sportsbook US
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NFL
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LAST WEEK’S WINNING PICKS – NY GIANTS, SAN DIEGO & HOUSTON!
PATS 10/1 FOR SUPER BOWL
New England are 10/1 with bet365 after defeating Buffalo on Sunday, a win which also puts them top of the AFC East (1/8 here at bet365). Pittsburgh are now clear second favorites at 9/1 after their narrow 20-19 victory over Baltimore. Denver (12/1), Carolina (12/1) and the New York Giants (20/1 from 40/1) have all been clipped after advertising their chances at the weekend.
Philadelphia are the big drifters in the outright market (12/1 from 8/1) after being given a serious pasting by Denver. The Eagles are in serious danger of becoming extinct in the NFC East too, as both the Giants and the Cowboys were victorious in Week 8. Philly have now lost two of its last three games, with the defeats coming by a combined 51-points, and bet365 bettors have been quick to oppose them this week, with Sunday’s opponents, Washington, now favored by 3.5 points (after starting as 1-point underdogs). Other early Week 9 moves have seen Carolina well-supported into 1.5-point favorites (from +1.0) against Tampa Bay.
bet365 latest NFC East prices … Philadelphia 13/8, NY Giants 15/8, Dallas 3/1, Washington 5/1
bet365 latest Super Bowl prices … Indianapolis 2/1, Pittsburgh 9/1, New England 10/1, Atlanta 11/1, Philadelphia, Carolina, Denver 12/1, others on
bet365 website.
HOME IN ON THE UNDERDOGS
For this week’s picks, we’re going to play the underdogs. Last week, we cashed in with the Giants, who made a mockery of the 2.0-point line by shutting out Washington 36-0. Their favorable schedule makes them almost a lock for the postseason, but they remain dicey on the road, and San Francisco (coming off a surprise win over the Bucs) look worth chancing getting a 10.5-point start.
Arizona can also be backed getting a 4-point start at home against Seattle.
The Cardinals beat Seattle 25-17 at Sun Devil Stadium last season, and their 2005 squad has the talent to win this game too. Seattle is just 1-2 on the road and have trouble stopping the run.
Jacksonville are a hard team to figure out. They run the ball, play solid defence, and have a knack for pulling off close games. However, they seem to play to the level of their competition, playing lethargically against weaker teams. This week they play Houston, who are coming of a win against Cleveland (probably their only win of the season!), and the underdogs are interesting getting a massive 13-point start.
A couple of underdogs I won’t be backing this week are the Vikings (a dreadful 2-5 ATS this season), and the Saints (beaten by Miami in their first true home game last week). We’ll be backing all our picks in singles (as serious bettors should), but it’s hard to resist a speculative parlay wager on all five, especially as you’re assured of getting an extra 10% bonus here at bet365. Each week, we pay out up to 50% more on successful NFL & NCAAF parlays on the following 6 markets:-
Point Spread, Game Total, First Half Point Spread, Second Half Point Spread, First Half Total, Second Half Total.
Week 9 Picks: San Francisco (+10.5); Houston (+13.0); Arizona (+4.0); Detroit (-1.5) and Chicago (-3.0). All teams are currently priced at 10/11, and a $50 parlay pays out $730.59 - which includes a bet365 bonus of 10%
BET IT LIVE WITH 365
You can’t beat the adrenaline rush of the live game, and that’s when our In-Play service kicks in via our new ‘In-Play Console’, which has all the odds and markets on one convenient page (just click on the link on the top left-hand side of the home page). This weekend’s live games are:
MON Alouettes @ HAM Tiger-Cats
Fr Nov 4 – 7:30 pm EST (TSN)/Sa Nov 5 – 00:30 GMT
CAR Panthers @ TB Buccaneers
Su Nov 6 – 1:00 pm EST/18:00 GMT
CHI Bears vs NO Saints
Su Nov 6 – 4:05 pm EST/21:00 GMT
PHL Eagles @ WAS Redskins
Su Nov 6 – 8:30 pm EST (ESPN)/Mo Nov 7 – 01:30 GMT
IND Colts @ NE Patriots
Mo Nov 7 – 9:00 pm EST (ABC)/Tu Nov 8 – 02:00 GMT
Good luck in Week 9.
NASCAR
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LAST WEEK’S ATLANTA WINNER CARL EDWARDS GIVEN HERE AT 12/1!
