Our expert team of sports and gambling writers continues to swell every quarter as more and more experienced players and journalists join and contribute to what is growing into one of the most read online casino and gambling blogs on the Net.

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So last post on this blog address…… see you over at the new one!

But first of all, like in all betting mediums, one has to ask the question: How straight is the game?

That’s a pre-requisite for betting on any sport. Horseracing has probably the worst reputation in this department. Most punters – and almost all losing ones – feel that the game is bent.

They’d rather blame a jockey on the take/make for their own inadequacies. Almost certainly a losing punter will simply have picked the wrong horse. But rarely will he admit to making such a basic mistake. He rather go on about how the jockey ‘threw’ the race.

The late, great Phil Bull, who founded Timeform, once said that he believed that almost every race was straight. He reckoned he couldn’t carry on betting if he didn’t think that – and I’m definitely in the Bull camp on that one.

But what about tennis?

There have been rumblings in recent years that tennis had attracted some dodgy gambling characters, just as all sports have done. Three low ranked Italian players – none of whom played on the main tour – were fined and suspended for betting on games.

And there was the much more high-profile case involving the Russian Nikolay Davydenko in a minor tournament in Poland.

Davydenko, ranked No. 4 in the world at the time, was playing against little-known Argentinean Martin Vassallo Arguello. Money poured in for Arguello even after he had lost the first set and the match finally ended with Davydenko quitting on his stool in the third set.

Both players were cleared after an inquiry that last for more than a year, but the reputation of tennis is still suffering.

But don’t let these incidents put you off; you can make tennis betting pay, particularly on the bet exchanges.

For a start it’s a game with only two possible results – a win or loss for your selection.

But with most matches taking an up-and-down course there are plenty of opportunities for either backing both players at odds-against or laying both at odds-against, locking in a profit either way.

You can also back or lay one player to guarantee your screen ‘greens up’.

The best time to get your claws into a tennis match is when a much higher-ranked player loses the first set, preferably in a best-of-five game. His price will probably drift quite markedly – and there is often an over-reaction as soon as the set has been lost. That’s the optimal time to back the pre-match favourite at better odds than he was at the outset. And when, hopefully, he has recovered his poise you can either lay him back at a shorter price or hand on and let the bet ride knowing that you’ve got the value.

With most of the big games televised on terrestrial television there’s plenty of liquidity on the exchanges and you find too many problems getting matched as long as you’re not too greedy. But there is plenty of entertainment on the way during the frenetic fortnight at an event that is almost drowning in a sea of nostalgia.

Fred Perry isn’t just a brand of sportswear; it’s the name of Britain’s last men’s championship way back before even I was born!

And who can forget those epic duels between Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe?

There was even one Wimbledon champion – Boris Becker – who ended up in a broom cupboard with a willing young lady and is still paying for their love child!

Will we ever have another British champion? Well, gentleman Tim Henman couldn’t manage it despite trying ever so hard in a very British and very sporting sort of way.

Andy Murray isn’t so fussed about the sportsmanship side of things and he isn’t half as popular as the man who spawned the annual outbreak of Henmania, but he’s a much better player and seems less fragile physically these days, he now doesn’t have Nadal is his side of the draw with the Spaniards retirement from Wimbledon this year but he’ll still have to go some to beat theincomparable Roger Federer if they both are there in the Final.

But above all, remember Wimbledon isn’t just about strawberries and cream nor is it about checking out the decibel levels of some grunting Georgian.

And it’s also not about ogling the latest super babe in the shortest of short shorts!

As ever, we look at if from a cold, calculating cash point of view and, yes, there is a real chance to lock in some net profits from those bookies.

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It’s a fashion show and racing festival all rolled into one. Unlike the Cheltenham Festival, where sensible clothing is very much the order of the day and the horses and riders are the centre of attention, Ascot has a split personality. For the race fans, top-class racing is what it’s all about. For the fashion-conscious the whole event revolves around what the ladies are wearing. But the two aspects of this great meeting seem to co-habit pretty well. Yes, it’s part of the so-called London Season that includes those other British sporting bastions, Henley and Wimbledon. 

Sadly, Mrs Shilling – as mad as the proverbial hatter although it was her son David who made the outrageous and often amusing hats that she wore on each day of the meeting – is no longer with us. But the Queen is – and every day she will travel up the course in her horse-drawn carriage to the delight of the thousands of royalists who line her route. For those track side and in many betting shops all over the land the first bet of the day for many is to guess the colour of the Queen’s hat!  

