Author: Online Betting Pro

I am a punter that loves to follow the horse both in Australia and the United Kingdom. I enjoy writing about sports betting and also casino, poker and bingo. In my spare time I like to keep fit by playing football and going for long bike rides. I also like to travel the world and see amazing place s and meet wonderful people along the way.

Super Bowl Favourites New England Face Huge Spread in Playoffs

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Just eight teams remain in the NFL playoffs and they are a mere two games away from reaching the Super Bowl, so it’s all getting excruciatingly tense Stateside. First up is an intriguing showdown between the Seahawks and the Falcons, before Super Bowl favourites the Patriots start their postseason campaign against the Texans.

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons

Seattle made short work of the Lions in the Wildcard Round, routing them 26-6 in front of their home fans, but they face a much sterner test now. The Falcons finished the regular season with four wins in a row to go 11-5 and steal second seed spot ahead of the Seahawks, who ended up 10-5-1 after losing two of their final four regular season games. That means Atlanta have home field advantage, which could prove crucial here. These two teams met earlier in the season and it was a nail-biter as the Seahawks ran out 26-24 winners in Seattle in October. It is a source of great contention for the Falcons due to a pass interference call the referee missed when they were on a fourth down play late in the fourth. You would think that win would give the Seahawks confidence, but it is worth bearing in mind two things: on that day they had home field advantage and they had Earl Thomas. In Divisional Round they will have neither.

Thomas was a beast for the Seahawks this season. The Seattle safety limited Tom Brady and Drew Brees to just one touchdown pass combined over two games. The Seahawks defence only gave up seven touchdown passes in the 11 games he was on the field (albeit three of them were against Atlanta in that 26-24 win). Since his injury, they have lost three of seven and have not looked at all as solid. They are 3-4-1 on the road compared to 8-1 at home and it is hard to imagine them travelling all the way to Atlanta and getting the win. The best odds you can get on Atlanta are at around the 4/9 mark with Sky Bet, so for more value, back Atlanta -3.5 at 3/4 with Bet365.

Houston Texans at New England Patriots

The Pats have been devastating this season, qualifying for the playoffs with the best record in the league at 14-2. The Texans, less so. They limped into the playoffs as fourth seed on 9-7 with the same record as the Titans but qualified as they had a better record against comparative teams. They benefited from a lucky draw in the Wildcard round as they hosted an Oakland Raiders team deprived of their star quarterback and his understudy due to an injury crisis, and went through. They are the weakest team left in the playoffs and this is expected to be a complete mismatch.

The Pats are 7/4 favourites to win the Super Bowl, while the Texans are rank outsiders at 66/1. The bookmakers have completely given up on Houston: the Texans are a massive 10/1 to win this with Boylesports, while the Pats are as low as 1/20 but best priced at 1/12 with Bet Victor. There is no value there, but the point spread is the largest in 18 years of playoff games, as Vegas has made Houston 16-point underdogs. The teams met earlier in the season on Week 3, when New England won 27-0 with a third string quarterback. This time Brady will be in the team and the Texans will be crushed. New England have covered some massive spreads in recent weeks and they can get the job done here, so the evens Paddy Power is offering on the Patriots -15.5 looks a good bet.

Chelsea To Edge A Thriller Against The Champions

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PREMIER League leaders Chelsea travel to the champions Leicester this weekend, and the bookies are taking no chances on Antonio Conte’s side.

The Londoners are as short as 1.57 to win, which will be their eleventh win in the last 12, but even though they should get the three points, that is far too short a price for me to get involved with.

Leicester have made a very poor defence of their Premier League title this season and manager Claudio Ranieri has a big relegation battle on his hands, but the Italian will have his side well up for the visit of his former team, and this might be a lot closer than many are expecting.

At the weekend The Foxes celebrated a 2-1 FA Cup third round win at Everton and at home they’ve now just lost once in the last six matches boasting an impressive 4-2 win over Man City in that period; odds of 6.0 on the home side looks a spot of value.

