This weekend offers a plethora of sporting markets for betting enthusiasts. Below is a selection of sporting events to keep an eye on.
NFL
The 2010/11 NFL season kicks off this weekend. There are no Saturday games, presumably because it’s a 9/11 anniversary. I watch the occasional NFL and College game, but I tend to rely on other people’s opinions when placing bets. A good source of information is the American website FanIQ. You can view both the FanIQ prediction, which is based on the aggregate opinion of the website’s members, and the Vegas & Expert’s opinion for each fixture. If you sign up for membership, which is free, you can also access in depth previews of each game.
If you’re a serious sports better, you may be interested in the paid service AccuScore. AccuScore in an American service that provides pre-game statistical analysis for NFL, MLB, NBA, College Football and College Basketball. The statistics are based on simulated projections and adviser picks. Daily line reports with historical pick records are available, along with live betting predictions and much more. I haven’t used this service myself, but I would love to get feedback from someone who has.
NRL Finals
Bookmakers have even odds on Wests Tigers v Sydney Roosters. The Titans (1.60) are marginal favourites against the Warriors (2.38), as are the Panthers (1.57) who will be playing the Raiders (2.45). The Dragons (1.16) start as heavy favourites against the Sea Eagles (5.50), with a line bet of -16.5 points.
AFL Finals
Geelong v Freemantle
Geelong (1.12) are the heavy favourites, with Freemantle (6.80) given a 39.5 point head start for the line bet.
Western Bulldogs v Sydney
This game is expected to be much tighter, with Sydney (1.82) the marginal favourites over the Bulldogs (2.02).
Bledisloe Cup – Australia v All Blacks
The Tri Nations game kicks off at 8:00 PM this Saturday at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. New Zealand are the favourites for this fixture, with odds of 1.45 and a line bet of -6.0. It will be interesting to see how fresh Australia (2.75) look after making the trip back from South Africa.
Formula 1
The Italian Grand Prix is this weekend, hot on the heels of the fantastic Belgian Grand Prix a fortnight ago. I’m surprised to see that Hamilton (2.62) is given much shorter odds than his teammate Button (7.50) to win. Despite the fact that Webber (6.50) has consistently outperformed his teammate Vettel (5.50) on race day, he is still longer odds to win the race. Alonso (5.00) is the second favourite for a win, which is interesting, given his poor qualifying performance in Belgium. This season has been fantastic so far. With Channel One showing most races live in Australia, there’s never been a better time to get into F1.
US Open Tennis
The US Open concludes this weekend, with everyone in New York hoping for a Federer vs. Nadal final. I’ve heard that Federer has never lost a night match at the US Open, and he looks to be in fantastic form thus far. Unfortunately, the reigning men’s champion Del Potro couldn’t participate, along with Serena Williams. In the women’s event, everyone is wondering if Wozniacki can win her first Grand Slam title.
European Football
After a week off for international Euro qualifiers, the likes of the English Premier League are back in action this weekend. If you’re ever looking for Premier League score predictions, check out Lawro’s predictions on the BBC website. He got six out of ten correct last round, with two perfect scores.
If you struggle to find good value on top division games, I highly recommend you start looking into lower division football. I speak from experience, because statistically, the sport I have performed the best at is the English Championship, which is one division below the Premier League.
Basketball – 2010 FIBA World Championship
We’re at the semi finals stage, and the United States, despite not fielding a first string team, are the hot favourites for the title. Turkey, who are the host nation, must be delighted to have made the semi-finals. You can view the brackets at the official website.
Domestic Rugby Union
The ITM Cup in New Zealand enters Week 7, while the Currie Cup in South Africa enters Week 8.
Phew! That’s most of it, anyway. I’ve never felt so spoiled for choice. Enjoy your weekend!