Another thing for sure is that you can bet your bottom dollar that the credit crunch/economic downturn – call it what you like – won’t make any discernible difference to how the ladies will turn themselves out, not even the weather can interrupt their week. Not many of the ladies will be scrimping and saving to buy a new outfit for the meeting, nor will they be digging the sewing machine out of the loft to knock up that stunning little number that will have men’s eyes out on stalks. Ladies Day is pure theatre.  Whatever you think about the fashions, it’s the horses that count for me. Yes, it’s a difficult meeting and as someone once said the only way to come out of Royal Ascot week with a small fortune is to start with a big one! But winners are there to be found. The quality of the racing is of the highest class and punters always feel they’ve got a better chance when every horse is trying for its life for the big purses on offer. I don’t actually subscribe to that view. Give me a race where there are only two or three possible winners and I’m at my happiest. 

At Royal Ascot level, it’s probably best to stick with the top stables. Sir Michael Stoute from Newmarket and Aidan O’Brien from Ballydoyle in Ireland will probably have profitable meetings. Both are masters at timing a horse’s preparation to perfection. They will have their charges peaking on the big day – when there is big prize-money to be won. Don’t approach Royal Ascot in an all-or-nothing frame of mind. Too many punters think that big meetings like Ascot, Cheltenham and Liverpool are make-or-break fixtures as far as their betting is concerned. I treat every race alike. Finding the winner of the maiden at a Ripon evening meeting is just as sweet – and just as rewarding – as finding the winner of a race at the royal meeting. One race I might have a serious look at is the Royal Ascot Gold Cup run on Ladies’ Day on Thursday. Lester Piggott was a master over all distances when he was in the saddle, but never more so than when he was winning the Gold Cup on great horses like the French-trained Sagaro (three times) and Henry Cecil’s Ardross (twice). Watching Piggott in action on a short-priced stayer was pure joy. He always knew when to press the button – and rarely made mistakes when the chips were down. 

How I wish Piggott was around to ride Geordieland in this year’s renewal. Of course, he is no superstar in the mould of either Sagaro or Ardross, but on his day he’s a pretty useful performer. But he’s what they call in the trade a ‘thinker’ and needs his mind making up for him. Of course, Shane Kelly made a pretty good job of winning on Geordieland the other day at Sandown, but I can’t help feeling that Piggott and Geordieland would have made a perfect – and perfectly backable – combination.

Nevertheless, it might still be worth sticking with Jamie Osborne’s enigmatic eight-year-old to finish in the gold medal position. Overall, though, approach with caution.

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Sit back and enjoy the wall-to-wall coverage on At The Races or the fashion reports on BBC interspersed with the occasional races.  There isn’t a better meeting on the Flat anywhere else in the world and, if you’re going along, the track now offers unrivalled viewing facilities despite the fact that the new grandstand looks like the departure area at Heathrow Terminal Four. Just don’t spoil it all by doing your money!

Now if only Cassetteboy could re-edit The Derby or perhaps a few other TV sporting occassions I could have a better chance of picking a winner…

I’ll be blogging about all things online casino related. You can expect to hear about the good, the bad and the down-right ugly casinos online, read about the hottest and most up-to-date promotions and bonus offers available, and keep updated on news relevant to the online gambling ban that USA players like myself and fellow players throughout the States are having to deal with right now; and of course; other casino related news as well.

I’ll also let you all know when a new online slot hits the net and I’ll be jumping right on in to play so I can give yo the first and best online slot review on the net. If a new casino comes online … I’ll be there to check it out for you to be sure it’s on the up & up and not some wolf in sheep’s clothing, there scamming your hard earned dollars. (And believe me, they’re out there!) Along with all of that, I’ll talk about online gambling in general, touching on topics like deposit and withdrawal options, helping online casino players have a better understanding of bonus playthrough requirements, etc.

And then I’ll go even further in keeping you all up to date on the many changes now going on at this very moment at Oggs.com’s main website, and finally keep everyone on top of the latest happenings in our new, soon-to-be-released, member interactive forum, the all new and exciting …. Online Guide to Gambling Sites.

Now as you may have already noticed, you can add your comments to any blog that’s going to be placed here. I encourage you to do so and only ask that you keep a few “Rules” in mind when you post. Remember “Vicki’s Rules” now …

Rule One: Please remember that everyone is entitled to their own opinions. And; personally; I believe that everyone should respect the opinions of another whether you agree or disagree. A lot can be learned, and pre-conceived views can be changed as a result of various opinions. So, please, be open-minded and respectful of the opinions of others and not judgmental in your posting of comments.

