How to Bet on Cricket

International cricket is rapidly emerging as one of the most popular betting sports in the world. Unlike other sports, it is much easier to bet on cricket because of a few differences.

Cricket, like other sports, has its own specific rules that must be followed. As such, it is important to know these rules by heart. A basic mastery coupled with advanced study of this rules is very much recommended in order to fully utilize these rules in making your bet. It is important to stress that in cricket, you can make “draw” bets. The reason for this is that cricket games can go for as long as one day to up to three days, There are even some cricket games that go on for as long as five days. As such, draw bets became distinctively popular in this kind of sport. Many online cricket betting enthusiasts and fanatics have double their money by making draw bets.

Popular cricket betting options include:

Match Betting: Match betting is the easiest and most popular of cricket betting options. Punters select whichever team they think will win a match and are paid out according to the relevant odds if their selected team does win.

Top Run-scorer: Punters can also place bets on which player will be the top run-scorer in his team. Odds available on these bets can be quite high, allowing punters to back several players and still earn a good payout.

Highest Opening Partnership: Betting on the highest opening partnership is a great cricket betting option that allows punters to back the opening partnership they think will reach the highest score, in either team.

1st Innings Lead: When betting on test matches, punters can place bets on which team will reach the highest score in the first innings, an attractive option in a game where the outcome is so often a draw.

Series scores: Making a bet based on this series scores is simply placing your bet on how many expected wins you are waiting for with regard to the team that you have put your bet on.

Top Batsman: Making this kind of bet is simply placing your money on who you think will be the top scorer for the game. You can place your bet accurately by using historical records as basis.

Total number of runs that each team can make during a game: You can either bet on “odd” or “even”. If the total runs of a team come up with an odd number, then you win if you have put your bet on the “odd” and if the total is an even number, then you win that money if you have put your bet on the “even” tag.

How to Bet on Rugby

The most popular and certainly the biggest from a sports betting point of view is Super League, where the teams play 28 regular-season games before the play-offs, which then determine the Grand Final winner. With live matches shown on TV most Friday and Saturday evenings and the sport emerging from football’s shadow thanks to its summer slot, it’s easy to see why there has been a boom in rugby betting, and the number of choices for punters is not far behind football, though turnover is obviously still well beneath the kind of levels that the Premiership and Champions League attract.

Rugby betting is inherently easier than football betting. As more points are scored the chance for an upset is very low. Draws rarely occur so really its just betting on 2 outcomes.

Betting Types

The majority of bookmakers offer match betting, winning margins and first try scorer options, as well as under/over points on live matches, but the favourite form of rugby league sports betting is the handicap because the uncompetitive nature of many Super League match-ups often lead to one team being excessively odds-on to win the match for most punter’s liking. So what is the best way to make any money from betting on the Super League? Most obvious would be the ability of the teams to be taken into consideration, however, it is imperative to check the weather before getting stuck in. Some teams play better in the rain and cold than others. It makes sense to side with those who get a start in the wet and betting on a low points total, either on the spreads or with traditional bookmakers, but the rain factor is often overlooked by the more casual punter, who is just desperate to have a bet.

The best way of using the weather to your advantage is to know your teams. You should ask yourself questions like: Do team A like to play an open, expansive style of rugby? Do they continually try to offload in the tackle? and, is their game plan all about attempting to outscore the opposition? If the answer to these questions is yes, then the likelihood is they are a side best suited to playing in dry conditions where points are easier to come by and passing and creative rugby is much easier to pull off. On the other side of the coin are the teams who go through the forwards and rely on territorial advantage to squeeze the life out of the opposition, and who usually have more joy in the rain.

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How to Bet on Soccer

soccer betting is one of the most popular forms of sports betting activities that takes place. Many Americans would be surprised to know that in Europe, soccer betting is the equivalent of professional football wagering in the United States.

Soccer betting is similar to wagering on professional baseball or the National Hockey League, in that it uses the money line, but there is one major difference. In soccer betting, not only can you place a bet on either team, you can also wager that it will be a tie game. Since you can wager on a tie, that means if you bet on a soccer team that team must win the game or you lose your bet.

