We’ll look at this month’s featured casinos and how you can get the most out of their exclusive bonuses. Mother’s Day recap and more contests that await you in the Members area, and the new casinos, rewards and editorials to enjoy with the warm summer breeze.”
This is LCB News and here’s our monthly review.
Hi LCB’ers! The holiday vibe is upon us; so make yourself comfortable on the lounger and grab another drink as we do the heavy lifting and give you some tips on how to make the most out of our site for the upcoming month, starting with our top casino picks.
The Saucify-powered Lotus Asia is a top choice for all players in the US. It’s a sister brand to Black Lotus, both of which are highly rated, has an LCB rep and an exclusive free spins bonus which you can easily claim.
Speaking of exclusive bonuses, the Bitcoin-friendly casino Omni Slots has one more up for grabs together with our $3 LCB Chip reward. See what fellow players have said about it in the comments section and enjoy the benefit of direct support from their rep right on our forum.
For our third and last pick for the month, we have for you LCB approved and recommended RedStar Casino. This multi-software site is also part of the LCB reward program which earns you $3 LCB chips when making your 1st deposit, and has a respectfully high member rating that you can also check out in more detail in the rest of our casino review.
Another Mother’s Day has passed, and all our English and German forum contest participants couldn’t have made it any better. Congrats to all the winners! There were many heartfelt and wonderful stories shared by all the members who participated: thanks so much for sharing.
But it’s not over for long: subscribe to receive notifications from our “Members only” section to be the first to get notified when our moderators “Lipstick” and “HardyK” posts a new contest with more LCB prizes up for grabs.
Meanwhile in the same forum section, we have a bunch of exclusive kickass tournaments hosted by reputable casinos. All of them are free to join and most are US-friendly. The next batch of tourneys start 1st of June, so get yourself ready and go ahead and pick your favourite.
Did you know we’ve already added over 17 new casinos in May? That’s right, and there are a couple we think you’ll really like, one of them is LetsBet Casino which has been hand-crafted by a team of experienced iGaming professionals to include unique features like live streaming, social integration and gamification. See our full review for a quick summary of the advantages and disadvantages and bonuses on offer.
Also, make sure you check out Genesis Casino. It’s a sister brand to the reputable Casino Cruise and Vegas Hero, and it promises to pack a punch with equally impressive content and new bonuses.
Since we love pampering you with new offers, we’ve also added new shop items to the LCB shop, one of them being free spins from Cadoola Casino. So, if you don’t have an account with them yet then this is a great chance to get more bang for your buck.
Before you go, if you like geeky table game strategies and live gaming, then see our recent editorial where the Wizard of Odds looks into Codeta's unique Skill Score concept to reveal some exciting approaches that you’ll find at this revolutionary and live gaming-centric online casino.
That’s the report for this month.
Hope you liked it and be sure to share your thoughts on it in the comments section so we can continue to deliver the best content possible.
You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and YouTube.
As always, play responsibly and stay tuned for more news coming soon!
The time has come! The World Series of Poker is here! I used to compare the first day of the WSOP to Christmas morning; that’s how amped up I was for the festivities.
I didn’t leave out any milk and cookies, but I did lay out an outfit for the following day’s activities. All that planning, all that studying, all those sleepless nights. It was all for this exact moment.
Now it’s all about showing up to the Rio, putting in the work, and of course, hoping to get a little lucky and win the flips when it matters most. I’m not here to talk about strategy; I know the majority of you are already feeling confident in your games.
I’m simply here to introduce what’s on tap for the next 7 weeks. As the series progresses, I’ll be posting more blogs that share tips and advice on how to make your experience as seamless and easy as possible.
I want to help break down the walls for those of you that may feel a bit overwhelmed by the absolute chaos that takes place in the hallways at the Rio.
For now, allow me to just start with the basics. Some of you might be arriving this weekend in time for the Colossus, and others might just be rolling into town for the Main Event in early July.
Either way, it’s nice to know what to expect before you sit down and get dealt any cards.
Even those of you who are WSOP veterans, there are some changes this year that you should be aware of. I’ll concentrate the next few sections on revealing the biggest variations in this year’s schedule from years past. I want to open your eyes to the endless opportunities that await.
That life-changing score you’ve been yearning for might just be around the corner!
The 2018 WSOP schedule is offering more bracelet opportunities than ever before, with 78 pieces of jewelry up for grabs in all.
From the $565 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em event starting today to the million-dollar One Drop event on July 15th, you have more than enough time to hit that big score you’ve been looking for.
For crying out loud, there is a $100,000 buy-in event starting Friday at 3:00 pm and a $365 buy-in (The GIANT) starting 4 hours later. I mentioned the Casino Employees event as the opener, but those of you who don’t work at a casino, racetrack, or poker room will have to wait until event #2 to get your party started.
I’m talking about a brand-new event on the docket: the $10k NL Super Turbo Bounty.
Do you like ultra-fast structures? Do you have an extra $10,000 lying around? Well, I told you the WSOP had some new events on this year’s schedule, and that is evident right from the get-go with this beauty of a tournament.
Believe it or not, many of the ladies and gentlemen that can actually afford to play these large ($10,000+) buy-in tournaments prefer a more rapid structure.
Do you really think a wealthy businessman or CEO has 4 or 5 days to sit around a poker table exchanging stares with some 20-something who plays a GTO strategy?
I can tell you the answer is no, and it’s the reason why Jack Effel (WSOP Tournament Director) and his staff implemented an event like this right away on day 1.
Most $10k buy-ins have a slow-paced structure that drags out for 4 or more days. The WSOP Main Event starts on July 2nd and won’t even reach a final table until sometime in the wee hours of the morning on July 12th.
The way this event works is that every time you knock a player out, you receive their “bounty,” which is worth $3,000 in real money.
For example, let’s say you get knocked out of the tournament before the money bubble reaches, but you had knocked out 2 opponents previous to busting. Despite not cashing, you would still walk away with $6,000, earning 60% of the original buy-in back. Pretty cool huh?
Event #2 will start at 3:00 pm today and will play down until a winner is crowned. That’s right – by tomorrow morning, someone will have already won a bracelet and the serious wad of cash that’s going to come with it.
I think adding this event and positioning it on day 1 was a great idea and a great sales tactic. The World Series of Poker wants to attract as many people as possible, and they want them here and playing as long as their wallets and minds can handle the inevitable swings.
Showing the poker community that they care about players of all shapes and sizes during the first week of the festival is something that should be applauded.
Whether you will be playing the $10k Super Turbo Bounty or you are just taking your shot at the Colossus (event #7 $565 buy-in), the felt tables are there for the taking.
Those that are skipping the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty might be waiting for event #3, the $3k NL shootout. If you aren’t familiar with what a “shootout tournament” is or need more details, here you go. Last year, this tournament took 3 days to complete, and Upeshka De Silva took home the grand prize of a shade under $230k.
Later in the day is the start of the fourth event on the WSOP summer schedule, the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better.
The mixed games aren’t nearly as popular as the No-Limit Hold’em events, but this event attracted 905 players last year and boasted a prize pool of over $1.2 million.