Rule Two: Please refrain from bashing or flaming any contributor, casino, website, and/or forum in your posts. Before you “click to post”, take a minute to read what you wrote to avoid any potential misunderstandings. If you’re really angry at something you read or angry about something that happened to you that you want to post, take a five minute breather to collect your thoughts and then say what’s on your mind.

Rule Three: Please, under no circumstances, post any copies of chat sessions you had with a casino representative here. And, please don’t post any affiliate banners, links, etc. Such posts will be deleted. If you have an online gambling website or forum that you want to promote, you’re welcomed to do so in our forum the moment it launches as we’ll have an area there for you to do so.

OK then … those are my “Rules” for you to keep in mind when posting your comments. I will be watching now, so behave, Vicki is watching you …

Right now, I’m off to go check out The Wonderful World of OGGS and take a look at some of the new additions there. Why don’t you come join me?? I’ll be reading up on the latest slot reviews!

Oh, before you so, be sure to bookmark this page so you don’t miss a bit of what’s going on in the exciting world of online gambling!

Carpe Diem!

Vicki

But as far as I know, neither Dennis Lillee nor Rodney Marsh served any time at all for backing England to beat Australia in the match that has been dubbed ‘Botham’s Test’ at Headingley back in 1981.

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Lillee and Marsh, two of the stars of the Australia side which was already one-up in the five-Test Ashes series, reckoned they were getting good value, taking the 500-1 on offer by Ladbrokes; odds offered, incidentally, by Ladbrokes’ cricketing guru, Godfrey Evans, the be-whiskered former England and Kent wicket-keeper.

After all, England were on 105-5 in their second innings, still 126 runs in arrears and facing almost inevitable defeat, probably by an innings. Evans must have slept easily that night.

The two Aussies, both inveterate gamblers, knew it was a two-horse race and had ruled out the remote possibility of a tie. As Aussie captain Kim Hughes said afterwards: “They (Lillee and Marsh) thought the odds were too good to miss”.

In truth, 500-1 was probably not a great price, looking at the match situation. I’m sure Betfair’s fearless exchange punters would have offered the ceiling price of 1,000 (999-1) or more if that were permitted.

Over the next two days a rollicking century from Ian Botham, who finished on 149 not out and 8-43 from Bob Willis, turned the match on its head.

In retrospect, Lillee and Marsh didn’t ‘throw’ the match although South Africa captain Hansie Cronje – later to die in an air crash at the age of 32 – was found to have lost games for cash and provided bookmakers with ‘inside information’ about injuries and pitch conditions.

And any number of Indian and Pakistani players have been implicated in betting scandals with several ‘warned off’.

But that hasn’t stopped cricket betting growing at an enormous rate, fuelled by the growth of both the exchanges and the phenomenon that is Twenty20.

The latter form of the sport is cricket’s nearest equivalent to a football match-style event. It all happens at breakneck speed with the action on the pitch taking a maximum of two hours 40 minutes punctuated by a twenty minute break between innings and a short drinks break after ten overs of each innings.

Not surprisingly, in the game’s shortest format, the matches tend to swing wildly.

I was ‘trading’ an Indian Premier League game the other day, having backed one side at 1.98 ( a shade of odds-on) only to see them travel all the way out to 3 (2-1) before they hit back with three quick wickets and I was able to trade out for a decent profit. Holding one’s nerve is key in these scenarios.

There are plenty of people out there in exchange land who, over the last few weeks, have been sitting in front of a computer screen with a TV screen alongside it, watching Setanta’s excellent coverage of the games.

By the time the final came around there had been 59 games in a relatively short space of time – that’s 59 betting opportunities by my reckoning.

I’m not sure how long the Twenty20 revolution will last before it inevitably scales down a little, but for the time being you’d be silly to miss out.

STERLING BROOKES is the author of ‘Poor Johnny’, the tragic story of an Edwardian cricketer, available from the Association of Cricket Historians and Statisticians, priced £10. The ACS can be contacted at sales@acscricket.com or on 01529 306 272.

American website, Stickk.com, enables its members to create a diet game-plan which encompasses them betting that they’ll lose weight each week or pay money to a charity of their choice. Helping those that need that extra emphasis to keep to their regime the threat of losing money is off-set by the pay off and reward of losing weight, feeling fit and healthier.

There can also be a twist. Interestingly a member can search through the charities on offer and even choose an anti-charity cause to bet against, this is a charity perhaps one dislikes or doesn’t believe in, so if they don’t lose weight each week they end up giving money to something they are against.

Whether or not charities receive a lot of contributions from this method of dieting time will only tell, staying to a diet and regular exercise regime is not so easy for many, so no doubt some will gain from those members who do Stickk at it and perhaps for many years. Nice to see gambling and charity can work together harmoniously.

