MLB betting

Cliff Lee started his career in the Cleveland Indians organization, before being traded for prospects to the Philadelphia Phillies last season. From there, Lee helped a strong Phillies rotation defend its World Series title from 2008 before losing to the New York Yankees in 2009. Lee was easily the most dominant pitcher in the league last season as he had quite a few complete games while pitching for the Phillies.

Yet in the 2010 offseason, Lee was shockingly traded to the Seattle Mariners in a four team deal which saw the Phillies acquire former Blue Jay ace Roy Halladay. Speculation around the Phillies was that they did not want to sign Lee long term and felt Halladay had more to offer. Lee pitched admirably for the Mariners but it was evident he was not happy in Seattle.

Texas on the contrary, had been abysmal for years, slowly developing their prospects. To start the 2010 season they played strong getting off to a great start but appeared to be missing a piece to stabilize their rotation. Lee’s unhappiness in Seattle and the Rangers need for an ace was a match made in heaven and in the beginning of July Lee was traded to Texas.

Lee has appeared to be the answer to Rangers fans prayers as he has provided a foundation for the young pitchers in Texas not seen since Nolan Ryan. The Rangers not only appear to be destined for the post season, but with Lee at the helm and Josh Hamilton leading the offense, Texas may finally have the tools to claim a World Series Title.

1.      Bet the Underdog- Baseball is widely known as an underdog sport, because over nine innings, anything can happen. It is rare for a team to not allow hit, and one swing of the bat can change the dynamic of a game. The most famous form of wagering on baseball is through the moneyline, our tip for you is to bet the underdog since the price is cheaper than if you were to bet the favorite. Essentially, you are risking less to win more. If you were to always bet the favorite, you will need to spend more just to break even.

2.      Pitchers - These guys are the most important factor when you wager on a game. It is important to check a pitcher’s history going into their next start, and how often the manager has used the bullpen. Although each game is different, if the pitcher has for one team has been pulled before the fifth inning in each of his last three starts, you may want to bet against him. As well the bullpen is important to factor in too, as some managers do not use their bullpens effectively. Meaning to say, some pitchers in the pen may be overworked. If you can use a site that allows for live betting, make sure to switch your bet if an overworked bullpen is being put to use again.

3.      Discipline - Similar to any other sport, staying disciplined is the most essential tip we can give you. One of the biggest reasons bettors suffer losing streaks is as a result of wagering on too many games. Instead of doing this, you should bet on a minimum of five games each time. This way you have better odds of winning all your wagers instead of needing to make up ground by betting on 15 games.

1. Pickup a Program - When going to the track, this is one of the smartest things someone new to horse racing can do. A program, tells the bettor all he or she needs to know not only about the race they are about to bet on, but also about previous races and the history of the horse. By picking up the program, you have an advantage over everyone else because you are doing your research on the job.

2. Horses that Place- One of the safest ways to pick a winning horse, is by looking at the horse’s previous record. In many programs the horse’s last three races will be shown. From here, you should look at if the horse has placed, if they have placed over their last few races, that is the horse you should pick as they have developed a pattern of always being in the mix and will likely win your bet.

3. Only bet on Winners- Similar to the horses that place bet, you should look at the horses who have won their previous races, but also are not the favorites, as these horses can win some big money for you. Further horses that are frequent winners are likely to give you the best return.

Betting on Stanley Cup winners has never been easy, however this young Blackhawks team gives its fans reason to believe that winning its seventh consecutive game is a strong possibility. Going into the series with the Flyers, the Hawks weakness appeared to be playing at home, while their strong suit was playing on the road. However as seen in their second round four game sweep of the San Jose Sharks, the Hawks can play well wherever they play. The Hawks trio of Kane, Toews, and Byfuglien, has struggled over these first two games, and although the team has still taken the first two, it will be crucial for the top line to step up in game three if they hope to have any chance at sweeping in game four on Friday night.