Others Types of Soccer Bets

On many soccer matches there may be a total (over/under) posted, so that a bettor may wager over a certain number of goals or under a certain number of goals. A typical number for these types of bets is 2.5, so that a bettor wagering on the over would need at least three goals to be scored to win the bet, while a person wagering on the under could have no more than two goals scored to win their wager.

A number of soccer matches also will have proposition bets available, such as the time of the first goal, the team to score first, or the team ahead at halftime. These can be profitable for the bettor who is extremely knowledgeable on the soccer teams they are wagering on.

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How to Bet on Car Racing

NASCAR betting has grown in the United States while Formula One auto racing betting has grown in Europe and in other countries. It has emerged as one of the most viewed sporting events in the world and it has also become a leading sport to bet on at the sportsbooks. Auto racing betting offers driver matchups, odds on the winner of a race, qualifying odds, futures, and props.

When betting on motor racing, the driver skill is the most important factor you will have to take in considerations, but it is not the only factor. Carefully studying not just the auto racing drivers but also the car racing teams, tracks, auto racing history and tire manufacturers. Each of these things is important and has their own individual strengths and weaknesses for a gambler to evaluate when looking at auto racing. It is also important in NASCAR and Formula One auto racing betting to keep track of the latest personnel changes.

A better strategy is to look for lesser-known car racing drivers to finish in the top eight positions rather than lay big money every week.

Different Type of Bets

The most common bet you’ll see most people bet on is the odds to win race. This bet is where you need to select which Nascar or Formula 1 driver you think will win the race and you’re paid on a moneyline basis. Each racer will have a moneyline odd next to it and that’s how you can determine how much you’ll be paid. Betting on the winner of the race offers the worst odds of winning in NASCAR and Formula One, but if you hit you’ll be able to cash a nice win.

Match-up bets is another Nascar betting option that is very popular because it offers a lot better odds to win the bet. A match-up bet allows you to pick one racer between a group of two and the racer you pick needs to do better then the other racer.

You can bet on which manufacturer you think will win the race and as most of you know your options would be Chevy, Ford and Dodge. This bet offers good value as well, but you need to study which manufacturers do good on certain tracks from previous seasons. The bet will be based on moneyline odds and paid out according to the odds offered by your book.

Some sportsbooks group together a half dozen or so formula 1 betting racers into a group and you can bet on who you think is going to finish the race in the best position. Since there is more racers in this bet then the match-up bets you get better odds on this type of bet. I wouldn’t just bet on this one, but if you combine it with some match-up bets you could do well.

How to Bet on Boxing

Boxing and betting have gone hand-in-hand for many years, perhaps a little too closely at times. In the early 1970s, betting on boxing was more popular than betting on the NFL, but allegations of fixing fights and horrendous judge’s decisions turned many people away from the betting aspect of the sport. For the most part, however, boxing has done a good job of trying to regain public confidence in the integrity of the sport.

Boxing uses the money line and is pretty straight forward in regards to wagering, as the odds will be given next to each boxer’s name.

Here’s an example:

Favorite: -170 (bet $170 to win $100)
Underdog: +150 (bet $100 to win $150)
Draw: +800 (bet $100 to win $800)

On boxing bets, your fighter must win the fight or you lose your wager. If the fight is declared a draw, bets on both fighters are declared losers and the bookmakers, as well as any bettors who wagered on the draw, are extremely happy.

Boxing Proposition Bets

Because a number of fights figure to be pretty one-sided, the bookmakers will generally come up with several proposition wagers on major fights. The most popular of these is the over/under for how long the fight lasts. The wager works in the same manner as an over/under bet in other sports, but instead of betting there will be over or under a certain number of points scored, you are betting over or under a certain number of rounds taking place.

If you wager over the six full rounds, you will win your bet as long as both fighters are in the ring for the start of the seventh round. If you wager on the under six full rounds, you will win your wager provided the fight is stopped anytime prior to the bell signaling the end of round No. 6. If the fight is stopped between the end of the sixth round and the beginning of the seventh round, all over/under bets would be declared losers and you will have another case of very happy bookmakers.

The other main proposition wager for boxing matches is betting which fighter will win by a stoppage or knockout.

