Miscellaneous Articles

World Cup Odds and Picks: France Vs. Uruguay Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 6/9/2010

Les Bleus enters the World Cup with one of the shakiest, most dumbfounding rosters in the field. Their qualifying has been riddled with missteps that have included, but not been limited to, uninspired play, controversial goals that led to their entrance in the field, sex with underage prostitutes, injuries and an overall lack of team chemistry. All in all, it is safe to say that bad karma is abundant with this squad.

World Cup Odds and Picks: Mexico Vs. South Africa Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 6/9/2010

South Africa will kick off the 2010 World Cup on its home soil, hosting Mexico at 10 a.m. EST on Friday, June 11 at Soccer City in Johannesburg. And they do so wielding the most powerful advantage that any club will have in Africa this summer: the home-field edge. And past performances have displayed that the home team has an inside track on advancing to the Knockout Stage, which would be a tremendous victory for South African soccer.

Where to Bet World Cup Soccer
by Doc's Sports - 6/8/2010

The 2010 World Cup begins Friday, June 11 and it is the most massive global betting event. If you aren’t familiar the World Cup, take notice. Not only is this one of the best events to watch, it’s one of the best events for a sharp handicapper to make money on. For the next month leading up to the July 11 Final, all eyes will fall on South Africa and the stage FIFA is putting on for the world’s game.

World Cup Betting Tips and Advice on Late Games in Group Stage
by T.O. Whenham - 6/5/2010

We're still a week away from the start of the World Cup, yet Bodog already has World Cup odds posted not only for the first game every team will play in the group stage, but also their second games. Sports Interaction goes one step further - they have lines set for every one of the 48 preliminary games that will be played. They go beyond just the outcome as well - you can bet totals, first half results, the exact score, the first team to score, and so on.

World Cup Predictions: Teams Outside of Europe and South America
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 6/3/2010

There have been 18 editions of the World Cup. The 19th begins June 11 in South Africa. Even though the World Cup is considered the world’s biggest sporting event, every champion has come from only two continents, Europe and South America.

World Cup Betting Props: Team Goal Totals
by T.O. Whenham - 6/2/2010

One of the many interesting ways to bet on the World Cup is through the individual team goal totals. Bodog is among the several books that has posted totals for the number of goals each team will score in the tournament. Some of them have already been bet so heavily that the prices are far from attractive. When you look closely, though, you can find some that are still interesting. Here are six that stand out as at least a little interesting in my mind:

World Cup South Africa Predictions: Interesting Props
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 6/2/2010

Leave it to the world’s biggest sporting event to have sportsbooks rolling out just about any betting prop someone could think to wager on. Only the Super Bowl rivals the World Cup in sheer amount of ways to bet on games, players, penalties and cumulative stats. Here are three of the more interesting World Cup prop bets and some World Cup predictions for South Africa. All odds are from Sports Interaction.

World Cup Props Predictions: Which Group Will Winner Come From?
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 5/31/2010

If the 32-team World Cup field makes it too hard to try to try and pick an outright winner, there is a prop that gives you the option of picking an entire group. This prop bet is a little more involved than picking an outright winner. You have to take into account top teams in each group who have a chance to get out of the group stage and also take into account the draw the two advancing countries will face in the knockout stages.

World Cup Betting Props: Group Exactas
by T.O. Whenham - 5/31/2010

World Cup Group Exacta betting - where soccer meets horse racing. Like in horse racing, these exacta bets require you to pick the teams that are going to finish first or second in each group, and to pick them in the correct order. It should, in theory, be quite a bit easier to hit them in the World Cup, though - there are only four teams in a group, and you'll almost never get to bet an exacta with just four horses in a race.

