Rezai advances; Peer exits Rogers Cup

Tennis Betting Lines

08/16/2010 - Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixteenth-seeded Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai moved on, while 14th-seeded Israeli Shahar Peer went by way of an opening- round upset Monday at the $2 million Rogers Cup, a U.S. Open tune-up.

Rezai came from behind to get past Czech Petra Kvitova 6-7 (1-7), 7-5, 6-3 in 2 hours, 26 minutes. The Frenchwoman piled up nine double faults, while the Wimbledon semifinalist Kvitova tallied eight, but Rezai also broke her Czech counterpart's serve on eight occasions, compared to six breaks for Kvitova.

Wimbledon quarterfinalist Kaia Kanepi, of Estonia, upended Peer in 6-3, 6-3 fashion on the hardcourts at Uniprix Stadium.

Additional Day-1 wins came for Czech qualifier Iveta Benesova, Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova, Aussie Jarmila Groth and Austrian Sybille Bammer. Benesova is rewarded with a second-round match against top-seeded former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia.

Elena Dementieva beat former No. 1 Maria Sharapova in last year's all-Russian Rogers Cup finale in Toronto. This event shifts between Toronto and Montreal each year.

Dementieva is this week's fourth seed, while Sharapova pulled out here on Monday, citing a foot injury. Sharapova lost to U.S. Open champ Kim Clijsters in this past Sunday's finale in Cincinnati.

This week's winner will earn $350,000.

Wskysports Tennis Betting News

<< Rangers OF Cruz hits DL again
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers placed outfielder Nelson Cruz on the 15-day disabled list Monday with a left hamstring strain. The move is retroactive to August 15. It's the third time the 30-year-old has b

<< United cruises past Newcastle
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United began its Premiership season with a comfortable 3-0 win over Newcastle at Old Trafford on Monday. First-half goals from Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Fletcher put the hosts well on the

<< Rays activate Pena, put Kapler on DL
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays have activated first baseman Carlos Pena from the 15-day disabled list and placed outfielder Gabe Kapler on the 15-day DL on Monday. Pena had been on the DL since August 1 with

<< Marlins' Stanton earns NL weekly honors
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Marlins rookie outfielder Mike Stanton was named NL Player of the Week for the period ending August 15. In six games during the period, the 20-year-old topped the major leagues with a .583 batting a

<< Orioles place Berken on DL
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles have placed pitcher Jason Berken on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to August 13, with right shoulder inflammation. In 41 appearances this season, Berken has thrown 62 1/3 in

Texans rookie RB Tate done for season >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Texans rookie running back Ben Tate will miss the season due to a fractured ankle, head coach Gary Kubiak announced on Monday. Tate was carted off the field in the third quarter of Saturday

Happy days are here again for Harvick >>
Brooklyn, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Harvick was enduring a miserable season at this point in 2009, as he sat 23rd in the Sprint Cup Series point standings. One year later, "Happy Harvick" is smiling more than ever after winning his third race

Mets closer Rodriguez has ligament tear >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez has a ligament tear in his right thumb, and it has been recommended that he undergo surgery to repair the injury. Rodriguez did not travel with the Mets to

Heat respond to Haslem's drug possession charge >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat organization responded on Monday to forward Udonis Haslem's drug possession and unlawful speeding charges stemming from a traffic stop on Sunday. "We are aware of the incident involving Udo

NIT tip-off field, brackets announced >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Invitation Tournament announced the field for its 16-team Tip-off tournament on Monday, installing Villanova as the top seed. Other teams in the field for the event, set to begin November

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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