Reeling Bulls visit powerhouse Mavs

Basketball Betting Lines

03/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls have picked a bad time to start playing poorly and their chances of ending an eight-game slide don't look so promising with tonight's road matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Bulls have also dropped five in a row as the visitor, including the first three tests of a four-game road trip. In a 104-97 loss at Memphis last night, Ronald Murray led the way with 25 points and Hakim Warrick chipped in 22 points off the bench for Chicago, which is 12-22 away from the Windy City and 1 1/2 games behind Toronto for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.

"There's a lot of basketball left, but we can't keep saying that," Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We're in a really tough stretch right now. We have to come back to the drawing board."

Acie Law had a season-high 18 points, as the Bulls played without forward Luol Deng (calf) and guards Derrick Rose (wrist) and Kirk Hinrich (suspension). All three are questionable for Wednesday's game. Over his last eight games Rose is averaging 23.6 ppg, 5.6 apg and 2.5 rpg.

The Bulls haven't lost nine in a row since opening the 2004-05 campaign with an 0-9 record.

Dallas had its season-high 13-game winning streak come to a halt in its last outing, a 128-94 drubbing at the hands of the lowly New York Knicks on Saturday in Big D.

Dirk Nowitzki had 20 points and 12 rebounds, Jason Kidd scored 15 points and Shawn Marion tallied 14 and eight boards for the Mavericks, who are four games ahead of San Antonio for the Southwest lead and third in the Western Conference playoff race, just a half-game behind No. 2 Denver.

"It was a poor performance all around," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said after the team's first loss since February 16 at Oklahoma City. "We really didn't come close to winning a quarter. When you get thoroughly thrashed like that, it's something that's difficult."

Over his last six games, Marion is averaging 17.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks, while shooting 56.6 percent from the floor. Kidd is posting 13.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 9.6 assists and 2.1 steals in 14 contests since the All-Star break.

The Mavericks had won their previous eight home games before the recent setback and are 1-1 on a four-game residency. They will also host Boston and have a 23-10 home mark this season. In injury news for Dallas, guard Jason Terry (facial surgery) is probable for tonight.

Dallas recently defeated Chicago, 122-116, on March 6 at the United Center behind Nowitzki's 27 points and a career-high 24 from Rodrigue Beaubois. The Mavs have won two straight, four of five and 20 of the last 23 meetings with the Bulls, who are winless in their last four visits to Big D.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.