Goals expected if history has its way

These two sides have already played twice this season and both previous meetings featured goals and over 2.5 goals in the match at 1.83 with William Hills and both team to score as a “yes” which is 1.91 with the same firm look the best bets in the match.

With goals looking highly likely for both sides and Chelsea already boasting two wins against their rivals this season, they should win the match and the best way to get with the Premier League title favourites is to get with them on some attractive correct-score plays.

Crucial match for Chelsea

It’s a must win for Chelsea with main title rivals Manchester United and Liverpool facing each other this weekend and I can see them edging a decent watch 3-1 which is a very tasty looking 15.0 with Bet365.

England striker Jamie Vardy is back in the Leicester side after missing out recently through suspension and he’s a general 9.00 to open the goalscoring against the Blues’.

It hasn’t been a great season for Vardy but it has been for Chelsea’s top goalscorer Diego Costa who is the top Premier League goalscorer at the moment with 14 goals and I really like the 4.00 on the Spaniard to open the goal scoring and the 1.91 on him to score at any time in the match.

Burnley vs. Southampton – Saints in a Turf War

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This weekend sees Southampton travel to the North to bounce back against a Burnley side who are as strong at home as they are so desperately poor away.

Coming back from the dead

December started and ended brutally for Claude Puel’s Southampton; the beginning of the month saw them crash out of their Europa league group, the end saw 3 consecutive league defeats in 7 days. Some are pointing to Southampton as an example of a victim of the packed Premier League Christmas scheduling, and it’s easy to sympathise with those claims. Fortune favours the bold, however, and Southampton will have to return to form immediately if they want to keep pace with their rivals for the Europa league spots.

The Saints won the corresponding fixture 3:1 in October, and the only other previous meeting between these two in the top flight was in the 2014/15 season, which saw both teams winning at home.

Puel has a few injuries to add to the general squad fatigue. The long-term absences of Austin, Pied and Targett are compounded by the doubt around McCarthy and Boufal, with Martina and Soares who potentially lack match fitness. They also have a midweek EFL Semi Final against Liverpool which could easily exacerbate their existing fitness problems.

A tale of two seasons

It is hard to think of another team in the Prem whose season can be so starkly divided as Burnley; their home form would put them sixth, having only dropped points in 4 games and have 7 home wins at Turf Moor, while their away form would put them bottom of the table, with 1 solitary point from 9 games. Currently 12th, Burnley are only one point behind Southampton, and a win on Saturday would see them leapfrog them by two points. Considering their poor away record, it’s a bit of a push to start thinking about Burnley competing for 7th place, but a victory here against an immediate rival could galvanise them into something truly surprising. A continuation of their great home form will be vital to consolidating or improving on their current position come May. They will go into this game looking for strategic points against a demoralised rival, confident of their ability to win.

In contrast to their opponents, Burnley’s festive fixtures proved fruitful, giving them 6 points from 9, including a 4:1 thumping of Sunderland and a spirited 2:1 defeat to Man City. Sean Dyche will certainly be thankful for a more forgiving schedule than Southampton, but his squad isn’t without injury concerns: Gudmundsson, Bamford and Arnfield are all definitely out, and there is concern for Flanagan and Boyd.

The value

Bookies are favouring Southampton for the win here, with Bet 365 having Southampton at 11/10, Burnley and Draw are both at 12/5. These odds seem pretty tasty, and with Burnley Double Chance at 3/4, going with the home side could be profitable, if a bit risky. Southampton is a very capable on their day, but considering Burnley’s home form, and the fact they have had a 7-day break (compared with Southampton’s 3 days) suggest that it might be worth going with the outsider.

Looking at the goals market, Under 2.5 goal is backed by the bookies, at 8/13 with Bet Victor. Southampton does statistically favour Under, and Burnley goes either way. However, Southampton’s last 5 games in all competitions have gone Over 2.5. I would definitely consider putting a small stake on Burnley to Win & Over 2.5.