Conversely, when participating in Stanley Cup betting, experts initially had chosen the Flyers before the season to win Lord Stanley’s mug. When the team struggled, experts revoked their predictions quicker than the Washington Capitals flopped in the first round. Going into the Stanley Cup finals, goalie Michael Leighton looked unbelievable as he had shutout the Montreal Canadiens in three of the four victories in the third round, and easily defeated the Bruins in his three games in round two. Many fans and experts believed that Leighton was successful based on circumstances, as Flyers backup Brian Boucher had done most of the work for the last two months, before being injured in game five against the Bruins, which led to Leighton’s success.

On the other hand however, the Blackhawks have been providing Leighton and the Flyers with nostalgic moments as over the first two games of the finals, Leighton has reminisced back to Carolina Hurricanes form in which he appeared abysmal at best. For the Flyers to have any chance at avoiding three straight losses, Leighton needs to return to third round form.

Three keys to betting online with baseball include not playing only favorites, betting against streaks, and finding the best pitching match ups. Players can become trigger-happy with betting on favorites, especially in situations where the difference in the standings is a significant margin. However, the best team in baseball finished 103-59 a year ago, and with the heavy juice applied to wagering on the top teams, in most cases it would take three favorite wins to overcome one favorite loss, making it difficult to make a significant profit.

Another key to betting on baseball is to bet against streaks. Rarely do average and below average teams go on massive winning streaks, so when players notice that a middle of the pack team, such as the Toronto Blue Jays go on a five-game win streak, players can bet against them as favorites to have a couple of chances to win. Even if they extend the streak to six or seven, betting on them in the eighth will win that money back. Players can also pick their spot by looking for favorable match ups in those win streaks.

Super Saver wasn’t exactly a 50-to-1 long shot winner of the Kentucky Derby as Mine That Bird was last year but not many people are giving Calvin Borel’s pony a chance to win the Preakness this coming weekend.

It was much easier to pick Super Saver in the Run for the Roses as a lot of people who normally read their Football Betting Guide picked up a Derby guide, saw Borel riding a horse that does well in muddy conditions and picked the right winner.

But as it stands now, the bettors in the racebook aren’t backing Super Saver. It is a bit of a surprise as a number of horses who ran in the Derby - such as Ice Box and Conveyance - will not run at the Preakness.

Borel will once again be on Super Saver at the Preakness and we all know what he pulled off there last year. In 2009, it was Borel on top of a different horse - a filly - named Rachel Alexandra, who provided plenty of magic. This year, he’s committed to Super Saver and will try to win the middle jewel riding him.

135th Preakness: May 15th, 2010

Super Saver was impressive in the Derby, but the slop helped him. That won’t be the case at the Preakness. Take a good look at Lookin’ At Lucky - Bob Baffert’s horse - that should be able to make a splash in smoother conditions. There’s probably going to be a full field at the Preakness for the first time since 2005.

Lookin’ At Lucky is our betting pick for the SportsLines Odds.

Ever since game five of their first round series against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, the Montreal Canadiens led by relatively unknown Slovakian goalie Jaroslav Halak have been playing some of their best hockey. Going into the second round, Halak had stopped 131 of 134 shots over a three game winning streak against the President Cup Capitals.

After being destroyed by the Penguins to open the second round six to three in a game which saw Halak chased after allowing four of the six goals, Halak rebounded with a surreal effort in a three to one win in game two yesterday. Halak emerges as a man possessed when the pressure is on as he has portrayed both through stopping 131 of 134 shots against the Capitals and 38 of 39 in game two against the Penguins. If he is able to keep it up, sports betters will have a field day picking the Canadiens as a dark horse while participating in NHL playoff betting.

