Sports Betting Index - Betting Tips

30.3.07

14.59

Entertainment

Eurovision Song Contest

FYR Macedonia

We just feel that this years entry from Macedonia is overpriced - it has that ethicy feel and will have support from plenty of neighbours plus the female singer will have plenty of admirers

1/5 pt ew 80/1 Blue Square 80/1 1/4 4

31.3.07

12.29

Golf

US Masters

Tim Clark

Another one of the pitfalls of betting antepost - last seasons Masters runner-up has been injured for some time but played really well in the tough conditions at Houston for the first 2 days - then the rain came and people started playin target golf which is not the South Africans forte. Still on the bright side he often turns it on for Majors and if in form he would be less than half this price - lets hope he plays like last Thursday/Friday

1/4 pt ew 150/1 Bet365 1/4 5

Lost

-21.19

29.3.07

14.37

Golf

US Masters

Rich Beem

Beem got off to a flyer in Houston (hence the reason we put this bet up!) but cam back to earth with a bump and missed the cut! - the pitfalls of betting antepost! However the fact stands he has still played consistently well this season and is a Major winner so shoudn't really be this price

1/4 pt ew 300/1 Paddy Power 1/4 5

Lost

-20.69

28.3.07

21.38

Golf

US Masters

Steve Stricker

You might have gathered that we are rather keen on Stricker

this season and he just has to be a bet at this price as we expect him to go well this week at the Houston Open.He already has 2 top 5 finishes this season and seems to play better when the courses get tougher - possibly because he is such a good putter.
In his 2 Major appearances last season he managed a 6th and 7th and when he last played in the Masters when in form he was 10th having been 2nd after rd 1 - indeed he was 3rd after rd 1 the year before.

1/2 pt ew 250/1 Paddy Power 1/4 5

Lost

-20.19

27.3.07

20.44

Golf

Kraft Nabisco Championship

Laura Diaz

If you take out the 2 years when she missed the cut - firstly when recovering from a bad ankle injury and then coming back from having a baby her course form reads 9/30/5/3 which is quite impressive in a Major - indeed the 30th place finish came the week after her first tour win.She has improved with every start this season and was a most encouraging 3rd last week.

1/2 pt ew 80/1 Generally Available 1/4 5

Lost

-19.19

27.3.07

17.44

Golf

Livermore Valley Wine County Championship

Matt Hansen

It is good to see more interest from the bookmakers in this tour and we have found one bet for this so far.Hansen gained his PGA card at Q school for last season but to be honest he struggled but on the Nationwide tour this season he has improved in each start.The key to this bet is that he is playing close to his home and the last time he did this was exactly 12 months ago when he played an event on the Canadian tour and won.

1/5 pt ew 100/1 Tote 1/4 5

Lost

-18.19

27.3.07

10.54

Golf

Estoril Open

Jose Fillipe Lima

Lima did us a favour last season when managing to claim 3rd in Wales at a similar price and that came after some very poor from.
Indeed in 05 he came here in similar form and finished 3rd mainly as the course simply suits his game and of course he would dearly love to win the Open of his adopted country.

1/5 pt win 150/1 Sportstab 1/4 pt top 5 25/1 Tote,Sportstab,
Expekt

Lost

-17.79

26.3.07

18.03

Golf

Shell Houston Open

Rich Beem

Beem has surprisingly been playing with a very high level of consistency this season although his final round performances have been a little poor.He was 11th last season and we feel the course changes that have been made could be right up his street.

1/4 pt ew 80/1 Victor Chandler 1/4 5

Lost

-17.34

26.3.07

16.09

Golf

Estoril Open

Ignacio Garrido

We picked the Spaniard a few weeks back but he sadly disappointed but we will give him another go back on the Iberian mainland where he was 2nd last time he played in September.Although he has missed his last 2 cuts the scenario was the same in 05 when he came here and finished 8th

1/4 pt ew 100/1 Skybet

Lost

-16.84

26.3.07

15.43

Golf

Estoril Open

Tom Whitehouse

We will stick with Whitehouse who did show a good return to form as expected last week improving with every round played.The Spanish amateur champion from 01 loves the Iberian peninsula as he won the W school in Spain and won on this course on the Challenge Tour in 04

1/4 pt ew 100/1 Ladbrokes 1/4 5

Lost

-16.34

26.3.07

15.39

Golf

Estoril Open

Gary Orr

We will be concentrating on players who can play well in Iberia and Orr can certainly boast that over the years and has even won this event on a different course.We really do believe the course will suit his game and patience will be needed.

