U.S. Open Betting Odds Preview

After the NBA Finals odds come to a close, sports betting fans will want something new and exciting to focus on when making their sportsbook picks. How about the U.S. Open next week at Bethpage Black? Most books have taken down their official odds until the St. Jude Classic ends, but we can still discuss some potential top picks based on the most recent odds. Let’s have a look.

TIGER WOODS

U.S. Open odds: 7 to 4

No matter how well or poorly Tiger is playing at any given point, he’ll be in the discussion for major championship contenders as long as he can still hold a club. Long hitters do well at Bethpage and we know what Tiger can do off the tee; it’s just a matter of whether or not he can keep the ball in the fairway. He did it at the Memorial last week, but Muirfield Village’s fairways are easy to hit compared to Bethpage’s. Still, Tiger has two wins this season, so he’ll play well enough to contend.

PHIL MICKELSON

U.S. Open odds: 8 to 1

Lefty is a wildcard this week, but be careful not to bet with your heart over your head. It would be nice to see him win since he’s dealt with his wife’s illness, but we don’t know if his game is where it needs to be for the U.S. Open. Take a wait-and-see approach and bet based on how he finishes at the St. Jude.

PAUL CASEY

U.S. Open odds: 20 to 1

Watch out for this Englishman. Did you know that he’s ranked third in the world golf rankings? He’s playing well this season, with three top-fives, he’s a bomber off the tee at over 295 yards on average, and his current golf odds would give you +2000 value. Not bad.

JIM FURYK

U.S. Open odds: 25 to 1

If I have a “gut feeling” pick, Furyk is it. Those who bet on sports know he almost always performs at the U.S. Open – he has one win, two second-places and two fifth-places – and he’s playing well of late, with three straight top-10s.

ANGEL CABERA

U.S. Open odds: 50 to 1

You may want to pounce on Cabrera now if your sportsbook has lines open. A former U.S. Open winner and the current reigning Masters champ at +5000 value? Seems like a steal, especially since he has the length needed to compete at Bethpage. Don’t’ forget about him.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Texas Rangers Betting Odds

The Blue Jays will trot Ricky Romero out to the mound in this one. Lefthander Romero has a 3-2 record and a 4.10 ERA this season.

The Toronto Blue Jays will be trying to extend a winning streak on Thursday when they take on the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark.

Romero's opponent in this one will be Kevin Millwood. The Rangers righthander has a 2.96 ERA to go along with a 5-4 record this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Rangers listed as 155-moneyline favorites versus the Blue Jays, while the game's total is sitting at 10.

Brian Tallet tossed seven scoreless innings to get the win, as the Blue Jays slammed the Rangers 9-0 on Tuesday night.

Toronto cashed as +110 road underdogs as the game played UNDER the 10.5-run total listed by oddsmakers.

Adam Lind was 2-for-5 with a homer and two runs batted in for the Blue Jays, while Marco Scutaro went 2-for-5 with two RBIs for Toronto.

Doug Mathis gave up four earned runs over five innings to take the loss for Texas, which managed only two hits in the loss.

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games

Toronto is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

Toronto is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Texas

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games on the road

The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Texas's last 5 games

The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Texas's last 6 games at home

The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Texas's last 7 games when playing at home against Toronto

Texas is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games at home

Next up:
Toronto home to Florida, Friday, June 12

Texas home to LA Dodgers, Friday, June 12

UFC 99 Preview and Picks

With the NBA Finals odds to worry about, not to mention Game 7 Stanley Cup betting, it’s understandable if you’re a bit distracted by the huge sports betting events this week. However, if you like exciting MMA action, you shouldn’t forget about UFC 99 this weekend. It may not have a title fight but it features a handful of exciting matchups.

The event starts at 3:00 p.m. ET Saturday, June 13. With so many good fights to choose from, let’s profile the top five fights to watch in rapid-fire format.

Rich Franklin (26-4) vs Wanderlei Silva (32-9-1) – Catchweight bout (195 lbs)

UFC 99 betting lines: Franklin -140, Silva +110

THE STORYLINE: Two exciting strikers coming off tough losses both seek revenge in what should be a bloody war featuring lots of standup.

THE PICK: Franklin. He has less mileage on his body and is a bit better defensively. He’ll catch Silva, who seems to have lost a step.

Cheick Kongo (24-4-1) vs Cain Velasquez (5-0) – Heavyweight bout

UFC 99 betting lines: Kongo +160, Velasquez -200

THE STORYLINE: Velasquez is the next big thing in the heavyweight division and he has a chance to prove he’s ready to contend against the big, strong kickboxer Kongo.

THE PICK: Kongo. Velasquez will be a force in UFC betting soon enough, but he’s not ready to face a seasoned vet like Kongo after just five pro fights.