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Cricket

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

22:00 West Indies vs Bangladesh

West Indies - Price $1.90          vs Bangladesh - Price $1.85

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

08:00 England vs Australia - 3rd Ashes Test

England - Price $ 4.20 Draw - Price $2.05 Australia - Price $2.60

Boxing

Saturday, August 1, 2009
18:00 Devon Alexander vs Junior Witter
WBC Junior Welterweight Title

Devon Alexander - Price $1.50       vs       Junior Witter - Price $2.62

Saturday, August 1, 2009
18:45 Timothy Bradley vs Nate Campbell

WBO Junior Welterweight Title

Timothy Bradley - Price $1.34        vs       Nate Campbell - Price $3.00

How to Bet on Horse Racing

Horse racing is one of the time honored traditions of American sports betting. To effectively bet on horse racing, you first have to understand the types of wagers offered.

Know Your Bets

Every sport has its own rules, so every sport has its own types of bets you can place. Here are the types you’ll need to know for horse racing…

Straight Bet: Also known as a single or a “Win bet”. The simplest, and most common. Place your bet on your favorite horse, and collect if your horse comes in first.

Place: With a place bet, you collect whether your horse comes in first or second.

Show: You collect if your horse comes in first, second, or third. Of course, you stand to win less and less money between a straight bet, a place, and a show.

Combination Bet: Pick anywhere from two to four horses to win in chosen order. Your return depends on the accuracy of your prediction.

Pick 3: Pick the winners of three races in a row. Depending on who you’re betting with, you can either pick three at once, or pick one at the beginning of each race.

Pick 6: This wager requires the player to select the winner of six consecutive races prior to the first race of the pick six. Some tracks place the pick six as the first six races, the middle six races, or the last six races. Many tracks have carry over pools for the pick six that can grow to as high as a million dollars.

Quinella (AKA, Reverse Forecast): Pick two horses to finish in the first two places, in either order.

Perfecta/Exacta/Straight Forecast: Pick the two winning horses, but they must cross in the order you predicted for you to collect.

Trifecta: Same as Perfecta, but with three horses.

Superfecta: Predict the first four horses across the finish line in the right order.

Daily Double: Pick the winners of the first two races of the day. You must place your bet before the first race begins.

Jackpot: Pick the first place winners of six races to share in the jackpot. The jackpot prize may be a sum of money or other prizes, depending on the particular track.

Beyond understanding the bets you can place, all you really need is the betting savvy that comes with experience. Place a few bets, and you’ll start developing an instinct for how to more accurately predict races,

You can bet on horse races online at any number of betting websites, but if you get a chance, nothing really beats seeing the race live, chatting with fellow enthusiasts, and being right there as it happens.

Parlay or Accumulator: A multiple bet. A kind of ‘let-it-ride’ bet. Making simultaneous selections on two or more races with the intent of pressing the winnings of the first win on the bet of the following race selected, and so on. All the selections made must win for you to win the parlay. If a race is a tie, postponed or cancelled, your parlay is automatically reduced by one selection; a double parlay becomes a straight bet, a triple parlay becomes a double. A parlay bet can yield huge dividends if won.

Future: A bet on a future event. At the start of each season, the sportsbooks give out odds for horses to win a certain event. The odds change as the race date approaches and in most cases get shorter, but if you win you get paid at the original odds that you took. This is possibly one of the most profitable bets if you have considerable knowledge of the race that you are betting on including the jockeys, and a good sense of judgement.

Exotic Bets: Betting on unusual events. Some sports books post odds and take bets on a wide variety of other sports related events and activities. A few others will take bets on just about anything you can think of.

Proposition Bet or Prop Bet: An offer of bets at odds and conditions chosen by the sportsbook, usually on ‘Exotic’ bets.

Click here to read more about horse racing.

How to Bet on Tennis

Tennis is currently enjoying unparalled growth around the world as both a participant and spectator sport. Particularly in the former Eastern European communist states, tennis has become the sport of choice for a whole generation of young sports enthusiasts.

Click here to read more about tennis betting.

