Online Casino Blog

MMA Betting: Know the Round Odds

Mike Smack — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:23:27 +0000

UFC fights have been an integral part of the life of the mixed martial arts sports fanatic for a while now. Many people get real hooked into MMA - so much so that it’s become a popular betting game and if you know what you’re doing you can make some big bucks. The idea of such is that websites like BetUS will post odds that can help you determine where you might place your bet. Then you now place their bets - backed with solid odds. But the thing is you have to bet whether it is over the favorite or under the favorite - favorites and underdogs. Read our post Intelligent Sports Betting: Convert the Moneyline to a Percentage for more information on this topic.

Since BetUS will give the odds on the fight - one of the odds given will be their prediction on the how long the fight will go - it pays to know which round will be the critical one. Knowing the round that BetUS gives, the players betting will then choose whether they think it’s going to go over, meaning they think the fight will go longer than the expected round or they bet the under - which is when they think the fight will go less rounds than the expected round. Sometimes, you can earn negative returns in which if you bet 100 dollars, if you win, you will only get 50 dollars. On the other hand, if you bet optimally with solid betting technique and analysis then a possible possibility for you may be that if you bet 100 dollars, for example, you will earn a profit of 150 dollars. Don’t worry to much on the numbers here though because this is just a theoretical assumption and analysis - the actual betting is much easier than this.

So, how do you bet if you want to do MMA and UFC gambling style bets? First, before you make any rash decisions that can put a dent in your gambling money, familiarize yourself with the nature of the game and particular casino you’ll be betting at. For example, if you’re interested in betting MMA at BetUS, roll through the casino, read the help screens and take a look before you start staking any money.

Once you’re acclimated with your particular casino, you should at least know the basic rules and the duration of each fight. If it is a title match, it’s usually up to five rounds but if it’s just an undercard, it usually lasts for only three rounds. If you know how to use these valuable bits of knowledge, then you can analyze the situation more intensely that you are in and the bet that you’ll be doing. Next step is to analyze the stats of the fighters. You should know, based on their previous fights, how long they lasted in the ring. This is super-helpful for MMA betting because it’s going to help you decide whether you should bet on under or over round odds. If you know well how they perform and their stamina, you can predict with a reasonable guess how long they’ll last in the ring. This is a vital key element in choosing your bet because the consideration of player attributes is crucial to winning consistently in UFC betting. Thankfully, analyzing these stats are becoming easier and easier to do because you can read the reviews of their previous matches or after match analysis of the game at MMA blogs and forums. From their, you can make your decision where to bet.

Now that you know the most important things to consider when placing your MMA bets, you’re now ready to post one up. Keep in mind that BetUS is one of the only sportsbooks that’s going to give you the odds of whether to bet under or over. For our American friends out there, it also helps that they’re open to United States players. Once you have your information in place and stats in front of you then just hit up your favorite sportsbook and place your bet. After that, just relax, watch the fight with a nice cold one and wait for the result. If you ever fail on your bets, always remember to keep in mind the key elements of placing MMA bets and try to think if you maybe missed an important aspect of MMA betting. If you really do feel like you bet perfectly and you did nothing wrong, think again. If you really analyze your betting more closely, then you’ll get ahead in MMA betting and you’ll be that much closer to success in the MMA betting game.

Resources:: Full Tilt Poker - Join More Than 95,000 Poker Players Playing Online!

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CryptoLogic Wins 2008 Top Casino Software Award

Mike Smack — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:34:44 +0000

For three consecutive years, CryptoLogic has been awarded the industry’s top software award by the Gambling Online Magazine beating out many companies and software developers. The award is given to the company who most continuously improves and develops different software to cope with the needs and technological advancements of the casino gaming community.

This award is one of the most coveted awards because of its prestige and the additional honor received by the winner. CryptoLogic is a perennial winner for one big reason - they are supremely successful in introducing and making new changes and innovations that give hot and fresh features to users - this creates ultimate success in the world of online gambling entertainment. Take a look at the post How Spiderman Can Make You Money in Online Casinos for a great example of this. Although, there are many software developers who made it on the final list, CryptoLogic won the award by proving their power to develop unbeatable software. This consistent effot by CryptoLogic year after year has lead to their distinction as the industry’s top software developer.