Marcus Davis (21-5) vs Dan Hardy (21-6) – Welterweight bout

UFC 99 betting lines: Davis -220, Hardy +180

THE STORYLINE: Two rough, tough boxers who don’t like each other finally get to slug it out in the octagon.

THE PICK: Davis. He’s a more experienced fighter, having fought some of the best welterweights out there, and his ground game is better. He’ll knock Hardy out in what may be the fight of the night.

Mike Swick (13-2) vs Ben Saunders (7-0-2) – Welterweight bout

UFC 99 betting lines: Swick -225, Saunders +185

THE STORYLINE: Two solid but relatively obscure fighters meet, with the winner possibly climbing high on the welterweight ladder.

THE PICK: Saunders. Those who bet on sports don’t know much about him yet, but he could be a future star in UFC betting. He has a nice combination of ground skills and striking (watch out for those knees!). Swick has power but he’ll be in trouble if Saunders can get close to him.

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (24-6-1) vs Mostapha Al Turk (6-4) – Heavyweight bout

UFC 99 betting lines: Cro Cop -400, Al Turk +300

THE STORYLINE: The popular, powerful Cro Cop hopes to make a comeback at age 34 and Dana White has been kind to him, offering up punching bag Mostapha Al Turk.

THE PICK: Cro Cop. Al Turk is a stepping stone at best and will probably catch one of Cro Cop’s monster kicks in the head – possibly in round one.

Good luck with UFC 99 if you wager online this weekend.

Boxing Betting – Cotto Faces Stiff Test Against Joshua Clottey

With the NBA Championship odds and Silva Franklin odds for UFC 99 stealing some of the limelight, the Miguel Cotto-Joshua Clottey fight might not get much attention this weekend. Even so, it should be a good bout between Cotto, who was a rising star and will try to get back on track, and the upstart Clottey. In boxing’s most crowded and popular division, let’s find out if we have another contender in the mix.

Cotto Clottey Odds: Cotto -360

Saturday, June 13th

Madison Square Gardens, NY

It will be an interesting bout between Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey this weekend. On one hand, we’ll have the relatively unknown Joshua Clottey, who is well-deserved of a fight against a guy like Cotto, but hasn’t exactly shown that he can dominate the sport in the tough division.

Cotto, on the other hand, was a rising star in the division and was even rumored to be close to a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr, but a surprising loss to Antonio Margarito derailed those plans.

But there is some speculation as to how credible Margarito’s win, or in this case, Cotto’s loss was. Margarito was busted using plaster under his gloves in his next fight against Shane Moseley, which makes a lot of handicappers wonder if Margarito did the same to Cotto.

Regardless, the main issue here will be if Cotto can get over his first knockout and his first loss. Often times a fighter is never the same after being knocked out.

Cotto did have a chance to clear his head against Michael Jennings, which he did. Cotto took home the WBO belt for his efforts and now should be even crisper against Clottey.

For Cotto, that fight was a tune-up but Clottey might be a bit rusty. Clottey hasn’t fought in 10 months, which could work against him.

At the end of the day, Cotto is the more skilled fighter and the boxer with the brighter future. There are a number of potential fights lined up for him including Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao or Juan Manuel Marquez if Cotto can put Clottey to bed rather easily.

But if Cotto is looking ahead, he’ll find himself in a scrap. Clottey isn’t a stiff.

Even so, look for Cotto to be focused and ready for the fight this Saturday.

Cotto Clottey betting pick: Cotto -360

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NBA Finals Betting Odds & Stats - Magic vs. Lakers

The Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers will both be trying to pick up a win on Sunday when they battle at STAPLES Center in the second game of the NBA Finals.

Oddsmakers currently have the Lakers listed as 6½-point favorites versus the Magic, while the game's total is sitting at 202.

Kobe Bryant poured in a game-high 40 points as the Lakers ran over the Magic 100-75 in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series on Thursday.

The Lakers easily covered the 6-point spread, but the 175 points fell UNDER the night's posted total of 205.5.

Bryant also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out eight assists in that win.

Dwight Howard had a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Magic in the loss.

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Orlando's last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers

Orlando is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games

The total has gone OVER in 5 of Orlando's last 7 games

Orlando is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games

The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 5 games at home

LA Lakers are 15-2 SU in their last 17 games at home

LA Lakers are 11-2 SU in their last 13 games when playing at home against Orlando

The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 6 games when playing at home against Orlando

Weekend Preview – Lakers, Red Wings Aim To Take Control At Home

With the Belmont odds posted and the French Open finals upon us, there will be a lot of sporting events for the weekend. Here’s a preview of the two major sports that are currently in the Finals stages:

Stanley Cup Betting: Penguins Have Another Shot To Steal Home-Ice.

