2013 American League East

The American League East is always one of the most competitive divisions in baseball and this year is no exception.

The Boston Red Sox are getting back to their winning ways this season. They missed the playoffs the last three seasons. New manager John Farrell has helped turnaround the fortunes of Boston’s most beloved team. However, there is help from some faces that have been around a while. Mainstays David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia lead a balance Boston offence. The Red Sox can produce runs from the top to the bottom of their line-up. On the mound Clay Buchholz is having a season reminiscent of his 2010 breakthrough campaign. The Boston bullpen has had trouble closing out games, so that could be a concern down the road. The Red Sox have 16 games in the month of September with the Yankees, Baltimore and Tampa Bay.

Speaking of Boston’s arch rivals, the New York Yankees are not ready to concede anything to the Red Sox let alone the division. Robinson Cano is comfortable with his role as New York’s marquee star. He continues to put up some of the best all-around numbers in baseball. The rest of the offence got off to a slow start, in part due to injury, but just might have enough gas to complement Cano. The Alex Rodriguez saga gets stranger by the day and New York sure could use anything he has left in the tank. The Yankees’ starting pitching has been inconsistent, but have the talent to turn their struggles into success. CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, and Phil Hughes know their way around the mound. One positive as far as the starting staff is concerned is that Hiroki Kuroda has been extremely dependable. There does not get any more dependable than Mariano Rivera in the bullpen. The ageless one is still feared.

The AL East is even deeper than those two, as Baltimore and Tampa Bay look to contend. Baltimore wants to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year after its surprise run a year ago. Chris Davis is turning into MLB’s premiere power hitter. He is backed in Baltimore’s line-up by Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy. Manny Machado is also a professional hitter at such a young age and Matt Wieters can get hot at any moment. On the mound, Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez are stepping up to lead the rotation. Closer Jim Johnson is having an up and down year, so that might be a concern come crunch time.

As far as Tampa Bay is concerned Evan Longoria and James Loney are spearheading the Rays’ offence. Plus Desmond Jennings is a terror on the base paths when he is on base. Tampa Bay seems to lose key pieces every year, but always put together a winning team. On the mound, Matt Moore has picked up the slack from the previously injured David Price nicely. Price still cannot be counted out from contributing down the stretch.

Toronto is the other team in AL East. The Blue Jays were a popular pick at the beginning of the season to make the playoffs. Yet, a slow start and injuries derailed their hopes. Looking to get back on track they hope to prove anything is possible in the MLB’s wackiest division.

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NHL 2014 Preview

The NHL moves headlong into a new era with realignment beginning for the 2013-14 season. The new four-division setup will produce the new Stanley Cup champions. The Chicago Blackhawks are the defending champions and are looking to repeat.

Chicago has the Conn Smythe winner Patrick Kane back. He along with center Jonathan Toews and forward Marian Hossa help handles the scoring for the Blackhawks. Duncan Keith is a top notch defender and Corey Crawford is strong in goal. Backup goaltender Ray Emery left via free agency so Crawford will be the man for a full season.

A team that could possibly meet Chicago in the Cup final is the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh was favoured to reach the final series last season before bowing out in the playoffs. As always the health of Sidney Crosby will factor in the Penguins success. Crosby missed 12 games in last year’s strike shortened season. Pittsburgh depth of scoring helps complement and ease the absence of Crosby. Chris Kunitz, Pascal Dupuis, James Neal, and Evgeni Malkin are all point producers.

The Boston Bruins did play Chicago for the championship last season, losing in six games. Still, the Bruins did not stand pat on their roster. Boston acquired forward Loui Eriksson from Dallas in a move that saw them give up Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley. The Bruins also lost Nathan Horton in free agency, but returns Brad Marchand, David Krejci, and Patrice Bergeron as well as Tuukka Rask in goal.

A western conference threat to Chicago is the St. Louis Blues. St. Louis lost in the first round last season, but returns key cog Chris Stewart. Stewart led the Blues attack and is helped by Alexander Steen, Patrik Berglund, David Backes, and David Perron. Their goalie situation is solid with Brian Elliot, Jaroslav Halak, and Jake Allen.

The team that is affected most by realignment, the Detroit Red Wings, moves from the western conference to the eastern conference. Detroit gave the Blackhawks all they wanted last season, losing in seven games. The Red Wings added Ottawa forward Daniel Alfredsson, to go along with the offense of Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Jimmy Howard remains the man in net for Detroit.

The Vancouver Canucks hope to get over the hump with new coach John Tortorella. Tortorella will have Henrik and Daniel Sedin at his disposal, but goalie Cory Schneider is gone. Vancouver may again have to depend on Roberto Luongo in net. The Canucks are in a tougher division now, but still have firepower to make some noise.

Unable last season to defend the Stanley Cup, the Los Angeles Kings will try to win it again this year. Los Angeles lost in the conference finals a season ago. It helps to have Jonathan Quick in goal and Jeff Carter scoring goals if the Kings want to win back the Cup.

San Jose is another team out west to keep an eye on. The Sharks have a good foursome in Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Joe Pavelski. Their scoring along with the net play of Antti Niemi keeps San Jose in contention.

The New York Rangers have Henrik Lundqvist in goal and good point producers in Derek Stepan, Rick Nash, and Ryan Callahan, while Anaheim, who finished second in the west last season, is led by Ryan Getzlaf.

Other teams to watch in the east are Montreal, Ottawa, Washington, Toronto, and the New York Islanders. Nashville and Edmonton out west may surprise.

 Ice Hockey Odds - Ice Hockey Betting

2014 Women’s Wimbledon

The Women’s Wimbledon tournament in 2013 was expected to be a wide open competition, with a number of contenders for the title. However, nobody could have expected the events of that fortnight in London, as the tournament favourites all crashed out to lower ranked opposition, many in the first week, and Marion Bartoli emerged victorious, claiming her first ever Grand Slam title.

However, it is a big ask for Bartoli to retain her title in 2014. Although Wimbledon is her favoured Grand Slam, with her victory in 2013 adding to a final appearance in 2007 and a run to the quarter finals in 2011. Aside from Wimbledon, she only has 1 more semi-final and 2 more quarter final appearances in her Grand Slam career. Although she deserved her victory, she may find that fortune may not be on her side so much in 2014.

Sabine Lisicki was the beaten finalist, continuing her fine form at Wimbledon in recent years. She has now reached at least the quarter final stage there 4 years in a row, and is getting closer to winning her first Grand Slam title. Another player who enjoys playing at Wimbledon is Agnieszka Radwanska. After being defeated in the 2012 final, she may have thought that 2013 would be her year, but she was beaten by Lisicki in the semi-finals. She also been a quarter finalist in Australia and France recently, and perhaps a maiden Grand Slam win is on the horizon.

In 2014, there will be a number of players looking to make amends for their showing in the previous year. Serena Williams in particular will be looking to win her 6th Wimbledon crown, after losing to Lisicki in the 4th round in 2013 after being the pre-tournament favourite. However, a year is a long time in tennis, and Williams will be 32 years of age by the time the next Wimbledon tournament comes around.

Maria Sharapova suffered a second round shock in 2013, crashing out to Michelle Larcher de Brito. Despite being a regular in the latter stages of Grand Slams in recent times, she hasn’t won a Wimbledon title since 2004 and has reached just one final there since. However, her career win record at Wimbledon is almost 80%, proving that she can perform well there.

Victoria Azarenka was expected to do well in the 2013 tournament, but she was forced to retire in the second round due to a knee injury. Previous to the tournament, she had reached the semi-final stage in 5 of her last 6 Grand Slams, and been a semi-finalist in the last 2 years at Wimbledon. If she can stay fit for the 2014 tournament, she will again be one of the favourites to win.

Petra Kvitova has a great record at Wimbledon, since 2010. She was a semi-finalist that year, and followed it up with a victory in 2011. She went out at the quarter final stage in both 2012 and 2013, but Wimbledon is by far her most successful Grand Slam venue, and she will be looking to reach the latter stages again in 2014. Li Na is also a regular quarter finalist at Wimbledon, including her 2013 campaign. She has been a winner in the Australian Open before and a finalist in the French Open, and will be looking to better her previous Wimbledon appearances at the next opportunity.

Tennis Odds - Tennis Betting

US PGA Championship Golf 2013

The best golfers in the World will be heading to Rochester, New York from August 8th - 11th, 2013 for the final Major of the season, the USPGA Championship. Heading up the list of potential titlists this season is Tiger Woods, who will be looking to snap his long streak without a Major title. Woods has produced some sublime form over the course of 2013, heading into the warm up of the WGC Bridgestone International he was bang on top of his game and looking unstoppable again. Comfortable with the putter and at ease off the tee (although accuracy could be improved), Woods is certainly primed to make a run at the USPGA Championship again, a title which he has won four time before in his tremendous career.