CryptoLogic is considered the industry’s top software developer because they constantly are putting research and development into creating new and more challenging innovations and concepts that really fit the interest and needs of the users. They have incorporated high levels of graphics and technical design for them to be able to deliver it elegantly to their customers. Over the years, CryptoLogic has been introducing different online games and casino games that have really won the interest of the casino-playing community. This is why they have partnered with so many different casino companies and gambling entities in order to develop software using their own unique brand of casino entertainment. Due to their high level of involvement in the casino community, their developmental skills had been recognized by customers and industry leaders due to their passion to develop better and better software and give the people a casino gaming experience that’s difficult to forget. Since CryptoLogic is one of the world’s leading software developers for online casino games, the recognition from many award giving bodies have been very important for them - especially for marketing and name-recognition purposes. This is why they are continuously exerting maximum effort in continuing their path as being the leading software developer in casino gaming.

The Gambling Online Magazine’s Industry’s Top Software Award is based on the votes of the people - this includes regular online casino gamblers and also a variety of respected online gambling entertainment critics. As a result of their votes, the winners emerge as the champions of their respective fields. This serves to prove that the winner really does deserve to get the award - its not some fake award that’s just arbitrarily given. Due to the voting process and the trust given by the people, the voting serves to crown true winners. CryptoLogic has been successful in maintaining their top position for three consecutive years because they have not stopped in continuing their tasks as software developers - constant and never-ending improvement. Because they know that they are software developers at heart, they really have to push their software development ideas from a simple idea and be able to grow them higher and make it different and better from all previous developments they’ve introduced over the years.

I have no affiliation with the company but their passion to change their approach to suit the market and their non-stop work ethic is admirable and really makes them worthy to gain this award. Of course, they’re aren’t doing this just because they’re nice guys or because they want to have an award on their shelf - they know this means great marketing and great marketing means more customers which means bigger profit. Even so, this vision of serving and giving the people the best that they can give is one of their most important assets in continuing the development of their enterprise. Their effort and their hard work will really pay off as they had been recognized for three years as the industry’s top software developer - and they’ll likely will win others in the coming years.

Online casinos using Cryptologic software include InterCasino, InterPoker, Playboy Casino, Playboy Poker, and VIP Casino.

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The Game of Pachinko: From Children’s Toy to Casino Game

Mike Smack — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:05:27 +0000

If you like playing pinball games, then you might love playing pachinko. A game which first originated in Japan, Pachinko is a mechanical device that is now widely popular in such locales like Las Vegas casinos and some other parts of the world. This game is a mixture of both a pinball machine and a slot machine game.

And no, it has nothing to do with the Price is Right gameshow pricing game Plinko.

Pachinko game first started in the town of Nagoya in the 1930s and was first used as a children’s toy, but then it evolved into becoming an adult game almost ten years later. But at the onset of the World War 2, the Pachinko games were shut down but it later materialized again in the 40s, and has since been a popular adult game, especially in the country of Taiwan.

The first pachinko game was first played in what’s called pachinko parlors, which is an establishment catering to slot machine games. These parlors are somewhat similar to casinos found in Las Vegas or Atlantic City - they boast of a robust architectural style with blazing lights to keep you entertained; they also have the consistent playing of blaring music in the background and overhead announcements. There are also pachinko machines which can be altered by players, therefore keeping them at suspenseful mode any time.

When played, pachinko games are somewhat similar to playing a pinball game where it makes use of a spring to shoot the ball and it goes around the area, bumping into several pegs along the way. If you are able to lead the pachinko into winning pockets, then you have won the game.

Here is how a first timer should play the game. First, you choose the number of the ball and choose the price of the ball you would like to play with. Then your balls are then transferred into the loading area. In some cases, this is done either manually or virtually but it is still up to you whether to shoot the ball with a high or a low rapidity.

Once you are able to shoot the ball into its place, the ball will go around the playing field, passing several pegs on the way and being led into several winning pockets. If the ball falls into some parts of the machine, then you do not win anything. But if the ball falls into some winning pockets as indicated by a text, then you are awarded with a free bonus spin which might lead you to win some bigger points.

There are some casinos which award you with four bonus balls, and also a free spin whenever your ball lands into the winning pockets. Playing the free spin also is similar to a slot machine game. All you need to do is get all three similar images on a screen, then you can win as much as up to 1,500 balls.

