Soderling to meet Almagro in Swedish Open finale

Tennis Betting Lines

07/17/2010 - Bastad, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Swedish stalwart Robin Soderling and Nicolas Almagro will square off in the Swedish Open final after each won their respective semifinal matches on Saturday.

Soderling lost the first set for the second consecutive day before rallying for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over third-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer, who was 31-6 on clay this year coming into the match.

Soderling, the reigning Bastad titlist and two-time French Open runner-up, has gone the distance in each of his three matches in this tournament.

He will be looking for his sixth career ATP crown on Sunday in a battle against Almagro, who cruised past Spanish countrymate Tommy Robredo, 6-1, 6-3 on the red clay at Bastad Tennis Stadium in just over 68 minutes.

Robredo, seeded fifth, had won here in 2006 and 2008, but was no match for Almagro, who has yet to win on the tour this year, but has done so five times previously in his career.

Soderling is 3-2 all-time against Almagro, though the latter won in straight sets in Madrid earlier this year.

Intercasio Tennis Betting News

<< Cubs seek another win over visiting Phils
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's been all smiles for the Chicago Cubs on their current homestand and they'll go for a series victory this afternoon in the third test of a four-game series versus the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field. The Cubs o

<< Braves aim to bounce back against Brewers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves can't afford to lose any ground in the competitive National League East Division. Tonight they have a good shot at bouncing back with Tim Hudson on the mound in the third test of a four-game series

<< Cards send Wainwright to hill vs. Dodgers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Wainwright will try to become just the second 14-game winner in the major leagues and remain perfect at home when he leads the St. Louis Cardinals into the third test of a four-game series tonight versus the Los Ang

<< Richard, Padres resume series vs. D'Backs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Clayton Richard was bailed out by his offense the last time he took the mound. The San Diego Padres hope that Richard won't need the help when he gets the nod tonight in the second installment of a three-game series versus

<< Mets try to rebound against homestanding Giants
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets are hoping something will give when they take on the San Francisco Giants Saturday night in the third installment of a four-game set at AT&T Park. New York has lost the first two games of this set

Reds starter Volquez takes ball vs. Rockies >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One-time Cincinnati staff ace Edinson Volquez makes a long- awaited return to the major leagues tonight, when the Reds host the Colorado Rockies in the middle game of a three-game series at Great American Ball Park. A 1

Astros vie to continue mastery of Buccos >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros can continue a season's worth of success against the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight, when the teams get together for the middle game of a three-game series at PNC Park. Houston made it seven in a row aga

Marlins ace Johnson squares off with Nats >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Johnson can match a Washington pitching gem with one of his own tonight, when the Florida Marlins ace takes on the Nationals in the second test of a three-game series between NL East Division foes at Sun Life Stadium

Angels, Mariners continue set at Big A >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have owned the Seattle Mariners this season and they will try to continue that dominance tonight as the squads resume a four-game set at Angel Stadium. Following last night's 3-2 res

Twins hope to make up more ground vs. White Sox >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins will try to make up some more ground on the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox, as the teams continue a four-game set tonight at Target Field. Last night, Joe Mauer had two hits, including a bi

Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.