Thomas Aims to Join Golf’s Elite in Hawaii

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With a win in Hawaii last week Justin Thomas made it crystal clear he intends to start being included in the most important golf conversations with Spieth, Day, McIlroy and Johnson. The former college teammate of Jordan Spieth picked up his fourth professional win in the elite field event, and in the process compounded Hideki Matsuyama to just his second loss in four months (also to Thomas).

It’s only a matter of time before Thomas joins the echelon, and it could be sooner rather than later if he can pick up another Hawaiian win this week.

The Course

Waialae Country Club in Hawaii is nicely positioned between a spectacular mountain range on the north and the vast Pacific Ocean on the south. Built in 1920, it’s a spectacular combination of scenery and strategic golf. The golf course has improved out of sight over the last few years – coinciding with the PGA Tour setting up the Sony Open here in 1999. The course now tests PGA Tour players with sharply tailored greens and protected fairways, while television viewers are simply treated to exquisite sunset views.

The Defending Champion

Fabian Gomez won for the second time on the PGA TOUR here in 2016. The Argentine started the final round four shots adrift but closed strongly with seven straight birdies midway through his final round. His 20-under total of 260 was too good for nearest challengers Brandt Snedeker and Zac Blair. Bookies aren’t giving him much chance to repeat, though. He’s at $81 to go back to back.

The Contenders*

Justin Thomas $13

Fresh off a win last week, Thomas is the form golfer in the world right now (along with Hideki Matsuyama. Thomas is the only player to beat Matsuyama over the last four months). His win last week could be the start of something incredible as he looks to challenge the other names at the top of world golf more regularly. Two wins and a fourth from his last four starts. Should go close.

Hideki Matsuyama $8

Last six starts have been four wins and two seconds. The guy is in serious form. And despite having a less than stellar record at Waialae, his imported putting should still see him feature on the leaderboard come Sunday.

Jordan Spieth $7

The tournament favourite based on a strong history in Hawaii and some promising form last week. Spieth’s final round last week was the best in the field and showed his game is heading in the right direction. If he can eliminate the mistakes (he had triples and doubles last week) he’ll be tricky to beat even though he missed the cut at his last start here.

Jimmy Walker $21

Two-time winner here and last week’s first round leader. Walker won by nine here in 2015 and followed it up with a top 15 last year. Seriously comfortable on Hawaiian courses as evidenced by his 66 scoring average. Consider.

Paul Casey $21

Hasn’t played a bunch of late, but before a summer off had four consecutive top 4s. Casey opened last year’s event with a 62, which remains his career lowest round on the PGA Tour. It will be interesting to see if he’s still got the belief from last year’s incredible effort.

*Odds from Sportsbet.

The Winner

Thomas looks sensible money for an outright market or for a finish inside the top 5/10. Outside of the contenders above Gary Woodland is good money at $36. Those two are where I’d be looking.

Can Tottenham Maintain their Great Title Form?

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Tottenham fans simply cannot forget how they let the title slip last season. What made matters even worse was in how they were eventually overtaken by close neighbours Arsenal and finished third. Those wounds still run deep around White Hart Lane. Tottenham struggled to come to terms with playing at Wembley and were subsequently dumped out of the Champions League a few weeks ago.

Their form in the Premier League has been excellent. They currently have 42pts from 20 games and should that form continue until the end of the season, they will surely make the top four. Tottenham is currently 7pts behind leaders Chelsea. Their impressive 2-0 win against The Blues last week took some momentum out of the Chelsea title charge. It also dragged Spurs back into the race.

Tottenham Simply Must Win

If Tottenham really is going to contest the title race then they must surely beat West Brom at home. With a seven-point deficit to overcome, securing three points at home to middle of the table teams is a necessity. Tottenham has started 2017 with a bang. They thumped Watford 4-1 away and then recorded back-to-back 2-0 home victories against Chelsea and Aston Villa in the FA Cup.