After you’ve had your fill in playing the game, you can immediately surrender the rest of the balls that you are left and surrender them in exchange for money.

Pachinko can be played in Pachinko Parlors all over Japan and in online casinos like Kiwi Casino.

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The Casino Smoking Debate: Should There Be a Ban on Smoking?

Mike Smack — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:02:15 +0000

We know the studies about second-hand smoke. We know that there have been numerous studies worldwide proving that secondhand smoke is much more dangerous to the health than most of us thought. Tons of illnesses are associated with it. But a lot of times it seems like casinos and cigarette smoking goes together (and a nice cigar as well). Players know second-hand smoking is a bad thing - but it usually seems like most players even though aware of the risks hardly care.

Wherever you go in most casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or any major casino around the world you’ll find cigarette bunnies walking around the casino area selling nicotine-based products. With all the tension around the tables (poker, blackjack and baccarat tables for example - especially high limits) grabbing a quick smoke can sometimes seem irresistible for players when they’ve had a couple drinks of alcohol and really enjoying themselves - or are really depressed from horrendous play. Well, this whole smoking debate is causing legislators to come up with laws pertaining to secondhand smoke in casinos. Anti-smoking laws are being pushed for implementation in some states and cities.

There’s been some major debate among top professional casino players whether regulations to stop smoking inside the casino gaming area should be implemented or not. You’ll find opinions on both sides of this matter. There’s awareness of players on the dangers of second-hand smoking. There’s also been wide-reaching information campaigns on smoking in casinos and helping to educate players on the risk that second hand smoke could give to other players. The main issue rests with legislators. Many interest groups advise the complete ban on smoking on different events and casino conferences.

There have been studies and research conducted that have concluded that casino workers on the casino floor where smokers are present have a higher rate of exposure to second-hand smoke than an average person. It’s also been proven that people exposed to second-hand smoke have a greatly increased risk of developing cancer and heart disease. On the other side of this debate, we have casino owners that, while stating their concern on the risk of casino second-hand smoke, have also stressed the potential loss of revenue that a smoking ban may result into the casino businesses. Although they would like to be a part of this no-smoking campaign, the fear of having a low business turn out is greatly feared.

What makes the issue even more complicated is that many casino workers are against a smoking ban! They are hesitant to agree on no-smoking policies and regulations because they know what might happen - less tipping from casino players who used to buy dozens of cigarettes and even possibly losing their jobs from less people frequenting their casinos and possibly going strictly to online casinos.

Those that smoke in casinos know the problems associated with heavy smoking but it’s just an accepted casino fact that smoking has always been a part of gambling - for better or worse. There’s so many casino players that couldn’t imagine themselves throwing down a game of blackjack or poker or slots without having a puff on their cigarette or cigar. A lot of players concentrate on their game by puffing on their favorite companion - a cigarette from their pack of smokes or a nice cuban cigar. Whether you agree or disagree with a casino smoking ban let’s have an open discussion on all possibilities on this topic. These discussions need to be properly heard by our legislators and discussed in an open forum.

Do you think smoking should be banned in brick-and-mortar casinos?

Getting Sic With It: A Player’s Guide to Sic Bo

Mike Smack — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:20:45 +0000

Sic Bo is a dice game which originated in China (introduced in the 20^th century) and is known by such names as dai siu or tai sai, hi-lo or big and small. This game is very popular in Asian countries such as the Philippines and the game is known there as hi-lo. Sic bo is also widely popular in Macau.

This game is also very popular with the Americans and is consistently played in almost all American casinos.

So how do you play Sic bo? The player needs to bet on various dice combinations. Three standard dice are then shaken into a plastic cup or bowl. In the traditional way, in Asia, these dice are shaken into a small covered plate, in which the cover is lifted up to reveal the outcome of the number in the dice. Nowadays, the dice are shaken mechanically and the results are revealed via computer. The winners of the wagers get their winnings according to the fixed odds of the dice.

There are several ways to make a Sic bo combination. The first one is called the triple, in which the player bets that the dice will come out with the same specific number. For example, betting a 2-2-2. The second combination is called any triple - a combination in which the dice will come with the same number. For example, betting 333, 444, 555, or 666. The third combination is called the double, in which a player bets that two of the three dice will show the same number. For example, betting 5-5-6, or 2-2-3, or 4-4-8. The next kind of combination is named as big or small. In betting for the big combination, the total number of dice should equal 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, or 17, but the result of the dice shouldn’t come out with triple, like 5-5-5 or others. If the player is going to bet the small combination, the total of the dice must equal to 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10, and again the dice shouldn’t come out with a triple combination, like 2-2-2 or others.