1/2 pt ew 100/1 Betfred 1/5 6

Lost

-15.84

26.3.07

14.40

Golf

Shell Houston Open

Jose Maria Olazabal

Our main bet for the week - everything we looked at for this week led us to Olazabal.The course setup has been made to reflect Augusta as much as possible to give players a warm-up and we all know what a great record Olly has there.In the last 2 years the setup has been similar at Bellsouth which has preceded the Masters and he has finished second twice and also he has finished 3rd in this event twice.

1 pt ew 50/1 Generally Available 1/4 5

Lost

-14.84

22.3.07

13.53

Golf

Safeway International

Kyeong Bae

A bit of a late play - just lookng through the odds available and although we decided at the beginning of the week not to play in this event the young Korean star really looks vastly overpriced considering she has improved with every start this season culminating in 3rd last time out.

1/5 pt ew 125/1 Sporting Odds/Tote

Lost

-12.84

21.3.07

19.28

Golf

Louisiana Open

Chris Smith

10 years ago Smith was THE best player on the Nationwide Tour - sadly he never really kicked on winning only once on the PGA tour and that was nearly 5 years ago. However he still retains a certain amount of ability and often has shown up early before fading in recent years but he could well find himself in the mix this week on a course where he has finished 5th on each of his last 2 visits

1/4 pt ew 66/1 Tote 1/4 5

Lost

-12.44

21.3.07

19.28

Golf

Louisiana Open

Hunter Haas

We have spent a lot of time on this event hoping to turn up a little gem but have ended up finding an ageing veteran and Haas who has never shown as much as he promised! The fact remains though that he has shown he can win on this tour (indeed he has twice), he has regularly played well here and was 2nd on his debut in Panama this season

1/4 pt ew 66/1 Skybet 1/4 5

Lost

-11.94

20.3.07

16.27

Golf

Motorola International

Mardan Mamat

Not an event we were going to get involved in as it is a poor field but we have to back the Singapore player who has finished in the top 25 in 3 of the last 4 co-sanctioned events.He is the course record holder and won here before nad crucially at present is hitting nearly 80% GIR

1/2 pt ew 40/1 Skybet 1/4 5

Lost

-11.44

20.3.07

11.15

Golf

Madeira Island Open

Garry Houston

We were hoping for 80/1 about Houston and at that price he would have been a bigger bet but we have slightly toned things down as he has only won a Challenge Tour event so far and has been around a while.If you ignore Singapore he has had a solid start to the year with 4 cuts made.He shows all the characteristics of previous winners re course form and has sown an ability to play it in both good and bad conditions

1/2 pt ew 66/1 Generally Available 1/4 5

Lost

-10.44

20.3.07

11.15

Golf

Madeira Island Open

Tom Whitehouse

Whitehouse has played poorly in the Middle and Far East this year but he has done it before and can certainly turn it on when the tour comes to events around Spain and Portugal as shown by a win in Estoril in 05 and 7th and 5th placed finishes here - has to be worth a small bet to continue the trend

1/4 pt ew 80/1 Generally Available 1/4 5

Lost

-9.44

19.3.07

21.05

Golf

Madeira Island Open

Steve Alker

One of our "off the wall" selections but Alker has found the modern game has passed him by somewhat but he can still be competitive on short tricky tracks as he showed when 3rd on the Nationwide Tour last season.Strangely enough his last win came in the event they play in the states this week - the Louisiana Open.

