each team’s local newspapers to get a sense of what the coaches & players are thinking going into the game.Since the oddsmaker’s ultimate goal is equally dividing the sports betting action, public perception and sportsbook betting patterns must be taken into account. For example, the public might have heavy betting interest week after week on a popular college football betting team such as USC. If an oddsmaker comes up with a preliminary line of USC -7, then an adjustment up to -7.5 or -8 would be made in response to the public’s expected USC bias.
The last step in the line-making process for each oddsmaker is taking one final look to determine whether or not the line "feels right." This is where common sense and past experience with how games are bet enters into the picture.A round-table discussion among the 4-5 oddsmakers involved in making the line for each sport is then conducted and a consensus line is decided upon by the Odds Director before it is released to the sportsbooks. Of the 4-5 oddsmakers, generally the 2 most respected opinions are weighed more heavily by the Odds Director before he decides on the final line.
Experts working for the individual books having a strong opinion on the game
Individual books having players who consistently bet with certain tendencies (such as an extreme bias toward favorites or toward a certain popular team like USC)The purpose of these adjustments, like all line adjustments, is to more equally divide the betting action.
Once betting begins, sportsbooks can adjust the line at any time. In doing so they attempt to make more attractive the team that is getting less action. By moving the line, sportsbooks can influence how the public bets on a particular game.For example, if the pointspread on a game is 7 and most of the money is coming in on the underdog (taking the +7), sportsbooks will then move the number down to 6 ½ to try and attract money on the favorite.
Moving the line is the oddsmaker's effort to balance betting action, and often times such moves can have a major impact on a bettor’s decision. Oddsmakers can also change the line depending on various event-related factors such as player injuries or weather. Obviously, if the line comes out a week ahead of the event (which is the case in football), there is much that could happen during the week leading up to the event that could affect the line. Oddsmakers have to determine if any changes are necessary and send out an "adjusted line."“The main objective is that our clients get equal action on both sides,” Seba said. “We’re not trying to pick the team that covers the spread, we’re trying to make it a coin flip, a tough decision (for the bettor). If we’ve done that, we’ve done our job.”
To visit this internet sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your sports betting needs and World Series odds.
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