But the last time that Woods stood at the top of the pile in a Major was at the US Open back in 2007. But are the stars aligning for him in Rochester? He carded top ten finishes in two of the three prior Majors for the season, and with the titles he has gained under his belt this season, all important confidence boosters for him, can he finally get himself back in the winners circle? Trading as strong favourite, he is being heavily backed to win the 2013 US PGA Championship. He took a share of eleventh away from last year's tournament and given the majestic performance that he produced at Firestone for the Bridgestone International, where he equalled his lowest ever score for a round of professional golf, he really fulfils his role as favourite.

But what about the contenders behind him in the field? There will be interest on Rory McIlroy, who was in sublime form last year on his way to winning the US PGA Championship. It was a record breaking win as well, the largest margin of victory ever in a Major as he beat David Lynn by a massive eight strokes at Kiawah Island. However, 2013 has been a struggle all through for the Northern Irishman, who just can't pull everything together. Even shot selection has been an issue for him at times, and the two time Major winner has been describing his golf as "brain dead". His performance in missing the cut at the Open Championship recently at Muirfield, won't attract too many backers, but if he can dig into the positives of his form this time last year, who knows.

Taking seven of the top nine places on the leader board last season were European golfers. So it may be worth leaning towards a strong European challenge against this time. Notable performances at Kiawah Island came in from Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Jamie Donaldson. Throw into the mix Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Henrik Stenson and you have some serious threats. McDowell, Westwood and Rose have all been enjoying very strong seasons, with Rose shining the brightest when he took the US Open title earlier in the year. Is it too big of an ask to see him land two Majors in a single season? Lee Westwood keeps knocking on the door, but Ian Poulter may be a stronger option. Poulter took a T2 at The Open 2013 and also finishes T3 at last season's PGA Championship as well and could be a good dark horse. But Henrik Stenson, who has been enjoying a tremendous month of golf, and has produced well in the Majors this season, could be fantastic value.

Phil Mickelson will be hoping to make another impact after winning The Open at Muirfield in dramatic fashion. He also has history at the US PGA, winning once before and taking seven other top ten finishes, although he hasn't been in top ten since the 2008, he is carrying good form. Keegan Bradley, who won the 2011 US PGA title could be a big presence in the field. Like Tiger Woods and Henrik Stenson, he put in a great performance at Firestone for the Bridgestone International also. Bradley has a tremendous record at the US PGA in his two prior attempts, winning in his debut in 2011 and the going back for a title defence and coming close to doing that with a T3. There are a strong clutch of American players like Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Steve Stricker, Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner and Matt Kuchar are all worth considering as well for your 2013 US PGA Championship golf betting.

US PGA Championship Golf Odds - US PGA Championship Golf Betting

Boxing Wladimir Klitschko v Alexander Povetkin

Wladimir Klitschko will put his WBO, IBF, IBO, and WBA “super” heavyweight titles on the line against Alexander Povetkin. Klitschko will come into the fight 60-3 and on an 18-fight winning streak. He has not lost since 2004. Povetkin has never lost. The 26-0 Povetkin holds the WBA “regular” heavyweight title. Klitschko will have four inches on the smaller Povetkin and he generally outweighs him by somewhere in the neighbourhood of 15 pounds.

The two had been scheduled to fight twice in the past. In 2008, an injured foot caused Povetkin to back out of the fight. Then in 2010, a fight had been set, but Povetkin backed out because he felt he was not ready. It is easy to feel inadequate when going up against Klitschko. He and his brother Vitali have dominated the heavyweight division for much of the past 10 years. The younger Wladimir is now 37 years old. Still, age has not begun to show on Klitschko. He stopped Francesco Pianeta in the sixth round this past May to retain his titles. Klitschko uses his jab effectively not just to set up his power punches, but to keep his opponents at a safe distance. Some of his more effective power punches are the left hook and straight right hand. They have helped Klitschko score a knockout in 51 of his 60 wins. Klitschko is also a well-rounded fighter. The late Emanuel Steward helped him improve his defence.

Even in all of his greatness, if hit right, Klitschko has shown that he might not hold up. All three of his losses have occurred via TKO. So does Povetkin has a chance to dethrone Klitschko? Can his aptitude to get inside and work the body work against Klitschko? Povetkin is an aggressive fighter and might not be able to get through the Klitschko jab. Povetkin’s power is a matter of debate, but he has stopped 18 of the 26 fighters he has faced – included in that are three out of the last four. In his last outing he only needed three rounds to dispatch previously undefeated, but rarely tested Andrzej Wawrzyk. Fighting Klitschko will be a big step up in competition.

So far in his career, Povetkin signature wins are over an aging Chris Byrd, Eddie Chambers, Ruslan Chagaev, and a bulked-up cruiserweight in Marco Huck. It is safe to say that a fight with Klitschko is a different experience than any of the aforementioned bouts. Still, there is one bit of competition that both Povetkin and Klitschko have in common. Both fighters won Olympic gold medals. Klitschko won a super heavyweight gold for the Ukraine in the 1996 Olympics. Povetkin won a super heavyweight gold for Russia in the 2004 Olympics.

Is Povetkin the one to finally beat Klitschko? Or is Klitschko the guy to hand Povetkin his first loss. The fight will take place in Povetkin’s native Russia in October. Povetkin will be 34 years old when he get in the ring. The outcome of the fight will continue Klitschko’s reign or mark a shift in the heavyweight division

Wladimir Klitschko v Alexander Povetkin Odds - Wladimir Klitschko v Alexander Povetkin Betting

Boxing Juan Manuel Marquez v Timothy Bradley

Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez are set do battle in a ring in Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center come October and the fight has created an apparent anomaly. One fighter is the WBO welterweight champion. That same fighter is undefeated and yet he is the underdog. Bradley still has the gift decision over Manny Pacquiao that gave him his title and kept his record perfect hanging over his head. Pacquiao clearly beat Bradley, but Bradley was awarded the decision. Bradley’s only fight since that June 2012 showing was a slugfest unanimous decision over Ruslan Provodnikov. Bradley showed heart in the contest, surviving the first and second rounds and getting knocked down in the 12th round.

Like Bradley, Marquez’s last time in the ring was a memorable one as well. Fighting Pacquiao for the fourth time, Marquez finally got a victory over his rival. He knocked Pacquiao out in chilling fashion in the sixth round. This came on the heels of losing twice and drawing to Pacquiao. The win sent Marquez’s record to 55-6-1 with 40 of those win by K.O. Marquez has improved his physique at the age of 39 and he will be 40 when he meets Bradley. He looked amazingly in shape in the win over Pacquiao. He also won the WBO junior welterweight in April of 2012. Marquez is seeking to become the first Mexican fighter to win championships in five divisions.

If Bradley is going to beat Marquez, it would be surprising if it is by knockout. Of his 30 victories, only 12 are by knockout. His eighth round stoppage of Joel Casamayor is his only sign of power in his last 13 fights, though he did bust up the face of Provodnikov. Bradley is going to have to outbox Marquez. He will have to use his jab effectively and pick good spots to come over the top with his right hand. If he has Marquez reeling, he also has a great left hook that could inflict more damage. Bradley will also have to be aware of Marquez’s power.

The elder Marquez now brings a lot of power to the table, just ask Pacquiao. Bradley likes to be aggressive. That could set up Marquez for his counter right hand, the same one he used to floor Pacquiao. Throughout his career Marquez has been known as a counter puncher who could change the tempo of fights with his combinations. Will that Marquez show up or will he rely strictly on his power against Bradley? It could be troublesome to rely strictly on his power, because Bradley has shown that he can take a beating and get up from knockdowns. Marquez might have to win his share of the exchanges if he wants to win the fight.

Marquez is the favourite and is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Bradley is still looking for the respect from the public. He can get that by beating Marquez. Marquez can get a historic fifth division title by beating him.

Juan Manuel Marquez v Timothy Bradley Odds - Juan Manuel Marquez v Timothy Bradley Betting

Boxing Manny Pacquiao v Brandon Rios

Manny Pacquiao returns to the ring in November to take on Brandon Rios. Pacquiao, long considered one of the best fighters in the world, will come into the fight on a two-fight losing streak. He was virtually robbed of a decision against Timothy Bradley and he was knocked out cold by Juan Manuel Marquez. It was the Bradley fight in which he lost his WBO welterweight title. Pacquiao, who is now 34-years-old, will be looking to get his career back on track. After years of failed attempts to get a Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather fight to happen and with Marquez fighting Bradley, Pacquiao’s team chose Rios as his next opponent.

Rios will be making the move from the 140-pound junior welterweight limit to the 147-pound welterweight class and he will be coming into the ring with a 31-1-1 record. His only loss occurred his last time out when he dropped a unanimous decision to Mike Alvarado. That was after Rios stopped Alvarado in the seventh round in a previous fight. Despite coming up in weight class, Rios could be potentially a dangerous opponent for Pacquiao. Of Rios 31 wins, 23 have come via knockout. In fact, 11 out of his last 13 fights have been stopped because of KO/TKO. It will be interesting to see how Rios very aggressive and heavy pressure style works with Pacquiao. Rios will try to work from the inside and throw his trademark uppercut. If he makes a mistake and Pacquiao tags him with a good shot, Rios’ chin once again will be tested. That might be a good thing for him though, as the 27-year-old has never been knocked out in a fight.