1/5 pt ew 150/1 Tote Sporting Odds 1/4 5

Lost

-8.94

19.3.07

16.47

Golf

Madeira Island Open

Ivo Giner

The veteran Spaniard has had a really solid start to the year with a top 10 in Colombia and 3rd in Guatemala on the Challenge Tour/Las Americas co-sanctioned events.However he has always played much better closer to home and he could be an interesting proposition on a course he knows very well and has a 10th and 2nd place finish on

1/5 pt ew 150/1 Ladbrokes 1/4 5

Lost

-8.54

19.3.07

15.17

Golf

WGC CA Championship

Lucas Glover

We are really still undecided about Glover - was his win a bit of a fluke in reality?
Well we err on the side of not and a player who was 4th last time out and 5th on the course last season really should not be an 80/1 shot.

1/2 pt ew 80/1 Sporting Odds 1/5 5

Lost

-8.14

19.3.07

14.31

Golf

WGC CA Championship

Stephen Ames

It is annoying that the Doral course is being used for a reduced field WGC event but we still have bets to strike.On his comeback from injury he played well in the WGC matchplay and was up there all week when 9th at Bay Hill.Ames holds the course record here with a 61 and has never missed a cut here.

1/2 pt ew 80/1 Tote 1/4 5

Lost

-7.14

14.3.07

14.25

Golf

TCL Classic

Top ROW

David Bransdon

Although we are slighlty comncerned about his last 2 events - missing the cut we believe that the course at Yalong Bay will suit his strengths much better as witnessed by his 25th and 12th place finishes here.
We think the Europeans might well dominate this event so as he struggles to get near the top 5 very often a play in the top ROW market seems wiser.

1/4 pt ew 40/1 Stan James 1/4 4

t3rd

-6.14

14.3.07

08.43

Golf

Arnold Palmer Invitational

Kenny Perry

We have thought long and hard about whether to include Perry in our staking plan this week but his course form of 2/15/1 is hard to ignore.He is such a big price as he hasn't really recaptured his best form since surgery and although his finishes have not been that high his stats look encouraging

1/5 pt win 124/1 1/4 pt place 24/1 Unibet

Lost

-7.47

13.3.07

23.20

Golf

TCL Classic

Scott Strange

The Australian has turned into a half decent player on the Asian tour in the last 2 seasons recording 2 wins in smaller events.Top 15 finishes in 2 of the last 3 co-sanctioned events show he is in good form.In the 4 times he has played here he has put himself in a good position 3 times at some point and this really is a weak field.

1/4 pt win 80/1 Thegreek 1/4 pt top 5 14/1 Tote

Lost

-7.02

13.3.07

11.21

Golf

Arnold Palmer Invitational

Jason Bohn

Since his surprising 11th place finish at Scottsdale Bohn faded but has improved with each start in recent weeks and his GIR % has certainly improved. Last season he played very well at Bay Hill - 5th heading into the final round he collapsed with a 78 - we feel he is ready to build on that experience

1/4 pt ew 160/1 Portlandbet 1/4 5

Lost

-6.52

12.3.07

17.14

Golf

Arnold Palmer Invitational

Aaron Baddeley

The young Australian is a nightmare to catch right but does have a tendency to hold his good form for some time and has followed up his win the FBR with top 20 finsihes.He is a great believer that Bay Hill suits his game quite clearly shown by 2 top 6 finishes in 4 starts.

3/4 pt ew 66/1 Betfred 1/5 6

Lost

-6.02

12.3.07

17.14

Golf

Arnold Palmer Invitational

Bart Bryant

Quite a simple pick this week the veteran leads the GIR stats this season and has been very solid in his strokeplay events.With that in mind he comes to an event where he was 8th on his debut and led after round 1 last year

3/4 pt ew 66/1 Generally Available 1/4 5

Lost

-5.52

12.3.07

16.05

Golf

TCL Classic

Alexander Rocha

The talented Brazilian was joint winner of the Q school for this season and has played well since then with an 11th in the Dunhill and 7th in Indonesia.The 11th place finish at the Dunhill shows he has improved as he missed the cut the year before and Yalong Bay is the second course he will play twice having finished a solid 21st last season.

