Betting Blog – Bang and Pod’s bets

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We sometimes play casinos online. It can be a fun past time. Here’s our guide to casinos

First off, casinos are places to play for fun. Theoretically you can win at blackjack at a land casino but all other games, you will eventually lose. The only way you can win at blackjack is to count cards. As casinos frown upon this, you are likely to get barred. Roulette can be beat with special devices but these are banned in casinos too.

Online its slightly different. You can not win at all in the long term. There is no scope for card counting as decks are shuffled after every hand and you cannot user any lazer devices as the casinos use a random number generator rather than a ball. You can be up in the short term but eventually the house edge will get you. This is how casinos sucker you in online. As the house edge is tiny its possible to be up in the short term due to just random fluctuations.

We generally play blackjack as its a game where you actually have some control over the outcome. Roulette is OK but its all luck. No skill at all. They payout is 97.3% no matter how you play. With blackjack, you have some control over the outcome. With certain favorable rules, you can get 99% payout in blackjack with perfect play. In the medium term that makes a difference to how much you are going to lose. In the long term, you’ll lose it all so it doesn’t really matter which game you play.

Casinos offer many other games too. A lot try to push slot machines. These payout around 95% which is a lot better than the machines in the pubs but compared to other casino games thats a poor payout. Baccarat and craps have decent payouts so if roulette and blackjack aren’t your cup of tea, you could try those games. Avoid online slots.

If you are going to play online casinos, make sure you set a deposit limit. Its so tempting to keep depositing money until its all gone. All responsible casino operators will have an option to limit daily/ weekly deposits. If you do find yourself losing lots of money, you can always self bar too.

So in summary, only play online casinos for fun. Expect to lose eventually and make sure you do gamble what you cannot afford to lose. With football betting, you can only bet on so many games a week but with casino, you can lose all your money in a night.

Online poker is one of our other pastimes. There are many poker room out there and picking one can be quite daunting. Not to worry, here’s our Online Poker Guide

Forget about sign up bonuses. In the long run, these mean nothing. Look for rakeback or loyalty points. These will payout as long as you play at the poker room. Sign up bonuses don’t last as long.

Pick a room with a big network. Many poker rooms are part of a network. This gives players a much wider range of players to play against than if each room was a separate entity. For example, Bet365 and Paddypower are part of the Ipoker network. You can sign up to either and play against the same players. All that would be different is the branding on the software, the sign up bonuses and on going loyalty bonuses. The actual players you play will be the same.

We would also recommend playing at stakes you are comfortable playing at from the start or playing at least 25/50c blinds. This is because below a certain level, you get people who aren’t really playing serious poker. When you have 5c/10c blinds, the pot might get up to $5 but to a lot of people that isn’t a lot of money so they will call you regardless. If you don’t get what we mean, then try playing free poker. People will go all in with any hand. Its not real poker its a lottery.

Play satellite tournaments occasionally. For a small amount, you can win very big if you get entry in to the higher rounds. As your loss is capped at your buy in, its a good way to get experience playing at a high level without the high cost. Thats how Pod managed to get to Vegas. He started off with a Satellite tournament and worked his way up. .

Finally, know when to quit. Some people are not cut out for online poker. If you find yourself losing consistently to bad beats then they’re probably not bad beats. All you are doing is giving your money away. There are other games of skill out there, where you can win money. Backgammon and Rummy spring to mind.

If you are a regular reader to this blog, you know that its mainly about football betting. We do other types of betting but football is our bread and butter. We like football betting because the range of football bets is wide but the outcomes are limited. With limited outcomes there is less scope for bookies to add in over round.

Here is a brief description of our favourite football bets.

1X2
This is basically the win-draw-win market or home-draw-away market. 1X2 comes from the bookies coupon in a betting shop. You mark, 1 for a home win, X for a draw and 2 for the away win. Its a self explanatory bet. If you think the home team will win, you bet on the home win. If you think its going to be a draw, then bet on the draw and if you think its going to be an away win, you bet on the away win.

Asian Handicap.
This bet is popular in Asia. You don’t be on the straight result like in 1X2 betting but you bet on the handicap result. A team may get a head start. For example, Chelsea vs Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. Odds on the home win may be 1.91, draw, 3.25 and 4.0 for the away win. On the Asian Handicap, Chelsea will get -0.5 whereas Manchester United would get +0.5. At the end of the game, the handicaps are added to the score and the bet is paid out according to the result. Eg, if it finished 1-1, and you bet on Chelsea, you would lose at the Asian Handicap score would be 0.5 -1.