Now, I know the official WSOP schedule starts today, but Friday marks the start of the first weekend at the WSOP. Saturday afternoon could be the busiest day of the entire summer in terms of actual foot traffic on the property.
I’m not talking about the poker fans that will be looking for autographs from their favorite personalities at day 2 of event #5, the $100,000 High Roller event.
I’m not even talking about the plethora of men and women that will be scurrying down the hallways looking for some cash game action after busting out of the first flight of the Giant (event #6).
I’m talking about the start of the Colossus. The first flight of event #7 is slated to kick off at 10:00 am on June 2nd, with the second flight “shuffle up and dealing” at 7:00 pm. If you can’t make it, all is not lost.
The following day is essentially a copycat, with flights C and D starting at the same times as the previous day. All players are allowed one entry PER FLIGHT. Allow me to reiterate because I know many of you are wondering and will be asking the question.
Essentially, you can bust out of the Colossus three times and still end up winning the tournament. Listen, if folks are going to come all the way to Las Vegas for a big poker tournament, at least give them a few opportunities to cash.
Despite the purists being unhappy with these “re-entry formats,” I can certainly understand why the WSOP does this. They try and keep all players in mind, not just the hardcore professionals.
Last year, the Colossus had more than 18,000 entries, which was actually down from the 21,613 that showed up for the inaugural Colossus in 2016.
I expect the number to fall right around the 20,000 mark and expect the prize pool to exceed $10 million. They have guaranteed 7 figures to the winner – again, another great selling point.
You tell a bunch of aspiring poker players that they can win a million bucks in a $565 buy-in tournament?
You bet your bottom dollar they’ll come stampeding in in bunches.
If you plan on spending the entire summer in Vegas “chasing the dream,” surely you have studied the schedule and have your spots picked out. Obviously, there are numerous opportunities to hit that 6-figure score outside of the Rio, and these chances are growing.
Between the Venetian, Planet Hollywood, the Wynn, and other Las-Vegas based casinos, there is an abundance of tournaments each and every day until the middle of July. Cash game players need not worry because the action will be going 24/7 for the next month and a half.
The biggest concern might be avoiding the ridiculously long waits that will be typical over the series, especially over the weekends. I’ll be releasing a blog soon that helps you get prepared so that you can attack your summer poker schedule with the utmost efficiency.
I’ll also be talking about the rest of the WSOP schedule in great depth, but I want to quickly just point out one of the glaring changes this year.
In years past, the WSOP Main Event was either the last event on the schedule or the second to last. It’s great in theory, as you always want your flagship event as the culminating tournament. They want as much buildup as possible, and I get that.
This time around, the Main Event is event #65 and starts on July 2nd. The new amendments to the schedule will directly reflect those players who come up short in their quest to be crowned Main Event champ.
Rather than chalking it up as a fun time and heading home, Effel and his tournament operators decided to add 13 more events and allow men and women to continue chasing that elusive big score.
As someone who has played and busted the main event in the past and wished there were more possibilities of winning a bracelet, I think this change is for the better.
Expect this to also boost the crowd support during the final stages of the Main Event, as the poker industry will now be sticking around through the middle of July, not hopping on the first plane in disgust after their Main Event dream comes to a screeching halt.
Are you already here in Vegas, locked and loaded to get this thing started? Poker enthusiasts that are here for opening day are the ones who have been looking forward to this day for months.
Those of you who have had this day circled on your calendars can finally breathe a big sigh of relief.
The 2018 World Series of Poker is officially underway; the proceedings have begun. I’ll be checking back in throughout the series to keep you in the loop on what’s going on and what you need to do to make this summer the most successful one yet!
In the meantime, play solid, play smart, and don’t be afraid to push the chips in the middle!
The post The 2018 WSOP Is Underway – What Can We Expect? appeared first on GamblingSites.com.
Casino game developer and aggregator, BetConstruct, has just signed a partnership agreement with online games developer, Fazi, beginning the first phase of cooperation between the two companies, effective immediately.
Fazi, who produces high-quality content for the casino gaming environment, will deliver its content via the deal, expanding the brand’s already large portfolio, consisting of over 4000 games. Fazi supplies cutting-edge titles created with HTML5 and HD graphics, which will further strengthen its latest partner’s mission for delivering varied games to its collaborators and operators. The platform is now live with some of the most notable Fazi games, such as Roulette, Book of Spells, Turbo Hot 40 and more.
CEO of Fazi, Bojan Mitić, comments: “We are proud to see Fazi games on one of the most sophisticated platforms in the iGaming industry. We have eagerly anticipated collaboration with BetConstruct – the award-winning developer and provider of online games and a globally recognized company. It is extremely important for us that BetConstruct recognized our quality, uniqueness and innovation and we are confident that Fazi games will be warmly received by players.“
BetConstruct's founder and chief executive officer, Vigen Badalyan, says: “We are thrilled to inform that we already partner with Fazi. Fazi’s omnichannel content featuring modern graphics, exciting animations and bonuses will provide a highly interactive gameplay for our operators' players.”
In other news for the company, it has successfully negotiated the entering of the Romanian market with the Class II license just obtained from the Romanian National Gambling Office which enables activities of production and distribution of gaming programmes and devices - meaning BetConstruct will be offering fixed-odds betting, casino games, virtual games and peer-to-peer games in Romania.
The company’s head of licensing and certification, Karine Kocharyan, added: “The ONJN Class II licence is another achievement of BetConstruct in the Romanian market, allowing the company to distribute a full package of its retail solutions to licensed betting shops throughout the territory of Romania. Along with its current Class II online gaming licence, BetConstruct can now secure its stable presence in the Romanian gaming industry, both remote and non-remote.”
Source:
“BetConstruct partners with Fazi”, betconstruct.com, May 21, 2018.
If you’re in need of a new and exciting casino experience, feel free to check out the recently launched, Lord Of The Spins. Quite a clever name for an online casino, huh? The Curacao-licensed site is home to a unique theme that blends aspects of fantasy and the medieval era, complete with wizards and strange creatures.
The interface is available in any of ten languages, meeting the needs of players from across the globe. Its library is loaded with a wide range of slots, table games, live casino offerings and more, all powered on an integrated platform that features content from more than a dozen providers. Real money and free play modes make for a player-friendly experience.
Players signing up and depositing for the first time can look forward to 200% back up to €2000, plus 50 free spins (be sure to contact live chat)! Newbies are also eligible for a special free gift (check out the site’s promo page for complete details!).
No online gaming experience would be complete without a VIP program. Registered members will begin benefitting from this prestigious program right away. Place a real money bet and begin earning comp points. Every €10 wagered on games earns you 1 point. Every 100 points accumulated is equivalent to €1. There are four tiers in total: hobbit, dwarf, elf, lord. While none of them (aside from lord) sound like particularly prestigious titles, we can bet you will be pleasantly surprised.
Along with the site’s recent launch, we have also welcomed an official representative on the forum, Andrea. She signed on May 29th and is dedicated to providing our LCB members with direct casino support.
She encourages users to, “Feel free to contact me for anything you have in mind.”
You can do just that by heading to Andrea’s user profile and sending her a message.