Earlier in the postseason, the NHL playoffs were pushed off the TV schedule in favor of the Kentucky Derby. While it will have to share the attention with the Belmont Stakes betting crowd this Saturday, Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals will be played later on in the evening.

The story is still the same for the Penguins as they need to steal at least one game on the road in Detroit. The Red Wings have the early momentum in the series as they jumped out to an early 2-0 series lead but now the series is tied and the Red Wings are the ones feeling the pressure.

The good news for Pittsburgh is that in their two losses, the Red Wings scored a lot of fluky goals. Now they head back to Detroit as confident as they’ve been.

The Red Wings better find a way to get their big guns going. Pavel Datsyuk has yet to play in this series, Henrik Zetterberg is playing heavy minutes but mostly on the defensive end and Marian Hossa has just two assists in the series.

The Red Wings power play has also disappeared. They are just 1-for-10 in the series and if it doesn’t wake up soon, the Red Wings may find themselves in a 3-2 series hole.

Lakers Magic Betting: Lakers See Through Nervous Magic Tricks

The Los Angeles Lakers had a very easy time dismantling the Orlando Magic in Game 1 and the story might not change a whole lot for Game 2.

While it’s true that the Magic shot an uncharacteristically low percentage from the field (29%), there was good reason for it. The Magic did not move the ball around on offense, they were playing one-on-one and they lost all of their confidence they built up from the previous round.

Most of that can be attributed to nerves but another concern has to be how they performed on the defensive end themselves.

The Lakers played with more intensity and found plenty of holes in the Magic’s weak defense.

Kobe Bryant finished with 40 points but the scary stat from his line would be the eight assists. If Bryant is going to put up LeBron James numbers, this will not be a very long series.

Look for a closer contest in Game 2 but the result should be the same.

World Cup Qualifier odds – Big Weekend for Argentina, England, Portugal

On the same day as the Belmont odds and some French Open finals betting, soccer brings us some exciting action with a huge day of World Cup Qualifying games. Let’s break down a few of the more noteworthy matchups for this Saturday.

Kazakhstan vs England – Saturday, June 6 @ 11:00 a.m. ET

Soccer betting lines: Kazakhstan +1300, England -700, Draw +500

Could England finally be on the verge of ending their stretch of disappointments over the last decade or so? The team that lost in the 2006 World-Cup qualifier sagged even more when it failed to reach Euro 2008, but the road to the World Cup doesn’t look so bad right now. The English destroyed Kazakhstan in October of 2008, pummeling them in the second-half especially en route to a 5-1 win. When England upped the pressure, particularly with Wayne Rooney, Kazakhstan couldn’t keep up. Even with Rio Ferdinand on the mend, the English will be fine.

Best betting online pick: England -700

Albania vs Portugal – Saturday, June 6 @ 2:45 p.m. ET

Soccer betting lines: Albania +625, Portugal -270, Draw +300

OK, Portugal, let’s go. What are you waiting for? Portugal’s fans have to be just a tiny bit antsy after 0-0 ties against Sweden and Albania, who they now face in a rematch. Playing on the road before what should be a rowdy Albanian crowd, are the Portugese in trouble? Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the best footballer in the world, needs to find the net – something he hasn’t done yet in this round of qualifying. With Nani on the team as well, Portugal’s offense is too potent not to wake up. They’ll need to score early to take the crowd out of the game but they should prevail over Albania,

Best betting online pick: Portugal -270

Argentina vs Colombia – Saturday, June 6 @ 5:00 p.m. ET

Soccer betting lines: Argentina -345, Colombia +800, Draw +350

It’s not do-or-die for Argentina just yet, but they certainly could use a win after Bolivia destroyed them 6-1 in their last match. Their opponent just happens to be the team chasing them for World Cup berth: Colombia. The key to Saturday’s match will be discipline; in most of Argentina’s recent losses, the problems were rooted in red cards. Three of Bolivia’s six goals came after Angel Di Maria was tossed. A clean game will go a long way, as will the presence of Lionel Messi. Constantly mentioned in the “best in the world” debate, he’s had a great year, winning the Champions League and Spanish League with Barcelona. He’ll lead a group that should be hungry to get back in the win column. This match may be close, but Argentina should come out on top. Pick the team with something to prove if you wager on sports this Saturday.

Best betting online pick: Argentina -345

Kaká to a Passage from Real Madrid, but Chelsea Came in the Negotiation

Milan and Real Madrid were about to sign on Tuesday an agreement for the transfer of Kaka, according to match the Italian and Spanish press.

However, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported that at the eleventh hour came into the Chelsea scene, so the transfer would have been so far in the air.

When the negotiation was already terminated unexpectedly came on the scene Carlo Ancelotti, Kaka last technician in Milan, who have expressed interest in Chelsea, reviewed the paper.