A Money Line is used to equal out the favorite and underdog attractiveness of a sport for a person who will be placing a bet. Money lines are different from point spreads because they are often used in individual sports like boxing and auto racing where there is no way to measure a player’s wins and losses. The money line is often set so the most money is risked on the favorite or the person expected to win and risk less money on the underdog player.

A money line reading: Player A -400 / Player B +360. What this means is that Player A has won more matches than Player B. Therefore, if you bet five hundred on Player A and they win you receive your five hundred back plus one hundred dollars for winning the bet. However, if Player B manages to win and you have bet a hundred dollars on the underdog then you receive three hundred and sixty dollars plus the return of your hundred dollars.

The spread between the lay price for a favorite player and the payoff for an underdog player will often increase depending on how many games the favorite has won. Bookmakers are out to make a profit and they can only do this if the underdog wins. Consider the above example of the two players. If Player B managed to win then the bookmaker would pay each person three hundred and sixty, but at the same time, they would make four hundred from the other people. Therefore, gaining a profit of forty dollars per bet. If Player A wins then the bookmaker would make a hundred and pay a hundred, thereby making zero commission on the bet.

Betting lines are important to understand since they are used in several sports including football, basketball, baseball as well as all the individual sports such as golf, tennis and auto racing.

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How to Bet on Hockey

The National Hockey League may rank a distant fourth of the four major sports in the United States, but that hasn’t stopped sportsbooks from posting lines on the NHL.

1) The most important consideration is to know who is playing goalie for the two teams involved in any given contest, the reason being is due to the fact that a goalie is the single most important player on the ice and his performance will directly translate to the success of any given team on any given night. Keep up on starting line-ups and monitor the injury reports of each team playing on a particular day, often a situation will arise in which a back-up goalie gets the start.

2) Have a team by team schedule for the season on hand and realize in advance any and all scheduling situations that can and will impact any given teams performance, keep in mind that teams playing consecutive games have a tough row when facing rested home teams, quite often visiting teams do not arrive to the host city until early the next morning because they finished up a night game and then had to travel. In this scenario the visiting coach usually does not schedule a practice in order to keep the legs of his team fresh.

3) Hockey is similar to football in two key ways, first of all both games are very physical in nature, and secondly the adage that defense wins championships holds true in both sports. In hockey like football, there exists two type of teams, some teams play a style that is predicated on intimidating physical play featured by hard hitting while other teams play more of a finesse style of play predicated on timing, when two teams with these contrasting styles play usually the team with the more physical defense wins.

Betting the National Hockey League

Before a person can start to bet the NHL, it’s important they have a solid understanding of the MoneyLine. The money line is the most common method of betting the NHL although there is also a puck line, totals and “Grand Salami.” Nearly every sportsbook uses a 20-cent line on the National Hockey League. The 20-cents refers to the difference in the odds on the favorite and the odds on the underdog.

The Puck Line

While betting on the winner of the game, as shown above, is the most popular method of betting the NHL, there is also the puck line, which baseball bettors will recognize as being quite similar to the run line. When betting the puck line, bettors can either lay 1.5 goals with the favorite or take 1.5 goals with the underdog. The puck line used to be .5 goals, but the shootout eliminated the possibility of a tie game, so the oddsmakers bumped the puck line up to 1.5 goals.

Totals

Bettors also have the option of betting on the total number of goals scored in a game. The sportsbooks will post a number, generally between 5 and 6.5 and bettors can wager the number of goals scored in the game will be greater (over) than the posted number or less (under) than the posted number.

Grand Salami

The Grand Salami is practically an institution for hockey bettors. The Grand Salami allows hockey fans to have a rooting interest in every game being played on a particular day for the cost of one bet.

How the Grand Salami works is the sportsbooks will let bettors wager over or under the total number of goals scored in all of the games played on a particular day. If there are 10 games on a given day, the Grand Salami total will generally be around 53 to 60, depending on the particular games. Just as with regular totals, there will be times when bettors are risked to give higher odds on betting the over or the under.

There is one primary difference in betting hockey totals as opposed to betting basketball and football totals. Because scoring in hockey is so much lower than in football or basketball, the bookmakers are reluctant to change the number of a total and instead will often adjust the odds.

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