Another Sic bo strategy is the combination of dice totals, on which the player can bet on the total sum of the three dice. The combination 4-17 plays big in this round. And these are the following combination that has big pay-offs - aside from 4-17, there is the combination of 5-16, 6-16, 7-15, 8-13 and 9, 10, 11-12. There is also the two-dice combination, in which the player bets on two different numbers which would appear on two or the three dice.

There is also the single number combination, in which the player bets that a single number would appear on at least one among the three dice shaken - the more dice the single number appears, the higher the pay off is. If one number appears on one dice, the pay off is even. If the number appears on the two dice, the pay off is 2:1. If the chosen number appears on all three dice, the pay off is 3:1.

Sic bo can be played online at U.S. Friendly Casinos such as Casino Classic and Zodiac Casino.

Click Image to Enlarge Sic Bo Table

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Rolling in Style: How Your Throwing Motion Affects Your Craps Game

Mike Smack — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:02:07 +0000

All gambling games are in essence games of chance. We know this very well. No matter how much skill, strategy, or systems we use to get an edge on the casino, we know we don’t have the power to control individual results or the exact outcome of each betting round. All we know is that we always have a chance of winning.

If you’re playing craps in brick-and-mortar casinos, you may have noticed some players who are concentrating heavily on the dice - focusing on the exact method of throwing the dice. Sometimes, these craps players rarely focus on the actual round or set when it’s their time to do the roll. They often do very well and others around the craps table whisper to each other questions about why this particular player is so lucky compared to the rest of the players.

Getting the Dice to Roll Just Right

Rolling dice is the epitome of chance - to the extent that many people use “roll the dice” as a way of saying you’re taking a chance at something. The rolling of the dice is also central to the game of craps. So much rides on the rolling of the dice - including the entire momentum of the game. There are some expert craps players that use sophisticated hand techniques to perfect the throwing the dice in order to make their desired dice combinations come up frequently. These craps shooters have mastered their throwing technique - in order to lower the amount of losing sevens (craps).

The point of mastering your craps shooting technique is give you an advantage so that you end up being able to throw less than one 7 for every six rolls of the dice. Not all shooters get these sort of odds - but some certainly do.

The thing is, if you have a great throwing technique and you’re able to manipulate your throw once, then theoretically you’d be able to do it again. It’s all stored in your muscle memory. You need constant practice to achieve this - to achieve throwing consistency. Some experts in dice throwing and craps say that a systematic approach should always be followed by professional craps bettors in order to reduce house edge.

Some players really go by gut feeling in craps playing. Some believe that they can “feel” when they’ll get the losing seven in a set of games by reading the flow and the feel of the environment. They seem to have this weird feeling of somehow forecasting the next throw.

My take for beginning craps players:

Just roll.

If by chance you see a player at your local casino that seems to be on an amazing roll and looks to have a consistent technique then observe him. Learn from the way he does his shoots and check for any pattern on the way this player moves his hand or even the motion when the player throws.

Generally what you need to do once you see some pattern in the throw is for you then to use and correlate the technique to your moves. Have someone observe your throwing pattern and tell you if they see a hitch in your throw or some slight twitch that you do sometimes but other times you don’t. See if your throwing motion has any sort of problem that may result in a bad roll. An even better solution would be to videotape yourself with a digital camcorder. Review it, zoom in, and get some details on your throw.

If your dice is skipping all over the place while they make their way down the table, then you’re going to want to you to notice any sort of random throw motion in your craps technique. Study other professional craps shooters way of doing the roll. See for yourself what could give you an advantage for your game and craps play.

Your best chance for you to have a successful roll is basically in the development and power of your muscle memory as it relates to throwing dice in craps. Be open for all craps techniques you come across - don’t stick to one particular method or technique only. Constantly be on the lookout for ways your can reinvent your craps shooting technique.

