July, 2009

Football / Sky Bet — No Comments
15
Jul 09

Premier League 2009 Preview

Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United are the hot favourites in the Premier League winner odds for online betting punters with Sky Bet at 6/4 to retain their Championship crown.

But with Portuguese star Christiano Ronaldo off to Real Madrid and the Old Trafford outfit on the cusp of change with the injury-hit Michael Owen United’s biggest name summer signing so far, the possibly more settled Liverpool could be a good tip to steal the title at 11/4 while Chelsea are also well placed to mount a serious challenge at 9/4.

Arsenal complete the big four betting at 9/1 while big spending Manchester City are at 25/1 to take the silverware away from their neighbours.

But it is outside the challenge for the title that online betting fans can chance a punt at Sky Bet – and the three promoted sides hot in the relegation odds to crash back down into the Championship.

If you fancy a flutter on Aston Villa or Spurs slipping up and facing the drop, Sky Bet have both clubs at 66/1 to go down. After Newcastle and Middlesbrough’s slide last season, at least one of the established clubs could be facing the same nightmare scenario. And it is Bolton who looks the most vulnerable at 6/1 to be relegated.

Manchester City’s Mark Hughes is a good bet be the first manager to be sacked next season and if his big-money signings can’t meet the expectations of the owners, he could well face the chop while Gary Megson will also be hoping that Bolton can get off to a decent start or he could face collecting his P45.

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Tour De France — No Comments
14
Jul 09

Tour De France Odds

The Tour De France is already well under way, with nine stages already being completed. There have been many talking points so far, not least Britain’s Mark Cavendish’s victory at the second and third stages of the tour. Cavendish was expected to make a significant challenge for the Green Jersey, the jersey awarded to the best sprinter, and he certainly hasn’t disappointed. He currently sits second in the Green Jersey leader board behind the Norwegian Thor Hushovd. Hushovd currently leads the way in in the Tour de France betting for the Green Jersey outright winner with odds of 4/5 at Sky Bet and Cavendish closely follows him with odds of 10/11. Can the Manx Express topple the Bull from Grimstad?

The Tour de France reaches the 10th Stage on Tuesday 14th of July with the race taking place between Limoges to Issoudun. This is a flat stage and is also one of the stages where the riders will not have radio contact with their team. Could this play a significant role in the race?

Mark Cavendish is currently the overwhelming favourite in the Tour de France betting for this race with of 4/5. He is then followed by Oscar Friere and that man Thor Hushovd again who are both at 11/1 in the Tour de France odds. With these sort of odds, it’s difficult to see a winner other than the rider from the Isle of Man.

In terms of the overall Tour de France winner, awarded the Yellow Jersey, it appears to be a straight out shootout between pre race favourite Alberto Contador and 6 time champion Lance Armstrong. Contador is the odds on 1/3 favourite at Sky Bet and it appears that the Tour de France is his to lose. Lance Armstrong has amazed everyone with how he has come back, but surely its one step too far to capture another Yellow Jersey?

Sky Bet will have Tour de France betting markets for all the stages as well as outright betting markets for the Yellow, Green and Polka Dot Jersey. There are also a range of specials for Mark Cavendish and other rider. It matters more when there’s money on it!   

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Golf — No Comments
14
Jul 09

US PGA Championship 2009 Preview

Every August the final major of the year takes place in the States as the US PGA Championship becomes the focal point for golf betting fans. Customers at Sky Bet can bet on golf all year round, with US PGA odds becoming available shortly before the competition began.

The US PGA Championship is a great chance for the golfers on the PGA Tour to secure their career. The winner is guaranteed a place on all the majors for the next 5 years, so the lesser known players really make a go of it here. This makes US PGA betting really exciting as the winner is often less predictable

The tournament began in 1916 and has a storied list of past winners, including Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickleson. It has traditionally been dominated by American golfers, and has only been won 11 times by players from outside the States.

2008 was one of those occasions, when Ireland’s Padraig Harrington was the US PGA winner in Michigan. He started the competition with US PGA odds of 16/1 at Sky Bet, which meant several customers did very well out of the result.

