11/06/2008 - Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Henrik Stenson fired a seven-under 65 to take the first-round lead Thursday at the HSBC Champions tournament, the European Tour's first event of the 2009 season.
Defending champion and world No. 2 Phil Mickelson led a four-way tie for second place at six-under 66. Joining him were world No. 3 Sergio Garcia, No. 8 Anthony Kim and No. 16 Adam Scott.
The star-studded field of 77 players took to Sheshan International Golf Club for the traditional early start to the European Tour's new season.
It kicked off the circuit's new Race to Dubai, the season-long money scramble that replaces the Order of Merit and ends in the most lucrative tournament in golf, the $10 million Dubai World Championship.
Robert Karlsson, who locked up his first Order of Merit title at last week's Volvo Masters -- the end of the 2008 season -- hit the first tee shot Thursday to kick off the new campaign. He finished with a 69 to share 14th place, and later spoke about beginning the tour's new season-long race.
"It is really exciting to start something new like this and it is a great honor to be the person given the chance to kick off this thrilling period in the European Tour's history," said Karlsson.
Ten of the top 20 players in the world rankings are on hand this week for a tournament that's being described by some as "Asia's major." The purse is $5 million, drawing the likes of Mickelson, Garcia, Scott and reigning British Open and PGA champion Padraig Harrington.
But it was Stenson, the five-time European Tour winner, who held the lead after a first round that included an eagle, six birdies and just one bogey.
Nearly all of the action in the 32-year-old Swede's round occurred on the first eight holes. He started off with a bogey on the first hole, but rebounded in a big way with an eagle at No. 2 and three consecutive birdies following that.
Stenson went on to birdie No. 8 to make the turn in just 31 shots, but he soon slowed down. Playing in a light fog and steady rain, Stenson collected six straight pars to start the back nine before making birdie at two of his last three holes to take the lead.
"It was a good day," said Stenson, "especially because I haven't been playing very good lately with the longer clubs."
Stenson wasn't the only player who took advantage of the front side of the course. Like the Swede, both Mickelson and Kim were able to pick up eagles at the 550-yard second hole.
Mickelson, Kim and Scott each stumbled to bogeys in the rounds, while Garcia was able to make it around the course without one. The third-ranked Spaniard has a mathematical shot to supplant Mickelson at No. 2 in the rankings behind injured Tiger Woods, although it would take a top-three finish coupled with a poor finish from Mickelson for that to happen.
With his good start Thursday, Mickelson -- who won in a three-way playoff last year for only his second career victory outside the United States -- looked unlikely to stumble that badly.
Marc Cayeux and Oliver Wilson shared sixth place behind Mickelson's group at five-under 67.
Overall, there were 27 players within five shots of Stenson's lead, including notables Ian Poulter (68), Harrington (69) and Geoff Ogilvy (70).
<< Romo returns to practice
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who has
missed the last three games with a fractured pinkie on his throwing hand,
returned to practice Wednesday and is optimistic to play in the team's next
contest
<< Jackson, Warriors hold off Nuggets
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Jackson scored a game-high 29 points
and dished out seven assists, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 111-101
victory over the Nuggets in Denver's first game since the trade of Allen
Iverson
<< Martin, Kings top Grizzlies to earn first win of the season
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Martin poured in 33 points and the
Kings finally broke in the win column by holding on to capture their home
opener, 100-95, over the Memphis Grizzlies.
John Salmons tallied 21 points and n
<< Okur leads Jazz over Blazers
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mehmet Okur had 22 points and nine to
lead Utah in a 103-96 triumph over Portland, which gave Jazz coach Jerry Sloan
his 999th win with the franchise.
Sloan is now just one victory shy from becoming t
Rockets ready to blast off in Portland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets will attempt to rebound from their
first loss of the season when they embark on a five-game road swing by
visiting the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden.
Boston's Ray Allen scored
Flames welcome Preds to Calgary >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames will try to avoid their first
three-game losing streak of the season tonight, when they welcome the
Nashville Predators for a battle at the Saddledome.
Before dropping their last two contests, the Flames
Coyotes stay up north to battle Canucks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes will try to keep heading in the right
direction when they visit the Vancouver Canucks tonight at General Motors
Place.
The Coyotes began the season on a two-game winning streak, but haven't
strung toge
Kings, Panthers both aim to halt skids in LA >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of struggling teams will try to halt lengthy
losing streaks tonight, as the Los Angeles Kings welcome the Florida
Panthers for a battle at Staples Center.
The Kings have lost their last five games, grabbing two poin
New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino.
The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1.
MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5.
Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs.
| Ottawa Senators Detroit Red Wings Carolina Hurricanes San Jose Sharks Anaheim Ducks Philadelphia Flyers Calgary Flames New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Dallas Stars New York Rangers Nashville Predators Vancouver Canucks Colorado Avalanche Minnesota Wild Tampa Bay Lightning Boston Bruins Florida Panthers Montreal Canadiens Atlanta Thrashers Toronto Maple Leafs Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Los Angeles Kings New York Islanders Columbus Blue Jackets St. Louis Blues Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Chicago Blackhawks |
7-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 80-1 80-1 100-1 100-1 |
NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games
| Team Ottawa Senators Anaheim Ducks Detroit Red Wings Nashville Predators San Jose Sharks Calgary Flames Philadelphia Flyers New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Carolina Hurricanes Dallas Stars New York Rangers Minnesota Wild Atlanta Thrashers Montreal Canadiens Team Los Angeles Kings Tampa Bay Lightening Vancouver Canucks Boston Bruins Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Toronto Maple Leafs Florida Panthers Columbus Blue Jackets New York Islanders Chicago Blackhawks St. Louis Blues Washington Capitals Pittsburgh Penguins |
Over/Under 108.5 106.5 104.5 104.5 103.5 101.5 100.5 99.5 97.5 97.5 97.5 95.5 94.5 93.5 92.5 Over/Under 91.5 91.5 91.5 89.5 89.5 88.5 88.5 86.5 84.5 82.5 80.5 72.5 72.5 72.5 71.5 |
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In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
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