Pacquiao (54-5-2) has knockout power, but that has not shown in recent years. The last time Pac-Man’s punches caused a fight to be stopped early was back in 2009 when he defeated Miguel Cotto. For his career he has 38 knockouts. Pacquiao has seemed to have lost a step and some quickness and his past few bouts. It remains to be seen how he will recover from losing in such devastating fashion to Marquez. Still, Pacquiao has a hall-of-fame type jab and he may be able to use that to thwart the oncoming Rios. But, what strategy will he try to use? Will he try to use his experience or will he throw caution to wind and trade punches with Rios? Pacquiao is the favourite, but is that based on his reputation and prior history?

Fighters usually become vulnerable as they get older and Pacquiao, who has been a fitness marvel in his career, will try to avoid that. Rios jumps into the welterweight waters with one of the biggest fish in the game. Just how much weight will he carry and how will he carry it? One interesting fact about the fight is that it will take place in Macau, China. It will be Pacquiao’s first fight outside the United States in seven years. Rios has only fought in the United States and Mexico, fighting two fights in Mexico the last being in 2009. The question of just how much Pacquiao has left will be answered when he meets Rios in China.

Manny Pacquiao v Brandon Rios Odds - Manny Pacquiao v Brandon Rios Betting

Boxing Jean Pascal v Lucian Bute

Two of Canada’s most popular boxers will do battle December 7. Jean Pascal will meet Lucian Bute for the fledgling WBC Diamond light heavyweight title. Bute who is most famously known for being a former super middleweight titlist is making the move up to light heavyweight. He has fought previously at light heavyweight before. Bute (31-1) is a two-time NABF light heavyweight titlist, including claiming the belt his last time out against Denis Grachev. That win for Bute was a rebound performance following the only loss of his career, a fifth round TKO thanks to the hands of Carl Froch. Still, Pascal is the naturally bigger guy and will likely carry his weight better.

Pascal (27-2-1) also has a loss to Froch and was also coming off of a loss his last time out. The defeat he was trying to put in the rear view mirror was a unanimous decision loss to Bernard Hopkins. Pascal ended up getting a 10th round unanimous decision win over Alesky Kuziemski. Just like Bute, Pascal has also held super middleweight titles. In a match up of fighters with similarities, a difference maker might be the amount of power the fighters have. Bute has a higher KO percentage, getting 24 knockouts in his 31 wins. A total of seven of those knockouts have come in his last nine fights. On the other hand, Pascal has 16 knockouts in his 27 wins. Only one of those knockouts came in his last seven fights. The argument can be made that Pascal has fought a higher quality of fighter throughout his career, but the edge in power still goes to Bute.

This piece of news might foreshadow a little of what to expect in the fight. The left handed Bute will try to stalk Pascal and catch him with his body shots and deadly left uppercut. Still, it will be interesting to see how the taller Bute will get inside of Pascal. Bute, who is 6-foot-1, has a two-inch height advantage over Pascal and will have a hard time getting inside. For his part, Pascal will try to get in position to use his left and right hooks to stem Bute’s advances. It will be important for him to navigate the ring to avoid getting into careless exchanges with Bute. While Pascal can take punches and has a very good chin, he could lose the fight on points if Bute finds too much success on the inside.

The fight will take place in Montreal. Pascal, who will be 31 years old come fight time, grew up in the Montreal area after coming from Haiti when he was 4 years old. The 33-year-old Bute, who was born in Romania, gained his Canadian citizenship last year and just like Pascal has fought the majority of his career in Montreal. It will be interesting to see whether the crowd pick a side or show equal love for both fighters.

Pascal was installed the early favourite in the fight that was supposed to happen last May, but was postponed after Bute injured his hand.

Jean Pascal v Lucian Bute Odds - Jean Pascal v Lucian Bute Betting

Belgian Grand Prix

The 2013 F1 Belgian Grand Prix betting should produce some pretty interesting options. Teams will get a bit of a chance to collect themselves following the Hungarian Grand Prix, which was won by Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes before the running of Belgian event. The rise to his first ever win in the Mercedes for the former World Champion Hamilton, was seen as a bit of a shake up on the season. For the Belgian Grand Prix which will be running on August 25th, 2013, Hamilton will now be seen by many as the main challenger to the dominance of Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel for the season. But with punters picking up some new interest in the English driver to push forward for the F1 Drivers Championship title, it may be worth only focusing on the races at hand and not looking that far ahead.

The form and prowess of Red Bull's three time World Champion Vettel cannot be overlooked of course. From the opening ten races of the season, Vettel only failed to make it onto the podium in three of them. So it is unlikely that over the remainder of the season he is going to be so far out of the points that he is going to lose his grip on his chase for his fourth world title in a row. Heading to the Belgian Grand Prix, Vettel was holding a 48 point over Hamilton in the standings, and wedged between Vettel and Hamilton, there was still the presences of Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso as well, who had the jump on Hamilton in the points standing.

Granted, Hamilton has been pushing his way further and further into contention, taking Pole Positions and the win at the Hungaroring should have been a tremendous boost of confidence for himself and the Mercedes team. So focus should be on him taking race wins, or even podium finishes before looking at him taking the F1 Drivers Championship, which is still a very long shot. Hamilton is a previous winner of the Belgian Grand Prix, taking the chequered flag first in 2010. Given the form that he carries forward from Hungary, he may be well worth backing. But heading to the next race of the 2013 season, it is German driver Vettel who is still heading the field for Hungary.

Vettel, just like Hamilton is a previous winner of the Belgian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver won in 2011 and he took second place last season in the race. So it is unlikely that he will be too far away from a win in the next edition, because he has the car and he has the team behind him to get close. Vettel will be strong in the Pole Position and Outright Winner markets for the 2013 F1 Belgian Grand Prix. The other name who should be in the mix will be Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen who has started to come back into form. The Finnish driver has a tremendous record at the race as well, taking the title four times in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009, so he has a great affinity with the course. The Lotus could be the one to spring a surprise here.

Belgian Grand Prix Odds - Belgian Grand Prix Betting

World Series MLB

The 2013 Major League Baseball Worlds Series will take place in late October. Teams from both the American League and National league look to make the Fall Classic that pits the respective leagues’ winners against each other. Last year the San Francisco Giants swept the Detroit Tigers four games to zero in the best-of-seven series to claim the world title. Nearly halfway through the season and Detroit was the favourite to not only get back to the World Series, but to win it.

The Tigers have quality pitching and hitting. Justin Verlander is the big name on the mound. The 6-foot-5, 225 pound Verlander is a strikeout machine generally registering more strikeouts than innings pitched. Still the Tigers have more than the former Cy Young Award winner on the mound. Anibal Sanchez, Max Scherzer, and Doug Fister are all quality starters. At the plate for Detroit is the all-everything Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera led the AL in batting average, home runs, and RBI last season (the Triple Crown) and is in the running to win the Triple Crown again this season.

Other teams with good odds to win the World Series are fellow American League standouts Texas, Oakland, and Boston. The Texas Rangers lost star outfielder Josh Hamilton, but are still making noise out in the AL West. Adrian Beltre, Mitch Moreland, and Nelson Cruz have picked up the slack for Hamilton leaving. On the mound for Texas, Yu Darvish is one of the AL’s best. The Oakland A’s, who edged out Texas for the division last season, is in contention again this season. Oakland third baseman Josh Donaldson is having a strong second year. He, Brandon Moss, and Yoenis Cespedes are carrying the A’s offence. They are backed by strong pitching from a resurgent Bartolo Colon. After starting the season 0-2, the 40-year-old Colon has been one of the most effective pitchers in all of baseball. The Boston Red Sox are getting back to their winning ways this season. Mainstays David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia lead a balance Boston offence, while Clay Buchholz is having a season reminiscent of his 2010 breakthrough campaign.

Pittsburgh, Atlanta, St. Louis, and Cincinnati are all teams to watch as well. They are also National League clubs. The Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten good pitching this season. Starter Jeff Locke and closer Jason Grilli have been especially good, while Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, and Starling Marte have hit the ball well. The Atlanta Braves have been winning thanks to a strong start by Justin Upton and great play from Freddie Freeman. They also have balanced starting pitching and a great bullpen.

The St. Louis Cardinals made it to the NL Championship last season before losing. Helping their cause this year are starting pitchers Adam Wainwright, Shelby Miller, and Lance Lynn. Also, the bat of Carlos Beltran remains live as he spearheads the Cardinals offence. The Cincinnati Reds have plenty of offence of their own. Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, and Shin-Soo Choo are capable hitters. Plus Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, and Mat Latos are the beginning of a good starting rotation, while Aroldis Chapman is feared coming out of the bullpen.

Other teams to watch as possible World Series winners are the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles just to name a few.

World Series MLB Odds - World Series MLB Betting

Shanghai Masters Snooker

The 2013 Shanghai Masters will be the third ranking even of the 2013/14 season with a massive purse of £80,000 going towards the winner. The Shanghai Grand Stage will again the host of this snooker world ranking event and it is Scotland's John Higgins who will be out to defend his title. This will also be the second world ranking tournament held in china this year, following up on the Wuxi Classic back in June. There was a run to the final of the Wuxi Classic for John Higgins as well, stringing together some good form before he was stopped in the showcase match 10-7 by Australia's Neil Robertson. After not making it then to Australia for the Goldfields Open, the second ranking event of the year, the Scot will be keen to get back in the driving seat. However, last year's win was his first at the Shanghai Masters and no player has yet managed to defend their title at the event since being introduced in 2007.