This year, the US PGA Championship takes place at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska Minnesota, which last hosted the tournament in 2002 when unheralded Rich Beem took the title. As ever, Tiger Woods will enter this major as favourite in the US PGA betting odds. He missed last years tournament with a knee injury and will be looking to add win his fifth US PGA Championship. As mentioned earlier, Padraig Harrington is the defending champion and will aiming to claim his fourth major, but his form for 2009 has been quite poor by his standards and it will take a big change in fortunes for him to triumph. However you can never count out the big Irishman.

Others who could mount a serious challenge against Woods are Sergio Garcia, who came up just short against Harrington last year, Phil Mickleson, the winner from 2005, and the Northern Irish wunderkind Rory McIlroy who has performed admirably at the Majors this year.

Those looking for a bit more value in their US PGA betting may fancy the veteran Vijay Singh. Singh a two time previous US PGA winner and finished in the top 10 last time the tournament was held at Hazeltine.

To bet on the US PGA, log into Sky Bet where there are a number of US PGA betting markets, including outright winner, mythical 2 ball and a number of betting specials.
 
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F1 / Grand Prix — No Comments
11
Jul 09

German Grand Prix Betting

German Grand Prix Odds

It has been highly publicised just how well Jenson Button is doing in the current Formula 1 World Championships, but is he worth a punt for the German Grand Prix betting this weekend?
The German Grand Prix circuit will see drivers going around the track 60 times with the circuit length being 5.148km and the total distance covered being 308.863km. Jenson Button will have a challenge on his hands no doubt, but maybe even a personal challenge to try and beat the 2004 current lap record of 1:29.468 on this circuit which is held by Michael Schumacher.
Button goes into this race with a 23 point lead in the Drivers Championship over his nearest rival, Brawn team mate Rubens Barrichello. As such, Buttons odds for taking the title are pretty overwhelming, with odds of 1/4 at Sky Bet. Red Bull driver Mark Webber has said that the title is now ‘Button’s to lose’, and the bookies seem to be agreeing with him.
However, the favourite for the German Grand Prix betting is Webber’s team mate Sebastian Vettel, who was a hugely impressive in his win at the last race at Silverstone and currently has odds of 11/8 at Sky Bet.

The Red Bull team have made some technical improvements during the season and they are expected to have a very strong end to the season. Button is not far behind however, with odds of 13/8, followed Webber, Barrichello. Those looking for an outsider might fancy Massa who has odds of 25/1 for the victory. He had a very good race at Silverstone and the Ferrari team have surely got to come good sometime this season.
In terms of team betting, Brawn and Red Bull again dominate. Red Bull edge it slightly with odds of 10/11 whilst the Brawn odds are 11/10. For those who like a bit more value in their betting, there is betting market for the first team to retire from the race at Sky Bet, which Torro Rosso have the dubious honour of being favourites for with odds of 9/2.
Sky Bet Have 30 German Grand Prix betting markets available, with a number of specials for the Brawn and Red Bull drivers and also Lewis Hamilton.

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Golf — No Comments
10
Jul 09

Betting On The Open Championship 2009

The Open Championship 2009 Betting

The 138th Open Championship returns to Scotland in July (16th to 19th) and Sky Bet will once again be providing unrivalled Open Championship betting markets to tempt punters.

After the tense finish to last year’s tournament at Royal Birkdale when Padraig Harrington held off the challenge of the ‘Great White Shark’ Greg Norman and Ian Poulter to retain his title, the Irishman heads north to Turnberry as one of the favourites in the Open Championship odds to make history and win his third consecutive Open Championship title.

But the three-time major champion, a 33/1 shot in the Open Championship betting, must overhaul Tiger Woods if he is to become the first man since Peter Thompson in 1956 to win his third Claret Jug on the bounce.

Woods, currently with Open Championship odds of 2/1, missed last year’s trip to Lancashire west coast after knee surgery, but the world No1 travels to the Ailsa course determined in his own bid for a fourth Open Championship.

Other contenders bidding to deny Harrington and Woods include talented Spaniard Sergio Garcia, a 18/1 shot in the golf betting, and Irish wonder kid Rory McIlroy, 20/1. Past winner Ernie Els is 33/1 in the Open Championship betting, while Masters champion Angel Cabrera is 70/1. Those looking for a hot tip might find value in the American Jim Furyk at 40/1. Furyk is always a hugely consistent performer at the majors, and with a 4th and a 5th placed finish at the Open in the last 3 years, he certainly has the pedigree to perform at the oldest of the four majors.

All in all, another exciting Open Championship is almost guaranteed and Sky Bet will provide the best golf betting experience in the marketplace.

