11/11/2008 - Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and rising Argentine Juan Martin del Potro were Tuesday's round-robin winners at the $4.45 million Tennis Masters Cup.
The second-seeded Djokovic reached the semifinals here by outlasting fourth- seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko 7-6 (7-3), 0-6, 7-5 on Day 3 on the indoor hardcourt at Qi Zhong Stadium.
Djokovic topped Davydenko in 2 hours, 18 minutes by breaking the Russian on four occasions and firing eight aces. Davydenko could manage only two breaks in defeat.
The 21-year-old Djokovic is 2-0 and leads the four-player Gold Group, while Davydenko dropped to 1-1 for the week. The Serb is 1-1 lifetime against the gritty Russian, with both meetings coming this season.
Up next for Djokovic will be sixth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the Aussie Open runner-up to the Serb back in January, while Davydenko will face the seventh-seeded del Potro. Tsonga and del Potro are making their Masters Cup debuts this week.
Thursday's Davydenko-del Potro winner will join Djokovic in the semis from the Gold Group.
The 6-foot-5 del Potro edged out Tsonga 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5) on Tuesday. Del Potro is now 1-1, while Tsonga is out of semifinal contention at 0-2.
Del Potro topped Tsonga in 1 hour, 50 minutes and withstood a 17-ace barrage from the talented Frenchman. The lanky Argentine is now 2-0 all-time versus Tsonga.
Red Group action will be staged here on Wednesday, as top-seeded Swiss Roger Federer (0-1) takes on fifth-seeded American Andy Roddick (0-1) and third- seeded Brit Andy Murray (1-0) meets eighth-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon (1-0). Simon shocked Federer here on Monday, while Murray got past Roddick on Day 2.
Murray and Simon, like Tsonga and del Potro, are Masters Cup rookies. The U.S. Open runner-up Murray has won 15 of his last 16 matches overall, including titles in St. Petersburg and Madrid.
The 13-time major champion Federer has won this event four times, including the last two years. He topped Spain's David Ferrer in last year's finale in Shanghai.
Federer is a lopsided 15-2 lifetime against his fellow former world No. 1 Roddick, but the American is 1-0 this year, with the surprising victory coming in Miami back in April. The Swiss is a perfect 3-0 in their Masters Cup encounters.
The reigning five-time U.S. Open champion Federer is the only former Masters Cup champ in this year's field.
Murray and Simon will meet for a fourth time, with the Brit holding a 2-1 career advantage. Murray is already 2-0 against the Frenchman this year.
<< Nuggets hit the road to Charlotte
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets open a three-game road trip in Charlotte
on Tuesday when they take on the Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena.
The Nuggets reached the .500 mark (3-3) on Sunday when Carmelo Anthony scored
24 points and
<< Slumping T'Wolves take on Warriors
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves will attempt to halt a five-game
skid Tuesday as they conclude a three-game West Coast road swing in Oakland
versus the Golden State Warriors.
Portland All-Star Brandon Roy scored 24 points,
<< Knicks pay a visit to San Antonio
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surprising New York Knicks open a quick two-game road
trip Tuesday when they travel to San Antonio to face the injury-ravaged Spurs.
The Knicks won their third straight game when Jamal Crawford had a game-high
32
<< Kobe leads unbeaten Lakers into Dallas
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The undefeated Los Angeles Lakers kick off a short two-game
road swing Tuesday when they travel to North Texas to face the Dallas
Mavericks.
The Lakers improved to 5-0 on the young season on Sunday when reigni
Hawks swoop into Windy City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surprising Atlanta Hawks will try to remain unbeaten
Tuesday and snap a seven-game skid in the Second City as they continue a four-
game road swing in Chicago against the Bulls.
The Hawks opened the trip with a h
Iverson, Pistons aim for a win at Kings >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit has dropped two straight games since making a
blockbuster trade to acquire nine-time All-Star Allen Iverson last week. The
Pistons will try and stem that tide Tuesday when they arrive in California's
capital
Habs try to halt skid, take on Senators >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to avoid a third
consecutive loss when they welcome the Ottawa Senators for a Northeast
Division clash at the Bell Centre.
The Canadiens have dropped back-to-back games for the first time th
Islanders host Flyers in New York matinee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Islanders will host a Veterans Day matinee
when they welcome the Philadelphia Flyers for this afternoon's matchup at
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The Flyers and Islanders are the bottom two teams in the
MySportsbook.com refunds all bets on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay from NFL week one.
(September 14) – Week one of NFL action saw three teams go scoreless for the first time since 1977. Another four were unable to get a touchdown and almost half of the underdogs covered the spread. Those three teams saved bettors at MySportsbook.com from losing out completely, thanks to the company’s unique NFL Shutout Rule -- which ensures that if the team you backed goes scoreless, your wager is refunded.
Sportsbook refunded tens of thousands of dollars to customers who bet on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay, the three teams that stunk up the field so badly that their fans and backers never had a chance to get up from their couches and cheer. In the spirit of the low scoring start to the season, odds makers at the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino have set odds on how many total shutouts there will be this season.
MySportsbook.com has posted updated sports betting lines for week two of the season. Ben Roethlisberger’s health status is still questionable, so Willie Parker will try to lead Pittsburgh again as they travel to Jacksonville as a one point favorite. After beating up on his little brother last week, Peyton Manning will look to lead the Colts to victory against Houston. Indianapolis is a whopping 13.5 favorite in the match-up.
Seattle, last year’s highest scoring team, showed the power of their defense with their gritty 9-6 win in Motown over the ravenous Lions. They take their act back home to the comforts of Qwest Field where they will face the resurgent Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks are favored by a touchdown.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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