2013 Masters Odds: Tiger Woods Heavy Favourite, McIlroy and Mickelson Also In Hunt

He’s ba-aaaaack.
Despite not having won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open, Tiger Woods is the overwhelming favourite to win this year’s Masters golf tournament when many of the game’s biggest names congregate at Augusta.
Here’s a complete list of futures odds Sports Interaction has posted for this year’s Masters.

Tiger Woods   +200
Rory McIlroy   +900
Phil Mickelson   +1000
Brandt Snedeker   +1600
Justin Rose   +2000
Charl Schwartzel   +2200
Louis Oosthuizen   +2200
Luke Donald   +2500
Adam Scott   +2500
Dustin Johnson   +2500
Matt Kuchar   +2500
Keegan Bradley   +2500
Lee Westwood   +2800
Hunter Mahan   +3000
Sergio Garcia   +3000
Bubba Watson   +3300
Nick Watney   +3300
Webb Simpson   +3300
Ernie Els   +3300
Jason Day   +4000
Jason Dufner   +4000
Graeme McDowell   +4000
Ian Poulter   +4000
Rickie Fowler   +4000
Martin Kaymer   +5000
Peter Hanson   +5000
Steve Stricker   +5000
Padraig Harrington   +6000
Geoff Ogilvy   +6600
K J Choi   +6600
Bill Haas   …

2013 World Series Odds: Blue Jays Ranked Fourth

Pretty much any baseball-loving Canadian is excited about the Toronto Blue Jays’ chances this year.

The Jays finally opened their wallets this past-offseason, bolstering their roster with the additions of R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera and others.
For the first time in a long time, Jays fans can legitimately dream of Toronto’s first World Series championship since those glory years of 1992 and 93.
Oddsmakers certainly think it’s a possibility. Toronto is one of five MLB teams who pay out less than 8:1 odds if they win the World Series in 2013.
The L.A. Dodgers are the overall favourite at Pinnacle Sports, which is offering the Dodgers at a +738 price to win it all. They’re followed by the Washington Nationals (+764), L.A. Angels (+766), Jays (+784) and Detroit Tigers (+793).
Just like there are some fresh faces at the top of the MLB futures board, there are some new World Series darkhorses. The New York Yankees (+1757), St. Louis Cardinals (+2102), Philadelphia Phillies (+2022) and Boston Red Sox …

Nine Baseball Betting Tips

1. Stay disciplined
The Major League Baseball season is the longest in professional sports. Over a 162-game schedule, even the top teams will lose four or five games in a row – and so will you. Be sure to stay disciplined and don’t chase your losses when things aren’t going well. If you consistently make good bets and don’t vary your wager sizes, you should come out ahead in the long run.

2. Starting pitchers
The starting pitching matchup is the biggest thing oddsmakers consider when setting the moneyline and total on a baseball game, and it should be the first thing you look at as well.
The win-loss records and earned-run averages of the starting pitchers are a good place to start, but there are more things to keep in mind. Take a look at each pitcher’s recent performances to see if they are on top of their games or in a slump. Also, baseball is a game of matchups, so research how each pitcher has performed against the other team in his career. …

Baseball Betting Tips: Other Ways To Bet On Heavy Favourites

Want to bet on a heavy favourite in baseball but you don’t want to lay the big juice? You have options.

1. Bet the runline
The runline in baseball is the equivalent of the point spread in football or basketball and the puck line in hockey. Basically, if you bet a favourite on the runline, you’re betting that your team will win by two runs or more. Having that extra handicap on your bet often means turning a heavy favourite into a slight underdog, so you’re risking less to win more.
Say, for example, the Phillies with their ace on the mound are a -215 home favourite over the Brewers and their fifth starter. Laying -215 means you have to bet more than twice the amount you’re hoping to win back, something that’s hardly ever a smart bet in baseball. But if you took the Phillies on the runline (-1.5 runs), you’re likely getting +100 or better at more sportsbooks. At that line, you’ll double your money or even get a bit more if the …

MLB Betting: Five Unique Baseball Betting Rules

Understanding the several unique baseball betting rules is essential if you are considering betting on baseball.
There are a couple main reasons why baseball betting rules are different than other sports. Starting pitchers are the biggest factor when oddsmakers set baseball betting lines , so a last-minute pitching change will affect or even cancel your wager. Also, weather can cause games to be called before they go the regulation nine innings, causing complications for over/under and run line bets.
Here’s a quick look at five of the most important rules to keep in mind when betting baseball.

1. If a game does not go the regulation nine innings (or 8.5, if the home team is ahead), your over/under and run line bets will be canceled.
For example, let’s say you bet over 9.5 in a game between Texas and Baltimore. Texas leads 8-6 in the seventh inning before heavy rain causes the umpires to call the game. Even though the game is considered official under MLB rules because it went at least five innings, the …

NCAA Tournament Should Indeed Be March Madness

The first thing about this year’s NCAA tournament is that it appears to be wide open. College basketball fans were taken on a wild ride throughout the regular season, and that trend continued with some interesting developments in the conference tournaments. If there is one word to describe the 2012-13 NCAA basketball season, parity might be it.