Welcome!
I can’t wait to see who is shaking the Golden Bear’s hand walking off the 18th green on Sunday!
It might not be a major championship, but don’t get it twisted, folks. The field this week at “Jack’s Place” is nothing short of spectacular.
Not only will 8 of the top 10 players in the world be at Muirfield Village Golf Club, but Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods are also slated to tee it up on Thursday.
We got Justin Rose coming off an absolute “clinic” of a performance at Colonial, while Rory McIlroy seems to be in tip-top form after his runner-up showing across the pond at the BMW Championship.
Justin Thomas is making his first start as the newly-crowned number-one player in the world, and speaking of that title, Dustin Johnson is back on the links for just the second time in the last six weeks.
If you can’t get amped up for the action this week at the Memorial, then you just must not like golf. This is set up to be can’t-miss television, and I have a feeling we could be in a for a thrilling finish.
If the drama set to unfold isn’t enough to get you excited, surely a couple of matchup sweats will get your blood flowing.
That’s where I come in, to break down the betting sheet at Bovada.lv and offer my perspective on where the value lies.
Muirfield Village is as pristine as any track they play all year long, and the greens are lightning-quick. All in all, the venue is in immaculate shape.
This is not a bomber’s golf course, as many players are forced to club down in order to find the short grass off the tee. Just take the last three winners of this event for example. You’ve got Jason Dufner, William McGirt, and David Lingmerth – not exactly the longest guys on tour.
Clearly, the key is being able to position your golf ball so that you can attack the pins from the proper angles. That leads me to my key stats for the week.
Greens in Regulation % Stokes Gained Around the GreenGiven that Muirfield Village is known as a “second-shot golf course,” I want to target players that know how to get it in play off the tee and are consistently good iron players.
Due to the severity of the putting surfaces, I’ll try and steer clear of the guys who aren’t as tidy around the greens. The players who are really good at chipping and pitching the ball are the ones that can salvage pars and succeed at the Nicklaus design in Dublin, Ohio.
So what does all this mean in terms of betting? Where is that value I alluded to? Let’s take a look.
It is really difficult for me to bet against Justin Thomas, but I have to stay true to my beliefs and attack perceived value when I see it.
I’m trying not to overthink things here because after doing some homework, it seems like this bet should feature two golfers who are -115 vs. each other.
The fact that we get some “built-in juice” in our favor if we take Spieth makes it seem worthwhile to me.
Believe me, I am more than aware of what JT has been up to for the better part of the past 18 months. He has yet to finish outside of the top 22 in a stroke-play event this year and finished 4th in the Memorial in 2017. But here’s what I also take away from this wager.
Thomas actually missed the cut in his previous two appearances at Jack’s Place in 2015 and 2016, and let’s be honest.
If you take his game and compare it to Jordan’s, the glaring advantage that the Kentucky native holds over the Golden Child is his incredible distance and power off the tee. Unfortunately for Thomas, Muirfield Village has proven to be a track that places a premium on other facets of the golf game.
Enter Spieth. The two areas that Jordan excels at are his ridiculously reliable iron game and his ability to get the ball up and down when he misses greens.
This isn’t hearsay or my opinion, ladies and gentlemen; these are cold-hard facts. Spieth is 2nd on the PGA Tour in Greens in Regulation (GIR) and is 8th in strokes gained around-the-green, while Thomas is 26th and 39th in those two categories respectively.
This isn’t about Jordan being better than Justin or vice versa, this is simply about unlocking value and trying to turn a profit. It’s there on paper, so let’s see if it pans out.
The oddsmakers seem to be on point this week, making it incredibly difficult to locate any “bad lines.” However, this is one of those wagers where I think there is some room to take advantage.
When I added everything up, it appears to me that it is Day that should be the -120 favorite in this scenario. Here’s why.
Both of these guys can tear the cover off the ball, so I opted to concentrate on the short-game stats. Despite some drastic improvements in the wedge department for DJ, Jason is the more complete player on and around the greens, and it’s not even a debate.
Jason is leading the tour in sand save percentage and is 3rd overall in strokes gained around-the green.
He is coming off a win and a 5th place in his last two starts, and – oh yeah – Jason resides in Columbus and is a member at Muirfield Village.
While Day and his family will be sleeping in their own beds this week, Dustin is making the trip the trip north from Florida and will be competing for just the second time since the RBC Heritage in mid-April.
Now, golf is a funny game, and anything can happen in a given week, but we have to bet with our brains, not our hearts. Trying to pick between Dustin Johnson and Jason Day is typically like splitting hairs, but this may be one of the golf courses that plays right into the hands of the Aussie and makes him a favorite.
I think the world of Dustin’s golf game, and I will rarely be betting against him in a head-to-head matchup. But I like to rely on data and statistics to point me towards the Promised Land.
This week specifically, Day seems to have the edge over Johnson given his short-game prowess. Let’s see if the “proof is in the pudding.”
I’d love to give you some more advice on the rest of the matchups. But quite frankly, I think the rest of them are fairly priced, and I don’t see much else sticking out. In terms of other wagers that I think are inaccurately priced, there was one that caught my eye.
We are talking about finding good value, right? Well, when I saw that Charley Hoffman had the same odds (+1200) to finish in the top 10 as Brice Garnett, I thought something seemed off. I glanced closer and saw that Shubhankar Sharma was ahead of Hoffman at +1000 to crack the top 10. The alarm bells started going off.
Now, I was shocked to see that Charley has yet to record a top-10 finish on the year, but I did notice that the former UNLV Rebel has four top 25s on the season and is coming off a first-round 63 last week at Colonial.
He is by no means a lock to get on the first page of the leaderboard, but I certainly think +1200 is more than a bargain for someone who leads the tour in proximity from 125-150 yards.
Remember, all we have to do is win this bet a little more than 8% of the time to be profitable in the long run. He’s got 48 career top-10s in 353 starts, meaning he finishes in the top 10 about 13.6% of the time.
This player at this golf course at this price? This is the definition of good value in my book, so I think it warrants some serious consideration.
I’d love to recommend another dozen or so bets, but I don’t want you just blindly throwing money at the wall, hoping something sticks.
At the end of the day, I want you placing the wagers that are going to put money into your pocket. My goal is to find the bets that have a real chance of paying off so that you and I both walk away happy.
I think we found a few opportunities to cash in, but we just have to wait and see how it plays out. I’ll be here next week for the FedEx St. Jude Classic, the last event before the U.S. Open!
Until then, good luck!
The post Weekly PGA Tour Betting Preview – The Memorial 2018 appeared first on GamblingSites.com.
While honoring the brave men and women that fought for his country, a player started the Memorial Day weekend with an amazing winning streak totaling $96,040 on a single spin at Lincoln Casino. According to casino manager, Ryan Wilson, there were a lot of happy players at the venue last weekend, but only Darren G. managed to trigger two small jackpots so to speak, making this important holiday a day to remember.
