Stu Unger: Rise and Fall of a Poker Genius
Stu Unger is one of the biggest superstars to have immerged from the professional poker world. Besides being a true poker genius and a three time World Series of Poker champion, Stu Unger had a fascinating life story. It was not surprising that after his death Stu was the subject of a biography and a biopic.
Stu Unger lived the life of a rock star including the quick rise to fame, the drugs, the comeback and the unavoidable death at an early age. Here you can read about the life story of the legendary poker player Stu Unger.
The Beginning
Stuart Errol Ungar was born in 1953 to a Jewish family who lived in Manhattan on the Lower East Side. Stus father was a well known bookmaker and his mother was too ill to fight against her sons fascination with gambling. After the death of his father, 13 years old Stu had found a father figure at his neighbor Victor Romano, one of the infamous Genovese family soldiers.
Stu and Romano had at least one thing in common: they both had an incredibly sharp memory, which was mainly used in poker and gin games. By that time, Stu was already an accomplished gin player who had gained vast experience in winning gin tournaments. Stu dropped out of school to become a full time gin rummy player. The Genovese family had benefited from Stus talent. In return, they provided him protection from other gamblers who found themselves offended by his harsh and arrogant playing style.
The Rise
As a professional gin player, Stu had managed to beat all the professional gin poker players around. According to the rumors, Stu caused Harry Yonkie Stein, one of the best players around to stop playing gin completely after beating him in a gin match. Since he was out of proper competition, Stu decided to focus on playing poker professionally. In 1976, he and his girlfriend relocated to Las Vegas where they got married and had a girl, Stephanie.
In 1980, Stu won the World Series of Poker Main Event after beating experienced poker pros such as Doyle Bronson. Stu was the youngest WSOP champion in history and was nicknamed The Kid. Even though Stu won the 1981 WSOP Main Event, he still considered himself more a gin and rummy player than a poker player. After winning his first WSOP championship title, he was quoted saying that the poker world would meet better no limit players than him, but no one will ever be able to play gin rummy better than he does.
At the same time, Stu had tried to use his skill to grab money at the blackjack table. Nevertheless, the casinos were not happy with Stus presence around the blackjack tables and he was constantly barred. In 1982, he was fined by the New Jersey Gaming Commission for cheating, although Stu has not done anything illegal but using his natural skill and phenomenal memory.
The Fall
In 1990, Stu made another appearance to the WSOP. This time, he was heavily into drugs. He was a chip leader for the first three days of the event and then disappeared. He was found lying at his hotel room, unconscious from a drug overdose. However, it did not stop him from finishing ninth and earning enough money for his future cocaine supply.
The Comeback
After seven years of disappearing from the professional poker circle, Stu had returned to the WSOP. In 1997, he was broke, with damaged nostrils from cocaine abuse, addicted to horseracing and sports gambling, but still in shape to beat all the new contestants and gain back his WSOP Championship title. The local media was happy to embrace The Comeback Kid, but his success did not last long.
The Death
Stu Unger did not attend the 1998 World Series of Poker since he could not get the money to pay the entry fee. Seven months after Scotty Nguyen won the 1998 WSOP, Stu Ungar was found dead at his motel room in Las Vegas with 800 dollars in his pocket. Apparently, he died of a heart condition caused by years of drug abuse.
The Biography
Read: One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey The Kid Ungar, The Worlds Greatest Poker Player written by Nolan Dalla, Peter Alson, Mike Sexton.
Watch: High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story directed by A. W. Vidmer and starring Michael Imperioli, Christopher Moltisanti of The Sopranos, as Stu Unger
01 Dec 2008
(0)Starting An Online Snowboarding Business
Are you tired of working for the boss man, and getting no recognition for the efforts you put in? Are you sick of working harder than your colleagues, but getting paid exactly the same, derisory amount? Well you don't have to suffer it any longer. If you are passionate about snowboarding, why not consider starting a snowboarding business? By working with your passion, you can create a product or service that you'll will enjoy, and that will make you money.