West Brom on the other hand, is a very resilient team under Tony Pulis. They have also had an impressive first half to the season. With an impressive 29pts recorded so far, West Brom currently sits eighth in the table. They may have lost at home to Derby County in the FA Cup last weekend, but that won’t have bothered Tony Pulis too much.

Where are the Best Bets?

Despite Tottenham arguably having one of the best squads in the league, their odds in this match are prohibitive. William Hill offers the stand out odds of 4-11 for a Spurs home win. You can also get an attractive 10-1 from Ladbrokes for an away win for West Brom. While Tottenham may be in decent form, they have drawn a lot of games this season and especially during the opening twelve matches.

This means that the 9-2 offered by BetFred may tempt a few people should you predict a Tottenham slip up. The chances are that Tottenham will win but the value is thin at best with odds of 4-11. While the 10-1 from Ladbrokes for an away victory does seem tempting, you will lose your money a significant number of times placing bets like these given how well Tottenham are playing at the moment. The recommended bet here would be to back Tottenham while placing a quarter of your stake on the draw as a safeguard.

NFL playoffs: Giants threatening to cause upset against Packers

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Playoff fever has gripped America as the regular season has ended and we are just a few weeks away from the Super Bowl. First up is the Wildcard Round and tensions are running high as just three games stand between these teams and a shot at the ultimate glory. In the NFC the wildcards are the New York Giants and the Detroit Lions, who travel to Green Bay and Seattle respectively with everything to play for.

New York Giants at Green Bay Packers

The Giants finished the regular season 11-5, a record that would have been good enough to win every other division but theirs. It is their misfortune that they play in the same NFC division as the Dallas Cowboys, who earned the best record in the conference this season by finishing 13-3. The Packers could only manage 10-6 despite their status as fifth favourites for the Super Bowl (9/1 with William Hill), but they are in sensational form. They looked down and out in the autumn when they were 4-6, but they have embarked on a remarkable six-game winning streak that has left their fans daring to dream, mainly thanks to the near-perfect form of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The Giants go into this game as 4-point underdogs on the spread and serious underdogs with all bookmakers, with William Hill and Coral offering 9/4 on them causing an upset in Green Bay. The Giants lost 23-16 to the Packers in week 4, which will give Green Bay fans further hope, but they should be nervous about their badly injured defence. They were already banged up going into week 17 when they lost Quinten Rollins, Damarious Randall and Makinton Dorleant. They already rank a lowly 31st against the pass this season, and injuries will compound the problem, making the Giants – led by Odell Beckham Jr – the worst team they could have faced in this round. The Giants have a great chance of winning this one and the odds are fantastic at 9/4. A more cautious option would be to back the Giants +4.5 on the Spread at 19/20 with Coral, which looks a great bet.

Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks

Nobody is giving the Lions much of a chance of pulling off a similar upset in Seattle. Detroit sneaked into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth after finishing 9-7, the same record as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but progressed by sheer virtue of having a slightly better record against common opponents with the Bucs. The Lions are on a three-game losing streak – all against playoff teams – and they make the long trip to Seattle to face a team that won their division comfortably, with a record of 10-5-1.

The Seattle offence is hardly firing on all cylinders, but they should have enough about them to get the job done here. Of the 12 teams in the playoffs, bookmakers are offering the longest odds on the Lions, who are 80/1 to win it, compared to 12/1 for Seattle. The Seahawks have won their last nine playoff games at home, and quarterback Russell Wilson has never lost a home playoff game. The Lions, meanwhile, have not won a playoff game on the road since 1957, so history is very much against them. The bookmakers have them as serious underdogs here, with Paddy Power offering a huge 31/10 on them, while Seattle is massively odds-on.

Most bookmakers are offering 1/4 on the Seahawks winning this and that looks a good one to add to an accumulator, but not great value as an outright bet. The point spread is huge, with the Lions eight-point underdogs, but the Detroit defence has given up 73 points in the last two games, so they can cover it. A safer option, however, might be to go down to the 6.5 point alternative Bet365 is offering and take 4/6 on Seattle -6.5.