This week on The Betting Blog
It was a tough week last week as a sports better, with some unexpected results in the international friendlies, and who would have thought the Force would lose at home to the Stormers in the Super 14? That was the only blemish on that coupon, with all the other results going as predicted.
Football action continues this week in Europe with the Champions League and UEFA Cup quarter final first legs. All English eyes will be on the Arsenal v Liverpool fixture - we’ll be taking a look at the betting options on Wednesday, and there will probably be some Money Back Specials offered, so we’ll bring you details of those.
Then there’s the FA Cup semi-finals at the weekend. Betting on this season’s cup should come with a real health warning, given all the upsets so far. We are left with only one Premiership team, and who knows who will prevail at Wembley - we’ll preview the betting options and maybe make the odd tentative recommendation!
And of course, the Grand National takes place this weekend, offering another chance to take advantage of the bookies ridiculous special offers. We’ll be previewing the big race, and the best bookies to bet with.
Have a good week all, and good luck.
Super 14 picks - Round 7
We are coming to the halfway stage of this season’s Super 14 season, and who could bet against the Crusaders maintaining their unbeated run? The Hurricanes will be tough, and the back row confrontation should be mouthwatering, but the Crusaders’s backs look superior.
Similarly, who would bet against the Cheetahs maintaining their 100% record…of losses? The Force have looked impressive and should win at home, the Highlanders have been disappointing and will not beat the Chiefs who had a good win last week.
The Bulls have been useless in defending their title, and the Blues will want to get back on track after last week’s defeat, whilst the Sharks will be unbeatable at home and following a two week rest.
Here are my picks for Round 7 of the Super 14.
Hurricanes v Crusaders: Crusaders by 6
Waratahs v Cheetahs: Waratahs by 16
Force v Stormers: Force by 12
Chiefs v Highlanders: Chiefs by 10
Blues v Bulls: Blues by 18
Sharks v Reds: Sharks by 11
An accumulator on these fixtures should net you a tidy profit, and shopping around, it looks like Extrabet are offering the best odds.
International Football Betting - tips from The Don
So, this week its international friendlies. Dodgy business betting on these but there could be some value out there for us punters…….
I like the look of Czech Republic (away to Denmark) and Germany (away to Switzerland) in a cheeky double. Argentina could also be worth a go away against Egypt.
David Beckham is expected to win his 100th cap for England against France. France have stuttered a bit recently and the bet here is probably the draw. Tough one to call.
Special Offers
Boylesports are offering a Money Back Special on the France v England game - if France come from behind to win this game, they will refund all losing single bets on this match.
Paddy Power are offering to refund all losing 1st/last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast single bets if either David Bentley or David Beckham scores during the game.
Generally, Boylesports and Paddy Power offer Money Back Specials on most big football fixtures, so if you are a fan of football betting, it’s worth having an account with these two.
New Zealand v England, 3rd Test
The crucial third test begins on Friday night against New Zealand, with England looking for a complete reversal in fortunes to win the series.
Tim Ambrose was the hero of the second test, with the top six batsmen disappointing yet again. He could be worth backing to be England’s top scorer at 12/1 with totesport, whilst Kevin Pietersen may be worth a small bet at 8/1 with Ladbrokes.
You can get England at 2/1 with SportingBet, but I’d actually go for New Zealand at 9/2 (also with SportingBet) on the basis that England’s second test victory was an anomaly when you look at recent performances, and their record in Winter Series is pretty awful!
This week on The Betting Blog
Hope everyone had a successful Gold Cup week - I was jumping for joy when Neptune Collonges romped home in 3rd, and I hope you were too.
With the Six Nations now finished as well, it’s a slightly quieter week on the sports betting front, but we’ll preview the crucial 3rd Test in the cricket, and have a look at the F1 betting and whether Lewis Hamilton really is a dead cert for the title this year.
Moreover, The Don will be sharing his secrets with some football tips this weekend, and if you haven’t already signed up to his exclusive newsletter, make sure you do so without delay.
Cheltenham Gold Cup betting
The weather has played havoc with the schedule at Cheltenham this week, but there is another bumper racecard on Gold Cup day with 9 races to keep us entertained.
This makes Paddy Power’s Money Back Special all the more appealing - if a horse falls in any race throughout the day, they will refund all losing single bets. They tend to have pretty good odds, so there is nothing to be lost in using them for betting on Friday.