There are loads of different types of business you can do in keeping with your snowboarding hobby. You could begin by retailing snow boarding equipment online, or alternatively by customising boards if you are artistic. Either way, you're going to need a website. Make sure you shop around for a good deal on web design, and take the time to think about all the functionality you are going to require. Will you need a contact form, or a shopping cart? What domain name would be ideally suited to your business? How much should you spend on online marketing? These are all concerns which must be addressed before launching your website in addition to the normal hassles of running a business. Having said that, it can be a highly rewarding pursuit, particularly financially if you get it right!
Alternatively, you might like to consider setting up a snowboarding holiday company in your local town or city. By running trips out to the slopes, you can benefit financially as well as from a greater number of boarding trips. All you would need to ensure would be some form of marketing or sales channel, such as a website, or a shop front in your local shopping mall, and links with a snowboard resort and a coach company. You might even find that you'd be able to negotiate discounts for large groups, which could lead to increased profit margins for your business. As long as you take care to market your business, you should be able to drive sales, and if you can do that at a profit, and you enjoy doing it, then that is really all that matters. Imagine waking up on a dark Monday morning to go into your own shop - you'll be surprised how much easier it is to get out of bed!
Whatever you decide to do, it is important to make sure you have thoroughly planned your business, weighing up pros and cons from every angle. That way, you will be sure to have covered all the eventualities in your budgeting, and you won't be left high and dry. Another good tip is to use a business plan template for your business. This way, you'll think about all the necessary elements, which will again help with your planning, and be an invaluable aid if you are seeking investment.
Before starting any business, it is important to understand there is an element of risk involved. Do not invest any more money than you can afford to lose, and remember not to quit your job until you are actually experiencing the income you need to support yourself from the business. Faith is a good thing in business, but so is common sense, and it pays not to be too headstrong and exercise caution at every stage.
01 Dec 2008
Stay Off & Away From Tracks To Stay Safe
The change of seasons encourages us to be bold, to step out, to get there sooner. While bold action can be admired in some cases, it's a different story when it comes to railroad tracks.
Nearly a dozen people age 17 and under have been severely injured or killed on railroad tracks in the beginning of spring. Unfortunately, it happens nearly every year about this time.
A 6,000-ton train does not know what time of year it is. Here are a few important tips that could save a life:
Modern trains are quieter than ever, with no telltale "clickety-clack."
Because of its size, the average train takes a mile or more-18 football fields-to come to a stop. Trains overhang the rails on each side by at least three feet. Loose straps hanging from freight cars may extend much farther.
If you need to cross the tracks, the only safe place to cross is at a designated public crossing with a crossbuck, flashing red lights or a gate. If you cross at any other place, you are trespassing and can be ticketed or fined-or lose your life.
If you come to a crossing and see flashing red lights, don't ignore them. Stop: These lights signal the approach of a train. Never walk past these lights or around lowered gates at a crossing; wait until the lights have stopped flashing and the gates go completely up. If the gates stay down, there may be a second train coming on that or another track. Wait until the signals tell you that all is clear.
Any time is train time. Don't assume that because it's late at night, the middle of the day, the weekend, or whatever time or day it is, trains are unlikely to come.
These tips will help you and your family and friends enjoy this season and many more to come.
01 Dec 2008
Steps To Create A Good Panning Shot
If you are new to photography, have you ever wonder how to achieve a shot where the moving subject is in focus while the background is blurred? Have you ever envy photographers who can create such images?
This technique is commonly known as Panning and can be achieved easily with sufficient practices. A SLR camera is preferred for panning shots due to its ability to achieve fast reaction. DSLR is taking up the consumer share quickly with its price being highly competitive too. DSLR being digital in nature, is very welcomed nowadays especially when consumers are getting more IT savvy. Images can be downloaded into computers which make adjustment easier as compared to the past. And not to forget, films which is now replaced by memory cards for DSLR makes photography relatively affordable!