Darren joined on Friday, May 25th and started by winning a tempting amount of $11,760 on Lucky 7s. Although he played a highly volatile progressive jackpot game for a couple of hours, he kept hitting small wins. Nevertheless, after landing three purple 7s with two Wilds, the game paid $240 with a 49X multiplier, totaling $11k. Since he got the necessary boost to switch to another game, Darren chose WTG’s five-reel slot, Mile High. The slot features an airplane theme and carries a couple of bonuses and free spins with 16X multipliers. The combination seemed right and he decided to give it a go, said Darren G.
A couple of games of roulette and video poker followed, before it was time to have a shot at Mile High. Approximately 45 minutes later, while playing a free spin with a $6.25 bet, Darren struck five of the cheeky Pilot symbols on three bet lines with two Wild symbols on each line. The Wild symbols added a 16X multiplier, landing $32,000 on each of the three lines, plus some useful change on five others. In total, the lucky punter won $96,040!
They say that persistence pays off and in this case it is perfectly true. Darren has been playing at the site for about five years and we couldn't be happier for him getting this huge win, said Wilson. Let’s face it, nailing a massive payout from a small bet is very rare, and our entire team is proud of him. The casino hosts an enormous collection of signature slots and premium casino games from WGS, which just launched Goblin's Gold. If you join until June 10th, you can win 50 free spins on the ghoulish new addition – no deposit required (coupon: GOBLIN50LC).
June 28th will be a major day for Atlantic City, quite possibly the most crucial in its recent history. This is the day that will see the opening of two new major casino resorts: Hard Rock Atlantic City and Ocean Resort Casino. Some news coming from the latter tells us that a sportsbook provided by the world-renowned, UK-based, William Hill is to be included in Ocean Resort's offer from day one.
Ocean Resort Casino is built on the foundations of the former Revel Casino. Their punters, which are expected to come rushing in, in the thousands the minute the new resort opens its doors, will now have the chance to try their sport wagering expertise and knowledge using one of the leading brands in sports betting. The Sportsbook alone will take up to 7,500 square feet of gaming space with suites for up-scale players for placing bets on various events – the most exciting of which will be the 2018 FIFA World Cup that will be well underway when ORC officially opens.
As we have recently reported, the US Supreme Court has passed the legislation allowing New Jersey to legalize sports betting, opening the door for all other US states to proceed as they wish in that regard, effectively launching a full-scale sports betting legalization country-wide.
Property where Ocean Resort Casino was built was sold to Colorado's developer, Bruce Deifik, for $200 million. He then invested another $200 million in renovation of premises. William Hill, on the other hand, is already well-established on the US market, currently managing 115 sportsbook operating in Nevada.
Source:
“Ocean Resort Casino partners with William Hill sports book”, Danzis David, pressofatlanticcity.com, May 24, 2018.
Chasing upsets in the sports betting world can be more profitable than you might think. Had you hopped on the Cleveland Cavaliers at +110 in their game seven in Boston on Sunday, you would have seen solid value.
You could have done the same a few days ago when the Houston Rockets were mild underdogs in a game five against the Golden State Warriors.
The betting value wasn’t through the roof for either of these spots, but it’s a great way to see how situational betting can return value with underdogs.
It can also be a ton of fun. Fun and profit don’t always work together in the sports betting world, but each week, I like to try and identify at least a few spots where it absolutely could.
Let’s take a look back at how things unfolded last week before looking at some of this week’s top underdog picks.
I tried to locate a few solid upset picks last week in the hope of building on a weak 11-18-1 upset picks record. Here’s how things went:
Darren Till over Stephen Thompson+140
Houston Rockets over Golden State Warriors+390
Seattle Mariners over Oakland Athletics+155
Washington Capitals over Tampa Bay Lightning+128
Arizona Diamondbacks over Milwaukee Brewers+127 
As you can see, last week was pretty great for my upset sports picks.
Darren Till earned the unanimous decision victory against Stephen Thompson, which I felt was doable due to his ferocity, overall talent, and torrid undefeated winning streak.
Thompson is a tough fighter, and he lasted until the end, but Till was always an odd underdog and delivered a nice +140 price.
The Rockets wound up losing their Western Conference Finals series to the reigning champs on Monday night, but before that happened, they brought back insane value (+390) in a game four win.
That gave me easily my top win of the week and one of my best victories of the young upset pick season.
I also nailed an MLB series winner with the rival Mariners topping the Athletics. The series was really tight, and Oakland did steal one win, but the M’s offered more value in the end and pulled it out for me.
The same goes for the Capitals, who edged out the Lightning to reach the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals.
You didn’t have much wiggle room for that game, but Washington felt like the more balanced team and offered a solid +128 price in a tense setting.
After going up 2-0 to start the series and winning game six to force game seven, the Capitals felt like the right call, and they made me look smart.
I needed a big week after getting off to a sluggish start, and if you went along with my upset picks, you earned a 4-1 record and probably a decent amount of cash.
That stout showing lifted my season underdog picks record to 15-19-1 and sends me into a new week with confidence. Let’s get into this week’s picks.
The Golden Knights are the understandable favorites heading into game two of the Stanley Cup Finals.
They made it this far with relative ease, having swept the Kings in round one and later topping the Jets 4-1. They also struck first against the Capitals, winning game one on Monday night. Might their journey here have come a little TOO effortlessly, though?
I get the logic of Vegas being favorites for the second game and for the series as a whole, but I’m not about to overlook Washington’s chances. They outlasted a tough Lightning team to get here, and their more challenging route to the finals could mean they’re a little more battle-tested at this stage.
Given the talent and value, I’ll roll with the Capitals at +135 to tie this thing up at 1-1 on Wednesday.
The 2018 NBA Finals tips off on Thursday night, which starts off a fourth straight title series showdown between the Cavs and Dubs.
Golden State remains the far more cohesive team and are favored heavily by Vegas to win this series. I can’t knock the logic, but LeBron James is playing out of his mind, and the Cavs just came back from a 3-2 hole to get to this point.
Cleveland has nothing to lose, and if they’re going to make any noise in this series, something tells me it may need to come right away in game one. At a crazy +660 price at BetOnline, the Cavs are worth a look this week even if you’re not a believer.
It’s never easy to bet against an elite MLB team, let alone one as good as the Boston Red Sox. The Sox are currently atop the AL East at 37-17, are 7-3 over their last 10 contests, and are even a stout 18-8 at home.
So, why am I rolling with the Jays at Fenway Park? Mostly because I don’t trust Rick Porcello.
Porcello’s hard contact ways have returned in recent weeks, while he simply isn’t managing games well. The former Cy Young winner has now allowed 17 runs over his last four trips to the mound.
None of this sounds great with tonight’s game going down in the hittable Fenway Park, while Porcello hasn’t been exactly sparkling against this Jays offense (3.86 ERA) this year.
Boston is the better team and probably wins this series, but Toronto offers elite value as a rival with nothing to lose. If a potent Jays offense can tag Porcello early, they could be well on their way to getting bettors a big upset win on Tuesday.
I love targeting big underdogs in MMA fights, simply because it only takes one punch or one wrong move on the floor for a favorite to come crumbling down.
Fedor scored us an upset win a few weeks ago, and Darren Till returned even more value last week. I’ve whiffed on a few big UFC upset picks, but I like the value associated with Vinc Pichel this week.