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Red Dog Poker: How Wide Does Your Spread Go

Mike Smack — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:37:42 +0000

Being casino aficionados, we know that there are tons of games that can be played in a computer. For video game fans, you’ve got games like World of Warcraft that suck your life away. For card games, we have games like 3-card monte that suck your money away. In the online casino world, we have casinos that require you to download their proprietary software (like PokerStars, Casino Classic, Full Tilt Poker, Sun Poker, and Playboy Casino) and online casinos that enable you to play their games online (like BetUS). Those that use their own client software that you install on your computer let you play once the installation is complete and those that let you play the games online use either Java or Adobe Flash and you can play it right away (and usually are open to Mac and Linux casino players.

In this day and age, most of us have hectic schedules which can sometimes may it tough for us to visit our local casino to play a few games. The internet has really revolutionized this. In fact, how about the 24-7 Poker Channel that gives you poker television constantly? Even if you don’t want to play casino games, you can just watch others play them online! Most online casinos offer the classic casino games like video poker, blackjack, and roulette. These games are super easy to play online and some of them really give out nice payouts.

Red Dog

What we’ll be covering here is a popular online game (which can be sometimes found in land casinos) called Red Dog (also known as Red Dog Poker). It’s a card game that’s a simple variation of “Acey-Duecey”, “In-Betweens”, and “Between the Sheets”. The rules of this game are easy to learn and understand and once you get a handled on it can be a really fun game to play.

A Red Dog player first sits down in front of the dealer at the Red Dog table. The poker ranking of the cards are used, the suits are irrelevant and aces are considered high cards. When you’re starting your Red Dog game online, you’re first going to want to place a wager and click the deal button in the screen. After doing so, two cards will be dealt face up on the table. If the cards are not consecutive or equal, then the dealer announces the spread, which is the amount of card values in between these two cards. (example: If the two cards are 3 and 8 then the spread is 5) You now can increase what you’re wagering up to the amount of your original bet.

A third card is now dealt face up. That bet you originally made means you’re betting that this third card will be ranked in-between the first two cards dealt on the table. This means that the probability of you winning will depend on the spread of the first two cards. If this third card matches any of the two cards or is outside the two cards then you lose.

Your winnings on this are equal to the Red Dog payout table:

1 card spread = Pays 5:1
2 card spread = Pays 4:1
3 card spread = Pays 2:1
4+ card spread = Pays 1:1

If we look at the payout table and then compute the player’s edge, then optimal Red Dog strategy suggests that you should only raise your bet if the spread is 7 or more - no matter how many decks are used.

Now let’s talk about some other situations you may encounter while playing Red Dog. If the two cards you are initially dealt are consecutive (example: a 4 and a 5) then the hand is a push. The reason why it’s a push is because since the two cards are consecutive (like 4 and 5) then there’s no way you could win (there’s no number between 4 and 5)! This push means your bet gets refunded.

Another unique situation you may come across is if the two cards dealt face up are identical (example: a 4 and a 4). Now a third card is dealt by the dealer. If this third card is identical to the first two cards (example: a 4, 4, 4) then you get a payout of 11:1. If this third card is not equal to the first two cards then the hand is a push and you get your money back.

This is one of those fun quick games with easy rules that are great to play when you want to take a break from more intense casino games. Since it’s hard to find this game in brick-and-mortar casinos it’s a good idea to check it out online. Once you do, come back and let us know what you think of this game.

Red Dog is currently available for play at Casino Classic, Omni Casino, Playboy Casino, Bodog, CasinoRoom, and Canbet.

Resources:: Full Tilt Poker - Join More Than 95,000 Poker Players Playing Online!

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The Sportsbook Style: Finding the Best Betting Strategy For You

Mike Smack — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:58:14 +0000

Let’s talk betting on fights and sports - whether these fights are boxing or mixed martial arts and whether the sports are basketball, football, soccer, hockey, baseball, tennis, rugby or whatever else.

One of the things you’ve got to keep in mind is that almost everyone that gambles on sportsbooks has a certain system or style they use when they have to choose the winning bet. Obviously, there’s no one perfect method to handicap. What you’ve got to do is find a way that’s going to work for you - this is the most key aspect of betting on fights or teams. A lot of bettors out there think they’re being “flexible” by just jumping around with various styles, systems, and betting theories - but in the end they end up being on the wrong end of the bet and lose big money.