Panning shots is commonly used in sports like motorbike racing, treking, cycling and many more. This technique allow the photographs to tell a story to the viewers. Viewers can easily appreciate that the subject of interest is in motion and thus making the photograph more attractive and complete, as compared to a freeze moment due to the result of fast shutter speed.
To create a panning shot, you would need a subject of interest, like most photography requirement. This subject preferably should be moving across your camera from left to right or vice versa. Panning shots will be quite impossible if the subject of interest is moving inwards or away fromyour camera.
The background is recommended to be colorful so as to make the photograph more enchanting when blurred.
The following are the settings for your camera and the procedures for Panning shots:
Step 1: Set your camera to Shutter Priority mode,
Step 2: Set your shutter speed with its denominator value smaller then your lens focal length. I will suggest to set the shutter speed to 1/15 sec. With this setting, you are deliberately achieving "camera shake" which is your main motive in panning shots,
Step 3: Set your camera to "Continuous Shoot" mode. This will allow you to get a few shots at one time so as to achieve higher "probability of hit".
Step 4: Set your camera to "AF-C" mode,
Step 5: As the main subject is moving across your camera, quickly focus on the subject and shoot. As your camera is set to "Continuous Shoot" mode, hold on to your shutter while moving your camera along with your main subject, making sure that the main subject is always in the middle of your viewfinder.
There you go! You have just utilized the technique of panning. Panning needs tremendous practice and you will be considered lucky if you are able to get 5 good shots out of 30 tries. Remember the good old days where SLR cameras are using film? Imagine how much funds you will have to spend on films to get at least 10 great panning shots! Thus we are considered much lucky now as SLR cameras go digital.
You can further beautify the photographs by doing some adjustment in Photoshop or other photo editing software. You may choose to perform some cropping of the photographs such that the main subject is position at the golden rule for photography, the "Rule of Thirds". With this, the photographs are able to tell the viewer the whole story and thus making the photographs more enchanting and eye catching!
Remember, you need a lot of practice for panning shots and do not be discouraged if you failed for the first few times. With enough practice, I am sure you can achieve what you aim for!
01 Dec 2008
Staying Close In A Paperless World
How email, virtual flowers, e-cards and reminder services can help you stay in touch.
The days of ink and paper are fast coming to an end. For a long time paper cards, letters, and memos have been used to communicate with our fellow man about everything ranging from business to birthdays, "thinking of you" to a simple "I love you". These paper novelties have kept us close with those we love and are acquainted with for decades; however, the popularity of the home computer has changed the way we stay in touch forever.
Never has it been so easy and painless to keep up to date on all the daily news of our friends, family, and even business contacts. Whether down the road or a million miles away, email has brought people together who otherwise would have no way of instant communication. No more pony express or smoke signals; we are the microwave generation and we want things NOW. Email provides instant access to keeping up with relationships that would otherwise have been impossible. Letter writing and paper cards can be costly from the various papers and postage, but the new frontier of technology has provided electronic cards and virtual flowers which carry the same punch as far as thoughtfulness with easier access and less cost. They are quick, easy and still get the message across that you are thinking of someone! We all love to get cards and flowers, but why? Because there is nothing better than knowing that we are special to someone and are being thought of. E-cards and virtual flowers do the same thing. If you’re having a bad day, imagine opening your inbox and finding a surprise of a lovely bouquet with an e-card that reads, "Just a quick note to let you know I believe in you!" The power of thoughtfulness and staying close to the ones you admire and love in this paperless world is huge. You can turn someone’s bad day into an amazing day just with a few clicks of your mouse.
Technology really has made everyday life much easier. As your circle of influence increases, it becomes more and more difficult to keep up with all those birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. With reminder services, you can register important dates to remember in a database that will remind you within a selected period of time when the event nears. Then, simply send an e-card or a bouquet of beautiful virtual flowers reminding that special someone you’re thinking of them on their special day.
Staying close, being thoughtful, and being reminded even to do so have just made life so much easier. Life is short and this world is too big to not be sure to let them know on a regular basis just what they mean to you! In this paperless world, we don’t have to sacrifice thoughtfulness for convenience thanks to modern technology.
