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Betting Tips – Playing the Odds
Welcome to our weekly column where we try and seek good value in some longer odds bets.
Review
A small profit this week on Portsmouth’s FA Cup win, which would have been even better had Stoke managed to snatch a winner against Manchester City. Mukesh Kumar missed the cut at the Avantha Masters by a single shot and in the Six Nations, England didn’t manage to secure the 11-15 point win in Italy that we hoped for.
2pts The Package to win the Blue Square Gold Cup at 6/1
David Pipe’s The Package is likely to be amongst the favourites by the start of Saturday’s Blue Square Gold Cup at Haydock.
A promising seven year old, The Package looked classy when winning at Cheltenham last time out and is slated for an appearance in the Grand National on April 10th.
He’ll race off 10st 7lb at Aintree and can continue his preparation for the big race with a victory at Haydock this weekend.
Racing Betting
1pt double Stoke City (23/10) and Mallorca (11/8) at a combined 13/2 approx
I’ve picked a football double this week, siding with two teams in excellent form.
Stoke City are unbeaten in 2010 and underlined their impressive form with two gritty 1-1 draws with Manchester City this week. Tony Pulis’ side are more creative than they are given credit for and have no shortage of talent to add to their graft.
Portsmouth look increasingly doomed and with the Potters’ excellent recent form I take Stoke to inflict more misery on Avram Grant’s side at 23/10.
Mallorca are chasing an unlikely Champions League qualifying berth and meet their main rivals, Sevilla this weekend. Tomeu Vidal’s side, however, have a 100% record at the ONO Estadi this season, winning ten consecutive league games and conceding just three goals. Mallorca’s home truly is a fortress and with Sevilla having lost five away La Liga matches this season, the Barralets are superb value at 11/8.
Football Betting
1pt e/w Ross Fisher to win the WGA Accenture Matchplay at 30/1 (e/w 1/4 places 1,2,3,4)
Arizona is the place to be this week if you’re a golf fan, as 64 of the world’s elite players face one another in the first World Championship event of the season – the Accenture Matchplay.
With Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson the only notable absentees, a strong European presence is led by Lee Westwood, Paul Casey and Martin Kaymer.
However, I really like the chances of the 29 year old Englishman, Ross Fisher. Fisher has a terrific recent record in matchplay golf, losing at the semi-final stage in this event in 2009 before winning the Volvo World Match Play title. The Ritz-Mountain Course at Dove Mountain is 7,833 yards long and with Fisher one of the big-hitters, he’ll be suited to this venue.
Golf Betting
0.5pts Ian Beale to have killed Archie Mitchell at 66/1
I know, I know. Ian Beale is too wet to murder anything, never mind thwack an old man over the head with the bust of Queen Victoria.
The only character still in Eastenders who appeared in Episode 1, Beale is on a long list of candidates to be revealed as Archie’s killer this Friday. Whilst money might be on Ryan, Stacey or Sean, I think it’s about time Beale was actually involved in a decent storyline. What’s in the mysterious metal box that he dug out of the ground, eh?
It’s 66/1 that Beale’s the killer. If you don’t fancy backing Peggy at 10/1 (surely a possibility considering Barbara Windsor’s imminent exit from the show?) then go for the long odds on Ian.
Performance to date: -1.75pts
