OnThePunt Home


Aussie Rules
Basketball NBA
Basketball NBL
Boxing
Cricket
Formula One
Golf
Horse Racing
Rugby League
Rugby Union
Soccer
Tennis
US Football

Click Here



FR
OM PINNACLE

Pinnacle Pulse
Posted 8:50 PM, April 6, 2006

 

 

The Inside Wagering Line From Pinnacle Sports Book
By Simon Noble

For this weeks Pulse, let’s switch gears and take a look at a recent phenomenon in online gaming that’s created a buzz on the forums and generated tremendous betting interest at the Pinnacle Sportsbook – American Idol.

No other “event” at Pinnacle Sports 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. At the Pinnacle Sports book, the action on this year’s series has increased five fold over the last installment of the hit show and now compares to the Masters in terms of handle.

Since becoming the first bookmaker in the world to offer odds on the show, Pinnacle Sportsbetting has tried to support this growth in wagering interest by expanding Idol betting offers. Every week there are now odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or only watching because of your 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 this 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 has already been eliminated, while Young is now 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.

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Even if you think Elliott would look more at home at a Star Trek convention than in a contest for a major recording contract, 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 Pinnacle Sports betting offers 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.

Two other resources to use are 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.

This Weeks Idol Betting

Odds to Win American Idol Chris Daughtry +161 Katharine McPhee +314 Taylor Hicks +420 Kellie Pickler +700 Mandisa +909 Elliott Yamin +2000 Paris Bennett +2000 Ace Young +6000 Bucky Covington +15000

Who will be eliminated on April 5, 2006? Bucky Covington +284 Elliot Yamin +310 Ace Young +311 Mandisa +351 Paris Bennett +786 Katharine McPhee +3320 Taylor Hicks +5000 Kellie Pickler +6000 Chris Daughtry +8000

Since last week’s show, at Pinnacle Sports most of the money has come in on two contestants: Taylor Hicks and Kellie Pickler. Taylor’s odds have steadily shortened from a high of over 5/1 a week ago to 21/5 (+420) to become the fifth American Idol. Not only is she votefortheworst.com’s pick this week, but Kellie Pickler has also seen a rush of money as well and has gone from a little over 11/1 down to 7/1 to win the show.

In the match-ups, Elliot Yamin has drawn steady support this week, especially versus Ace Young, while Taylor Hicks has been bet heavily against both Mandisa and current favorite Chris Daughtry.

If you have any sports betting related questions that you would like answered in future columns, please feel free to write to me at askthebook@pinnaclesports.com

Pinnacle Sports Book & Online Betting

Pinnacle Sportsbook is an online betting company providing the best odds on sportsbook gambling, online horseracing, online casino gaming, and online poker.

With excellent 24/7 customer service, fast payouts, and secure Internet betting, Pinnacle Sports Book satisfies all your sports book betting requirements and game wagering needs.

The Pinnacle Sports Book also offers reduced juice betting lines and rebates of up to 7% on its sportsbook wagering so sign-up now with Pinnacle SportsBook Betting and get wagering today!

 

 

APRIL 2006 ARTICLES

Pinnacle Pulse Pinnacle 20:50 06/04/06
Media Release Sports Acumen 14:00 03/04/06

ARCHIVES

MARCH 06 ARCHIVE  
JANUARY 06 ARCHIVE FEBRUARY 06 ARCHIVE
NOVEMBER 05 ARCHIVE DECEMBER 05 ARCHIVE
SEPTEMBER 05 ARCHIVE OCTOBER 05 ARCHIVE
JULY 05 ARCHIVE AUGUST 05 ARCHIVE
MAY 05 ARCHIVE JUNE 05 ARCHIVE
MARCH 05 ARCHIVE APRIL 05 ARCHIVE
JANUARY 05 ARCHIVE FEBRUARY 05 ARCHIVE
NOVEMBER 04 ARCHIVE DECEMBER 04 ARCHIVE
SEPTEMBER 04 ARCHIVE OCTOBER 04 ARCHIVE
JULY 04 ARCHIVE AUGUST 04 ARCHIVE
MAY 04 ARCHIVE JUNE 04 ARCHIVE
MARCH 04 ARCHIVE APRIL 04 ARCHIVE
JANUARY 04 ARCHIVE FEBRUARY 04 ARCHIVE
NOVEMBER 03 ARCHIVE DECEMBER 03 ARCHIVE
SEPTEMBER 03 ARCHIVE OCTOBER 03 ARCHIVE
JULY 03 ARCHIVE AUGUST 03 ARCHIVE
MAY 03 ARCHIVE JUNE 03 ARCHIVE
MARCH 03 ARCHIVE APRIL 03 ARCHIVE
JANUARY 03 ARCHIVE FEBRUARY 03 ARCHIVE
NOVEMBER 02 ARCHIVE DECEMBER 02 ARCHIVE
SEPTEMBER 02 ARCHIVE OCTOBER 02 ARCHIVE
JULY 02 ARCHIVE AUGUST 02 ARCHIVE
JUNE 02 ARCHIVE MAY 02 ARCHIVE
APRIL 02 ARCHIVE MARCH 02 ARCHIVE
FEBRUARY 02 ARCHIVE JANUARY 02 ARCHIVE


© 2000-2005 OnThePunt.com.au - All rights reserved