01 Dec 2008
Born on February 7, 1974, Steve Nash currently plays the guard position for the Phoenix Suns. He stands 6'3" tall and weighs 195 lbs. While attending college in Santa Clara, Steve Nash was named as the West Coast Conference Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons. His collegiate basketball career wrapped with him being the Bronco’s all-time leader in career assists, free throw percentage and 3-pointers made and attempted. In 1993, Steve Nash could be found playing for the Canadian National Team and winning a silver medal. In addition, he played for British Columbia in the 1993 Canada Games, which earned him a bronze medal.
The 1996-1997 season marked the rookie year for Steve Nash. As a rookie, he started only one game but later proved himself after having his 3-point accuracy noted as the second-best ever for a Phoenix Suns rookie. The following season, from 1997 through 1998, Steve Nash worked hard to improve his ‘points per game’ average and became one of the most improved players in the league. The following year, which marked the 1998-1999 season was trying for Steve Nash, who suffered a lower back injury that caused him to miss the final 10 games of the year. He still managed, however, to play in 40 games and continued to improve his ‘points per game’ average during those games that he participated in. Yet again, difficulty struck Nash in the 1999-2000 season when an ankle injury took him out of 25 games during the season. He appeared in 56 games that year with 27 starts and an average of 8.6 points per game.
As things began to look up for the youngster, the 2001-2002 proved to be his best ever. During this season, Steve Nash scored an average of 17.9 points per game, which marked a career-high. In addition, he was the only Maverick player to participate and start in all 82 games during the season. Fans who thought the previous year’s games were plentiful found themselves excited to see another brilliant season from Steve Nash, who ranked third in NBA assists during the 2003-2004 season.
The 2004-2005 NBA season marked great honor for Steve Nash, who joined an elite group of athletes to ever be named as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the guard position. He was named to the NBA All-Star Team for the third time in his career and finally began to garner the recognition that he had worked so hard to achieve. In 2005-2006, Nash was awarded his second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Award.
As the years have progressed, Steve Nash has improved his game and has proven that hard work and persistence really does pay off. After starting his NBA career with struggling ‘points per game’ averages and several injuries, Steve Nash made a comeback that kept coming back season after season.
Fans who would like to request a signed photo or simply send Steve Nash their best wishes are urged to do so in care of his NBA franchise team. If you are requesting an autograph, be sure to include a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) along with your request. Letters and requests should be mailed to:
01 Dec 2008
Just when you think the sports world has produced every possible bizarre trade imaginable, they still manage to top themselves ...
A broadcaster for a rabbit. And a cartoon rabbit, at that.
When baseball journeyman Harry Chiti got dealt to the New York Mets for a player to be named later, little did he know that player would be him. The Chicago Cubs could spare a backup catcher during the early season, and apparently, the Mets saw enough of Chiti afterward. So, when they later gave a list of players from which to choose in order to complete the deal, Chiti's name was there. Perhaps their choice said something about the other players, but there can be no doubt that the Cubs got equal value in return.
At least that transaction was a player-only deal, albeit only one player.
Transactions involving no players have had various impacts on the teams involved. An obvious example was a swap between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians. In mid-season, they managed to trade managers. Jimmy Dykes was shipped to the Tribe, with Joe Gordon moving to the Motor City, making it the only deal of its kind in North American sports history. Both were probably disoriented for the rest of the season, but they'd surely agree that it beat being fired, which is usually what happens when teams want to jettison their skipper.
However, there was a more notorious no-player deal. It might have happened more discreetly, except it affected New York Yankees. The year was 1972, and while half a decade had passed from The Summer of Love, pitchers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson kept its spirit alive. They and their wive were close friends. Really close. So close, in fact, that during spring training of the next season, they wound up making a trade of their own. When Marilyn Peterson changed houses with Susanne Kekich, it was news which made more than the agate type in America's newspapers.
