Safin upsets Davydenko in Moscow

Tennis Betting Lines

10/21/2009 - Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Unseeded Marat Safin toppled top-seeded fellow Russian Nikolay Davydenko in opening-round action Wednesday at the $1.08 million Kremlin Cup tennis event.

The former world No. 1 Safin, who expects to retire from the ATP at season's end, overcame and outlasted last week's Shanghai Masters champion Davydenko 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 on the indoor hardcourts at Olympic Stadium. Safin moved on in just under two hours with the help of 10 aces and three service breaks.

The three-time Moscow titlist Davdyenko, who surprised former top-ranked star Rafael Nadal in last week's Shanghai finale, captured this tournament in 2004, 2006 and 2007.

The Muscovite Safin was last year's Moscow runner-up to fellow Russian Igor Kunitysn and was the 2006 runner-up here to Davdyenko.

Kunitsyn will not repeat as the titlist this year, as he succumbed to compatriot Evgeny Korolev 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 in round one on Wednesday. Korolev will battle the two-time major champion Safin on Thursday.

In second-round play on Day 3, third-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny whipped Italian Potito Starace 6-1, 6-1, fifth-seeded Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay came back to beat Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 and another Ukrainian qualifier, Sergiy Stakhovsky, upended seventh-seeded Frenchman Fabrice Santoro 7-5, 6-1. Santoro, like Safin, expects to retire this year.

One other first-round match saw Ukrainian qualifier Illya Marchenko take out Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin 1-6, 6-4, 4-1, retired, as Istomin gave way to a throat infection.

The 2009 Moscow champ will collect $170,000.

Wwwclearstation Tennis Betting News

<< CFL Previews - Week 17 - October 23-24
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (6-9) AT TORONTO ARGONAUTS (3-12) DATE & TIME: Friday, October 23, 7:00 p.m. (et). GAME NOTES: The Hamilton Tiger-Cats try to snap a six-game road losing streak on Friday nigh

<< Nationwide Tour adds new event in Jacksonville
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nationwide Tour has announced a new event for next season, adding the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open to the schedule for 2010. The event will be played in October on the Dye's Valley

<< Rays tab Shelton as hitting coach
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays have named Derek Shelton as the team's new hitting coach. "Derek has proven himself to be one of the better minds in baseball when it comes to hitting," Rays executive vice pre

<< Kiffin signs contract
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Tennessee head football coach Lane Kiffin has officially signed his contract. The Knoxville News Sentinel reported Tuesday that Kiffin was delayed in signing the agreement due to

<< Longhorns and Tigers collide in Columbia
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-ranked Texas Longhorns make the trip to Columbia this week to take on the Missouri Tigers in a key Big 12 tussle. Mack Brown's Longhorns took a huge step toward a Big 12 title, with last weekend's 16

Browns sign TE Gaines >>
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns have signed tight end Michael Gaines. Gaines was released by the Bears last week after seeing action in only one game this season. The sixth-year pro played in 16 games last year

Michigan AD Martin to retire in 2010 >>
Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of Michigan director of athletics Bill Martin will retire from his position on September 4, 2010, he announced Wednesday. Martin notified school president Mary Sue Coleman with a le

Wilkie suffers injury setback >>
Dundee, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dundee United captain Lee Wilkie has been rocked by suffering yet another injury setback. The 29-year-old was injured during training, with the Terrors fearing that Wilkie has damaged his knee as well

Pugh pens Potters extension >>
Stoke-on-Trent, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Manchester United midfielder Danny Pugh has penned a one-year contract extension with Stoke City that will keep him at the Britannia Stadium until the summer of 2012. The 27-year-old accep

Bologna sacks Papadopulo >>
Bologna, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Struggling Bologna have fired coach Giuseppe Papadopulo after winning only one of their first eight Serie A games this season. Former player Franco Colomba has been named as Papadopulo's successor hav

American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

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