It’s difficult to look beyond Kauto Star in the big race, and since it’s as close to a dead cert as they come, it’s worth looking at the others for an each-way bet.
Neptune Collonges looks to be good value at 33/1 with Extrabet - the same horse is on at 20/1 with several bookies, so pile in to Extrabet for this one, and use Paddy Power for all the others.
Super 14 picks - Round 5
The Super 14 competition is hotting up as the teams become more familiar with the new laws. There are some good games in prospect this weekend and here are my picks for Round 5 of the Super 14.
Chiefs v Stormers: Chiefs by 10
Brumbies v Hurricanes: Hurricanes by 4
Blues v Force: Blues by 16
Crusaders v Cheetahs: Crusaders by 20
Reds v Bulls: Bulls by 10
Lions v Sharks: Sharks by 18
Today’s Cheltenham picks
The Queen Mother Champion Chase is the big race today at 3.15. Voy Por Ustedes and Master Minded are the two favourites, whilst several tipsters are backing Tamarinbleu, in impressive form since having blinkers fitted.
Most pundits seem to have these three horses in the top three, so a Tricast bet with this trio in any order could be the way to go.
There is also some excitement about Mendo in the Coral Cup at 4.00 - an each way bet at 25/1 is on offer at Ladbrokes and might offer the biggest yield of the day.
As always, if you have any tips of your own, please feel free to share them here. Good luck.
Cheltenham Festival Free Bets
The Cheltenham Festival is always a time when the bookmakers go slightly crazy, desperately trying to attract new casual betters. Several have ben in touch with us to communicate their special offers.
Boylesports are offering £250 in free bets - when a customer places their first bet, they will match the stake with a free bet up to £100. After another 5 bets, they will match the average stake, up to a value of £50, and then repeat the process 4 times! This is only available until Tuesday 18th March, so now is a good time to sign up.
Open a sports betting account with SportingBet and they’ll give you up to £150 in free bets - once you have bet £10, they will then credit your account with a free £10 bet. Thereafter, every winning bet you make in your next nine bets earns you another free £10 bet, and you’ll get a £50 bonus if you win all ten. Back the dead cert every time and you’ll clean up!
Coral have increased their free bet offer to £20, whilst Betfair are big on horse racing and always have some good offers. It’s a good week to open new accounts, and we’ll keep you posted of other offers as they crop up.
Here are the details of all the Cheltenham races:
Day One - Tuesday 11th March
2:00 pm: Supreme Novices Hurdle
2:35 pm: Arkle Challenge Trophy
3:15 pm: Champion Hurdle
4:00 pm: William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase
4:40 pm: Cross Country Chase
5:20 pm: Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle
Day Two - Wednesday 12th March
2:00 pm: Ballymore Properties Novices Hurdle (formerly Sun Alliance Novices Hurdle)
2:35 pm: Sun Alliance Novices Chase
3:15 pm: Queen Mother Champion Chase
4:00 pm: Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle
4:40 pm: National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup
5:20 pm: Champion Bumper
Day Three - Thursday 13th March
2:00 pm: Jewson Novices Handicap
2:35 pm: Ryanair Chase
3:15 pm: World (Stayers) Hurdle
4:00 pm: Racing Post Plate
4:40 pm: Kim Muir Challenge Cup
5:20 pm: Pertemps Handicap Hurdle
Day Four - Friday 14th March
2:00 pm: Triumph Hurdle
2:35 pm: Novices Hurdle Final
3:15 pm: Cheltenham Gold Cup
4:00 pm: Foxhunters Chase Challenge Cup
4:35 pm: Grand Annual Handicap Chase
5:10 pm: David Nicholson Mares Only Hurdle
5:45 pm: County Handicap Hurdle
This week on The Betting Blog
Firstly apologies for the lack of updates recently - but with the recent spate of sporting upsets, it’s probably a good thing we weren’t backing the likes of Chelsea in the FA Cup.
It’s a big week in the world of sports betting with the Cheltenham Festival taking place. The Don will be offering his advice on where to put your money, whilst we will also give you a run down of betting on the cricket in New Zealand, this week’s UEFA Cup action and, of course, the finale to the Six Nations on Saturday.
So stay tuned to The Betting Blog now that we are back in business and let’s put the bookies through the wringer at the Cheltenham races.
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