Said Yankees general manager Lee MacPhail, "We may have to call off Family Day."
A bag of baseballs isn't nearly as hot for headline fodder. So, when minor-leaguer Tim Fortugno was unceremoniously moved to another team in return for one of those bags, we can only imagine that the amount of $2500 in cash got tossed into the deal to make him feel better.
Much more cash was put on the table in 1919 for an emerging star named Babe Ruth. The Boston Red Sox had just completed a lousy season and owner Harry Frazee wanted to unload salaries. He also had his eye on Broadway, so he sold Ruth to the Yankees for $125,000 and a $300,000 loan (with Fenway Park serving as the collateral). Frazee used the proceeds to stage 'No No Nanette,' the sprightly musical that gave the world tunes such as 'Tea for Two' and can still be found up in lights to this day. This is the deal that gave rise to the Curse of the Bambino, which may have affected the Red Sox for so many years, but Frazee did very well by it.
Ruth justified his title as the Sultan of Swat in 1927, becoming the first player in history to hit 60 home runs in a season, a revered record that would stand for 34 years. That wasn't the only notable achievement in 1927; Walt Disney also brought the first cartoon rabbit to the silver screen.
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit looked like a rip-off of Felix the Cat, and he probably was. However, cartoon characters were a novelty back then, so Oswald enjoyed a measure of commercial success. In fact, Disney was certain he could expand the rabbit's fame if he had a bigger budget, which is why he traveled to Universal Studio's head office and requested as much. The studio refused, even showing their power by cutting the budget by 20% and telling Disney to like it or lump it. Chagrined, Disney quit and decided to work independently. He was certain he could create another cartoon character to help him realize his visions of commercial success.
We now see that the empire built around the fame of Mickey Mouse never forgot its origins.
When the ABC network decided to move Monday Night Football to its subsidiary, ESPN, long-time broadcaster Al Michaels decided he didn't want to accompany it. He expressed a preference to remain paired with virtuoso analyst John Madden, who left to join NBC, which had acquired the NFL's Sunday Night Football broadcast rights.
Michaels' career was launched at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. He exclaimed to the USA, "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" when the American hockey team completed the biggest upset in team sports history by defeating the Soviet Union's juggernaut and paved the way to an improbable gold medal. One of the best in the business, Michaels ultimately moved to the prime time of Monday Night Football and stayed there for 20 years.
NBC saw his addition to their broadcast team as a natural move. ABC saw an opportunity, too, and the idea of a trade was broached.
ABC is owned by the Disney empire. They noted NBC's association with Universal and decided it was time to bring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit home. Dick Ebersol, president of NBC Sports, did a double-take. He accepted the trade package for Michaels containing cable rights to golf's Ryder Cup through 2014 and expanded access to Olympic highlights, but he had never even heard of the cartoon rabbit.
Michaels took being swapped for a cartoon pioneer in stride. "Oswald is definitely worth more than a fourth-round draft choice," Michaels said, referring to the compensation that New York's Jets got for releasing head coach Herman Edwards to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Walt Disney's daughter, Diane Miller, is thrilled, saying "Having Oswald around again is going to be a lot of fun."
And so it came to pass that the strangest sports trade to date was sealed. NBC got the polished veteran it wanted, while Disney could be hoping their re-acquisition can earn a Comeback of the Year award.
For Oswald, it's going to be a brand new ballgame.
01 Dec 2008
Strategic Wagering For Major League Baseball
In the last article “Strategic Wagering for Major League Baseball,” the basics of straight and side bet wagering were explained. By understanding those basics you can garner an understanding of strategic and tactical wagering. As a MLB sports enthusiast, you enjoy the game and follow teams and players. If you’re really into it, you’re probably able to rattle off the stats of a majority of the teams, knowing all the important facts and figures. You feel you have a firm understanding of a team’s potential to win or lose. If that’s the case, then you’re ready to test your MLB knowledge and analytical abilities against those of the professional handicapper. Assuming you have basic understanding of straight bets, run lines, money lines and over/under wagering, you need to consider the more esoteric forms of wagering, such as specified pitcher, parlays, if bets and reverses.