Unders/ Overs in the goal market.
Betting on scores is useful, when we don’t know who is going to win but know what type of games its going to be. Sometimes, you look at a fixture and you think they could play for 900 minutes and no one is going to score, whereas other times, you can spot a goal feast. Unders generally happen more often than overs so the odds are usually poor. (Think of all those 0-0, 1-0, 2-0, 1-1 scores).

Strong double.
Sometimes, we think a team is going to win but the odds are something like 1.4. Not really a good payout. Find 2 of those, double them in a bet and you almost get even money. We’ve found this to be more profitable to betting on a single at similar odds. The key is to stick to doubles or at most go in to trebles, Any more and it seems like the betting gods strike you down.

So there you have our favourite football bets. We bet on other things like, draw no bet, 1X2 handicaps, anytime goal scorers, etc but they all depend on the price. You can occasionally find good value bets in those but stick with the 1X2, Asian Handicaps, Unders/ Overs and Strong Doubles and you won’t go far wrong.

To be honest, I haven’t been watching this and no one I know has either. Maybe the end of the road for the franchise. PaddyPower still are taking bets on it though so someone must be watching it.

Time has finally run out for Indian Business student Sree according to Irish bookmaker Paddy Power who make the 25-year-old their red-hot 1/50 favourite to get the boot from the Big Brother house this Friday.

Paddy Power said “Sree’s constant whinging has wrecked everyone’s head lately, housemates and viewers alike. We’re absolutely certain that he’s be packing his bags and out the door come Friday night”

No stranger to nominations Freddie joins Sree in the firing line this week however his odds of 10/1 suggest that he’ll once again successfully dodge the eviction bullet.

Next Eviction
1/50 Sree
10/1 Freddie (Halfwit)

Outright Winner
7/4 Freddie (Halfwit)
9/2 Rodrigo
11/2 Siavash
6/1 Charlie
12/1 Noirin
14/1 Karly
20/1 Sophie (Dogface)
20/1 Marcus
33/1 Kris
40/1 Lisa
80/1 Sree
6/1 Any Other (Not Listed)

All prices remain subject to fluctuation. You can bet with Paddypower. 1/50 is still a 2% return in about 3 days which isn’t too bad.

Angel is the red-hot favourite at 1/25 with bookmaker Paddy Power to get the boot from the Big Brother house tomorrow night. Sounds nailed on this. It would take the mother of all swings to turn this one around. 1/25 = 4% return on investment in 2 days. Can’t see Mr Paddypower letting you stick 10K on it though.

The 35 year-old Russian boxer and artist got on the wrong side of her fellow housemates when she said both glamour model Sophie and blonde babe Carly were ‘fat’. And the criticism didn’t stop there. Fitness freak Angel also insulted Dublin beauty Noirin by announcing she had a ‘fat bottom’!

Sharon McHugh, spokesperson for Paddy Power said: “It’s hard to believe that Angel was once the favourite to win Big Brother and walk away with the £100,000 prize money. It really goes to show just how quickly the public can change their mind about someone! After her fat jibes there’s a fat chance Angel will survive the wrath of the public this week!”

This week’s eviction brings to three the number of times that Freddie, aka ‘Halfwit’ has been nominated to face the public vote. Although Freddie is clearly not liked by his fellow housemates the posh toff is proving a real hit with punters and Big Brother fans and is now the 5/2 clear favourite to win this year’s series followed by former Mr Gay UK Charlie at 5/1 and events organiser Siavash at 6/1.

Who will win Big Brother?
5/2 Freddie (Halfwit)
5/1 Charlie
6/1 Siavash
7/1 Rodrigo
8/1 Noirin
10/1 Karly
20/1 Kris
20/1 Marcus
25/1 Lisa
25/1 Sophie (Dogface)
25/1 Sree
50/1 Angel
11/2 Any Other (Not Listed)

Eviction Betting
1/25 Angel
8/1 Freddie (Halfwit)

Bet with PaddyPower

Cairon’s prediction that he’ll finish in the top five in this year’s Big Brother looks set to spectacularly backfire in his face this Friday. The 18 year old student is the red-hot favourite at 1/14 with Paddy Power to become the second housemate evicted.