It’s arguable that Gregor Gillespie is onto big things. The undefeated 31-year-old has used an eclectic skill-set to KO opponents or snuff them out.
This projects as a fairly even match, as both guys know how to wrestle, have punishing fists, and have proven to be very tough to beat thus far in their MMA careers.
In fact, Pichel’s lone loss so far came via KO almost six years ago. Since then, the 35-year-old menace is 4-0 and appears to be on a mission.
As the more dominant KO force, I don’t mind attacking this matchup with his +350 price and hoping he tags Gregor early.
That does it for this week’s look at some of the best upset picks the sports world has to offer. Some weeks, I’ll really push hard and look for a big number of underdogs to back, and others, I won’t force the issue.
This is one of those weeks, as the NBA and NHL season are winding down, and there are just so many viable underdogs to back.
Hopefully this week’s picks find you well and help you win big. Either way, be sure to be on the lookout for that tempting upset pick that provides value and also has the logic to potentially carry you to a big win.
Whatever you decide to do with your wagers this week, I wish you luck!
The post Possible Upsets to Target in the Week of May 28th – 4 Upset Picks for Bettors appeared first on GamblingSites.com.
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The Assembly Tourism, Gaming, and the Arts Committee will debate a proposed NJ sports betting bill on June 4, according to sources in the New Jersey Legislature.
The post We’re A Week From Action On NJ Sports Betting Bill As Assembly Sets Committee Date appeared first on .
Leading provider of premium casino content with offices all around the world, NetEnt, has successfully continued its renowned jackpot streak, after a player from Sweden managed to strike a gigantic win, totaling €3,773,845.27 while playing the company’s groundbreaking Mega FortuneTM slot at LeoVegas! According to the supplier, the winner had staked only €4.80 before hitting the immense sum, at the beginning of May. By announcing the latest big win, software giants have continued to lead in jackpot games with massive millionaire-making prizes, paying already an astonishing sum of €19,799,183 in 2018 alone!
Chief product officer at the company, Henrik Fagerlund, said that jackpots are an integral component of NetEnt’s business strategy and that seeing players win life-changing amounts always make them happy, as it confirms the groups dedication and good work. Providing exceptional gaming experience, as well as moments like this is the very essence of iGaming, and the company hopes that good luck will follow everyone during the summer.
Mega FortuneTM is definitely among the most popular online slots of all times, as only a few other games have managed to trigger so many jackpots, including Mega Moolah, Hall of Gods and Mega Fortune Dreams. The game’s secret lies within choosing bets and lines but also optional multi-coin line bets. Players can place up to 4 coins on each active line, toggle the 'bet level' and reconfigure the lines manually.
Earlier this year, on January 23rd, another player made his first millions after striking massive €2,553,604.67 on the same game, only a few days after signing-up at the venue SlotsMillion. A UK-based punter, who remained completely anonymous has actually won the first progressive jackpot in 2018, announcing an entire streak of further grand prizes, such as the one from May.
The soccer World Cup will kick off on June 14th, and many players hope to make an impact. I already shared my thoughts on the key men for each nation, most of whom are established stars with stellar reputations.
One of the cool things about this tournament, though, is that there are often young players who enter stardom during the World Cup. A good example of that was James Rodriguez in 2014. The Colombian fascinated the world with his performance and became the top scorer of the competition.
This earned him a transfer to Real Madrid. Despite a rather tough period there, James still plays at the highest level after joining Bayern Munich this season.
And this is only one example of a star that was born at the World Cup. I’m pretty sure the same will happen in 2018, too.
In this post, I try to predict which young players have the potential to shine during the tournament.
I will start with one of the most obvious picks. Leroy Sane is only 22, but he has already shown how good he is in the Manchester City squad. The boy can dribble, assist, and score goals for fun. And he has done it against some strong opponents, too.
It won’t be easy for Leroy Sane to win a starting spot in Germany’s team, as it is packed with talent. However, the young winger certainly has the potential to become one of the stars of the World Cup.
Another reason for that is that his country is among the strongest teams in the competition. Playing alongside the likes of Toni Kroos and Mesut Ozil will help any young player, so Sane will have enough help.
Timo Werner is another young German who has already impressed at the international stage. He was given the chance in the Confederations Cup in 2017 and repaid his coach by scoring three times and assisting twice.
Germany has been missing a striker that is on the same level as the other attacking positions in the team, and Werner might be the answer. He’s a natural finisher that has already scored 7 goals in 12 starts from Germany.
The 2018 World Cup could well be the tournament where Werner underlines his importance to the team even further.
The right back of Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold is having the time of his life. The youngster managed to make the position his own at club level and is preparing to face Real Madrid in the Champions League final. If he starts this game, he will become the youngest player in Liverpool’s history to start a European final.
He also won a spot in the England squad for the World Cup. I don’t think even he believed that such a rapid rise could happen this season, but he’s certainly deserved the opportunity.
The English manager, Gareth Southgate, has indicated multiple times that he will count on young players, and the shape of each member of the squad is what matters the most. If he backs up his words, Alexander-Arnold should be in the starting lineup.
The only problem is that it’s hard to make an impact from the right back, and the current English generation is not that good. Still, Trent Alexander-Arnold definitely has the potential to shine at the World Cup.
Despite some good moments in Manchester City, Kelechi Iheanacho was sold to Leicester, where he is not that efficient. A lot of people believe that he won’t live up to his talent because of that, but I beg to differ.
Playing for the Foxes is hard, as they don’t create many chances, and the guy simply has a different playstyle. Imagine switching from the likes of De Bruyne and David Silva around you to Leicester – no disrespect. It would take anyone some time to adapt, especially at the tender age of 20.
Despite only playing only 14 times, Iheanacho already has 8 goals for his country. The forward could be lethal if the rest of his team can provide him with the opportunities.
The big issue is that Nigeria is in one of the toughest groups of the World Cup. The Super Eagles will face Argentina, Croatia, and Iceland, all of which are challenging opponents.
Iheanacho could still show his talent, though, and I expect him to lead Nigeria to at least an honorable performance in the tournament.
It would be hard to create a list of promising young players and leave Gabriel Jesus out. The Brazilian forward has scored 20 goals for Manchester City this season and also has 9 in 15 games for his national team.
Many believe Jesus is the next big thing, and they certainly have a point. It would be hard to find another player with such flair. However, the youngster is also remarkably efficient.
Unlike many South American players who flatter to deceive, Gabriel Jesus is a lethal goal scorer who is not afraid to put his foot where it might hurt, too.
It’s a set of skills that makes him one of the best young players in the world, and this tournament is a chance for Jesus to prove that beyond any doubt.
Davinson Sanchez will turn 22 just 2 days before the World Cup starts. The young defender joined Tottenham last season and already has 40 games for the club.
He has earned the trust of Mauricio Pochettino with a bunch of solid performances and has helped Tottenham concede only 28 times in the EPL. This was the second-best defensive record in the league last year, so Sanchez has clearly been doing something right.
You won’t see many young players excel in defensive positions because experience is crucial. Sanchez is one of the few exception, though, and he could certainly help Colombia go far in the World Cup.