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Big Brother / News / Sky Bet — No Comments
2
Jul 09

Big Brother 10 Betting

Big Brother 10 betting update

Half Wit twice as popular in Big Brother Betting

Big Brother betting favourite, Half Wit, continues to consolidate at the head Sky Bet’s market after surviving his third public voted evection. The wannabe MP has been cut to 13/8 from 11/4 to win the show after his friend Angel got the boot on Friday.

Sky Bet’s Big Brother betting expert, Helen Jacob, said: “Never has someone so unpopular with the housemates themselves been such a strong favourite but it seems that the more nominations Half Wit gets the stronger he is in the betting. We’re taking twice as many bets on him as any other housemate at present.”
Rodrigo, who is the only housemate not to have received an nominations so far, is Sky Bet’s 9/2 joint second favourite in the Big Brother 10 betting together with Siavash. Outsider of the pack at 33/1 with Sky Bet is Brummy troublemaker Lisa, with womanising Kris also friendless in the Big Brother betting at 28/1.

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Sky Bet / Wimbledon — No Comments
1
Jul 09

Wimbledon betting preview – Murray v Federer final 11/10 with Sky Bet

Wimbledon betting hots up today as play restarts, with all eyes on Andy Murray’s odds. The Scot is 2/1 with Sky Bet to be the first Brit to win the men’s singles since 1936 and he goes into his fourth-round clash against Stanislas Warwinka as 1/20 hot favourite to book a place in the quarter-finals for the second consecutive year. The pair have never played each other on grass and the Swiss 19th seed is 9/1 with Sky Bet to beat Murray.

 

Sky Bet’s tennis betting odds compiler, Chris Kennedy, said: “Wawrinka is a step up in class from Murray’s opponents so far but I still expect him to prevail in three or four sets. Although we have big liabilities on Murray winning the outright, Wawrinka has been well backed to win the match at attractive odds of 9/1.”

 

Sky Bet boast a wide variety of Wimbledon betting markets on today’s action, including several Murray betting specials. Murray has not lost his serve during his last two matches against Troicki and Gulbis and is 5/4 with Sky Bet not to lose his serve again today. He has scored 48 aces in 44 service games and Murray’s odds of serving up an ace in his first service game are 8/15 (11/8 not to serve an ace in his first service). He is 2/9 favourite to score more aces than Wawrinka (3/1).

 

The British number one is on course for a place in Sunday’s final and a Murray v Federer showdown is an 11/10 chance with Sky Bet.

 

Despite Murray’s form, five-time champion Federer remains Sky Bet’s 4/7 favourite in the Wimbledon men’s singles betting. He takes on Robin Soderling today in what is a repeat of the French Open final and is 1/25 to take his record against the Swede to 11-0. Sky Bet make the Swiss master 3/1 to win in SW19 and follow up with victory at the US open, while Murray is 9/1 to take both titles.

 

Murray is into 6/4 with Sky Bet to be named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, while Jenson Button’s odds of topping the poll this December have drifted to 8/11 (from 4/7).

 

To bet on Wimbledon, click here.

 Sky Bet Murray v Wawrinka Match Specials 

Murray to lose serve in match 4/7   Murray to serve a double fault in his 1st service game 9/2 

Murray not to lose serve in match 5/4   Murray not to serve a double fault in his 1st service game 1/8 

-1.5 sets Murray, A 1/6   Murray to serve an ace in his 1st service game 1/2 

+1.5 sets Wawrinka, S 7/2   Murray not to serve an ace in his 1st service game 6/4 

Match to be decided past 6-6 in 5th set 33/1   Murray to make 1st hawkeye challenge 5/6 

2 or more tie-breaks in the match 5/2   Wawrinka to make 1st hawkeye challenge 5/6 

A 6-0 set in the match 13/2 

Name The Finalists   

Note: Others on request. 

Murray v Federer 4/5   Murray v Haas 25/1 

Murray v Djokovic 5/1   Hewitt v Djokovic 33/1 

Roddick v Federer 6/1   Roddick v Haas 66/1 

Hewitt v Federer 9/1   Hewitt v Haas 80/1 

Roddick v Djokovic 22/1 

Win Specials 

Federer to win Wimbledon & US Open in 2009 10/3 

Murray to win Wimbledon & US Open in 2009 9/1 

 

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