Dortmund downs Nurnberg to take Bundesliga lead
Soccer Betting Lines
02/03/2012 - Nurnberg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sebastian Kehl and Lucas Barrio scored in the second half as Borussia Dortmund downed Nurnberg, 2-0, on Friday to return to top of the Bundesliga.
Defending champion Dortmund broke a three-way tie on points with Bayern Munich and Schalke as it grabbed sole possession of the top spot ahead of the weekend matches.
Bayern entered the week with the top spot based on goal differential, and will return to the summit with a win Saturday at Hamburg.
Dortmund survived a couple scares early as Shinji Kagawa cleared Timmy Simons' cross off the line in the 11th minute, and then Tomas Pekhart launched an open chance well high from the edge of the 6-yard box in the 19th.
Robert Lewandowski had Dortmund's first opportunity in the 21st, but Nurnberg goalie Raphael Schafer made the first of four saves.
Kevin Grosskreutz wasted a second chance for Dortmund in the 26th, and Schafer made another fine save on Lewandowski in the 34th, before stopping a weak shot from Kagawa in the 36th.
Dortmund's breakthrough came early in the second half in frigid Nurnberg, as a final pass from Lukasz Piszczek was deposited by Kehl to the bottom left.
Nurnberg rarely threatened, and Dortmund poked a second past Schafer with just 8 minutes remaining as Barrios latched onto a rebound to score his first goal.
Dortmund's fifth straight win put pressure on Bayern as it heads to Hamburg on Saturday with concerns defensively.
Daniel van Buyten was lost to injury last month and Rafinha is banned, so Jupp Heynckes will likely be forced to move Luiz Gustavo or Anatoliy Tymoshchuk for cover in the backline, either at center back or right back.
"It's very irritating," Bayern's Jerome Boateng said, "to be without both Van Buyten and Rafinha."
Hamburg has been revived under Thorsten Fink, a former Bayern player. Hamburg was unbeaten in his first eight matches in charge, and the club has climbed to mid-table in 11th after a horrible start.
Although matches are being threatened through Europe due to extreme cold, five more fixtures are also slated for Saturday: Bayer Leverkusen hosts Stuttgart, Hertha Berlin hosts Hannover, Hoffenheim hosts Augsburg, Schalke hosts Mainz, and Wolfsburg hosts Monchengladbach.
On Sunday, Freiburg hosts Werder Bremen and Kaiserslautern hosts Cologne.
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Heavy snow in Italy is threatening to wreak havoc with the 22nd round of Serie A fixtures this weekend as one match has already been postponed and others have been moved. Four midweek matches were post
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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.