Major League Baseball is one of the most unpredictable and fickle bettors’ games in all of sports. Many enthusiasts can recall incredible strings of statistics, history and facts about their favorite team. To the casual observer, some of this data may seem trivial, such as a pitcher’s ERA in day games verses night games or perhaps the win/loss record when a particular umpire is behind the plate. All things considered, they are not trivial to the baseball aficionado. They are “clues” that must be considered when wagering on an outcome. Sorting through the endless amount of information is a challenge, sometimes making analysis a daunting task. Baseball, a game bound by the laws of physics, often conforms to probable outcomes. However, like any game, there are often improbable outcomes, making handicapping difficult.
In the game, there exists that important and unpredictable element of human interaction. One thing any bettor has to realize is that in making intelligent bets based on stats, former player performance and a team’s present line-up, they can never be right 100% of the time. In fact, professionals who are genuinely skilled at handicapping are right approximately 60 to 65% of the time. If you’re going to wager in a variety of ways, going beyond the straight bet, run line and money line, then you must use every resource you possibly can. This means that a good Internet sportsbook can be invaluable to helping you achieve success.
Many have called MLB the most cerebral of sports. Odds makers use various strategies in determining the favorite, always analyzing a range of the most recent team and individual player statistics. Home field advantage, field surface, and time of game are also considered. The experts do not base their decisions on hunches, and you shouldn’t either.
With the Internet, there are numerous wagering opportunities that didn’t exist a decade ago. Here are some bets, beyond the basic ones, in which you can engage.
One specified pitcher: A bet is placed against a specified pitcher, regardless of the other starting pitcher.
Both specified pitchers: A bet is placed that specifies both starting pitchers as posted, any change in pitchers constitutes no action.
If Bets: A combination of conditional straight bets (2-6 picks) in one single play. Wager a fixed amount on one team, and if that team wins, bet another fixed amount on a different team.
Single action if bet: Play continues if previous play wins only.
Double action: Play continues if previous play wins, pushes or cancels.
Reverses: A combination of 2-8 picks combined in all possible two team If bets and then reversed. Reverses are always double action.
Parlays: Consist of picking teams or totals and combining them together into a single play, or wager, creating only one risk. Parlays then, are basically a collection of straight bets. The trick to parlays is that all your straight bets must win for you to win your bet, however the payout is much better than you would realize on single straight bets.
For example: Let’s say you bet $100 on the Mets. You risk $110 to win $100 (the juice on a straight bet is 10%). Then you place a separate $100 bet on the Giants. Again, you risk $110 to win $100. That’s $220 to win $200. If you had bet the same $200 in a 2-team parlay you would have the chance to win $520 (This total includes your original wager of $200; thus if you do win, you’re up $320, which is $120 more than you’d realize from your two straight bets.) The parlay payouts are as follows:
2 teams pays 13/5
3 teams pays 6/1
4 teams pays 11/1
5 teams pays 20/1
6 teams pays 40/1
7 teams pays 70/1
8 teams pays 100/1
How do you get started? Start looking for MLB wagering with an Internet search engine. Wow, there are so many sites! The Internet site you select should have a full section dedicated to MLB, providing live lines and odds, the latest information on baseball and expert commentaries. It should also take bets. You’ll find that some sites have daily live radio shows on the web about sports and sports betting. Additionally, the better sites create additional interest by sponsoring MLB wagering contests. Does the site you’re considering offer other sports betting and wagering opportunities on all of your other favorite sports, including the NFL, NCAA football, the NBA, NCAA basketball, the NHL, soccer, horse racing, boxing and casino and card games?
01 Dec 2008
Strong leg muscles really can make a world of difference
Apart from the weight machines, some of the most effective machines in a gym are the walking, running and climbing machines. Walking and running machines include steppers and treadmills, while climbing machines have pedals that you push with your feet, making it feel like you are climbing stairs.