The Brazilian player, who is in Milan since 2003, was one step away from Real Madrid and willing to sign a contract for nine million euros net per season (12.8 million dollars) for five years, according to the same source.

Adriano Galliani, vice-president of Milan, is in Madrid with his father and representative of Kaká, Bosco Leite, and both met with the new Madrid president, Florentino Perez, to discuss the transfer of Brazilian driving, as reported by Spanish newspaper Marca and As and Ser radio

According to Spanish newspapers, Madrid paid 65 million euros (93 million dollars) for the transfer.

Galliani, when consulted by telephone by the sports newspaper of Milan, first denied that he was in Madrid, and later acknowledged that he had gone because I was invited to dinner by my friend in Madrid Florentino (Perez) on his election as president of the Real.

Madrid's sports director Jorge Valdano said on Tuesday during the presentation of the new coach Manuel Pellegrini merengue team that negotiates a significant signing, but refused to give details.

Milan owner, Silvio Berlusconi, acknowledged that I do not know if we can offer to Kaka because so much money.

Chased by Italian journalists, even on the plane that was worn back to Brazil, Kaká is to be reiterated that in Milan.

However, the club does not give any assurance that it can resist the siren songs of the Real Madrid and Pérez, bent on reviving the laurels of the age of the galactic.

I say last, last, I do not want to go from Milan, but please, at this point I prefer to be quiet because I do not want to be misinterpreted, "said the Brazilian star, according to an interview published Tuesday by the Gazzetta dello Sport to him on an airplane.

To the millions of tifosi Rossoneri I say that my decision and I have taken, I said I want to stay quiet let me now, please, said when he traveled with his son and his wife.

The newspaper noted that Italian Kaka insists on me I want to stay, as if not sure of the decision of Milan before that the millionaire would have made the offer Madrid.

Galliani, who had claimed in the past that the Brazilian player will not move, now merely to say that try to resist the offensive of Madrid.

Paolo Maldini, Milan legend who played his last game last weekend, was not quite sure about the future of Kaka: I think we will stay at Milan, but it's hard to say because their future has been even more airtight that Ancelotti.

It is not easy to know who will, but if you go, the Milan should hire another champion because he won only the champions, said Maldini.

NBA Finals Preview

Yes, I know. Anyone awaiting the NBA Finals odds wanted the epic Kobe/LeBron show down. Well, it’s time to get over it. The Cavs aren’t in the big dance, but Orlando’s Dwight Howard is one of the game’s premier players in his own right, so the Lakers Magic odds are nothing to sneeze at. Let’s break down the series.

ORLANDO MAGIC VS LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Game 1 is Thursday, June 4 at 9:05 p.m. ET

Magic NBA Championship odds: +230

Lakers NBA Championship odds: -280

On paper, the Magic may actually tempt many fans of hoops betting, for many reasons. First off, the Magic swept the season series with the Lakers 2-0. Second, even though the Lakers have home-court advantage, the Magic downed the Celtics and Cavs despite opening those series on the road. Third, the best big man in basketball plays for Orlando and his name is Dwight Howard. Fourth, the Magic have shot the lights out all playoffs long.

Despite those four factors, the Lakers will still win the NBA Championship odds, and here’s why:

1. The regular season is not the NBA playoffs. Yes, the Magic were impressive in the regular season against the Lakers, even winning a game at Staples Center, but the Lakers are the more experienced team, having been to the Finals last year, and they have champions on the roster in Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher.

2. Home court will still matter in the end. The Magic defied the odds in Game 7 on the road against the Celtics, but lightning doesn’t strike twice; no team has ever won two Game 7s on the road in one playoff year, so the NBA odds of the Magic accomplishing that feat aren’t good. The extra Game at Staples Center is an advantage for the Lakers, bar none.

3. Even with Howard, the Magic aren’t the better team in the paint. There’s the amazing Howard and…who else? The Magic have no inside scoring depth, whereas the Lakers have Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol. Howard will dominate some games but he also gets in foul trouble; he had 32 infractions in six games against the Cavaliers. Kobe more than counters Dwight Howard’s star power and he has a better supporting cast than the Magic – not to mention the Cavaliers – do.

4. Outside shooting is way less reliable than inside scoring. The one caveat with outside shooting is that it can go cold. The Magic’s Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis and Rafer Alston have knocked down one trey after another in these playoffs, but I’d bet at the sportsbook that they go cold for a game or two in the NBA finals odds, as it’s tough to shoot better than 50 per cent from beyond the arc every game. If the shots don’t fall, the Lakers’ superior inside game will help them outscore Orlando.

Make no mistake – the Lakers Magic odds won’t be a walk for either team, but the Lakers’ depth and experience will propel them past Superman and company.

Internet sportsbook pick: Lakers -280