The sports betting industry may still be reeling from a hellacious weekend in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look ahead to what’s in store for this week.
Two important sporting events from opposite ends of the world are scheduled to commence action, beginning with the 2015 Australian Open.
As many of you know, Novak Djokovic is the odds-on favorite to win the men’s title at 5/6 odds while Serena Williams has been penciled in as the favorite to win the women’s title at 5/2 odds. But suppose you’re not as confident as you should be on the two favorites. Who among the rest of the field have legitimate shots to win the tournament.
Over on the men’s side, Roger Federer sits second at 5/1 odds. After him, it’s Andy Murray at 7/1 odds, Rafael Nadal at 8/1, Stan Wawrinka at 10.1, and Kei Nishikori at 12/1. The spread fall precipitously after these six players, all the way to 30/1 for Grigor Dimitrov, Milos Raonic, and Tomas Berdych. David Ferrer looks interesting at 60/1, although how much of a chance he really has could depend on the bracket he finds himself in.
Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova is the closest threat to Williams for the women’s title at 9/2 odds. She’s then followed by Simona Halep at 13/2, Petra Kvitova at 9/1, and Engenie Bouchard at 10/1. Other notable players with double-digit odds, include Victoria Azarenka at 12/1, Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic at 15/1, Agnieszka Radwanska at 20/1, and Venus Williams and Garbine Muguruza at 30/1 apiece.
Moving to the world of motorsports, the Daytona 500 isn’t getting nearly the same amount of betting attention as it used to. But with a two-week gap between the NFL Conference title games and Super Bowl XLIX, this year might be the time to get acclimated to the odds leading up to the Daytona 500 on February 22, 2015. With so many “favorites” getting, you know, favorable odds, you might cash in if you play your bets right.
At the moment, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a short favorite with odds as low as 9/2 all the way up to 12/1. His list of competitors also demand some kind of attention, including Jimmie Johnson at 5/1 odds and as high as 12/1 odds. Matt Kenneth also has a decent chance. He’s being offered at 8/1 odds with some books opening him at the same 12/1 number as Junior and Kenneth. Then there’s Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, and Jeff Gordon. All three can also be bought at 12/1 odds at the right sportsbook.
If you’re looking for odds higher than 12/1, Tony Stewart can be bought as low as 15/1 odds and as high as 25/1. Same with Kurt Busch at 18/1 odds and as high as 20/1, and Kasey Kahne at 18/1 and 24/1. And if you think this is Danica Patrick’s year, she’s being offered as low as low as 25/1 and as high as 50/1 on some books.
Finally, a college basketball fan scored a huge win over the weekend when he cashed in on a massive 10-team parlay to win an impressive $14,400. You know how hard it is to win a three-team parlay in the first place?
Well, this dude is my hero after turning his $20 bet into almost $15 grand. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you take down the house.