This week’s nominations have yet to be confirmed by Big Brother, but everything is pointing to a head to head battle between Cairon and posh toff Freddie, aka ‘Halfwit’. 23 year old Oxford University graduate Freddie looks a safe bet at 6/1 to escape eviction this week.

Sharon McHugh, spokesperson for Paddy Power said: “So much for Cairon finishing in the top five! He may have quietened down a little in the house of late but his previous spats with housemate Sree and his loudmouth behaviour looks to have sealed his fate!”

Meanwhile, bi-sexual Brazilian student Rodrigo’s lip locking with Charlie appears to have made him even more popular with viewers. Paddy Power have nipped his odds to 4/1 from 5/1 and he currently heads the betting, followed closely by Angel at 9/2. Irish cailin Noirin is 10/1 to go the distance.

Big Brother Betting

Next Eviction
1/14 Cairon
6/1 Freddie, (Halfwit)

Who will win Big Brother?
4/1 Rodrigo
9/2 Angel
7/1 Freddie (Halfwit)
8/1 Charlie
10/1 Noirin
12/1 Siavash
14/1 Marcus
18/1 Kris
20/1 Sree
25/1 Lisa
25/1 Sophie (Dogface)
25/1 Karly
40/1 Cairon
4/1 Any Other (Not Listed)

Kris & Sophie Specials

Did Kris & Sophie they have sex?
8/11 Yes
Evs No

Kris & Sophie Specials
11/8 Kris & Sophie to break up on Big Brother
4/1 Kris & Sophie to have a baby before 2011
8/1 Kris & Sophie to marry before 2011
12/1 Kris & Sophie to be evicted by BB for having a false relationship

Bet with PaddyPower and get a free £25 bet

A crazy week so far in the Big Brother household. House mates Kris Donnelly and blonde bombshell Sophie Reade, aka ‘Dogface’, may have done the dirty deed after enjoying a passionate romp under the covers in the Big Brother house.

While viewers will more than certainly have to wait until one of them leaves the house to find out for sure, cheeky bookmaker Paddy Power is offering fans the chance to bet on whether or not the couple got down and dirty.

Paddy Power’s odds are very tight, but at 8/11, the bookie is leaning in the direction that a sex session did take place in this year’s house.

While there have been many ‘did they or didn’t they’ moments, the last housemate who officially claimed to have gone the distance in the BB house was Makosi back in 2005. She shared a romp in the pool with Anthony and later claimed she could be pregnant!

Sharon McHugh, spokesperson for Paddy Power said: “Did they, or didn’t they? That’s the big question now and Big Brother fans have gone into overdrive speculating. Whether they did or didn’t, their romp under the duvet has certainly injected a bit of life into the show!”

Ladies man Kris and saucy Sophie better be very careful though. Paddy Power are quoting 12/1 that the pair get the boot from the house for participating in a false relationship!

Seperately, Angel has been well backed and is now the joint favourite at 5/1 alongside Rodrigo to win this year’s Big Brother.

Did they have sex?
8/11 Yes
Evs No

Should be an easy one to answer this if you watch it all. Bet at Paddypower

Kris & Sophie Specials
11/8 Kris & Sophie to break up on Big Brother
4/1 Kris & Sophie to have a baby before 2011
8/1 Kris & Sophie to marry before 2011
12/1 Kris & Sophie to be evicted by BB for having a false relationship

Who will win Big Brother?
5/1 Angel
5/1 Rodrigo
7/1 Freddie (Halfwit)
7/1 Charlie
9/1 Siavash
10/1 Noirin
12/1 Marcus
16/1 Kris
20/1 Cairon
25/1 Lisa
25/1 Sophie (Dogface)
25/1 Karly
33/1 Sree
4/1 Any Other (Not Listed)

Big Brother’s big mouth housemate Sophia is the red-hot favourite at 1/5 with Paddy Power to get the chop this Friday. Guess in a two horse race that makes her mega-favourite.

The 4ft nothing pint sized Londoner will go head to head with posh toff Freddie who annoyed all the housemates by cooking all the food in one day. But it’s Sophia who has pressed all the wrong buttons with the housemates and the game looks well and truly up for the feisty 26 year old.

Brazilian bi-sexual Rodrigo remains Paddy Power’s tip to win the series but former Mr Gay UK Charlie from Newcastle is hot on his heels at 11/2. Dubliner Noirin, who Paddy Power have nicknamed ‘Naughty Noirin’ is now on par with ladies man Kris at 12/1 to go the distance.

