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06/30/2010 - Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big Czech Tomas Berdych posted the biggest win of his career on Wednesday by surprising six-time champion Roger Federer in four sets in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Former champion Rafael Nadal avoided an upset to reach the semifinals here for a fourth time.
The 12th-seeded Berdych dismissed the top-seeded and defending champion Federer 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Centre Court at the All England Club, where the super Swiss had been 51-1 since 2003.
The amazing Federer appeared in the last seven Wimbledon finals, going 6-1. He beat American Andy Roddick in last year's epic finale, which included a 30- game fifth set, and lost to the current world No. 1 Nadal in one of the greatest tennis matches of all-time here two years ago.
The 24-year-old Berdych will appear in his second straight Grand Slam semifinal, having also turned the trick at the French Open four weeks ago.
After splitting the first two sets on Day 9 here, Berdych took control of the match in the third with thunderous serves and groundstrokes. He got his second break of the stanza to forge ahead 5-1, with a crushing backhand winner, and then held serve to close out the set in seven games.
In the fourth set, Berdych got the key break of the match to go up 4-3 on Federer and then held in the next game with an unreturnable 137 miles-per-hour serve.
Federer held in the next game, but was unable to break Berdych after that, as the tall Czech failed on his first match point when Federer popped a backhand volley winner into an open court, but converted on his second match point with one final forehand winner.
It marked Federer's second straight quarterfinal loss at a Grand Slam, as he endured the same fate at the French Open earlier this month.
After the match, Federer said he was "struggling with some back and leg issues."
This marks Federer's earliest exit here since 2002.
Berdych prevailed in 2 hours, 35 minutes by breaking Federer's formidable serve four times, while the Swiss icon could manage only one break on his very disappointing day. Berdych swatted 12 aces among his 51 winners.
The 6-foot-4 Berdych is now 3-8 lifetime against Federer. The Czech slugger beat the Swiss great at the ATP's Miami Masters event earlier this season and also topped him at the Olympic Summer Games in Athens back in 2004.
Federer bested Berdych in the fourth round here at Wimbledon back in 2006 and had been 4-0 versus the big Czech in Grand Slam competition prior to Wednesday.
Berdych, who's won 13 of his last 14 matches on tour, will face Novak Djokovic in Friday's semifinals.
The 28-year-old Federer, who was the top seed here despite being ranked second behind the French Open champ Nadal, appeared in his eighth straight Wimbledon and 25th straight overall Grand Slam quarterfinal on Wednesday.
The 16-time major champion, who is the reigning Australian Open titlist and was last year's U.S. Open runner-up, was chasing a record-tying seventh Wimbledon championship at this fortnight.
In addition to last year, Federer also conquered this most prestigious of tennis tournaments from 2003-07.
Meanwhile, the second-seeded Nadal started of slow against sixth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling before rebounding for a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 decision on Court 1. It marked a rematch of this month's French Open finale, which was won by the powerful Spaniard.
Nadal advanced in 2 hours, 43 minutes by breaking Soderling's big serve five times, compared to three breaks for the Swede. Soderling launched 17 aces, but also piled up 35 unforced errors, 23 more than the victorious Spaniard.
The 24-year-old closed out Soderling on his first match point with an easy forehand winner.
Nadal is now 5-2 lifetime against Soderling, including 4-1 in Grand Slam play. The Spaniard topped the Swede in the third round here at Wimbledon three years ago.
The reigning two-time French Open runner-up Soderling shocked Nadal in the fourth round at Roland Garros last year, as Nadal was the reigning four-time champion in Paris at the time.
The high-flying seven-time major titlist Nadal has won 29 of his last 30 matches on tour, including a fifth French Open title four weeks ago. He captured his lone Wimbledon championship two years ago by beating Federer in their showdown for the ages, and missed last year's tournament because of knee injuries.
Nadal lost to Federer in the 2006 and 2007 Wimbledon finales.
The fiery Nadal will meet the Andy Murray-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga winner on Friday.
The third-seeded Serbian star Djokovic also avoided an upset by pasting upstart Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 on Court 1. The 26-year- old Lu shocked the three-time Wimbledon runner-up Roddick here on Monday.
Djokovic cruised in 1 hour, 51 minutes by striking 16 more winners (29-13) and piling up five service breaks while holding his quality serve throughout.
"Nothing is easy these days, especially at this stage of the tournament," Djokovic said. "But the way I played, I deserved to win. I was hitting all the shots and I was really playing very solid from all parts of the court. I'm very, very happy with the performance today."
The steady 23-year-old Djokovic will appear in his eight career major semi (2-5). He was the Aussie Open champ in 2008.
Djokovic reached the Wimbledon semis in 2007, but was forced to retire against Nadal due to a foot injury while trailing in the third set that day.
"This time physically I'm fitter," Djokovic said. "Those were very strange conditions and circumstances. I had to play three very long matches in three days and couldn't hold on in the semifinal. This time everything is in order and I'll give my best."
Djokovic will meet Berdych for a third time, with the Serb taking their first two encounters in straight sets.
<< Blue Jackets claim LW Moreau off waivers
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday claimed
left winger Ethan Moreau off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers.
The 34-year-old Moreau had been with the Oilers since the 1998-99 season. The
Edmonton captain fi
<< Wizards acquire Thomas from Union
Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Union traded defender
Shavar Thomas to the Kansas City Wizards for two second-round draft picks in
2011 and 2012, as well as allocation money, the Major League Soccer clubs
announc
<< Serena will lead Thursday's Wimbledon semifinal charge
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The women's finalists will be
determined here on Thursday, when world No. 1 Serena Williams meets Czech
southpaw Petra Kvitova and 21st-seeded Vera Zvonareva takes on upstart
Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova i
<< Brind'Amour to hold press conference
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes have scheduled a press
conference with Rod Brind'Amour at 2:30 p.m. (et.) at which time the veteran
center is expected to discuss his future with the club.
Brind'Amour, who turns 40 in A
Report: Moss out as Coyotes' president >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NHL has reportedly fired Douglas Moss as
president of the Phoenix Coyotes.
According to TSN.ca, Moss will be replaced by Mike Nealy, who joined the
Coyotes in 2006 and served as an executive vice
IndyCar gears up for Fourth of July affair at Watkins Glen >>
Watkins Glen, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: IZOD IndyCar. Date: Sunday, July
4. Race: Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen. Site: Watkins Glen
International. Track: 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course. Start Time: 3:30 p.m.
(et). Laps: 60. Miles: 204
Clarkson re-ups with Devils >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils have re-signed right
winger David Clarkson to a multi-year contract.
According to the New York Post, the new deal will pay the 26-year-old
Clarkson $8 million over three year
Get ready for another wild one at Daytona >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup. Date:
Saturday, July 3. Race: Coke Zero 400. Site: Daytona International Speedway.
Track: 2.5-mile tri-oval. Start time: 7:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 160. Miles: 400.
2009 winner: Tony St
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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