Last year's losing finalist Judd Trump will again be one of the strongest names in the market. He will take some favouritism heading to China, despite not having won this event before. But he could be motivated after only missing out a deciding frame in last year's final. He will have extra to prove in China as well because his visit to the Wuxi Classic earlier this year ended in a shock first round defeat against home talent Li Hang. He missed out on the Australian Goldfields Open too but may use his memories from the Shanghai Grand Stage to get himself towards the title this time around.

England's Mark Selby is one of the front runners as well alongside Trump and Robertson in 2013 Shanghai Masters betting. Selby has won the Shanghai Masters before, taking the title in 2011, and it was another deciding frame which settled it, this time against Mark Williams. Selby showed some decent form at the 2013 Australian Goldfields Open where he was stopped in the semi finals by eventual winner Neil Robertson. That was a vast improvement from the first ranking event of the season, the Wuxi Classic, where he lost his qualifying match against Andrew Pagett.

The other obvious name to take into serious consideration is that of Neil Robertson, who has been pounding out consistent snooker for most of the year. He posted a title against John Higgins at the Wuxi Classic this year and posted a 147 break as well during the qualifying stage. Then at the Goldfields Open, Robertson went to the final there, but was upset by Marco Fu 9-6 on that occasion. But again, it all points to Robertson being bang on top of his game on ranking tournaments, and will be heavily backed for this one, especially after his win in China earlier this year, and he also won the China Open at the back end of last season as well. Trending pretty well out east.

Selby, Trump and Robertson do look to be at the head of the game at the moment, and tagging along on their coat tails is John Higgins. The rest of the field is playing a big of catch up, but of course, while those are the strongest bets you can take, the value will come in long shots like Ding Junhui on his home soil, and others like Graeme Dott and Barry Hawkins. Ali Carter, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Dominic Dale are the only other players to have won the Shanghai Masters besides Higgins and Selby.

Shanghai Masters Odds - Shanghai Masters Betting

England Cricket V Australian Dominance

With England's cricket side looking favourites to take control of the Ashes series during the summer, if they secure victory there, how much fight will the Australians have in them for the rest of the Tour? Of course, all the prominence, excitement and build up has been on the famous Ashes series, with England looking to keep their hands on that important little urn. After winning the first two of the five tests, there was something of a fight back from the Australians in the third Test, but with the tourists needing to win all three of the five tests to get the Ashes back, they remained heavy underdogs to secure a famous comeback. It will only be a short time before the end of the year when the two old rivals go head to head again for the next Ashes Series, this time on Australian turf.

However, before all of that happens, there is more to the Summer Ashes Tour than just the five main matches between England and Australia. The Test Series has taken some heavy bets on the outcome, but there will also be a T20 Series and One Day International Series between the two sides to come. So even if England wrap up the Test Series early and even if they put the Australians to the sword in the series by a heavy score line, there will be chances for the Tourists to get some kind of revenge in the other formats. Australian's Test betting line up has been heavily critiqued, but will they flourish in the T20 or ODI series against England?

It could all come down to confidence. If Australia fail to get a win on the board at all in the Test series, their morale would expectedly be low, and England's tails would be massively up. However, England, even on their own soil are such an unpredictable and, it has to be said, laborious One Day International side that the Aussies could just throw everything at and cause an upset. The Australians are trading as underdogs in each of the other series as well, because England should be happier on their own flatter tracks, where their swing bowlers can gain some huge advantages. But again, the batting plans in England's One Day International game has looked a bit flawed to say the least.

England did play Australia at the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy in the group stage and won the match convincingly by 48 runs in the end. England went on to lose the final against India at Edgbaston. There will be a five match ODI series to come, starting on the 6th of September. Before that, and naturally following on from the 5th and final Test of the Ashes series, will be the two match Twenty20 International series. The first one, on August 29th will be a day/night affair, with the second just two days later during the afternoon. Being too unpredictable to call on both sides, it does offer some value in backing a Cricket betting option available on England to Beat Australia in all three home series (Tests, T20, ODI) this year. The price on that? A hefty 7/1, and the biggest question mark may just be over those Twenty20 meetings.

England V Australian Cricket Odds - England V Australian Cricket Betting

Golf British Open 2013

Mid-July will bring the 142^nd Open Championship, to be played at Muirfield Golf Links in East Lothian, Scotland, and a massive field of 156 golfers will be hoping to write their name in the history books and win the 3^rd major of the year.

As has often been the case in recent history, Tiger Woods goes into the week as one of the hot favourites, despite not winning a major since 2008. However, he has slowly been reaching the form that the world knows he is capable of in the past year, and he will be looking to improve on a 3^rd place finish here last year. Since then, he also came in 5^th place in The Masters, and has racked up 4 tournament wins in 2013 – more than he managed in the whole of the 3 previous years.

Adam Scott will be looking to banish some demons in Britain after a monumental collapse last summer in which he bogeyed the final 4 holes to throw away a comfortable lead. This year though, he claimed his first major, winning The Masters, showing that he certainly now has the experience and temperament to win on the big stage.

Perhaps the player in the best major form so far this year is Jason Day. He came 3^rd in The Masters, then 2^nd in the US Open, so any further improvement will see him at the top of the final leaderboard this time around. However, his two previous Open Championship appearances have seen him finish 60^th and 30^th, so his record in Britain is far from impressive.

Another player who is coming closer to winning his first major is Brandt Snedeker. He finished 3^rd this time last year, and followed that up with a 6^th place finish in The Masters this year. At the other end of the scale, Phil Mickelson already has 4 majors to his name, and will be hoping to follow up after a second place finish in the US Open and victory in Scotland this month.

Of the British players, Lee Westwood will be looking to win his first major, after showing incredible consistency in the last few years, finishing in the top 10 in 9 out of his last 15 major appearances. Rory McIlroy won a major in both 2011 and 2012, but he has failed to hit such form so far in 2013, failing to put in a strong challenge in either major this year so far. Graeme McDowell is another player who has struggled so far this year, and after a consistent performance in major tournaments in 2012, he has failed to even make the cut in The Masters or the US Open. Justin Rose ended a long wait for his maiden major victory by winning the US Open this year, and he will be hoping to join the list of players who have won back-to-back majors in their career.

If there is one nationality that seems to thrive on playing in Britain, it is the South Africans. They have 10 wins in this championship, and only England, Scotland and the USA have more. Last year, they produced the winner, Ernie Els, who also won the tournament the last time that it was held at Muirfield, in 2002. Thomas Aiken also managed to finish 7^th last summer, and their countryman Louis Oosthuizen was victorious in this championship in 2010.

Golf Betting prices for the British Open and More

WNBA Championships 2013

By October 2013, a WNBA champion will be crowned as the winner of the Eastern Conference meets the winner of the Western Conference. The Indiana Fever defeated the Minnesota Lynx to win the 2012 championship. Despite being the defending champions, Indiana is not favorite to repeat. That distinction belongs to the Phoenix Mercury. Here is a look at the championship chances of the Mercury and the rest of the league’s top teams.

Phoenix, a perennial power, had a down year in 2012 thanks to injuries. That led them to the No. 1 pick of the draft, where they drafted 6-foot-8 center Brittney Griner. With an expected lineup that includes Griner, former MVP Diana Taurasi, and All-Star Penny Taylor, WNBA general managers picked the Mercury to win the title. Phoenix, however, started the season losing its first three games and picked up its first win with Griner sidelined. Also, Taylor started the season on the injured list as she recovers from knee surgery. Which Mercury team will we see for the rest of the season? Will it be the preseason favorites or the one that started slow out of the gate?

Minnesota looks to win the title this year after coming up short last season. The Lynx has a championship pedigree, winning the 2011 championship. They have two of the league’s best players in Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus. Add a solid role player like Lindsay Whalen and Minnesota has the makings of a true team. Their experience and talent can’t be overlooked and that is what makes them a contender for the WNBA championship.

Indiana is a team to watch in the Eastern Conference. They rode Tamika Catchings to the title a year ago and she is capable of carrying them to the promise land once more this year. Helping her out is the steady play of Katie Douglas and the improved play of Shavonte Zellous and Briann January. It will be important for Douglas, who has had back problems, to stay healthy and the Fever just might be able to repeat.

The Los Angeles Sparks lost last season in the Western Conference Finals and looks to get a step further this season. Candace Parker remains the main attraction in L.A. The 6-foot-4 forward/center is one of the most versatile players in the game. The addition of Lindsey Harding will help to take some of the pressure off Parker and Nneka Ogwumike will look to be even better in her second season in the league. Throw in Kristi Tolliver and Los Angles will make noise in the west.