The Big 10 got a lot of attention all year, with big names Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana and even Wisconsin enjoying very successful campaigns. But it’s interesting to note that the Big East is going out with a bang in its final season, sending eight teams to the Big Dance.

Leading the Big East charge, of course, is Louisville. The Cardinals’ second-half dominance of Syracuse in the Big East championship game no doubt impressed the NCAA tournament organizers, who made Rick Pitino’s squad the No. 1 seed in March Madness despite the fact Louisville is currently ranked No. 4 in the country. As a bonus for getting the top seed, the Cardinals will get to play their …

March Madness NCAA Tournament Teams’ Strengths And Weaknesses

Before you fill out your Proline betting ticket, make an NCAA basketball bet or fill out your March Madness bracket, it’s a good idea to assess what each team’s strengths and weaknesses are.
Here’s a look at the NCAA tournament’s best and worst teams in different statistical categories during the season:

BEST POINT SPREAD
1. St Louis                   21-10
2. Miami (FL)              20-9-1
3. James Madison       21-10
4. Villanova                 20-13
5. North Carolina        20-12

WORST POINT SPREAD
1. Cincinnati                11-18
2. VCU                        10-17
3. UNLV                      13-20
4. Oregon                   13-18-1
5. Illinois                     13-18

BEST OVER
1. Iowa State               20-4
2. Memphis                 18-8
3. Oklahoma               17-7
4. Temple                    16-8
5. Michigan                 19-12

BEST UNDER
1. Cincinnati                4-22
2. Akron                      6-16
3. Gonzaga                  8-19
4. Colorado                 7-16
5. New Mexico            10-17

BEST REBOUNDING MARGIN
1. Colorado State       12.4
2. Missouri                  10.3
3. Minnesota               9.4
4. Wichita State           9.2
5. Indiana                    9.0

WORST REBOUNDING MARGIN
1. Montana                  -1.9
2. Northwestern State -1.7
3. Temple                    -1.4
4. Illinois                     -1.2
5. Duke                       -0.9

BEST OFFENSIVE FG …

March Madness NCAA Basketball Tournament: 10 Betting Tips For Proline And Sportsbook Players

Here are 10 key NCAA basketball betting tips to help you make some money on this year’s March Madness tournament:

1. Learn from the conference tournaments

The conference tournaments can be a preview of what to expect in th

e NCAA tournament, since there are several parallels between the two competitions. Like the NCAA tournament, conference tournament games are played on neutral floors, so you get a chance to see how teams perform when there is no home-floor advantage. And like the NCAA tournament, conference tournaments are single-elimination, giving you the opportunity to see how teams perform under the pressure of win or go home. This year, Syracuse proved it is still a team to look out for in the NCAA tournament, reaching the final of the Big East tournament despite struggling down the stretch of the conference season.

2. Don’t over-react to conference tournament results
Like we just said, there ar

e things that can be learned by how a team performs at the season-ending conference tournaments. Just be sure to take some of …

Proline March Madness Betting: Best V+, H+, V, H And Tie Bets

Even if you know which teams you want to bet on, you still have tough decisions to make when

you’re filling out your college basketball Proline ticket.

Do you take the visitor or home plus, going for the extra payout but needing your team to win by 11 points or more? Perhaps you go a bit more conservative, just needing your team to win the game by six points or more. Or you could always go the tie route, when you just need your team to keep the game within five points (win or lose).

Each option comes with its own set of risks. It sucks to pick the winning team, only to lose your ticket because of the tie rule. And it really sucks when you pick an underdog to tie, only to see them win the game by more than five points and sink your ticket.

With this in mind, we decided to take a close look at 12 of the top teams in this year’s March Madness NCAA basketball tournament and see …

Proline March Madness Betting: Proline And Sportsbooks Offer Different Options

Outside of the NHL playoffs, there might be no better time of year for Canadian sports bettors than March Madness.

Sixty-four (well, 68 now, since the tournament expanded a few years ago to include four “play-in” games) will battle for NCAA men’s basketball supremacy over the next month. Buzzer beaters, Cinderella stories and the desperation of win or go home – and betting on it allows you to be part of the exciting action.

Proline and online sportsbooks both offer Canadians the chance to get into the game. Here’s what your options are for each way of betting on this year’s tournament.

PROLINE

Ontario’s sports lottery offers a limited menu of betting options, but it might be enough to satisfy your needs if you’re just looking for a little action.

With Proline, you can bet on five different outcomes for the game. You can take the Visitor + or the Home +, where either the visiting team or home team (depending on who you picked) has to win the basketball game by 11 points or …