Bernadina helps Strasburg, Nats salvage series with Indians

Baseball Betting Lines

06/13/2010 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roger Bernadina celebrated his 26th birthday by going 2-for-2 with a two-run homer and a pair of runs scored as Washington shut down Cleveland, 9-4, in the finale of this three-game interleague set.

Ian Desmond contributed three hits and knocked in two and Ivan Rodriguez added two hits and drove in a pair for the Nationals, who salvaged a game in the series.

In his second big-league start, Stephen Strasburg (2-0) lasted 5 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and a run while fanning eight but walking five.

Shin-Soo Choo hit a late two-run single while Travis Hafner homered and Luis Valbuena added an RBI for the Indians, who had won four straight.

David Huff (2-8) was tagged in the loss for six hits and as many runs over 5 2/3 frames.

Bigno Baseball Betting News

<< Unites States cruises to Curtis Cup title
Manchester, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States won its seventh consecutive Curtis Cup on Sunday after it split the eight singles matches with the Great Britain & Ireland team. In great place after a sweep of all six mat

<< Germans dominate Socceroos
Durban, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - First-half goals from Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose put Germany well on its way to a comfortable 4-0 win over Australia in FIFA World Cup Group D play on Sunday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium

<< Hamlin picks up convincing win at Michigan
Brooklyn, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denny Hamlin continued his dominance in the Sprint Cup Series by easily winning the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Hamlin led a race-high 123 laps and held a 10

<< Cabrera's homer helps Tigers complete sweep of struggling Pirates
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miguel Cabrera hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Detroit Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 4-3 win at Comerica Park. Alex Avila added a solo

<< Greinke, Butler lead Royals past Reds
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Billy Butler went 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and four RBI, and Zack Greinke resembled his 2009 form with a complete-game gem in the Royals' 7-3 decision over the Reds. Greinke (2-8) had dr

Pelfrey, homers help Mets complete sweep of O's >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Wright blasted a pair of two-run homers and Mike Pelfrey won his fifth game in six starts, as the Mets finished out a three-game road sweep of the Orioles with an 11-4 win. Pelfrey (9-1) went si

Posada hits another slam as Yankees sweep Astros >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jorge Posada hit a grand slam for the second straight game and Phil Hughes picked up his ninth win of the season, as the Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros with a 9-5 victory. Posa

Ibanez, Phillies avoid sweep in Boston >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Raul Ibanez hit a two-run homer as part of a four-run fourth inning and Philadelphia hung on late to beat Boston, 5-3, in the final contest of this three-game interleague set from Fenway Park. Jayson Werth

Marlins down Rays, hand Niemann first loss >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jorge Cantu and Wes Helms each homered during a four-run sixth inning, as the Florida Marlins defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 6-1, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague series at Tropica

Glaus' bat, Medlen's arm fuel Braves past Twins >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Troy Glaus backed a terrific Kris Medlen start by going 4-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI, as the Braves downed the Twins, 7-3, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set. Medlen (4-1)

SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds

The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.

Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”

“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”

MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:

Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:

Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1

Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17

Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1

Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1

Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1

Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1

Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5

Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1

Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1

Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1

Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50

Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1

Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1

Best Animated Feature Film:

"Cars": 1/3

"Happy Feet": 2/1

"Monster House": 20/1

Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:

"Water" – Canada: 22/1

"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2

"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1

"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1

"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10

Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:

"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5

"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2

"Helmer & Son": 5/2

"The Saviour": 6/1

"West Bank Story": 7/2

Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:

"Babel": 7/4

"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1

"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20

"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4

"The Queen": 5/4

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

"Babel": 11/4

"The Departed": 1/2

"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2

"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10

"The Queen": 20/1

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10

Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1

Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1

Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5

Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1

Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1

Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1

Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8

Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1

Film To Win Most Oscars:

Dreamgirls: 2/3

Pans Labyrinth: 6/5

The Departed: 6/1

The Queen: 11/1

Babel: 15/1

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1

Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1


Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.