Stickk is one of many sites appearing in the US and has started quite a trend in offices across many states whereby work colleagues bet each other too on how they will do with their ‘bet diet’  . Will it catch on over here in the UK? Well a few more promotions on the BBC and national press and it will be the summer’s new diet craze no doubt.

Paul Coates is known to thousands of football fans in the Potteries as a football mad man, but it’s his Stoke-based Bet365 that his hard work has seen him amass a personal fortune and it’s all been hard graft. Born in poverty, youngest of 14 children, his entrepreneurial spirit has ranged from achieving a successful stadium catering company to betting shops in the 90s.

He made the Sunday Times Rich List, and one of only a few to actually go up the list, due to his bankrolling the online operation which is a privately owned business. Bet365 is one of the largest sports betting sites in the world, taking £3.4 billion in bets last year and employing 900 staff.

His involvement with Stoke City is born out of love for the local community and club. His decision to return as Chairman after an earlier not so pleasant stay was one he wished to do not matter what the consequences, his first thoughts being to save the club he’d always supported and set it on its feet. And what feet it’s found, more like winged boots! From the depths of the Championship to the most pleasant surprise in the Premiership this year.

Will it get Messi in the end? I very much doubt it, this canny gentleman has lady luck and hard work under his belt to grow both concerns, backed by a family who’ve grown up in the business and shown great acumen.

However, the one-armed man I refer to is a semi-professional gambler who lives in Wolverhampton and frequents the Midlands tracks. I hadn’t seen him in about five years but we still share something, apart from three good arms! That’s a love of two-year-old races. 

I had schlepped to Leicester to back a juvenile at the bookies raceside in the first and he was there, perusing the runners in the paddock. We both agreed that the only danger – a Michael Bell debutant to be ridden by Jamie Spencer – was extremely edgy in the paddock and looked very green and inexperienced on what was his first visit to a racecourse. 

I’ve been going racing for several decades but I must admit my paddock judgement is pretty naff. The only thing I can really tell is whether a horse is totally unfit. But, as everyone else, can see that a horse if fat or ‘gone in its coat’ it doesn’t give me much of an edge. 

The one-armed man, though, fancies himself as a bit of a paddock expert although in my view only those closely connected with the horse can really know whether a horse is fit or not. Some horses carry more condition than others – and might not look as fit as others in the field, but that’s just the way they are. 

The only thing I inspect is the form book. And if a horse has some decent form in the book then it gives it a massive edge over rivals who haven’t raced. A run will give a previously unraced two-year-old a big advantage. My selection was a good second in the first two-year-old race of the season, the Brocklesby, at Doncaster and proved too good for his rivals, all of whom were unraced.

I know it’s a classic case of ‘after-timing’, but my theory will hold good for a good few months to come. Even after the season has settled down, I still feel two-year-olds offer punters the best chance of making some dosh. One key factor is that they are too young to have picked up any bad habits, like many of their elders, who need to be persuaded to put their best hooves forward. 

Look at some races and you’ll see horses with blinkers, cheek pieces, tongue-ties and eye shields. Some trainers even resort to the last resort, getting their jockey to wear spurs although how the north London side can persuade anyone to win is completely beyond my (admittedly, limited) imagination! 

Two-year-olds invariably give their running – and don’t have too many off days. They haven’t been soured by too much racing and, in the first few months of the Flat turf season, will only be racing over trips of five or six furlongs, which also makes punting a little easier, cutting out some of the variables. 

But a few words of warning. I would advise you to steer clear of nurseries. They’re just handicaps for two-year-olds and are pretty tough to figure, in my opinion. And ‘my’ one-armed man told me once: ‘Don’t give a two-year-old too many chances’. I have taken that on board and once a juvenile has run three or four times without winning I rarely give him or her another chance. They might be the exception to the rule, but I’m not paying to find out.  Of course, the reverse is also true. Some two-year-olds just keep on wining and winning. The best example of this is the sequence of successes by two youngsters trained by Newmarket-based Bill O’Gorman. He saddled Timeless Times (1990) and Provideo (1984) to 16 - yes, you read it right, 16 - straight wins apiece.  

How he kept them on the boil or at least simmering throughout their long first seasons was a remarkable feat. Unsurprisingly, no one has got close since, but it doesn’t mean it will never be equalled or even surpassed although I doubt it. 

Of course, two-year-olds grow up into the Classic generation in the following season and it’s interesting to watch them develop from green-as-grass youngsters to hardened professionals. In fact, following two-year-olds can give you a very clear picture of what might win the next season’s Guineas, Oaks and Derby.

Happy punting…