The Connecticut Sun fought their way to the Eastern Conference’s best record a season ago, before being upset in the playoffs. Tina Charles and Kara Lawson form a dynamic duo in Connecticut. They got off to a slow start at the beginning of the season, but are good enough to overcome it and have playoff success.

Two teams that are dark horses are Chicago and Atlanta. The Sky has Epiphanny Prince and potential rookie of the year Elena Delle Donne. The Dream has Angel McCoughtry and a little nucleus that went to back-to-back finals in 2010 and 2011. Both teams started the season winning four out of their first five games.

Basketball Betting

Mayweather v Alvarez

The boxing world came alive recently after its biggest star, Floyd Mayweather announced his next opponent. Mayweather has been criticised in the past for failing to deliver the fights that boxing fans craved the most, notably the bout with Manny Pacquiao that never materialised.

However, things changed when he announced on Twitter that ‘I chose my opponent for September 14^th and its Canelo Alvarez. I’m giving the fans what they want’.

Canelo Alvarez is only 22 years of age but has already notched up 42 career wins, and has yet to be defeated. 30 of these wins have come via knockout, and the young Mexican star is a fierce fighter who likes to attack his opponent with hard body shots and knockout blows. At 170 pounds, he is 20 pounds heavier than Mayweather, giving him the edge in both age and weight.

The fight will take place in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand and there will be multiple belts on the line. Alvarez’ WBC and WBA super welterweight titles along with Mayweather’s junior middleweight and welterweight titles will all be up for grabs. There is still some debate as to which weight the fight will take place at, with a catchweight of 152 pounds suggested, but both fighters are willing to put everything on the line.

Boxing experts agree that this fight is a threat to Mayweather’s career unbeaten record of 44 wins without a loss. He is now 36 years old, a veteran in boxing terms, and he has not faced such a quality opponent at the peak of his power in his more recent bouts. One of Mayweather’s key strengths has always been his speed, but when the fight takes place in September he will be approaching his 37^th birthday, and his lightning quick reactions have to slow down someday.

Whatever happens in the fight, Mayweather has silenced his critics who have accused him of hand picking inferior opponents. Should he win the match-up against Alvarez, his legacy as one of the greatest fighters of all time will be cemented even further. However, there is a chance for a young Mexican star to claim victory and stake his claim to be the latest legend in the sport.

Boxing Betting

Arsenal v Tottenham season betting

One of the great rivalries of English football is the North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham. There is no love lost between the two of course, and both have been establishing themselves as genuine top four clubs. At the close of the 2012/13 Premier League season it was the Gunners who took supremacy by just a single point over their great rivals. Both finished the season with the same amount of wins on the board. However, Arsenal still had a bigger upper hand in terms of having a far superior goal difference and that is an important thing as well to consider when looking at markets like Season Match Bets, in this case Arsenal v Tottenham betting.

Arsenal have the experience of finishing ahead of their North London rivals for a long time now and that is naturally going to put them in ascendancy in 2013/14 Arsenal v Spurs Season Match Betting. The aspect of the entire season that you are looking at for this one is who will finish above the other. That is it, who gets the upper hand of the two big North London clubs over the duration of the season? Ultimately in the bigger picture, the winner of this particular two horse race will likely be the ones who sneak their way into the Champions League places next season. So the North London rivalry usually has even bigger importance on it than just bragging rights of course.

Both sides were in good form towards the end of last season and both can take huge positives into the new season with them. Arsene Wenger, who was under heavy fire at the beginning of last season, turned things around without capturing any big signings, using his resources and tactical prowess to power Arsenal to a top four finish. Tottenham meanwhile under Andre Villa-Boas, often looked a little lightweight up front, but produced some tremendous quality midfield play. However, the star of the show, more often than not was Welsh winger Gareth Bale and if he is around for the entirety of next season, then that could be the defining factor of Tottenham’s season.

But for a couple of season’s now, Tottenham have been pushing forward in the right direction, definitely closing the gap on their rivals. So the Gunners do have the edge in Arsenal v Tottenham Season Match betting, but it should again be one of the more intriguing battles of the new Premier League season. With more and more frequency, the North London supremacy of Arsenal is coming under threat from the rising power that is Tottenham. Can Spurs take another step forward in their development and use their disappointment of just missing out on a Champions league spot at the end of the 2012/13 season to push on?

Lions Tour Rugby Union 2013

The British and Irish Lions will be taking on Australia in a three Test Series in what promises to be a momentous battle Down Under. The Lions have actually taken on some supremacy for winning the series outright after Warren Gatland assembled a very promising looking squad for the tough tour. So while the British and Irish Lions look to have a very good and realistic chance of coming away with a famous win, who are going to the be the ones to step out in the starting fifteen to take on the Wallabies in the first of the three Tests? This is a great rugby betting angle to take a look at. Gatland as a 37 man squad to choose from.

The Lions have taken fifteen victories from their last 20 Test matches against Australia since back in 1899, so they are in pretty good shape. The initial squad of 37 named by Gatland included 15 Welsh players, 10 from England, nine Irish representatives and three Scottish players. Naturally there will be a bit of shuffling in the numbers as injuries start to mount up and replacements drafted in. Wales’ Sam Warburton was handed the role of captaining the squad and so, as long as he is fit, will naturally be one name going down on the team sheet for the opening Test match against Australia. So that’s one concrete Welshman in the Test side.

There is a clear divide in the betting markets for the country with the most starters in the first Test. Wales are more likely than not to have the lion’s share of the Lion’s places, trading as overwhelming favourites. But how many Welsh players will get to start the 1st Test? The confidence of the Welsh is high after winning the Six Nations earlier in the year. Under 7.5 Welsh players to get the start is trading at odds of 10/11, while Over 7/5 is being offered at odds of 4/5. It is in the back line that the Welsh are most likely to dominate, with a clutch of players like Jamie Roberts, Jonathan Davies and Alex Cuthbert and George North pushing for starting places on the wing. Leigh Halfpenny may be hard to leave out as full back as well, after top scoring in the Six Nations.

England have some good options to fill spots in the starting line up but may struggle to take precedence over the Welsh and Irish players. England are trading at Under 3.5 players to start the first Test against Australia at a price of 4/9, while going over that mark was being offered at Evens. The Welsh are likely to fill most of the positions in the initial Test side, but Ireland have a very realistic chance of posting more starting players than perhaps the English do, and Irish players Under 3.5 is trading at odds of Evens, with over that mark being offered at around 8/3. With Scotland taking so few players, they are at odds of 6/4 to have over 0.5 players starting the first Test.

Rugby Union Betting

US Open Golf 2013

The 113th edition of the US Open Championship will be teeing off between June 13th and 16th at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. This will be the fifth time that the US Open has been hosted on the club’s East Course, the last time being in 1981 when David Graham took the title. So it will be time to look at the second Major of the year and the golf betting markets will be running hot, with activity not only coming in pre-tournament outright winner bets, but on other markets like Match Bets, Top European, Winning Nationality and Place Markets. These are generally the places where more value is found in than trying to pick winner out of a major field.

Naturally a lot of attention will all be on Tiger Woods as the world waits to see whether or not he can get another Major under his belt. Of course, he is a previous winner of the US Open, having won the event three times before. The last time that Woods was in the winner’s circle was back in 2008 at Torrey Pines in California, following up on his 2000 and 2002 victories in the Major. Woods has been in outstanding form on the PGA Tour in 2013 and will naturally tee off as favourite. Naturally, with the tournament moving home, it’s hard to nail down form. Woods carded only a share of 21 as last year’s US Open, but he has landed four top six finishes in the last six attempt at the tournament (including the 2008 win).

So there will be a lot of money going down on Tiger Woods for the 2013 US Open golf betting, especially after his share of fourth at the Masters this year as well. Having picked up four titles already this season, and being the FedExCup points leader, he is the big name with all of the form. America’s Webb Simpson took the title last year at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, finishing one over par. But two of the last three US Open titles have been won by non-American’s (Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy). In fact, six of the last nine editions of the US Open have been won by a non-American.

However, it will be the home talent which dominates a fair share of the favouritism for the forthcoming US Open. There are big momentum players like Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Billy Horschel who will have their fair share of backers going into the action. So it may be worth rolling with an American for the Winning Nationality market. There are some seriously strong options in there. But Australia's Jason day and Adam Scott are both worth watching at the Majors, time and again both showing up well. On the European front, the world is waiting for Rory McIlroy to get back into his world-beating stride in order to initiate the McIlroy v Woods rivalry everyone wants to see at the top of a Major leaderboard. Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Justin Rose and the in form Graeme McDowell all represent superb value in the Top European market for 2013 US Open golf betting.

Golf Betting

The Special One Returns

One of the big summer highlights this year will be what Jose Mourinho does at Stamford Bridge. The Special One returned to former club Chelsea after being let go by Spanish giants Real Madrid after what was a fractious season for them. With Chelsea appointing former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez as interim manager last season, fans saw that as an act of disrespect, and were calling for Jose Mourinho to come back. It was Mourinho who ushered in the era of Chelsea’s most successful period in their history. He is back for more and the bookmakers have been set on high alert.