1/2 pt ew 80/1 Sporting Odds 1/4 5

Lost

-4.02

12.3.07

14.38

Golf

Arnold Palmer Invitational

Paul Goydos

Goydos has to be worth a small bet at these odds in an event he won in 96 and had top 10's in 00 and 01.In the doldrums for years he sprung to life in Florida in the Autumn finishing 2nd and regaining his card and then won the first main event of the year in Hawaii on a par 70 track - something that Bay Hill has become this year

1/4 pt ew 150/1 Sporting Odds 1/4 5

Lost

-3.02

7.3.07

10.47

Golf

Mastercard Classic

Michele Redman

Given our penchant for picking near-misses Redman is probably not the wisest selection as she has been known to wobble when in contention. However when you look back over her form then she has a definite tendency to play certain courses well year in year out.She was 6th here on her only appearance a few seasons ago and warmed up with a 10th place in her last start.

1/5 pt ew 125/1 William Hill, Stan James 1/4 5

Lost

-2.52

5.3.07

21.17

Golf

PODS Championship

Frank Lickliter

We have always struggled to pick players for this event although we are at a loss to explain why! We picked Lickliter back in October when he finished top 20 and was 13th at the weekend making it 4 top 20 finishes on the bounce in Florida.Last weekend was a welcome return to form and he could well emulate his 3rd place finish here that he managed on his debut in 2000.

1/5 pt ew 150/1 Bet354, Ladbrokes 1/4 5

Lost

-2.12

6.3.07

10.14

Golf

Singapore Masters

Jean Van de Velde

We think the Frenchman is rather a generous price when you consider he was 10th last weekend and 8th on his last visit to Asia in Novemeber.It was only a year ago he won a similarly weak Madeira Open and has shot some decent scores round these "linksy" fairways before

1/4 pt ew 125/1 Victor Chandler, Bet365 1/4 5

t4th

-1.72

6.3.07

15.39

Golf

Toshiba Classic

Mark Johnson

"The Beerman" is a likeable player who appeared on the Seniors tour a couple of years ago and won this event in his native California. The fact that he came out as defending champion last season and placed 2nd leads us to think that he probably quite likes Newport Beach! This does seem a generous price considering he arguably enters this weeks event in better form than the past 2 seasons.

1/4 pt win 80/1 The Greek, 1/2 pt place 13/1 Expekt

Lost

-5.25

6.3.07

14.29

Golf

Kenyan Open

Paul Dwyer

It's not often we will have a play purely based on course form at such low odds but we think Dwyer maybe worth it.He has finsihed 3rd and 4th in 04 and 05 - each time when seemingly out of form and has produced similar results at similar courses when playing poorly - a speculative play and its a shame no-one else will price up the Challenge Tour.

1/2 pt ew 50/1 Skybet 1/4 5

Lost

-4.5

6.3.07

13.48

Golf

PODS Championship

Brett Wetterich

Gutted last week when our biggest bet of the year jsut came up short - a birdie at the par 5 last would have got him into the play-off - instead he bogeyed it to slip out of the places!
There has been a massive over-reaction in his price - 150/1 last week as low as 25/1 this - but the price Unibet have issued has to be snapped up as he was runner-up here last season.

1/2 pt win 64/1 1/2 pt top 5 14/1 Unibet

Lost

-3.5

5.3.07

21.17

Golf

PODS Championship

Carl Pettersson

The Swede has slightly sneaked under the radar in recent weeks with decent finishes at the Nissan and the Honda and comes to a venue he has met with success at before.He showed his intentions when he was 8th in 04 - following it with a win in 05 .We will let him off his missed cut as defending champion in October as he was out of form and under pressure.

1/2 pt ew 66/1 Betfred 1/5 6

Lost

-2.5

5.3.07

16.45

Golf

Singapore Masters

Jean-Francois Lucquin

A big price for a player 5th in Abu Dhabi and 2nd in Malaysia already this season.He also also shown some decent form round this course finishing 10th on his debut and top 5 after round 1 ter following year - we should get a decent run for our money

1/2 pt ew 80/1 Victor Chandler 1/4 5

Lost

-1.5

5.3.07

16.13

Golf

Singapore Masters

Patrik Sjoland

Sjoland rededicated himself to the game of golf - got his card at Q school and then more or less got his card when 3rd at the South African Open - he then bizarrely changed his clubs!
He has shown glimpses of decent form on his 2 starts to date this year and the course we think will suit his game as he was 5th here a few years ago.

1/4 pt ew 125/1 BlueSquare Bet365 1/4 5

Lost

-0.5