I can’t help but admit that I love Marcus Rashford and see tons of potential in him. The young lion is technically gifted, bold, and always gives his best.
Unfortunately, his current club manager, Jose Mourinho, is not the best at developing young talent. Just see how he treated Mo Salah and Kevin De Bruyne in the past.
He didn’t give those players much of a chance when they were under his management, but they have both subsequently become genuinely world-class players.
Despite not playing regularly, Rashford still has a place in the England squad. I believe he will get chances to play, too. Many people expect skipper Harry Kane to be the country’s biggest threat, but I can easily see Rashford stealing the show in Russia.
It’s time to address the elephant in the room and talk about Kylian Mbappe. I’ve honestly rarely seen such raw potential as what’s been shown by the Frenchman in his breakthrough season for Monaco. His speed, his dribbles, and the ability to finish at will made him an instant star.
PSG won the war over his signature last summer, and this is where the striker player is right now. His first season for the club was hardly as good as expected, but Mbappe has still shown his class at times.
In fact, the club president stated he won’t be sold for even a billion euro.
France is stacked with a lot of attacking talent, but Mbappe should be given some chances. Considering how strong the country’s squad is, it would be no surprise to see them go all the way, and Mbappe could contribute a lot.
I’m sure a lot of people will be disappointed that I didn’t include other players. There are certainly more youngsters that have the potential to impress in Russia, but I decided to focus on the ones who are expected to play for their countries.
For example, Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele is an exceptional talent, but can he get any minutes for France? He won’t be able to shine if he’s not given the opportunity, and the same applies for any young player.
In the end, you never know in soccer. I could be completely wrong about the players I’ve discussed.
I’m pretty sure that they’ll have opportunities, though, and they all have what it takes to make an impact. Will they fulfill their potential? We’ll know soon enough!
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Bluffing is both more important and less important than most novice poker players think. When you hear a great poker story, if it’s not a bad beat story, it’s a story about a big bluff.
Sometimes it’s a story about a bluff that won a pot. Sometimes it’s a story about someone calling a bluff.
A lot of the action at the poker table is boring. Many pots are won without a showdown. Most of the drama and the excitement at the table comes from people bluffing or trying to determine if their opponent is bluffing.
If you don’t play poker, or if you’re new to poker, you might only have the vaguest of notions about how bluffing works.
The purpose of this post is to explain in detail how bluffing works, why it’s necessary if you want to be good at poker, and how to optimize your results by using a little bit of deception and aggression.
The simple facts are these:
You can’t be a good poker player if you never bluff You don’t want to bluff too often or not often enoughHere’s how to find that middle ground.
Bluffing is simple. You bet or raise with weak cards in the hope that your opponents will fold. If they do, you win the pot without even having to show your cards. If it weren’t for bluffing, poker would be duller than you can imagine.
Players would bet when they had good cards and fold when they had bad cards. The person with the best cards would always win.
In the long run, we all get the same number of great hands and the same number of awful hands. If there’s no chance that someone is misrepresenting their hand, eventually everyone would break even. No one would win money long-term, and no one would lose money long-term.
Bluffing isn’t the only factor that separates the winners from losers in poker. But it’s the uncertainty created by the possibility that someone is bluffing that creates such a dynamic game.
Everyone by now knows that in the long run, the players who win at poker are more skilled than the players who lose at poker.
If you never bluff, then you might as well be playing with all your cards face-up. Remember when I mentioned in the introduction that deception and aggression are what poker is all about? Bluffing is what creates the possibility of deception.
If you never bluff, it won’t take long for everyone to realize that if you’re betting or raising, you always have good cards. In that case, you’ll rarely get any action from the other players. Without action from the other players, you can’t profit. You NEED the other players to put money into the pot to be profitable.
If they know you’re capable of a bluff, then you’ll sometimes get paid off when you have good cards.
And you’ll sometimes get paid off when you have lousy cards, too.
The average new poker player probably shouldn’t bluff that often. In fact, if you’re playing at the lower stakes, you might be able to consistently profit from your opponents’ mistakes without ever having to bluff.
I’ve played in poker games in Oklahoma where the other players were so loose that it was impossible to lose money if you were just willing to stick with your starting hand requirements.
And those are the skills you should focus on initially—the basics. You should have solid starting hand requirements no matter which poker game you’re focusing on.
You should be able to calculate pot odds. You should be able to estimate the probability of getting the cards you need to make your draw.
Beginner poker players need to master the art of being selectively aggressive. That means you need to learn how to fold hands with only average or below-average potential. It also means that when you have an above-average hand, you should bet and raise with it, rather than checking or calling.
I remember a few years ago, a new online poker player asked me for my best advice for winning a freeroll tournament at one of the larger online cardrooms (I think it was PokerStars). My advice was simple. Don’t bluff.
My buddy laughed at me. But think about it. In a freeroll, you’re facing lots of inexperienced competition. And none of them have any real money on the line.
Bluffs only work if there’s a possibility your opponents will fold. In the online freeroll tournaments of the time, the probability of everyone folding so you could pick up a pot was practically nonexistent.
That being said, your bluffs can fail most of the time and still be profitable.
That’s what the next section of this post is about.
Before you bluff, you should have at least an idea about the following aspects of the game.
How good are your cards? How good do your opponents think your cards are? How good are your opponents’ cards?Of course, you can’t know the answers to any of these questions with any degree of certainty. How good your cards are depends on how good your opponents’ cards are—that’s a relative assessment.
How good your opponents’ cards are is an estimation that you’re making based on what you’ve noticed about how they play their hands in general.
But without being able to make some kind of rough judgment about these things, you can’t bluff profitably.
Some poker players just never bluff. If you’re paying attention, you can determine who those players are. When you know that they never bluff, deciding what to do when playing against them becomes simple. You just make a judgment about whether they have a better hand than you do.
If you think they have a better hand, you fold. If you think your hand is better, you bet, call, or raise.
Think about the other extreme, though. Suppose you face an opponent who bluffs on every hand. Of course, that opponent will win a lot of pots when he makes his hand. He’ll also lose even more pots when he doesn’t have the cards to back up his bluffs.
Playing this opponent is easy, too. You just decide whether your cards are good or not. If they’re good, you get into action with him. In fact, you might loosen up, because the chances that this opponent is betting with lousy cards is greater than with other players.
The optimum bluffing frequency is one that keeps your opponents confused about what cards you’re holding. I spent a week playing with the old regulars at the Excalibur poker room about 10 years ago. I showed my cards several times, and I got called to the river several times.
At one point, the player to my left muttered something about how I never had the cards in the hole that he thought I was going to have. He was complaining that I wasn’t playing “right.”
But the truth is, if he was surprised every time I turned over my cards, I was playing good poker.
I’ll quote my favorite poker writer (David Sklansky) here:
Sklansky calls this “the fundamental theorem of poker.”
That’s how you know when you’re bluffing optimally—when your opponents are confused about what cards you might be holding.
The other factor to consider is how often you need to bluff successfully to be profitable. This is a function of how much money is in the pot versus how much it costs to bet or raise.