Will the Mourinho factor take effect next season? He took Chelsea to league titles, he put cup silverware in the cabinet and he attracted some big names to the club. He left a tremendous legacy at the club, which they haven’t looked back from really. But they need some tweaking and no doubt, Mourinho will dip into the summer transfer market. This will be in order to try and pull in some of the missing pieces of Chelsea’s puzzle, that will get them back into the position of being a Premier League title contender again. Will Mourinho bring back success?

Chelsea have been trading as favourites in the ante post FA Cup betting for the 2013/14 season, having proven themselves to be one of the best cup sides in recent times. Mourinho only got his hands on the FA Cup once though during his first spell at the club and it probably won’t be his highest priority at all. Less so, the Capital One Cup, again a football betting market in which Chelsea are trading as ante post favourites. In his first press conference back with Chelsea, Mourinho said that his big target was winning the Champions League with the club.

The Blues, like everyone else are well behind Bayern Munich and Barcelona in that market. The return of Mourinho did spark bookmakers to trim the odds on Chelsea taking the Premier League title though, and the time could be right for Chelsea to strike in that betting market. Mourinho could be returning at the right time. With the influence of Sir Alex Ferguson having left Manchester United to face a new era, and Manchester City bringing in a new manager with no Premier League experience, will Mourinho’s proven EPL title winning experience ahead of the other two give Chelsea the edge? It is a fascinatingly interesting scenario. 

View the latest Chelsea Betting Markets

Women's Tennis French Open 2013

The mix of competitors for the Women’s French Open title at Roland Garros this year is looking to be a lot deeper than what the men’s draw does. That is because, while the men’s draw has Rafael Nadal, the women’s draw has a host of genuine talents that can step up and take the title. So that makes for something of a realistic betting fest for some great value in the women’s draw. There is of course, as with any betting, a favourite and that title will fall on the shoulders of Serena Williams. There is no doubt that she has the combined power and pace, and she does translate well onto clay. But the American powerhouse has only won at Roland Garros once in her career, so that may make punters hesitate over backing her heavily. She is one of the top players on the Tour, there is little argument about that, but clay is such a great leveller.

The French Open is the most wide open of the four Grand Slams on the women’s calendar. There have been six different winners in the last six seasons at the event. So what will that mean for Maria Sharapova? The Russian had an immense season on clay last season, losing just one match on the clay swing, and she powered her way to the French Open title for the first time. Sharapova again has started well on clay in 2013 and the way she grinds out defence from the baseline, will put her in good stead. She has a tremendous first serve, but she is just developing a solid back up to that, whereas before she was vulnerable on her second serve. The Russian has the highest win percentage on clay of all active players and at 7/2 value makes a great option.

Behind those two, Victoria Azarenka is floating around at around the same mark as Sharapova. Azarenka had a perfect year, in so much as going without defeat until she hit Madrid as was ousted by Ekaterina Makarova. That was an upset, but it was after a long rest for the Belarusian. Azarenka has been bothered with niggling injuries this season, but she did defend her Australian Open title at the start of the year and her heavy hitting should take her far. She has the mobility and the reach to defend well on clay, but she looks as if she just needs more games under her belt in the Roland Garros build up on clay to be a big threat. It is just a matter of getting her match sharpness back, but has the ability and temperament to go deep.

You then have to look at some clay court specialists behind those. China’s Na Li won the title back in 2011 and the very best of her often comes out on clay. She is just a tenacious flat hitter and she was in top form over the early stages of the season. She has been good this season, bombed in the first round of Madrid though but that could inject her with a little more fire. She rises up to the challenge of the big events well and should make one of the best dark horses. There are other dark horses in the field, notably Samantha Stosur and Sara Errani. Both come alive more when they are on clay, especially Errani. The Italian is one of the best at control and variety on clay and the big guns won’t want to see her in their quarter of the draw.

Also falling into the form as outsiders for the French Open will be Germany’s number one Angelique Kerber and Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic. Kerber is just starting to come alive at the right time of the season to gun for her first Grand Slam title. A powerhouse, and full of focus. Such a tricky opponent and seeing her in the quarter finals should be a certainty. More of an outside bet is Ana Ivanovic. The Former Wimbledon champion still has the potential and shows flashes of great class and resilience. Struggles against big power, but always worth tracking for match betting and an underdog shot against top ten opponents.

Tennis Betting Odds

Mens Tennis French Open 2013

With both Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic unable to make a heavy impact on the recent ATP Madrid Open on clay, the path looks clear for defending champion Rafael Nadal to power his way to yet another French Open title at Roland Garros in 2013. It has pretty much been the Spaniard’s tournament since 2005 when he won it for the first time. He has won the event at Roland Garros for a record seven times already, only being interrupted once since his maiden win, when Roger Federer went all the way to the title in 2009. It is clay and it is Rafael Nadal, the rest are going to be playing catch up to him. The bookmakers have installed him as strong 5/6 favourite to take an unprecedented 8th title in the Mens French Open Betting.

In last year’s final, Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic, the Serbian showing some resistance in the third set, but ultimately the Spaniard won through. Nadal has a tremendous 52-1 match record at the tournament and that will count for a lot when he steps out on to what has become one of his spiritual homes in tennis. When he won the rain-delayed final last season, the culmination of the match being played on Monday, he broke the tie with Bjorn Borg for the most trophies won at the same tournament. His return to the game after his layoff through injury after Wimbledon last season, has been immense. Not perfect, not even on clay, but the more matches he gets under his belt on his path to Roland Garros, the stronger he will be.

Novak Djokovic, who has a 31-8 match record at the event, his best run coming as losing finalist last season, will likely be Nadal’s closest challenger. Djokovic himself doesn’t have a bad record on clay, taking eight ATP titles before. Djokovic has the adaptability and he beat Nadal in the final of the 2012 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo, which was on clay. It was a straight sets victory too, in which the Spaniard never really got going, and Djokovic was there to punish him. So the success of Nadal, with seven French Open titles in the last eight, is not only down to him, but because of the lack of genuine threat from the other big four. If Djokovic, trading as strong second favourite at a price of 6/5, slips early on the clay surface in the title, as he did in Madrid, then the path should be clear and easy for Nadal.

What accentuates the chances of Nadal at the French Open, is that Britain’s Number One Andy Murray is not a proven force on the surface. That can be summed up in the fact that he is at longer odds than Federer is. There is more unpredictability about Murray perhaps, than any of the other big four on clay. Roger Federer still has a chance on the dirt because it is more forgiving and he can play at a slower pace than the hard courts. Federer, at a price of 11/1 to win at Roland Garros again, has earned twelve titles on clay during his career, and while the Swiss superstar does seem to be a fading force, he will thrive in the atmosphere. He has only won one French Open before, but could make a semi final appearance as in five of the last six Grand Slams since the 2011 US Open, Federer has reached at least the semi final stage.

Tennis Betting Odds

Darts Premier League Final Stages

The final four have been settled after fourteen gruelling weeks touring the UK for the 2013 Premier League Darts. The draw for the final night as well has been settled, taking the positions of first playing fourth and second playing third. That means Michael van Gerwen v James Wade and Raymond van Barneveld v Phil Taylor. It is the Netherlands v England in both of the semi final matches which are the best of 15 legs. This season of Premier League darts betting has been made all the more interesting because of the vulnerabilities of Phil Taylor. He has long been the expert in this format, winning six of the previous nine titles. It is The Power who is the reigning champion as well after beating Simon Whitlock in last year’s final. However, he is not the favourite this time around.

Phil The Power Taylor, who has gone entire regular seasons of the Premier League unbeaten, was toppled four times in his sixteen matches this season. He was well below his usual mark of landing 180’s during the tournament, but somehow he still managed to compensate for that by finishing with the highest three dart average above everyone else. Taylor takes on his old rival Raymond van Barneveld in the semi final on finals night, and during the season, Taylor beat the Dutchman 7-3 before they settled for a tie in their second meeting. Taylor generally has the upper hand over Barneveld and could be worth backing again. Taylor does usually turn up when it matters most and that is why he is trading at 11/4 second favourite to take the Premier League title for the seventh time.

But Barneveld was more consistent than he has been in recent seasons, powering his way to ten wins from his sixteen league matches, losing just three. He fired off 23 more maximums than Taylor did as well this season. Barneveld was one of the best players over the course of the season, but as he found out at the 2013 World Championships, Taylor still has the beating of him. But Barneveld does seem to have had the bit between his teeth this season in looking for his first ever Premier League title, and the Dutchman could have value at 11/2. Going up against Taylor will be the heavyweight clash of the semi finals and the winner will be heading into a final showdown against Michael van Gerwen or James Wade. A repeat of the 2013 World Championship final between Van Gerwen and Taylor is certainly on the cards as they go as favourites to win outright.

It is Michael van Gerwen, the hot new ticket on the darts scene that is taking all favouritism here. This is his debut season in the Premier League and it has been an impressive one. Like Barneveld, he lost only three matches all season, but took top spot in the league standings with eleven wins from his sixteen matches. He just has the quick, heavy scoring touch which has seen him translate to this format so well. Van Gerwen drew once and beat Taylor heavily during the regular season, and he produced two wins over his fellow countryman Barneveld during the season. That is why he is trading as favourite, and why it leaves James Wade, a former Premier League winner, as the rank outsider. Wade was very strong over the first half of the season, but only picked up two wins from his last seven matches, squeezing into the playoffs.