How to Use The Solid Starter Strategy

So let’s say you’re a beginner to sportsbook betting. I’ll give you a solid strategy for any beginner to this. Here it is: find out what most people are betting on and bet the opposite. Yup. Take a look around the sports betting world. More than 95% of sportsbook gamblers end up losing. So what’s the best option? Go against the popular opinion and you’ll come out a winner more often than not in the long run. Of course, as a beginner to this it’s going to be real hard for you to go against the grain and bet against established teams or fighters that everyone and their mother is hyping up like mad. Trust me, in the end you’ll be the laughing and 95% of the betting population will be crying.

I’ll give you a run-down of how to implement this strategy into your routine. Make sure to keep it locked to all the top online casino blogs, subscribe to the email feed, subscribe via RSS reader as well to make sure you get up-to-the-minute updates. Check out magazine columnists that report on fights and sporting events that make predictions. Write down their predictions for the fight/event - you might want to use a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for this. If it seems like they’re really going for a particular team or fighter make a note of that too.

Go to your favorite online casino forums to see what Joe Gambler thinks about the fight/match/game. You’ll find posters talking about who they like in the match. If lots of forum posters are talking trash like, “This guy is gonna get killed tonight” or, “Bet everything you got on that team” take note of that as well. Just get the general vibe of what most people think.

Go to your favorite sportsbook to check out the odds. Recommended sportsbooks are BetUS and Sportsbook.

Bet the favorite if the underdog is getting hyped. If the general consensus seems to be that everyone is liking the underdog, then bet big on the favorite. A lot of times you’ll see this in boxing matches and MMA fights with headline fighters - this is a perfect opportunity to use this strategy.

Bet the underdog if the favorite is getting hyped. If the general consensus seems to be that everyone is liking the major favorite, then place a smallish bet on the underdog.

For the rest, make your bets according to your general vibe and educated intuition on the match. Take into account the action you’re seeing on other matches. Try to keep your betting on underdogs and small favorites - for example in MMA fights, generally stay away from favorites that are higher than -300.

You can use this strategy in Mixed Martial Arts betting, boxing matches, football games, basketball games, hockey, baseball, soccer (futbol), and other spots.

Try it and let me know what happens!

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Intelligent Sports Betting: Convert the Moneyline to a Percentage

Mike Smack — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:36:40 +0000

When you talk about sports betting with buddies, the general consensus is that most people usually bet on their favorite team and hope to earn easy and large amounts of cash. It’s the truth, in typical sportsbook betting, the vast majority of people out there usually pick their favorite team to win and that’s it. Even worse are those that pick on mascots (a tiger would beat a cardinal in a fight, so I’ll pick the Detroit Tigers over the St. Louis Cardinals) or those that pick by favorite uniform (Michigan Wolverines have a cooler uniform than the Penn State Nittany Lions so I’ll pick Michigan for the win).

The problem with the “favorite team” strategy is that a person’s favorite team is not always the winner. For example, in the NBA, let’s say your favorite team is the Miami Heat. You can’t always expect Dwyane Wade to pull out a victory for them and win every game. Plus, just betting like that is blind betting, you might as well throw darts at a board or have a monkey pick the games for you. You must understand that any team can lose any night, so betting on your favorite team isn’t really an advisable sportsbook betting strategy.

What does work in sportsbook betting, is using sportsbook systems based on numerical odds. For example, in sports like Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), there is a system that lets us see the chances of a specific fighter winning that particular match you’re thinking of betting on. Many columnists also make their own predictions of the match at sites like BetUS and Sportsbook.

Getting the Odds Right

In sports betting, there are odds - for example, in MMA, you can view these in order to know which fighter is the favorite. Bettors use these odds to determine which fighter they’ll bet on - the favorite or the underdog. Usually, the favorite is the one that ends up winning the match. If you want to become a hardcore sportsbook bettor, or if you already are one, you need to come up with a solid sportsbook betting strategy before making a bet. When reviewing your strategy options, there are lots of factors to consider.

One of the most important things you can do to get an edge in sportsbook betting is getting all the information you can get your hands on about the fight and the fighters involved or the teams. You can get this information by reading sportsbook blog posts on the internet, reading the predictions of top-rated sportsbook columnists and reading sportsbook forums on the internet. Most of the highly-regarded odds on games or MMA fights come from BetUS and Sportsbook. Once you have this information, now you have the right data to support you choosing the favorite or underdog in a particular match. Generally, uninformed gamblers tend to pick the wrong winning team or fighter - maybe they choose their fighter just due to the guy’s cool nickname or because they like his hairstyle or the team has hot cheerleaders or some other ridiculous way to bet on sportsbook matches. If you do this, this is going to cost you huge money in the long-run.

