The college basketball season will begin to pickup for business once the Super Bowl betting frenzy concludes. One of the most exciting aspects of gambling on college hoops is picking the over under on the total line. On paper, you can make good money depending on which games you pick. Today for your bookie software pleasure, we’ll be examining different college hoops totals.

For years, the college basketball games were only bet on using the point spread or money line. However, in recent years, sportsbooks have opened up their offices, and have decided to use totals as a means to make a profit on the games as well. Totals are often bet on by sharp handicappers, since many sportsbooks either don’t offer totals just yet, or set the limits on the amount of wagers per section of the total. In general, the tougher the odds are to beat, usually means the more bettors will wager on the actual game.

When the totals are released, you could see the line move significantly in either direction. Using colleagues Right Angle Sports as a reference, you will see, that depending on who their handicappers select, the NBA totals can move towards or away from the under line. In many cases, the line may move two or three points in one direction. For those new to betting on totals, a line move of three to four points is common. To put this into perspective, consider that half a point on the point spread is usually unheard of.

One of the first tips we tell college bettors new to totals is to look at more then just the box score, before placing a wager. Essentially, by watching plenty of games, you can determine which team is bound to score the most points. You can also tell when those teams will score the most points. For instance, good teams can score a lot of points during both the first and second half. At the same time, poor teams tend to score more frequently to start the game, before slowly fading in the second half.

Belmont betting players are anxiously awaiting the final jewel in the Triple Crown, which will be decided on June 11^th at Belmont Park in New York, and if the other Triple Crown races are to be believed, we’re going to have a close and exciting encounter to watch. Early odds are forecasting a three-horse battle for all the marbles.

Animal Kingdom, Shackleford and Nehro are all listed at +400 to come away with the win, and the first two horses should be no surprise. Animal Kingdom won the Kentucky Derby, while Shackleford led a large portion of the Derby before the field caught up to him, then he won the Preakness Stakes by holding off a late charge from, you guessed it, Animal Kingdom. Nehro was held out of the Preakness by his handlers, but he finished second at the Kentucky Derby and he was one of the horses who caught up to Shackleford late in the race. He’s been close with three second-place runs in his last three starts, so Nehro is going to earn some consideration among Belmont betting players.

All three would be very good picks on June 11^th, as Animal Kingdom has a strong late kick, which bodes well at a 1.5-mile race, while there will be skepticism about Shackleford’s stamina. Nehro has trouble closing, but his closing run at the end of the Kentucky Derby was very encouraging and could pay off over the long haul of the Belmont. This is definitely the trio to watch in your sports betting book.

As if it was prancing right through the finish of the Preakness and into the Belmont Stakes, Animal Kingdom will trample the field when it reaches New York for the final leg of the Triple Crown in a couple of weeks. After a slow start saw it fall behind all but one horse through the first couple of corners, the Kentucky Derby winner came on strong and nearly caught eventual winner Shackleford before finishing the race just a half-length back at the line. That has set the stage for a rematch between the Kentucky and Preakness winners, and although there will be no Triple Crown in 2011 the final leg should be just as exciting with this key matchup taking the spotlight.

The Belmont Stakes betting race will feature a ton of familiar faces, including both Nehro and Mucho Macho Man. Both of those horses placed at Kentucky, and should be primed for one final run of the season. However, although their presence will add to the atmosphere for the Belmont, this has developed into a two-horse race with the recent developments. Shackleford held on with a pretty consistent effort throughout the race, but with the Belmont at 1 ½ miles it may have a tough time holding on against Animal Kingdom. There will be a ton of chatter about whether the trifecta of strong online sports betting finishes can be completed, but in the end it will be Animal Kingdom that comes through and finishes in front at the 2011 Belmont.

The second leg of the Triple Crown just wouldn’t be the same if the winner of the Kentucky Derby winner did not participate in the race. But after Animal Kingdom defied the online sports betting odds to win the opening leg at Churchill Downs earlier this month, there is the possibility that trainer Graham Motion might not argue in favor of it racing at the 2011 Preakness Stakes. Motion has said that he will at least take Animal Kingdom to Pimlico for the opportunity to run if they decide that it is the right thing to do, but with the uncertain status of the Derby winner and several horses that might still not race the field is wide open with the exception of a couple of early favorites.

While the attention will remain on the MLB betting month of May for the next couple of weeks, Dialed In will try to work its way back into form for the Preakness Stakes. The 4-1 favorite faded early at the Derby and couldn’t recover, but will now get another chance. One of the early favorites for the Preakness has to be Mucho Macho Man after a strong third-place finish at the Derby, but after watching what happened to Uncle Mo as the early favorite for Kentucky, there is no guarantee. One horse to keep an eye on heading into the Preakness is Shackleford, which finished fourth at the Kentucky Derby. Shackleford looked strong early on and overcame a couple of tough obstacles to close in on the show, and could have a better finish if it gets a better post position in what is shaping up to be a relatively weak field.

The 2011 Kentucky Derby betting race is only a week and a half away, and if you haven’t made your prediction by now, you should be worried. Unlike the last few Kentucky Derby betting races, this year’s race could see any number of horses place in the money. For the purpose that you need a horse to believe in, here is our prediction for which horse we feel will win this year’s run for the roses.

This year’s Kentucky Derby winner will be Nick Zito trained horse Dialed In.  From its first win on January 30, 2011 at the Holy Bull Grade III Stakes to its victory earlier this month at the Florida Derby Grade I stakes race, Dialed In has been on our radar. Earlier this week, many sportsbooks made Dialed In the odds on favorite for the Derby at four to one, after rival Uncle Mo dropped finished third in its only prep race.

Throughout its four career starts, Dialed In has been impressive to say the least. The colt’s only bad race came in March, when it finished second to long shot Equestrio, after leading for the majority of the race. Simply put that one race, shouldn’t be a knock on Dialed In, as even the best horses can feel off on occasion.

In our opinions, Dialed In’s biggest appeals come from the horse’s pedigree. Sired by Mineshaft, Dialed In is a direct descendant of legendary horses AP Indy and Seattle Slew. From reports we have read by various colleagues, they believe that Dialed In may be the best horse since Slew, as it has that rare mix of speed and patience that many horse owners dream of having.

As we mentioned above, the Holy Bull Stakes and Florida Derby are two races that made us fans of Dialed In. On the one hand, at the Holy Bull Stakes, Dialed In showed Zenyatta like patience, as it started off at the back of the field only to glide up to the front of the pack and steal the victory. Then at the Florida Derby, Dialed In jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. If Dialed In can use its talents at the Kentucky Derby, we may be looking at the next winner.

The North Carolina Tar Heels were one of the hottest teams in the country to close out regular season play, and after failing in their chance to take down the defending national champion Duke Blue Devils in the ACC title game, they should have plenty of motivation to get back to the Final Four. Head coach Roy Williams has been there before, and there is no doubt that he feels this crop of players can get him back to the Final Four. Surviving the tough East region won’t be easy, especially with the top overall seed in the Ohio State Buckeyes, but the Tar Heels are confident they can get the sports betting job done.

They could very well get that rematch against the Blue Devils in the Final Four, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Pittsburgh Panthers make sure that half of the March Madness betting teams that make it through the Elite Eight are top seeds. The final spot will be up for grabs however, as a Kansas Jayhawks’ team that was hardly pushed in the big 12 gets a taste of what it’s like to take on some of the best in the country. The team to look for to come out of the Southwest region is the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, which finally cooled off with an 83-77 overtime loss to the Louisville Cardinals in the second round of the Big East semi finals. You’ll never see a betonline.com scam – Notre Dame looked absolutely dynamite at times this year, nearly closing the gap between them and the Pittsburgh Panthers for the top spot in the Big East at the end of the year with one of the best second-half’s in the nation, and will look to continue that momentum once the Madness begins.

Each year soccer betting handicappers are introduced to at least 100 youthful stars that have graduated from their respective football clubs youth programs and emerged as first string players. Of those 100s of online betting football stars, only a handful emerge as the next big thing in the soccer world. Here are two footballers we believe will be household names in a couple of years.

1. Romelu Lukaku – Dubbed by many football experts as the second coming of Chelsea Blues striker Didier Drogba, Romelu Lukaku at 17 years of age is the best product to come out of Belgium in quite some time. Although he has yet to play a game on the elite level, teams such as Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid have all been rumored to be inquiring about the talented striker’s services.

Lukaku is a scoring machine, as during the 2009/10 season he led the Jupiler Pro League with 15 goals while finishing up high school. What’s more already this season, playing for Belgian squad RSC Anderlecht, Lukaku has 10 goals.

2. Danny Welbeck – This choice for the next big thing is a little bit of a cop out, as Welbeck is already playing elite level football. Originally brought up in the Manchester United youth program, Welbeck has been on loan all season to Premier League rival Sunderland. In 20 games thus far, Welbeck has scored only six goals, but at 20 years of age, that’s not a bad thing.

Although he is out on loan with Sunderland, Welbeck has all the potential in the world to be a cornerstone of the Manchester United Red Devils for years to come. Along with Wayne Rooney, Berbatov and Hernandez, Welbeck is in fine company at Manchester United.

Poker and sports betting are two popular entertainment pastimes with little in common on the surface. However, some similarities and comparisons can be drawn. Here are a few characteristics that poker and sports betting share.

Both Poker and Sports Betting Can Be Enjoyed Online

Both poker and sports betting lend themselves to online action. The combination of the Internet and poker or sports betting is particularly nice because it brings these gaming options to those who might not otherwise have access to them, because there is no sportsbook or casino in their area. It also allows players to see quickly and easily the bets that they want to make and can make note taking and money management easier.

Both Poker and Sports Betting Involve Risk

Obviously, both poker and sports betting are types of gambling. You risk a certain amount for the shot at a commensurate reward. The trick in both poker and sports betting, and in fact in any kind of gambling, is to make sure that you have an edge, so that the results are not quite as random for you as they are for others. In this way, even if you lose in the short term, you can come out ahead in the end.

Both Poker and Sports Betting Are Stimulating

There’s a good reason why millions of people flock to poker rooms and sportsbooks every year, whether they win or they lose. It’s exciting. The idea of instantly winning money as a result of your own (hopefully correct) decisions is a thrilling one. The adrenaline rush from watching or participating in an event with serious money on the line is difficult to compare. This is one of the great things about poker and sports betting, but it is also one of the most dangerous. If you have an addictive personality, you need to be very careful about how much time you devote to poker or betting on sports. It’s a good idea to participate in these activities with a level headed friend, who can keep you grounded and on track if you should start to go astray.

Throughout the long illustrious history of sports betting fans and gamblers alike have been witness to some of the greatest rivalries both team and individually. For the online betting enthusiast who likes to wager a little bit extra when a rivalry game takes place, here are three rivalries you should consider.

1.     Manny Pacquiao v Floyd Mayweather Jr. – Perhaps the best rivalry of the decade, Pacquiao and Mayweather have not actually faced each other. Over the last few years, both boxers have established themselves as the best in the world. The question fans of both fighters and boxing fans in general wonder is who exactly is the best fighter in the world?

From what we can tell, Manny Pacquiao in recent time has taken on much tougher opponents, but Mayweather has a fiercer repertoire. Never the less, when this fight does eventually happen, it may go down as the biggest draw in boxing history. The two fighter’s average 1 million paper view buys for their individual fights, but when they meet up expect that number to triple.

2.      Montreal Canadiens v Toronto Maple Leafs – The rivalry that made hockey Canada’s game, Montreal and Toronto have hated each other since the 1930s. Initially when there were only six teams in the NHL, Montreal and Toronto was the main divide in Canada. The French Canadiens loved Montreal while the English speaking Canadiens followed the Leafs.

Overall, Montreal is the better team as it has won the most Stanley Cups in league history, while Toronto has been plagued without a Stanley Cup for several decades. In recent time, the Leafs have struggled mightily while Montreal had its dream run almost come to fruition during the 2009-2010 season.

3.     Duke Blue Devils v North Carolina Tar Heels – The ACC NCAA basketball division has long been considered a two horse conference. While the other schools in the conference are coming around, the two schools to dominate the ACC since it was established are Duke and North Carolina. Add the fact these schools are located in the same state and only differ by one championship, and you have one if not the best rivalry in sports.

Many online sports betting fans are new to the sport of mixed martial arts, so we’re going to briefly run down everything you need to know to turn your weekend penchant for elite level violence into a fun way to line your pockets.

The first thing you have to understand about mixed martial arts is it is crazy unpredictable. Anything can happen on any given night. And it does.

With that in mind, betting favorites in MMA is risky. It is generally not a sound investment to bet favorites in MMA unless you’re really sure, or you just have some connection to a particular fighter.

Betting underdogs, on the other hand, can be a very wise move. Even if you’re unsure about a particular fighter’s ability to get it done in a fight, an attractive enough line can warrant a small bet. These are called value bets. A skewed line can ensure a small bet pays off serious dividends, and if the fight goes down as anticipated, your losses aren’t significant. This is where it pays to know the fighters, know their styles, and know how they match up. If you’ve never seen a fighter before, and you’re curious about breaking down their style, youtube is your friend.

MMA odds are presented as betting lines. Let’s say in the main event for UFC 124, GSP is a heavy favorite. The fictional line for GSP going into the bout is -300. That means, a winning bet of $100 will win you your original $100 back, as well as $300 in winnings. The fictional betting line for his opponent, Josh Koscheck could be +200. That means, a winning bet of $200 on Kos will get you your original $200 back, plus another $100.