Premier League Darts Betting

Spanish Grand Prix 2013

Last years Spanish Grand Prix saw Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado take a hugely surprising win in his Williams, after managing to outwit the experienced Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso at the Circuit de Catalunya. It was a thrilling tactical race, won by Maldonado who was only his second season of F1 racing. The success for Williams (which their first win since 2004) was all down to the timing of pit-stops, which just allowed Maldonado to keep himself in front, although he was helped a bit by Alonso waiting too long to go in and take his second pit stop of the race. But it wasn’t just a great win for Maldonado, it was a race in which he had gone from pole position as well. It was a great result, but for the 2012 drive, you will be looking towards the favourites.

The favourite of the favourites will naturally be Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel. The German took two wins in the first four races of the 2013 season to start laying some dominance down as he goes in search of his fourth consecutive title. There are just signs, even though still early in the season, that could have ominous bearings for the rest of the season. Vettel was a comfortable winner of the Bahrain Grand Prix ahead of Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen in mid April and the way he dominated the field sets him up to the be the one to catch again. He found some incredible speed in his Red Bull and if the teams have sorted their set up issues in the new regulations, then he is going to take some stopping.

Sebastian Vettel has winning experience at the Spanish Grand Prix a well, taking the win in 2011 but could only managed a sixth place finish last season after going from pole position in the race. He picked up a race penalty and had to stop to get his front wing changed in the race, but still didn’t produce a bad finish. The Red Bull team do have an advantage of speed and innovation over the rest of the field and Sebastian Vettel is the one to press it all home. There have been seven different winners of the Spanish Grand Prix in the last seven seasons, so there is some unpredictability at the event, but Vettel is usually the one to demolish that.

Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen in his Lotus, sitting second in the 2013 F1 Drivers World Championship, is a two time winner of the Spanish Grand Prix, winning it both with McLaren and Ferrari in his career. Raikkonen looks to be the main challenger to Vettel for the world title this season and will want to desperately try and close the gap. Even with the pace and power of the Lotus, he still couldn’t make a dent in Vettel’s lead in Bahrain, and that means ascendancy should still be with the German world champion. But Raikkonen has been consistent with his finishes this season and should be a contender.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso won the Spanish Grand Prix back in 2006. The Ferrari driver went into the new season with big confidence after a title challenge which only faded away in the final race of last season. But even at the early stage of heading into the fifth race of the season, he recognised that Ferrari need to pull their socks up and get as near to perfection as possible. They were bothered with problems over the first four races of the season, throwing away points, points which could prove costly in the long run..Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes, which isn’t as far away from the big guns as many had expected, remains the best outside shot in the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix betting,

English Premier League 2013-2014 Betting

It is always worth looking ahead at ante post markets for Premier League betting, and with the 2012/13 title heading to Old Trafford and into Manchester United’s hands for the 20th time in their history, looking a year beyond that, who is likely to be crowned English champions for the 2013/14? Looking ahead, summer transfers can always be a game changer for sides but as usual, there are the big clubs, the ones with the money and the power are still naturally going to be dominating the ante post market. But still, there is the big question of who it will end up being.

Manchester United
The Red Devils, with 20 English League titles under their belt are naturally going to be the favourites to take the title. They will be the defending champions and they will have the most at stake to lose. They have all the experience and of course the guile of Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm and that is why before the close of the 2012/13 season, Man United were already 13/8 favourites to successfully defend it the following season. They have tremendous scoring power in Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, who is likely to stay at the club despite transfer rumours. Not only that, Sir Alex Ferguson always gets the best out of any player that he drafts in on top. Man United are not likely to be big spenders over the summer, although if they target an upgrade in a very suspect midfield area, they will be strong front runners again.

Manchester City
The 2011/12 Champions couldn’t successfully defend their title, and it is a tough thing to do. Boss Roberto Mancini blamed their failure to do so on missing out on signings last summer to boost their squad. That having been said, the Citizens came into terrific form, about four months too late into the 2012/13 season to mount a realistic title challenge. Their defense is mobile and strong enough to rack up clean sheets, but they likely will look for a summer strengthening of the forward corps. Sergio Aguero wasn’t quite at his best all season and that, along with dodgy away form, cost them. So strengthening things up front, and having an extra world class body in the centre of midfield as well would likely take City to the next level and get them closer to their bitter rivals again. They certainly can’t be counted out, and Man City will take some popular backing at a price of around 15/8 in ante post 2013/14 Premier League betting.

Chelsea
Third favourites in the ante post betting at around 4/1. That is quite a distant price for the London club, who last won the league title in the 2009/10 season. They will have a new manager next season with the temporary tenure of Rafa Benitez coming to an end, so new systems will be implemented. Chelsea have a wonderful crop of attacking talent, youngsters like Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Oscar. They definitely need a boost up front through in bringing in a world class striker, as Fernando Torres is cutting it, and that leaves just Demba Ba. They need more than that to mount a title challenge, as well as adding some extra bodies at the back. They shouldn’t have any trouble in attracting big names over the summer, especially if they have Champions League football to look forward too. With them being attached to big names like Andre Schurrle and Radamel Falcao, if they team it up with the right manager, then they could make up a very strong third title challenging team.

Arsenal and Tottenham
The two North London sides are still yet to prove that they have title winning credentials in them. Hard to argue about the fact that they will likely be top five clubs against next season, but just how close they can get to the three aforementioned clubs is really up for debate. It is still not likely to happen unless major investments are going to happen. Few are betting on Arsenal who last won the league title back in the 2003/04 season and Tottenham is very definite long shot with a last league title coming all the way back in the 1960/61 season.

Bahrain Grand Prix 2013

The Bahrain Grand Prix is an event which has courted a lot of controversy over the past few years. The running of the event was canceled altogether in 2011 amid protests in the Kingdom. There was a touted rescheduling, but it didn’t come into fruition amid all the unrest. Then in 2012, the race was back on the calendar, and Human Rights Activists wanted the race canceled again, due to concerns over the treatment of prisoners in captivity in the country. There were also major safety concerns for the drivers and members of the teams in Bahrain as well, but amid more turmoil the race did go ahead and it was won by Germany’s Sebastian Vettel in his Red Bull. That was a win which would help Vettel to eventually power on to take this third F1 World Championship title in a row.

The build up for the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix has not been all plain sailing either, with MP’s in Britain calling for the race to be canceled again. But the race is going ahead once more as drivers head to the Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit, where all but one of the Bahrain Grands Prix have been held. There are some great straight sections at the track, combined with a really tricky section of left and right hand cornering. The race is one of the most difficult in the season for the teams because of the high temperatures in the desert which has a big influence on tyre wear and driver fatigue. It is probably a race which is going to rely heavily on pit stop strategy, with an expected three per driver during the race.

2013 will be only the ninth edition of the Bahrain Grand Prix, and Spain’s Fernando Alonso has taken the win in four of those races. He secured back to back wins in the 2005 and 2006 while he was driving for Renault, and then took a win at the Sakhir Endurance Circuit where the race was hosted in 2010. Combined with some good early form in which he took a win, and a dominant one at that in Shanghai for the 2013 China Grand Prix, he will be favourite at Bahrain. That is form and track record on the side of the Spaniard as he looks to keep himself fully in the 2013 F1 Drivers Championship race.

But Alonso should be sitting around the mark of joint favourite Sebastian Vettel, who is not only the reigning champion, but he also won the Malaysian Grand Prix earlier in the season. With the conditions and style of the Malaysian Grand Prix being fairly close to that of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the power of Vettel should be making a strong challenge for back to back titles at the event He took a comfortable win at the 2012 edition ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in the Lotus and while he was defended off by Lewis Hamilton at the Chinese Grand Prix, keeping Vettel just off the podium for the first time this season, the threat that the German Red Bull driver poses in qualification alone should put him inside the top three.

Lewis Hamilton has been producing some very solid stuff in his Mercedes this season, even taking a surprise pole position at the China Grand Prix. He also fired in a good qualifying time last year in his McLaren, taking second on the grid. Given that he has got more out of the car than was ever expected at this stage, he looks a good prospect for a top three finish. He could also produce good value in Pole Position betting too. Back in the outright race winner market for the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix, Kimi Raikkonen in his steady Lotus is worth a look. The Finnish driver took second place in China and add to his win in Australia has produced well. He finished second behind Vettel in last season's Bahrain Grand Prix, yet to win the title there in his career. 

Bahrain F1 and Motor Racing Betting

Monte Carlo Masters 2013

The Monte Carlo Rolex Masters is one of the seven ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments during the course of the season. This is the highest tier of tournament behind the Grand Slams and naturally produces big fields. The action in Monte Carlo, the event being known as the Gem of the Mediterranean is the first of three Masters 1000 events to be held on clay. Big money and big Tour points are on offer in this one, and there is a lot of prestige about this tournament in the luxurious location. The other Gem of the Mediterranean, Rafael Nadal, will be back for the 2013 edition of the event to continue what has been a truly amazing affinity with the red clay surface of Monte Carlo.