The reason these machines are important is that they exercise our leg muscles, which are some of the most useful muscles in our body, but at the same time some of the weakest. After all, we are descended from apes, who didn’t walk upright – in evolutionary terms, we’ve only just started walking, and our legs aren’t all that great at it yet. Building good muscles in your legs will help you stay on your feet and go for long walks, hikes or runs without feeling tired quickly, like so many people do in this age of the car. Once you get started, you might even want to take up walking as a hobby, and the more you walk, the better your leg muscles will get.
But in that case, why not just go for a real walk, or climb up and down real stairs? Well, you could do that, but you’d be leaving yourself open to the weather on the walk, making it difficult to have a regular walking routine, and while you could just walk up and down some stairs for half an hour each day, people would probably look at you a little oddly.
Within a few weeks of using walking and climbing machines, you should start to feel more energetic – it is surprising how much of how much energy we feel we have comes from the strength of our legs. Even if we don’t realise it, we are on our feet for a lot of time every day – yes, even if you work in an office and drive to work – so strong leg muscles really can make a world of difference.
01 Dec 2008
The season of MLB baseball is a long one, thanks to each team playing 162 games, and it’s filled to the brim with opportunity. The successful baseball bettor can make an excellent profit over the course of a season. Picking winners in MLB baseball is done by a simple win or lose wager. There are no point spreads in major league baseball. Baseball bettors can utilize the run line to minimize money line amounts. So how does one win successful over the course of a MLB season? Let’s take a look at a couple key ideas.
Run Line
Betting on baseball involves picking the winner on the money line. For example, if you liked the favorite and they were - $2.50, you would bet $2.50 for each $1 you want to win. Should you love the underdog and they are 2.15, you would receive $2.50 for every dollar wagered.
Sometimes you really like a favorite, but the money is far too high. Betting on $2.00 or larger favorites is not really the way to build up your bankroll. If you just have to bet the team, consider betting them on the run line. By giving up the 1.5 runs (so your team must win by 2 or more runs), you will greatly decrease the money line. If your selection is truly a good team, compared to the opponent, they will have s very good shot of winning on the run line.
Pitchers
You must know your pitchers to win in MLB baseball long-term. That’s a concrete fact and there’s no way around. In MLB Baseball, the pitcher is the dominant force. A solid pitcher can completely control the game and turn a decent team into a powerhouse for one game. Most sports bettors fail, because they name bet. This is when you bet on a team based on the name and reputation of the pitcher instead of looking at all the underlying stats related to the specific game.
Instead of betting on pitcher just because of his name, here’s a short list of a couple pieces of information you want to gather and compare to the opposing pitcher.
1. What is his record against the other team (give extra weight to recent games)?
2. What is his team’s record again the other team when he pitches?
3. How does he pitch at the location the game is at?
4. How many innings does he normally pitch? What about against this opponent?
5. Has the pitcher been nursing any injuries lately or is he coming back from one?
That’s five general questions you need to ask. There are more, but these are good to get started with.
Managers and Scoring
It’s good to know your managers. More importantly, know what their playing strategy is. For example, does the manager love to play “small ball” or does he play for solid hits and home runs? If the manager does not like to play small ball and is lacking power hitters and very solid OBP (on base percentage guys), scoring will be hit and miss. Managers that love to play small ball and have a fair number of guys with a good average and OBP will score runs fairly consistently. This does not mean they will win, but you can usually count on these teams to score a few runs on any given day.
Now, let’s put it together. If you have a pitcher who generally gives up 7-8 hits and 1-2 walks a game and has a low ERA going against a “small ball” type team with a good number of players with solid OBP numbers, what do you think will happen? That pitcher is going to, potentially, give up some runs. However, if he is facing a more hit & homer type team, he could potentially freeze them out of runs.
There are many more aspects to look at, but these three areas are critical to selecting baseball winners. Winning long-term is not just about picking winners, it’s also about getting good value on your wagers.
01 Dec 2008