McIlroy sets new record in victory at Quail Hollow Championship

Golf betting has been reignited with the return of Tiger Woods to the PGA tour, this Preakness betting Month. This past weekend at the Quail Hollow Championship, golf fans were given the honour of witnessing history in the making as Roy McIlroy from Northern Ireland became the youngest golfer since Tiger Woods to win the tournament. Also McIlroy set the new Quail Hollow record as he shot a -10 under 62 as a result of his birdie putt which clinched the championship. Ironically, Tiger Woods failed to make the cut for the tournament’s final round, which became insignificant news when McIlroy won the tournament. With the return of Woods as well as the blossoming of new young talent such as McIlroy, golf has never been more exciting to bet on.

It is important to acknowledge that all the teams are much better at this point than during the regular season.  This has been shown by the first couple games played so far-no series will end in a sweep, and all the lower seeds have exceeded many expectations by hockey analysts.

When betting, make your decision before looking at the line.  This is a tip that helps most of the time, but none more so during the playoffs when any team can win. Chicago and Washington were heavy favourites in their respective Game Ones, and neither came out on top.  While the Capitals fell in overtime, the Blackhawks lost by three.

Ignore home ice except in a Game Seven Situation. Every team has the ability to win on the road, and often the pressure of playing at home can be overwhelming. Playing at home does not play as big a role in hockey as it does in basketball or football. However, in Game Seven, it is often best to go with the home team.

If a team loses one game, there is a good chance they will rebound the next. This is especially true in later rounds where series will run six or seven games.  Look for Detroit, New Jersey, San Jose, and Ottawa to bounce back in their respective Game Fours to tie the series. In certain matchups, however, one team is just too powerful and that may be the case for Washington, despite going to overtime twice.

Pick the over in Game One, and the under in Game Two.  Teams make adjustments after playing each other in one game, and the defense and goaltending almost always gets better.

Just remember that every team has a shot at winning, and it is never certain which goaltender will suddenly get hot.  Look for the teams playing strong defense, or those in need of a win and that will be your winner. Check out NHL odds to make your selections.

Hawks vs Spurs odds – Wednesday, 8:30 PM ET

The Hawks have won three in a row and eight of their last 10 overall, and they began a stretch of four road games in five outings with a 102-95 win in Houston on Monday. The Hawks also play in Orlando and Oklahoma City, and when they go home on Friday, it’s to face Boston. These are the kind of stretches where we’ll see who the Hawks really are.

The Spurs have dropped three in a row and five of their last six, scoring over 100 points just once in those games. This is crucial for the Spurs, who are in the midst of a six-game homestand before they head out on their annual Rodeo trip, and beginning with three losses is not what they had in mind.

The Spurs should still be favored at home, and if they’re going to break this streak, it should come against the Hawks, who have lost 11 straight and 14 of 15 in San Antonio. The Spurs are too good to lose another one at home.

Lines betting pick: San Antonio

NBA odds should favor Los Angeles on the road as they head out to Oklahoma City, as they’ve won nine straight over the Supersonics/Thunder. Can Kevin Durant and the Thunder snap this streak?

The Lakers have won two of their first three games, and Kobe Bryant has scored 31.3 points so far, along with 7.3 assists. Andrew Bynum is looking excellent and healthy, putting up 20.3 points and 8.7 boards, while Lamar Odom has 12.3 points, 11.7 boards and 6.7 assists for the Lakers, but Ron Artest has struggled, shooting 32.1% from the field. No worries, as he was brought here for his defense, so Bryant doesn’t have to defend the perimeter players of the league.

The Thunder has also won two of their first three, with Durant scoring a modest 22.0 points per game to go with 9.3 boards. People were calling him one-dimensional, so Durant gained some weight in order to hit the boards. If he becomes a 20/10 guy, the Thunder could be a surprise. Add in Jeff Green (19.7 points, 7.7 boards) and Russell Westbrook (15.7 points, 8.3 assists), and the Thunder will be fun to watch. However, Westbrook has to scale back on the 5.3 turnovers.

The Lakers took their two trips to Oklahoma City last year by an average of 16 points, and they should be able to take this as well for an NBA odds win. Artest will harass Durant all over the court, which leaves Green and Westbrook. The Lakers’ depth will ground the young Thunder.

Online betting pick: Lakers