To really know your sportsbook terms, you need to know what a moneyline is. The moneyline is the term used for the odds of a match. For example, in MMA, when the moneyline of a fighter has a negative sign (example: Tito Ortiz: -145) this usually means that that fighter is the favorite or has the higher probability of winning. If the fighter has a positive sign on his moneyline (example: Rashad Evans +170) this usually means that he is the underdog.

Keep this in mind though, an underdog could still have a negative sign! The fact though, is that the underdogs will have less moneyline than the favorite.

A sportsbook betting system you’re going to want to utilize as you learn about educated sportsbook betting is to convert the moneyline to a percentage. For example, let’s take Tito Ortiz at -145. The -145 means that you would win $1.45 for every $1 you bet. Converting sportsbook moneyline odds to percentages really comes in handy when both fighters have negative signs on their moneyline.

How to convert a moneyline to a percentage for a favorite:

Amount you need to bet to win a dollar / (Amount you need to bet to win a dollar + $1) = Favorites Percentage

Let’s say the favorite has a -400 moneyline. In this case you need to bet $4 to win $1. The formula would look like this: $4 / ($4 + $1) and it is equivalent to 80%.

How to convert a moneyline to a percentage for an underdog:

1/(Amount won when wagering $1 + $1) = Underdogs Percentage

Let’s say the underdog has a +300 moneyline. In this case if you bet $1 you’ll win $3. The formula would look like this: 1/($3 +$1) and it is equivalent to 25%.

You might be asking why does 80% + 25% add up to 105% and not 100%? Sportsbooks always put “juice” on their odds - this is what the sportsbook will be winning from the betting, it’s their cut, their “commission”.

The best way to use this moneyline-to-percentage formula is by first deciding in your head what percentage chance do you think these fighters or teams have to win. Then check the odds at sportsbook betting sites like BetUS and Sportsbook and convert it to a percentage. If there is more than a 5% difference from your guess to the sportsbook odds, then you know you have a good bet on your hands.

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BetUS Casino Asking for Player Social Security Numbers?

Mike Smack — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:51:26 +0000

I recently received a letter from a CasinoSmack reader about the online casino BetUS. Check it out:

It’s been awhile since I had an online account, and obviously some things have changed. I went to set up a Betus.com account, and they asked for my SS#. Is this normal practice?

-Bill N.

Thanks Bill for the question. The interesting part is that I’ve asked myself the same question about casinos asking for my social security number. Is it necessary? Recall a recent blog post about the concerns about online casino player identity theft and credit card fraud.

The Security of Social Security at BetUS

I could’ve just written up a blog post condemning online casinos for asking for social security numbers amid the concerns of identity theft and other security issues. Instead, we’re going straight to the source. I’ve contacted a BetUS representative to help answer these questions. Check out the BetUS social security number response from Kat Chaves, BetUS Sportsbook, Casino, Poker & Racebook Affiliate Marketing Manager:

“Company policy requires that all new customers making a first time deposit via credit card pass a verification process called Strike Force. The way this verification process works is as a basic 4 question quiz requiring answers that only the card holder could respond correctly. In order to get access to the card holder’s credit information, Strike Force needs the last four digits of the Social Security number. If the card holder provides wrong or missing information on the quiz, the verification process then asks for the first 5 digits of the Social Security number to verify. This rarely happens, but is more common among young card holders with no credit history or card holders that have similar names or SS numbers. We do not have access to the quiz information nor the social security number this information is strictly confidential and handled through Strike Force. The verification process is mentioned on our site. If the player would like to speak directly to an account manager, please let us know. I hope this information helps and if you need further assistance please let me know.”

Thanks a ton Kat, we’ve all really appreciated you coming through and answering the reader’s question. If anyone would like to speak with Kat Chaves, let me know and I’ll forward the BetUS contact information.

Personally I’m feeling way more relieved about giving my information online over at BetUS… plus remember that BetUS uses high grade internet encryption as well (RC4 128bit), which means all information gets encrypted before it’s transmitted over the internet. This virtually assures your information will not be snooped on others (hackers, etc.) The BetUS website is also verified by the USERTRUST network for even more security.

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