If the pot has $100 in it, and it costs you $10 to bet into it, you’ll profit even if your bluff works 10% of the time. You’ll lose $10 on 9 of those bluffs, for a net loss of $90. But you’ll win $100 on one of those bets, which makes a net profit of $10 for you.
Also, if the other players realize that you’re capable of making a bluff, you get an edge just because they know that they might be making a mistake by folding. But they also might be making a mistake by calling your bet.
You lose this advantage if you never bluff or don’t bluff often enough.
Steve Badger says that bluffing in poker is like eating your vegetables. Bluffing isn’t supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be slightly unpleasant. But it’s good for you as a poker player.
How do you know if you’re bluffing often enough?
Steve says that if you never get caught bluffing, you’re not bluffing often enough. So that’s a simple guideline. Bluff often enough that you occasionally get caught.
Don’t worry about making mistakes when bluffing. You’re going to call someone you think is bluffing, and sometimes they’re going to have the cards. You’re going to bluff someone who won’t fold sometimes, too. That’s part of the game.
Not all bluffs are created equal. Here are some of the different kinds of bluffs you can make.
Bet or raise with a hand that’s almost certainly a loser Bet or raise early in the hand in the hopes of getting a free card later in the hand Bet or raise with a drawing hand that has a chance to win later in the handBetting or raising with a hand that’s almost certainly a loser is not as crazy as it might seem. You know your cards are lousy, but your opponents don’t. Unless their cards are strong, they might fold in the face of your bet or raise.
Also, there’s a concept in poker called “trapping,” which is essentially the opposite of a bluff. You give your opponents the idea that you have lousy cards when you actually have good cards. This encourages them to put money in the pot even though they’ll probably lose the showdown.
If it’s the end of the hand, and you have nothing, then this is the classic bluff you’re probably used to seeing on television and in the movies. It’s the purest form of a bluff.
Remember, if you never get caught bluffing, you’re not bluffing often enough. Once you get caught, you’ll start getting calls from opponents when they should fold. You’ll have the cards for real, but they’ll think you might be bluffing. And you’ll profit from that, too.
Bluffing to get a free a card is an important concept that David Sklansky writes about in The Theory of Poker—which, by the way, is the one poker book every serious poker player should read.
In the first couple of betting rounds in most forms of poker, the bets are half the size of what they are in the later rounds. By showing strength in the early rounds (while it’s cheap to do so), you can often get cards later in the hand because your opponents are playing more cautiously than they should.
Bluffing with a drawing is another concept David Sklansky explains in The Theory of Poker. It’s called the “semi-bluff.”
You bet and/or raise with a hand that’s almost certain to lose, but it’s also a hand that has the potential to improve later. An example might be 4 cards to a flush or a straight.
With a semi-bluff, you give yourself 2 opportunities to win. You win the pot if your opponents all fold. Or you win the pot if your opponents call and you then make your hand.
Any time you bluff when there are more cards to come, you have a chance of improving your hand to a winner. Does this make bluffing with more cards to come better than bluffing at the end of the hand?
No. But it does make it at least as good a move. Both kinds of bluffs should be part of your repertoire.
You’re not going to see me give advice about what percentage of the time you should bluff, though. Every game is different, so it depends on your opponents and your specific situations.
The standard line of thinking about position is that you benefit from acting later in the betting round.
But when you’re bluffing, the opposite is true. The earlier you act, the better.
Think about it this way. You have 2 or 3 players acting before you, and they all check. You bet. Those players realize that they showed weakness when they checked, so they often call your bet. After all, you might have cards that are no better than theirs.
But if you act first, they’re more likely to give you credit for having good cards. After all, you don’t know if the people acting after you have good cards or not. If you’re betting into them from early position, you must have great cards.
Of course, this varies based on your opponents. But you also need to be willing to accept that sometimes when you bluff from early position, your opponents really will have premium cards.
Your bluffs should increase as your number of opponents decrease.
It’s easier to win a bluff against a single opponent than it is to win a bluff against 2 opponents.
And it’s easier to win a bluff against 2 opponents than it is to win a bluff against 3 opponents.
Here’s how to think about it mathematically, keeping in mind that this is a simplification.
You’re facing a single opponent, and you think he’s going to fold 1/3 of the time. You don’t need much money in the pot to justify bluffing. If you’re getting 3 to 1 on your money, this bluff is profitable.
But if you’re facing 2 opponents, both of whom are going to fold 1/3 of the time, the probability that both of them will fold is 1/3 X 1/3, or 1/9. You need a lot more money in the pot to make this bluff profitable in the long run.
With 3 opponents, all of whom are likely to fold 1/3 of the time, the probability of successfully bluffing all 3 of them drops to 1/27. There’s probably not enough money in the pot to warrant bluffing against 3 opponents or more.
If you never bluffed when you were facing 3 opponents or more, you’d probably be fine. I don’t bluff unless I’m facing 1 or 2 opponents.
Some of these will be determined by specific situations. For example, if you’re on the end, and you think all your opponents missed their draws, it might be okay to bluff 3 players or more. This is a case where the probability of one of the players folding is closer to 100% because he missed his draw.
It’s not really 100%, though, because you can’t see his hole cards. You’re just making a judgment about what cards he was probably holding.
If you want to become a better bluffer, some of the skills are easy. Others are tougher.
One of these skills is simple awareness. Being aware that bluffing is the right move even when it fails is an example of that kind of awareness. Poker is a long-term activity. Just because a ploy lost money in the short run doesn’t mean it was the wrong way to play the hand.
Another skill is keeping up with how many players you’re bluffing. If you’re not paying attention, you might realize that you’re bluffing 3 or 4 players when you thought you were bluffing just 2 players. That sounds crazy when you read it in black and white, but it happens all the time.
Learn to bluff only when you think it might succeed. If there’s no chance at all of winning the hand with a bluff, don’t do it just to throw the other players off.
That’s a costly way to “advertise.” You’ll get caught bluffing often enough even if you only bluff when there’s a chance of winning, believe me.
Evaluating how skilled your opponents are is another essential skill related to bluffing. It’s better to avoid bluffing the experts at the table. It’s also better to avoid bluffing the real idiots.
The experts are more likely to realize you’re bluffing. The real idiots often call regardless of how you’ve been playing.
Paying attention to what your opponents are doing is another opportunity. If all you opponents check on the previous betting round, a bluff on the next betting round might just do the trick.
Steve Badger says that bluffing is like eating your vegetables. It’s good for you.
David Sklansky says you gain every time an opponent makes a different decision than he would if he could see your cards. Bluffing is one way to ensure that happens more often.
Bluffing is an important part of the game, but the trick is to avoid bluffing too often. Some bad players bluff just to advertise.
I don’t recommend that. Bluff when you have a chance of winning. That’s all the advertising you’ll need to do, because you’ll get caught eventually.
In fact, if you never get caught bluffing, you’re not bluffing often enough. Bluff more if that’s the case.
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One of the biggest dreams of most soccer players is to represent their country in the World Cup. This is by far the most important tournament in the entire sport.
