Gonzalez, Montanes roll in Vina del Mar openers

Tennis Betting Lines

01/31/2012 - Vina del Mar, Chile (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Four-time tournament champion Fernando Gonzalez and fifth-seeded Albert Montanes each posted opening-round victories Tuesday at the $398,250 VTR Open tennis event.

Gonzalez handled Pere Riba of Spain 6-4, 6-4 in his 2012 season debut at Club Naval de Campo Las Salinas. The former top-five star and former Australian Open runner-up missed most of the 2011 season with a knee injury.

The Chilean last won this event in 2009 and was a runner-up here in 2005.

The two-time VTR Open semifinalist Montanes handled qualifier and fellow Spaniard Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 6-2, 6-4.

Meanwhile, seventh-seeded Argentine Carlos Berlocq moved on with a 7-5, 6-0 decision against Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver.

Federico Del Bonis of Argentina took down two-time Vina del Mar finalist Nicolas Massu 6-0, 6-3.

Other first-round winners were Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, Portuguese Frederico Gil, Argentines Horacio Zeballos and Diego Junqueira and Brazilian qualifier Rogerio Dutra Da Silva.

The 2012 Vina del Mar champion will collect $71,900.

Wwwslotszone Tennis Betting News

<< Outside jury sought for Sandusky trial
Bellefonte, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Citing pervasive publicity and the unique nature of Penn State's relationship to the community, prosecutors on Tuesday asked for an out-of-county jury for the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse trial. Senior Dep

<< Blackhawks activate Toews and Sharp
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks activated forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp from injured reserve on Tuesday. Toews suffered a wrist injury in a 5-2 loss at Nashville on January 21 and was placed on IR on

<< Pienaar returns to Everton on loan
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steven Pienaar returned to Everton on loan Tuesday, one year after he left the Toffees to sign a four-year contract with Tottenham. Pienaar, 29, made more than 100 appearances for Everton from 2008-11. H

<< Crosby has soft tissue damage in neck
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has a soft tissue injury in his neck, but an independent specialist found no evidence of a past or present neck fracture, the team said Tuesday. The news came

<< Sunderland snaps up Kyrgiakos from Wolfsburg
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland signed defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos from Wolfsburg on Tuesday on loan for the rest of the season. Kyrgiakos, 32, previously played with Liverpool and made 30 appearances in the Premier Lea

Scott helps No. 16 Virginia edge Clemson >>
Charlottesville, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Scott poured in a game-high 23 points to go with 10 rebounds and three blocks as No. 16 Virginia edged Clemson, 65-61, on Tuesday. Joe Harris finished with 19 points on 7-of-9 shoot

No. 1 Kentucky routs Tennessee >>
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anthony Davis filled the stat sheet with 18 points, eight rebounds, seven blocks and three assists as No. 1 Kentucky extended its NCAA-best home winning streak to 48 with a 69-44 rout of Tenness

Illinois upsets No. 9 Michigan State >>
Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It wasn't pretty, but Brandon Paul scored a game-high 18 points, including the go-ahead free throws with 45.5 seconds left in the game, as Illinois upset No. 9 Michigan State, 42-41, at Assembly Hall. Paul

Notre Dame routs Rutgers >>
Piscataway, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Skylar Diggins lead all scorers with 18 points as second-ranked Notre Dame dominated No. 13 Rutgers, 71-41. Kayla McBride had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Fighting Irish (22-1, 9-0 Big East), who

Johnson leads Hawks over Raptors >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Johnson tied a season-high with 30 points as the Hawks won four games in a five-game road trip for the first time since 1968, defeating the Toronto Raptors 100-77 at Air Canada Centre on Tuesday. Atlanta

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.

MySportsbook.com refunds all bets on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay from NFL week one.

(September 14) – Week one of NFL action saw three teams go scoreless for the first time since 1977.  Another four were unable to get a touchdown and almost half of the underdogs covered the spread. Those three teams saved bettors at MySportsbook.com from losing out completely, thanks to the company’s unique NFL Shutout Rule -- which ensures that if the team you backed goes scoreless, your wager is refunded.

Sportsbook refunded tens of thousands of dollars to customers who bet on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay, the three teams that stunk up the field so badly that their fans and backers never had a chance to get up from their couches and cheer.  In the spirit of the low scoring start to the season, odds makers at the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino have set odds on how many total shutouts there will be this season. 

MySportsbook.com has posted updated sports betting lines for week two of the season.  Ben Roethlisberger’s health status is still questionable, so Willie Parker will try to lead Pittsburgh again as they travel to Jacksonville as a one point favorite.  After beating up on his little brother last week, Peyton Manning will look to lead the Colts to victory against Houston. Indianapolis is a whopping 13.5 favorite in the match-up.

Seattle, last year’s highest scoring team, showed the power of their defense with their gritty 9-6 win in Motown over the ravenous Lions.  They take their act back home to the comforts of Qwest Field where they will face the resurgent Arizona Cardinals.  The Seahawks are favored by a touchdown. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.