Sharon McHugh, Paddy Power’s showbiz betting expert said: “When Sophia first entered the house with that infectious laugh we had her down as one of our dark horses to win the show but it looks like her loud mouth landed her in trouble and there’s no way she’ll beat likeable Freddie in the public vote.”

Following the news that Noirin got frisky under the sheets on another reality TV show, Paddy Power are offering odds on whether or not she’ll get even naughtier in the Big Brother house. It’s 7/4 with Paddy Power that Noirin sunbaths topless in the house this summer, 2/1 she French kisses one of the girls, 9/4 she locks lips with ladies man Kris and 8/1 she goes the distance and has full sex in the Big Brother house.

Paddy Power has the latest Big Brother betting:

First Eviction
1/5 Sophia
3/1 Freddie

Who will win Big Brother?
3/1 Rodrigo
11/2 Charlie
8/1 Freddie
10/1 Cairon
10/1 Siavash
12/1 Kris
12/1 Noirin
16/1 Sophie
16/1 Angel
18/1 Sree
20/1 Lisa
20/1 Marcus
33/1 Karly
40/1 Sophia
40/1 Saffia
4/1 Any Other (Not Listed)

Naughty Noirin Specials
7/4 Noirin to sunbath topless in this years BB house
2/1 Noirin to French kiss one of the girls
9/4 Noirin to snog Kris
8/1 Noirin to get jiggy under the covers (sex in the house)

Bet with Paddypower.

Its that time of year again for Big Brother. On to season 10 now. Might have a dabble on this. I need some tips from the real Steve Lawton who usually makes money from this.

Here’s the lowdown on this years betting from Paddypower. If you want to sign up and bet, it would be much appreciated as I get a commission for every person I refer. Use this link to get a free £25 bet.

Pretty Dubliner Noirin Kelly appears to be ‘undie-scrutiny’ with some Big Brother fans requesting odds on the Irish housemate becoming a lingerie model when her stint in the house is over. Paddy Power are quoting 8/1 that Noirin will become a lingerie model for her former employer Dunnes Stores when she leaves the Big Brother house.

The quirky sixteen have only been in the house less than 24 hours, but already this year’s Big Brother contestants are making a big impression on punters according to Paddy Power.

The bookie had expressed concerns earlier in the week that this year’s series could be a big disappointment with regards to viewing figures and number of bets placed. Last night’s launch show drew the lowest ever audience for a live BB show pulling in just 4.79m compared to last years 5.31m. But, all might not be lost for the longest running reality show.

In the 15 hours since the show launched Paddy Power have taken in over €20,000 on the series. If that trend continues, the bookie could see more than €1.8m wagered on this years show.

Sharon McHugh, spokesperson for Paddy Power said “The viewing figures might have been down but so far the betting hasn’t been too bad on this year’s Big Brother. We’ve seen plenty of patriotic punts for the only Irish housemate Noirin but it’s bi-sexual Brazilian student Rodrigo that’s proving to be a huge hit with punters and he’s currently our biggest loser on the book.”

The largest bet placed so far on 25 year old Dubliner Noirin was €100 at 25/1, while the largest bet placed so far on Rodrigo has been €750 at odds of 4/1. Noirin’s odds have since been shortened to 14/1 following support for the former All-Ireland athletic champion.

Who will win Big Brother 10?
4/1 Rodrigo
11/2 Charlie
8/1 Kris
8/1 Sophia
10/1 Cairon
12/1 Marcus
14/1 Lisa
14/1 Noirin
14/1 Sree
16/1 Freddie
25/1 Sophie
25/1 Beinazir
25/1 Siavash
33/1 Angel
33/1 Karly
33/1 Saffia
3/1 Any Other (Not Listed)

Dunne Deal
8/1 Noirin to become a lingerie model for Dunnes Stores in 2009

Next person to become an official housemate
5/1 Charlie
6/1 Freddie
6/1 Sophia
8/1 Cairon
8/1 Siavash
8/1 Beinazir
10/1 Sophie
10/1 Angel
10/1 Saffia
12/1 Sree
12/1 Marcus
12/1 Karly

1st Eviction
9/4 Lisa
4/1 Noirin
12/1 Kris
14/1 Rodrigo

(others added as they become official housemates)

Click here to see Paddy Power’s full range of exciting Big Brother specials