Sometimes picking out a favourite for a tennis event is just an easy thing. Sometimes it has been made all so simple for you. This is the case here, with the dominance of Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo. His match record at the event stands at a staggering 44-1. He first lifted the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters title in 2005. Since that maiden win he has defended the title seven times in succession and goes for an unbelievable ninth title in 2013. In the 2012 final he snapped a seven match losing streak against Novak Djokovic to hold on to the title, so the Spaniard does not look as if he is going to let his grip on the event slide too easily. Since coming back from injury, Nadal won three of his four events on his return.

That is what champions are made of. Current World Number One Novak Djokovic hasn’t been in the winners spotlight at Monte Carlo yet in his career. He has finished runner up twice there, including last season. While his run to the final came in a difficult week for him after the death of his grandfather, this time his pre tournament build up has been trying to shake off an injury. He rolled his ankle for Serbia in a Davis Cup match, but he still soldiered on with the rolled-ankle to win the decisive rubber in the match for his country. Djokovic has two titles under his belt this season but didn’t make the final of either of the first two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in 2013.

2012 US Open winner Andy Murray has just a 10-6 match record in Monte Carlo heading into his latest attempt in 2013. Clay has been Murray’s weakest surface without much question really, but he has been trying make a concerted effort to improve his game on there. It may take time to pay off though and his best efforts have been semi final runs in 2009 and 2011. The benchmark on clay court tournaments of course is Rafael Nadal and in both of Murray's semi finals in Monte Carlo, he lost to the Spaniard. Murray would bump into Nadal at the semi final stage of this season’s tournament and the Spaniard would have to be favourite.

Arguably Rafael Nadal will be favoured in 2013 Monte Carlo Rolex Masters tennis betting, whoever he goes up against. Will he be able to make it a record nine titles in a row? If so the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 record holder will take his tally of those titles to 23.

Full schedule of Tennis Betting tournaments and matches

Nathan Cleverly v Robin Krasniqi Boxing

Current WBO Light Heavyweight world champion Nathan Cleverly steps into the ring on April 20th to take on German Robin Krasniqi. This is going to be an important bout for the Welshman, because if he wins, then he has been promised a shot against American Bernard Hopkins in a world unification title fight. But before he looks that far ahead, he has to take on the mandatory challenger Krasniqi in April. The fight will take place on April 20th at Wembley Arena and if Cleverly needed motivation to impress, then it is the long awaited chance to have a shot at IBF champion Hopkins. The importance on this fight for Cleverly is immense.

A defeat and the Welshman would simply not get the shot at Unification and will be well off Hopkins’ radar. Cleverly is undefeated in his professional career, and the last time that he was in the ring was at the back end of 2012 when took on Shawn Hawk in Los Angeles, the Welshman successfully defending his WBO Light Heavyweight title. Since claiming the WBA Light Heavyweight Title, Cleverly has gone through three title defences and is looking in good shape. He will start as favourite to take down the German, but his opponent is really not going to a pushover, given his professional career record.

Having posted a career record of 25 wins, 12 knockouts, 0 losses and 0 draws, this is going to be a pivotal point in the career of the 26 year old Welshman. Nathan Cleverly is the former British, Commonwealth and European champion. He will be wrong to step into the ring and underestimate his opponent at Wembley, but that is just what Krasniqi is hoping will happen. The German is ready and primed to take on the challenge of Cleverly, and with such favouritism going towards the British boxer for the bout, the German is hoping that it will play into his hands. He has some deadly hands as well.

The 25 year old German was ready for this fight last year, and finally get his shot at the Welshman after the bout needed rescheduling twice. It was first planned for April of 2012. Krasniqi thinks that he is just being used as a stepping stone by Cleverly to get to Hopkins. But Krasniqi is no slouch, having currently strung together a run of 38 wins in a row after losing two of his first three professional fights. Just to add to that, the German has knocked out his last four opponents and is clearly highly motivated for this one. He has been waiting a long time to stand toe to toe with Cleverly in what should be an explosive bout.

Check here for the latest Nathan Cleverly and Boxing Betting Bouts

British Superbikes

The 2013 British Superbike Championship, sprinting off the line in April, goes for nine exciting rounds of action, concluding over the weekend of September 6th at Donington Park. Then comes three further races in The Showdown. At the end of the regular season, all riders can then get rid of their two worst scores for the season. With that settled, the top six in the points standings become the Title Fighters, each starting the three-round Showdown with 500 points plus bonus points for podium finishes over the regular season added. This shake up was done to ensure that excitement continues all the way to the end of the season, while all the riders who are outside of the Title Fighters places just continue to race for the BSB Riders’ Cup.

The 2012 season was the 25th edition which saw some new regulations come in as well, notably being limited to sixteen two bike teams. There was a fascinating three way battle for glory last season, with Englishmen Shane Byrne and Tommy Hill picking up the same amount of wins on the season as Australia’s Josh Brookes. Those three really kept the British Superbikes championship driving last season, each having their strong swings through the season. Things really went to the wire last year, with the championship not being settled until the final event of the season, the three races at Brands Hatch. The meeting was dominated by Shane Byrne on his Kawasaki, who won all three races to power himself to the title.

The Englishman is favourite to take another title this year. He turned down the chance of a return to Moto GP as well, instead targeting an unprecedented fourth British Superbikes title. After previous British Superbike titles, Byrne had left the sport to try his hand elsewhere, so this will actually be his first ever title defence season. He is hungry and he's the favourite for the season with the bookmakers. Fellow countryman Alex Lowes has been trading well after taking a fourth place finish in last season’s British Superbikes championship. The 2011 Champion Tommy Hill, who also has experience in the World Superbikes, will be a popular rider to back ahead of the new season, challenging Byrne well last season on his Yamaha, taking third overall in the final standings.

Australia's Josh Brookes is going to be the other main contender again this season and it is hard to see that aforementioned triumvirate being broken up. Brookes came on strongly through the middle and latter half of the 2012 season on his Suzuki, where he finished 2nd overall, unable to make the impression at Brands Hatch in the final Showdown meeting as he had wanted to. That was the second time in four seasons of British Superbike racing that he had finished second overall. There is a high probability that one of those three are going to be crowned champion in 2013. For added excitement this time around, three times British Superbike winner Ryuichi Kiyonari makes a return. The Japanese rider is back with his old Samsung Honda team for the 2013 season and makes the best outside shot of the strong three of Byrne, Brookes and Hill.

Superbike and Motorcycle Betting

2013 Chinese Grand Prix

The 2013 Chinese Grand Prix has taken on a slight new context and interest surrounding it has been hyped following the clash between the two Red Bull drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber at the Malaysian Grand Prix. The furore started when Webber was the leading the race, but Vettel, under team orders to hold his second place in the race, decided to take matters into his own hands and go and take the win by passing, his arguably slower teammate. That sparked a team fall out, even between support staff and rumours circled that Mark Webber was even considering his future in the sport. However, the Australian has calmed things down by saying that it isn’t true and he will be out and competing at the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix in April.

Could this be a case of beware the wounded beast? Are the troubles likely to spur Webber into life and take a firm grip of the race? No, it doesn’t work like that and it is not going to be that straightforward. Vettel is far faster than his teammate Webber is, and even though Webber was leading the Malaysian Grand Prix, he was holding up the rest of the race, one which would have been ran at a quicker pace without him at the front. Webber really hasn’t the consistency, track record or car to really come out of the blocks and start heading up fields. If his car and set up was as quick as Vettel's, the three time World Champion Vettel would still be edging things out of the two.

Looking back of the past history of the Chinese Grand Prix, in what will be its tenth year this edition, Webber hasn’t take a victory. Incidentally, Vettel has only taken one title in China, with the McLaren’s taking back to back wins in 2011 and 2010. So it is McLaren who may take some precedence at this year’s running, even though the two McLaren’s of Sergio Perez and Jenson Button are still playing catch up with other front runners this season. The McLaren team went well again at the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix, taking second and third. The question is, will they have learned enough from the first two races of the season to really make an impact in the latest renewal? Button was going well at the Malaysian Grand Prix until he had a problem in the pits with a tire change, ruining what could well have been a podium finish. A podium finish has to be a strong target for this year’s race.

However, overall precedence really has to stick with Vettel, as clearly his own team can’t even stop him winning. He’ll probably want to prove a point he can win cleanly and fairly. The Ferrari’s haven’t been doing great at the Chinese Grand Prix over the past five seasons or so, and with Fernando Alonso not totally showing up in the 2013 season yet, may be worth looking over. If there is a solid outside shot to take a look at in 2013Chinese Grand Prix betting then it could be Lewis Hamilton. It was Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg who took the win last season in China, and Lewis Hamilton himself, moving to Mercedes for this season’s drive, is the only multiple winner of the Chinese Grand Prix (2008, 2011). Quietly, his Mercedes has been quicker and more competitive than expected. This could be where he makes his breakthrough for his new team.

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