JUNIOR DIALED IN AT 10/1 FOR TEXAS TUSSLE
Su Nov 6 – 3:00 pm (NBC)/20:00 GMT
As predicted, it was the Roush gang who dominated proceedings last week, with victory going to pre-practice 12/1 shot (and top pick!), Carl Edwards, who was completing a sweep of the 2005 Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
That win helped Edwards make up some ground in the Chase for the championship, shaving 42 points off the deficit behind current points leader Tony Stewart. His team mates Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle finished third, fifth and seventh respectively, and the Roush-driven Fords will again be favorites to win this week.
In particular, Biffle will be very difficult to beat, and he’s a worthy
bet365 favorite at 11/2. That still looks a fair price, considering the way he dominated the spring race here back in April, where he led for a career-high 219 laps, despite having to switch to a backup car and start from the rear of the field following a crash in practice! He can at least be fancied to gain some ground on Stewart this week (currently 75 points behind), whose best finish at Texas has been 5th in seven career starts, including a very disappointing 31st place finish in the spring race this year.
Of course, there’s still plenty of incentive for drivers who aren’t in the Chase to win (the 11th placed driver gets $1 million!), and I’ve got a sneaky feeling this week for Dale Earnhardt Jr, at a tempting bet365 price of 10/1. Junior dominated the early part of last week’s race, leading for a race-high 142 laps, and will be bringing the exact same chassis to Texas.
The car was dialled in there and there is no reason to think that it can’t win this week, or at least give us a great run for our money (bettors can always hedge their pre-race bets via our live ‘In-play Console.’).
Nigel’s Dickies 500 Picks: Greg Biffle @ 11/2 / Dale Earnhardt Jr. @ 10/1
bet365 latest Dickies 500 prices … Greg Biffle 11/2, Jimmie Johnson 7/1, Tony Stewart 8/1, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt 10/1, others on
bet365 website.
GOLF
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HOWELL A HOME TOWN BET AT 33/1
Th Nov 3 – 11:30 am EST (ESPN)/16:30 GMT
Fr Nov 4 – 11:30 am EST (ESPN)/16:30 GMT
Sa Nov 5 – 12:00 pm EST (ABC)17:00 GMT
Su Nov 6 – 1:30 pm EST (ABC)18:30 GMT
This week’s Tour championship from East Lake, Atlanta, Georgia, is the climax to the official US season, but for the bigger names on show, this could be one tournament too many. No guessing who’s favorite, but do you really want to be backing Tiger at 13/5 considering his persistent inaccuracy off the tee and the fact that he’s not at his best on par-70 courses. He’s not for me, and neither is Vijay Singh (can’t putt for
toffee) or previous course winner Retief Goosen, who would have been the pick but for some extremely shoddy play last week. So, with Woods’
immediate rivals unlikely to prosper, there has to a chance of an upset this week.
Georgia native Charles Howell is worth a bet on his record in this event alone. When he first qualified for this event in 2002, he battled Vijay all the way before finishing second, and followed that with another second place finish in 2003. On both occasions, he held the lead going into the weekend (which makes him an interesting bet at 14/1 to be ‘First Round Leader’), and he’s been playing nicely this month too. Last week’s 16th spot was a good effort under pressure as it secured him his place in the field, and the in-form home town player simply has to be backed at 33/1
(35/1 Enhanced Win Only Odds).
There would be more confidence in the second selection, Chad Campbell, if the event was being played in his home state of Texas, the scene of his
2003 Tour Championship victory. However, last week’s close call in the Chrysler Championship bodes well for his chances here, and he’ll see this as an opportunity to close what has been a largely disappointing year by his standards in style. The 25/1 (28/1 EWO) could look big come Sunday, but even then you’re assured of getting on via our live ‘In-Play Console.’
At much bigger odds this week, I also like the look of Sean O’Hair. The 23-year-old has had a fantastic rookie season on Tour, winning his first title at the John Deere Classic in July. That win allowed him to play in the Open at St Andrews, and by finishing 15th there, he showed that he was going to be a big-time player. Despite this success, he was still allowed to go off at 100/1 for the Chrysler Championship last week, where he almost rewarded each way support by finishing tenth. In this week’s limited field (only top-30 on Tour qualify), and with question marks over his better fancied rivals, he looks a great each way bet at the bet365 standout price of 66/1 (1/4 odds 1.2.3.4)
Nigel’s Tour Championship Three Off The Tee: Chad Campbell @ 25/1; Charles Howell @ 33/1; Sean O’Hair @ 66/1
Get in the game and be lucky!
Nigel.
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