In reality, there are hardly any surprises when it comes to the winner of the competition. Most of the time, one of the best teams ends up lifting the trophy. I already shared my thoughts on the favorites for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and there’s a very good chance that this year’s winner will come from that group of teams.
Link to “Most Likely Winners of the FIFA World Cup blog post” (not currently published but will be when this is)
That doesn’t mean the rest don’t have anything to play for. Quite the contrary. Reaching the knockout stages and making a deep run is a remarkable achievement and more than enough to make the players legends in some countries.
A lot of teams will hope for that, and I believe some have the potential to surprise at the World Cup. Of course, this creates some nice betting opportunities as well.
Let’s go ahead and take a look at the teams that can upset the odds.
Colombia was one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2014 World Cup. The team played great and managed to reach the quarterfinals of the competition, where it lost against the hosts, Brazil, in a tough match.
On top of that, James Rodriguez was one of the stars of the tournament and became the top scorer.
4 years later, Colombia is once again prepared to have a good World Cup and make the fans proud. The country is in a group with Poland, Senegal, and Japan. While none of these teams is a walkover, they are all beatable. In fact, Colombia is considered the favorite to win their group.
At the back, they have a hot prospect in Davinson Sanchez, who had a great season with Tottenham, and up front…well, you must be living under a rock if you don’t know who James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao are.
It’s safe to say that Colombia has a lot of potential and should get out of the group by winning it. If the country does that, it will face the second-placed team in group G.
This is most likely England, according to the bookies. Since the other nations in their group are Belgium, Panama, and Tunisia, this looks like a fair assessment.
So, Colombia will probably face England. Another possible option is that the country faces Belgium if one of two nations is second in its respective group.
I believe Colombia is much better than England, as the European country has failed to impress in World Cups ever since winning the tournament in 1966.
Even if Colombia faces Belgium, the team still has a decent chance to go through. The main reason is the inconsistent performance of the Belgian squad that struggled at the Euro 2016 despite being labeled as one of the favorites.
This is why I see two decent betting options that contain some value. For a start, Colombia to win its group is priced around 2.40.
The second one would be for the South Americans to reach the quarterfinals, and the odds are close to 3.00.
Pretty much every European team is considered dangerous at World Cups, and Croatia is not an exception. Some of the players of the country can be considered world-class, most notably Luka Modric and Mario Mandzukic.
The whole team is full of guys that are part of the top European leagues, as you will see the likes of Dejan Lovren, Danijel Subasic, Ivan Rakitic, Ivan Perisic, and a couple of other talented players who have experience at a high level.
Winning the thing is probably out of their reach, but Croatia will be certainly a team many others would prefer to avoid.
Croatia is in group D and will face Argentina, Iceland, and Nigeria. In my opinion, this is the toughest one in the World Cup. At a first glance, the South Americans are the favorites, but each of the countries has its chances.
In fact, I believe this will help Croatia. The Balkan team is consistent and could actually win the group. Argentina is the one to watch, but the nation has been inconsistent in the qualifications for the World Cup and struggles to find the right balance.
I expect them to slip, and the odds for Croatia winning the group are too good to miss. You can find prices above 3.20, which is definitely worth a shot.
I might raise a few eyebrows here, but I actually think a lot of people are underestimating Peru. The country finished 5th in the qualifications leading to the World Cup and had to beat New Zealand in a playoff.
However, Peru was ahead of current Copa America champions Chile in the final standings, as well as only a point behind Colombia and two behind Argentina. An impressive performance for a team that doesn’t have the star players some of its South American rivals possess in their ranks.
The main reason Peru reached its first World Cup in 36 years is the hard work and team play. This makes them a resilient side that is tough to beat.
I would like to add that Peru had some luck with their group. At a first glance, they will face France, which is one of the strongest teams of this tournament. The European giant should easily win the group.
The other two teams in this group are Denmark and Australia. Both are vulnerable and don’t really have a much better team than Peru.
The Aussies are mostly relying on some younger players and are hardly that much of a threat. At the same time, Denmark doesn’t offer much, either.
I firmly believe that Peru can make it out of the group, especially if somehow banned forward Paolo Guerrero plays in the World Cup.
At the same time, I can’t see anything but a France win in the standings, so I think I will combine both and go for a bit of an unusual bet.
France to win the group and Peru to finish second can be found at prices in the 4.30-4.40 region. This is way too high, in my opinion, as most bookies overrate Denmark and their chances. This is why I believe the value can be found in a France and Peru one-two qualification.
It’s always tough to predict which team will overachieve and shock everyone at the World Cup. However, I believe these are the most likely candidates for a surprising performance this time around.
None of the wagers I’ve put forward above are what I’d consider “safe.” They are all at least SOMEWHAT realistic, though, and they combine solid value with a reasonable probability of success. I feel comfortable advising you to put some money down on them.
The time to do that is probably now, as I wouldn’t be shocked to see the odds shorten as the tournament gets closer. Below are our top two recommended sites for betting on the FIFA World Cup.
BetOnline BetwayThe post Betting Opportunities on Three Teams That Could Surprise at the 2018 FIFA World Cup appeared first on GamblingSites.com.
Bloomberg is reporting that the US Justice Department is preparing an in-depth criminal investigation concerning the big fluctuations of Bitcoin and Ethereum prices in the last 6 months. Bitcoin's story was one of ups and downs for a long time now and this prompted a full-on market manipulation probe. For this endeavor, the Justice Department will be assisted by numerous other agencies and helped by US Commodities Futures Trading Commission which has declared cryptocurrencies as such.
This investigation will concern such illegitimate practice and processes as spoofing, which influences the value of the currency and its price by placing false orders on exchanges that are then withdrawn. The increased volume of placing orders prompt people to buy and sell the currency in larger amounts. Another form of market and price manipulation is wash trading, which creates the illusion of increased market activity by having only certain members of the market trade the currency between themselves.
John Griffin, University of Texas finance warns against the risks in the market of digital currencies: “There’s very little monitoring of manipulative trading, spoofing and wash trading. It would be easy to spoof this market.”
Trading of cryptocurrencies is divided into a fragmented platform all across the globe, many of them unlicensed and unregistered. Due to the meteoric rise of Bitcoin in 2017 when it reached the value of almost $20,000 in December after starting out below $1,000 in January, thousands of people jumped on the investment bandwagon without being fully aware of what this entails in reality. Experts on the matter say that there are several key reasons why digital currencies are prone to fraud: huge price swings that makes valuations relative, a lack of regulations such as those that stocks have and skepticism regarding the idea that exchanges pursue cheaters.
Last week, Bitcoin fell below the $8,000 mark once again and the news of the investigation that broke out on Thursday further helped drop the cryptocurrency's value to below $7500. Its value has nosedived more than 20% since it peaked on May 4th. Despite that, cryptocurrencies still continue to be all the rage in some regions of the world and among the Bitcoin loyalists – but some countries like China and Japan have taken stern measures towards strict regulation or, in the case of China, a complete ban of cryptocurrency exchanges.
Source:
“U.S. Launches Criminal Probe into Bitcoin Price Manipulaton”, Matt Robinson and Tom Schoenberg, bloomberg.com, May 24, 2018.