World Cup Props Predictions: Top Goal Scorer by Country
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 5/31/2010

For most countries in the World Cup, there are odds available on who will lead the team in goals throughout the entire tournament. It’s like wagering on the Golden Boot prop but for specific teams. And the props list the entire roster, too, including the option of betting on there being no goals scored by that country. Here is a breakdown of the odds for the top goal scorers from the following countries. Odds are listed from Sportsbook.com

World Cup: Betting the Draw
by T.O. Whenham - 5/28/2010

No sporting event should ever end in a tie. That's why I love the shootout in hockey, and I loathe the NFL's ridiculous overtime rules. It's also soccer's biggest flaw. Because teams get one point for a draw in the World Cup it would be possible for a team to advance to the second round without ever winning a game. That's not how it should be. Ties, or draws in soccer-speak, are also one of the biggest headaches for soccer bettors - especially those who don't bet the sport regularly.

World Cup Props Predictions: Best Team in Each Region
by T.O. Whenham - 5/28/2010

There are already an amazing number of prop bets available on the World Cup, and the number and range should be up in the Super Bowl range by the time the tournament kicks off. What really stands out when you look at the range of props on offer is the number of them that are truly interesting and challenging. That's definitely not the case with the Super Bowl.

NASCAR: Coca-Cola 600 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 5/27/2010

Kurt Busch is $1 million richer after winning the Sprint All-Star Race last weekend. Now he will try to tame the 'Beast of the Southeast' in NASCAR's 400-lap endurance test known as the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 30, 6:16 p.m. EST at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Most Overrated Teams in the World Cup
by T.O. Whenham - 5/27/2010

It's very hard for anyone to get a good grasp on all of the teams in the World Cup, and especially hard for the general betting public who doesn't follow soccer a lot to do so. That means that a lot of betting decisions are based more on reputations and past accomplishments than they are on the team that will be hitting the field in the tournament. Here are three teams that seem to me to be overrated.

2010 Indy 500 Odds, Picks and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 5/27/2010

Helio Castroneves is set as the 11/4 favorite for the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 30 at 1 p.m. EST at the Brickyard. For the second consecutive year from the pole the defending champion will try for his fourth win at the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

2010 World Cup Golden Boot Odds and Predictions for Top Goal Scorer
by T.O. Whenham - 5/26/2010

You can bet on pretty much every aspect of the World Cup, so it only makes sense that you can make a wager on the winner of the Golden Boot - the tournament's leading goal scorer. It's a remarkably tough field to handicap - Bodog lists odds for 85 different players.

World Cup Teams That Could Surprise in South Africa
by T.O. Whenham - 5/26/2010

By now we are all very familiar with the World Cup contenders - the ones who are expected to make a deep run, and which will disappoint their fans and backers mightily if they don't. What's at least as interesting as those teams that can win the World Cup, though, are the squads that aren't nearly as highly regarded, but which could surprise and make a deep run if everything fell in their way - like it did for Turkey when they finished a stunning third in 2002.

2010 World Cup Props Predictions: First Player to Three Goals
by T.O. Whenham - 5/26/2010

Sports Interaction has a World Cup prop bet available which is perhaps the most interesting of any on the entire tournament - who is going to be the first player to score three goals? This is a very different bet than betting on the Golden Boot for the tournament's top scorer (which I have already looked at) because there is so much more involved, and so much more strategy to consider. Besides the obvious - players that are capable of scoring a lot of goals - you have to look closely at at least three other factors in order to succeed with this bet:

Team USA 2010 World Cup Outlook
by Robert Ferringo - 5/25/2010

There are numerous questions surrounding the United States national soccer team as it gears up for a trip to the World Cup in South Africa this June. There are health concerns, roster questions, and an overall feeling of anxiety in the U.S. soccer community about how our side can hold up in the world’s greatest sporting event.

World Cup Betting: Top First-Round Games
by T.O. Whenham - 5/24/2010

The closer we get to the World Cup (the first game kicks of June 11), the more I find myself staring at the World Cup schedule looking for the best and brightest of the games. Each game in the World Cup is interesting for some reason, but there are obviously some that stand out more than others. There are 48 first round games, and eight that I am particularly excited about. Here are those eight, with odds from Bodog: