» February 15th, 2006

PUSH THE PEDAL TO THE MEDAL WITH JUNIOR AT 9/2

Daytona 500

Sa Feb 19 – 1:30 pm (NBC)

bet365 latest Daytona 500 prices...
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon 9/2, Tony Stewart 11/2, Jimmie Johnson 8/1, Dale Jarrett 14/1, others on bet365 website

For the winner of this weekend's biggest race of the NASCAR year, the Daytona 500, look no further than the Chevrolet drivers. In the last 10 Daytona races, the score reads Chevrolet 8 – the rest (Ford & Dodge) 2, and if we take in Taladega (the only other restrictor plate track), the score reads 21 to 3 in the Chevy dealership's favour. Unfortunately, that doesn't make finding the winner much easier, as there are still a host of Chevrolet drivers who can win this week.

Of those, Dale Earnhardt Jr. must have a great chance to win, and he's been popular with bettors at 9/2 here at bet365. His car is slow by itself, but when other cars are around it goes pretty well, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him near the front all the way to the line, with his team mate Martin Truex next to him. The Hendrick team has three strong candidates led by defending 500 champion Jeff Gordon (9/2), Jimmie Johnson (8/1) and Kyle Busch (20/1). Gordon has had all the past success, but Johnson is the driver who looks more likely to burst out this week. Kyle Busch's car is very fast, but his restrictor plate races last year were awful so, until we see that he's learned from that experience, we'll leave him alone for betting purposes.

A couple of Chevrolet drivers who can be considered long-shots this week are Bill Elliot and Sterling Marvin at 33/1 and 50/1 respectively. Both of these drivers are likely to be in the front pack for much of the race, and that's all you can ask for when considering a bet this weekend. As past 500 winners, with fast cars powered by Hendrick Motorsports, these two drivers could easily make it interesting down the stretch for their backers.

Nigel's Checkered Flag...Dale Earnhardt Jr @ 9/2 / Bill Elliott @ 33/1 (Each-way, 1/4 odds, 1.2.3)

PISTONS LOOKING GOOD AT HALF TIME

bet365 Championship prices (including play-offs)...
Detroit Pistons 23/20, San Antonio Spurs 15/8, Miami Heat 15/2, Dallas Mavericks 8/1, Phoenix Suns 9/1, others on bet365 website

The football season is behind us, and we find ourselves in the middle of both the college and pro-basketball seasons. Fortunately, there are still plenty of games each day for bet365 customers to get their teeth into. However, at this stage of the season, some teams will be more motivated than others, and bettors should bear this in mind when looking for winning opportunities in the coming weeks.

The Pistons are beginning to look human after all after 'slumping' to a 4-4 (3-5 ATS) straight up record in their last eight games, including blowing a 13-point lead at Miami on Sunday. However they still have an excellent 42-9 SU record (the best in the NBA), and a 10 1/2-game lead over their closest competitor in the Eastern Conference (2/5 with bet365 to win Conference), and bettors should expect them to bounce back from that reverse after their six-day break. They're a solid 7-1 SU (6-2 ATS) after their first eight losses this season, with each of the seven wins coming by at least nine points or more.

The Heat were snapping an 0-7 skid against the divisional leaders, but that took nothing short of a fourth-quarter miracle (won 100-98 on a Dwayne Wade last second shot), and potential bettors should still be wary before supporting them on the spread, especially if they're playing without their dominant center, Shaquille O'Neal (9-9 this season without him). In contrast, red-hot Dallas are stuffing their bettors wallets right now after going 13-1 (11-3 ATS) in their last 14 games, and the Mavericks should be closely followed in the coming weeks.

New Orleans are a team of young players and limited talent, but they continue to get the results for bettors - 11-5 ATS the last 16 games! A key player for them is rookie Chris Paul, and they'll continue to overachieve as long as he's healthy and in the line up. Stay with them for a season-long profit, and don't forget our Parlay Bonus pays you much more for hitting your parlays. Each week, we pay out up to 50% more on successful NBA & NCAAB parlays on the following 6 markets:-
Point Spread, Game Total, First Half Point Spread, Second Half Point Spread, First Half Total, Second Half Total.

LAST WEEK – ARRON OBERHOLSER WON AT 28/1!

TIGER 31/10 FOR FIRST NISSAN WIN

Nissan Open - Live betting available

Th Feb 16 – 3:00 pm ET (USA)

Fr Feb 17 – 3:00 pm ET (USA)

Sa Feb 18 – 3:00 pm ET (ABC)

Su Feb 19 - 3:30 pm ET (ABC)

Tiger Woods is bidding to make it three wins from three 2006 starts when he tees up at the Riviera Country Club this week, yet bet365 are still offering a generous 3/1 for him to win (31/10 in our Enhanced Win Only market). That price is even more surprising when you consider that his closest challengers in the world rankings – Singh, Mickelson and Goosen - are resting this week, and that his nearest rival in the betting, Ernie Els, is almost sure to need his first start in his US-build-up to that elusive Masters (8/1 to prevail at Augusta here at bet365). However, with a record of zero wins from seven professional appearances (plus two missed cuts as an amateur!), Tiger still needs to prove that he can handle this relatively short course (only three par fives), and the value lies elsewhere.

Step forward ('on the tee') Robert Allenby, whose form on the Australasian Tour this winter was nothing short of amazing – he swept the Australian 'triple crown' of that nation's Open, PGA and Masters! He's also got three top 15's at Riviera, including a victory in 2001, and his third in last week's Johnnie Walker was a perfect warm-up for this. Of course, he's no good thing in this massive field, but everything's in place for a big week, and he's a great each-way price at 33/1 due to the presence of Tiger in the field.

Foreigners (non-US players) have a great record here – won six of the last nine renewals – so we shouldn't be out off backing one of the Europeans this week. Garcia and Donald will have their supporters at 25/1 and 40/1 respectively, but this is also a great event for long shots, so we'll be risking a few quid on Brian Davis who is a massive 125/1 with bet365 (12/1 to be Top European). His four starts this year have got progressively better, culminating in a fine tie for seventh last week at Pebble Beach. He also finished in a tie for third on is debut at Riviera last year, which makes his price even more hard to believe!

The final pick goes to Mike Weir, whose bet365 price of 25/1 is again inflated by the Tiger-factor, and who appeals on both current form and past form. He may have shot a disappointing 78 in the final round last week, but his first 54 holes (held the lead) were what was to be expected from a player with his stellar Pebble form, and his Riviera form is even better – winner in 2003 and 2004! Providing he can bounce back from Sunday's disaster, he looks sure to give us a great run for our money this week, but don't worry if you don't get on before the start as we'll have live In-Play betting throughout the event.

Nissan Open Three Off the Tee...Mike Weir 25/1, Robert Allenby 33/1, Brian Davis 125/1. Each-way 1/4 odds 1.2.3.4.5

Please be aware that prices are subject to change. All times EST (unless otherwise noted) and are subject to change. Check local listings.