Astros send Oswalt to hill in opener with Fish

Baseball Betting Lines

04/11/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Oswalt will try again for his first win of the season tonight against a team he has dominated in his career, as the Houston Astros host the surprising Florida Marlins in the start of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park.

Oswalt is 0-2 to start the season after taking road losses to San Diego on March 31 and the Cubs on Saturday. The right-hander has given up nine runs (8 earned) and 21 hits in 12 innings of work while posting just six strikeouts.

However, the 30-year-old hasn't lost to the Marlins since May 11, 2005, going 3-0 against them in four starts since. He is also 3-0 with a 0.92 earned run average in four home starts against the Marlins and 5-2 with a 1.88 ERA in nine all-time starts versus Florida.

Oswalt will be facing a Florida club though that is off to its best start since 2004, when it began the year 8-1. The Marlins swept a three-game set with the Washington Nationals, ending the series with a 4-3 win on Thursday to improve to 6-3 on the season.

Mark Hendrickson threw seven solid innings and Jorge Cantu went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in. Hendrickson (2-1) gave up one run on three hits while striking out two and walking none for the Marlins, who have won five of their last six. Hanley Ramirez was 2-for-5 with a double, while Josh Willingham had a double and an RBI.

Kevin Gregg picked up his second save of the season.

Florida's Ricky Nolasco has had great success out of the bullpen so far this year, and makes his first start of the season tonight and first since May 17, 2007. The right-hander has pitched a combined 5 2/3 innings of relief this year versus the Pirates and Mets and has allowed just three hits and a walk in that span.

The 25-year-old Nolasco has faced the Astros just once in his career, limiting the club to a hit and two walks in three relief innings of a 6-5 Florida loss on April 5, 2006.

The Astros will try to rebound tonight against Nolasco after losing two of three to the St. Louis Cardinals. That set wrapped on Wednesday, a 6-4 setback for Houston.

Lance Berkman, who was one of four Astros with a double, went 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI. Chris Sampson (0-1) took the loss, surrendering three runs on six hits and one walk in just four innings.

Michael Bourn, Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee and Mark Loretta all had an RBI, as Houston lost for the fourth time in five games.

Houston won three of five against Florida last year and is 7-5 against them since the start of the 2006 season. That includes a 4-1 mark at home.

Footvall Baseball Betting News

<< Nets visit Toronto
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors will try to adjust their playoff position tonight, when they close out a short homestand versus the New Jersey Nets at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors are seventh in the East standings, just two ga

<< Lakers crush Clippers in Battle of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luke Walton scored 18 points as the Lakers routed the Clippers, 106-78, at the Staples Center. Kobe Bryant added 16 points for the Lakers, who finished a perfect 4-0 against the Clippers this season and

<< Martin won't coach Panthers, will remain GM
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers will have a new head coach for the 2008-09 season, and that coach will be selected by the man who vacated the position late Thursday, according to a published report. The Miami Her

<< Western Illinois names new men's basketball coach
Macomb, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Western Illinois will introduce Jim Molinari as its new head men's basketball coach at a Friday morning press conference. The 14-year Division I head coaching veteran brings 28 years coaching experienc

<< Correia dazzles Cards
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Correia befuddled Cardinals batters over 7 2/3 scoreless frames, as the San Francisco Giants downed the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-1, at AT&T Park. Correia (1-1) mixed a sharp breaking ball wit

Mets, Brewers start series at Shea >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Mets began their nine-game homestand by claiming a series win over a division rival. Tonight, New York begins a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Shea Stadium with a hurler on the mound making his first s

Hawks try to inch closer to playoff berth in New York >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks will try to hold onto the eighth and final playoff spot this evening, when they wrap up a three-game road trip against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Atlanta is just two games ahead of In

Boston hosts the Bucks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics are preparing for a big run in this year's playoffs, as they take on the weak Milwaukee Bucks tonight at TD Banknorth Garden. The top-seeded Celtics will put its four-game home winning streak on the lin

Ovie makes playoff debut as Caps host Flyers in Game 1 >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Ovechkin and the third-seeded Washington Capitals will try to keep the momentum going from a late-season surge tonight, when they host the Philadelphia Flyers at the Verizon Center for Game 1 of the best-of- seven Easter

Bucs welcome Reds to Steel City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Young right-hander Edinson Volquez makes his second start of the season for Cincinnati when the Reds head to PNC Park for the first of a three-game weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. A 24-year-old Dominican, Volq

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.

American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.