NFL Odds for Conference Championships from Bodog

This Sunday, the NFL conference champions will be decided. Surprisingly, the NFC will be represented in the Super Bowl by either the Arizona Cardinals or the Philadelphia Eagles. I don’t think many people could have predicted that one. In the AFC, the Steelers will host the Ravens in what’s sure to be the very definition of smash-mouth football.

Last week, I went 2-2 on my picks. I liked the Cardinals at +10, but I was really surprised that they trounced the Panthers as bad as they did. The Titans and Giants both losing threw me for a loop, as at least one of the #1 seeds usually makes it to the conference title round. It just goes to show that anything can and will happen in the NFL.

By the way, my season record picking against Bodog’s line is now 100-89-4. Let’s see if we can boost it just a bit:

BODOG ODDS FOR NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

As you’ve come to expect, my picks are in bold print:

Philadelphia Eagles - 4 ½ @ Arizona Cardinals +4 ½ (the over/under is 47 points)

Baltimore Ravens +6 @ Pittsburgh Steelers -6 (the over/under is 34 points)

NFL PROP BETS FROM BODOG

In addition to offering odds for each game, Bodog is also featuring a ton of prop bets for the die-hard bettors out there. Here are just a few examples, but be sure to check out Bodog’s online sports book for many, many more.

Which team will record the most sacks in the Conference Championships?

Cardinals 7/2

Ravens 5/4

Eagles 2/1

Steelers 8/5

Who will have the most passing yards in the Conference Championships?

Kurt Warner 11/10

Donovan McNabb 11/10

Ben Roethlisberger 5/2

Joe Flacco 9/2

Who will have the most rushing yards in the Conference Championships?

Brian Westbrook 33/20

Willie Parker 8/5

Le’Ron McClain 5/2

Edgerrin James 4/1

Willis McGahee 5/1

Tim Hightower 7/1

For more NFL betting articles, check out the following:

NFL Betting Lines and NFL Prop Bets

NFL Wildcard Weekend - Bodog Odds

NFL Odds for Conference Championships from Bodog

UFC 93 - Betting Odds from Bodog

UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson will take place on January 17th at The O2 in Dublin, Ireland. This will mark the first UFC event to be held in Dublin, and it’s also the first UFC event of the new year.

In the main event, former middleweight champ Rich “Ace” Franklin will move up to light heavyweight to challenge former PRIDE champ, Dan “Hondo” Henderson. According to reports, the winner of this match will be paired against Michael Bisping as coaches for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter.

In the co-main event, light heavyweight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will return to the octagon after a shocking loss to Forrest Griffin. He’ll take on Mark “The Hammer” Coleman, a former UFC heavyweight champion and member of the UFC Hall of Fame. There‘s some bad blood between these two, but we‘ll discuss that later in the article.

UFC 93 - FULL CARD AND BODOG ODDS

Below is the full card for UFC 93. I’ve also included the current betting odds from Bodog, just in case you want to wager a little cash on your favorite MMA superstar. Check back with Bodog daily, as odds will be offered on all fights prior to Saturday’s event.

Preliminary Card

Welterweight bout: Martin Kampmann vs. Alexandre Barros

Light Heavyweight bout: Eric Schafer vs. Antonio Mendes

Light Heavyweight bout: Tomasz Drwal vs. Ivan Serati

Welterweight bout: Thomas Egan vs John Hathaway

Lightweight bout: Nate Mohr vs. Dennis Siver

Main Card

Middleweight bout: Jeremy Horn vs. Rousimar Palhares

Welterweight bout: Marcus Davis -135 vs. Chris Lytle +105

Middleweight bout: Alan Belcher +240 vs. Denis Kang -300

Light Heavyweight bout: Mark Coleman +300 vs. Mauricio Rua -450

Light Heavyweight bout: Rich Franklin EVEN vs. Dan Henderson -130

MARK COLEMAN VS. MAURICIO RUA - BAD BLOOD

On paper, this would appear to be a huge mismatch, but so did Griffin vs. Rua. While Coleman is a member of the UFC Hall of Fame, he’s also 44-years-old, hasn’t fought in over two years, and his last match was a thorough beating at the hands of Fedor Emelianenko. Still, he does hold a win over Mauricio Rua.

At PRIDE 31, Coleman and “Shogun” Rua faced one another. Coleman, with Phil “The New York Badass” Baroni is his corner, quickly took his opponent down. Rua got up a short time later, but Coleman managed to grab his legs and trip him. Rua landed awkwardly and dislocated his elbow.

That’s where the trouble started. While the fight should have been over, Coleman followed up by punching Rua repeatedly. Once the ref had stopped the contest, an overly-psyched Coleman pushed the referee aside and started yelling at Murilo “Ninja” Rua, who had entered the ring to check on the condition of his fallen brother.

All hell then broke loose when members of the Chute Boxe Academy (which Rua was part of) entered the ring. Chute Boxe member Wanderlei Silva began struggling with Baroni, but Baroni punched Silva and tackled him to the ground. Before the melee was stopped, Coleman managed to stomp on Silva’s throat.

Coleman later apologized backstage, but the members of Chute Boxe refused to accept. Both sides vowed to settle the score at a later date.

Looks like that day is finally here.

For more MMA action, see the following:

UFC 92 - Full Results and Bodog Betting

UFC 89 Results - UFC 90 Betting Odds from Bodog

UFC 93 - Betting Odds from Bodog

Natalie Gulbis - Babe of the Week

This week's Babe is LPGA star Natalie Gulbis. Besides winning her first major tournament in 2007, Gulbis is also known for having dated Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, writing a column for FHM and having an absolutely kick-ass body.

Natalie Gulbis - Babe of the Week

NFL Betting Lines and NFL Prop Bets

The Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs are upon us! That means there are only eight teams left in contention for the Lombardi Trophy. If you’re looking to wager on some football, the clock is quickly running out, so why not head on over to Bodog’s Sportsbook?

Every week, I pick against the line provided by Bodog. Last week, I went 3-1, giving me an overall record of 98-87-4. Now it’s time to do it all over again.

Also keep in mind that guys like Anquan Boldin and LaDainian Tomlinson may not play. This could greatly affect the outcome of their games, so make sure you’re informed before placing any football wagers.

NFL BETTING LINES - DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

My picks for the week are in bold print. If you decide to make some football bets yourself, good luck.

Saturday Games

Ravens +3 @ Titans -3

Cardinals +10 @ Panthers -10

Sunday Games

Eagles +4 @ Giants -4

Chargers +6 @ Steelers -6

NFL PLAYOFFS PROP BETS

In addition to offering wagers on the NFL games, Bodog also offers dozens upon dozens of prop bets for all facets of the game. Below are just a few examples. For a complete list, click on the Bodog link above.

Who will record the most passing yards in the Divisional Playoffs? (max bet is $300)

Kurt Warner (ARI) 3/2

Donovan McNabb (PHI) 5/2

Jake Delhomme (CAR) 5/1

Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) 5/1

Philip Rivers (SDG) 5/1

Eli Manning (NYG) 10/1

Kerry Collins (TEN) 15/1

Joe Flacco (BAL) 15/1

Will Ed Reed (Ravens) get an interception in his game? (max bet is $300)

Yes +175

No -215

Total rushing yards for Kerry Collins? (max bet is $300)

Over ½ yard -115

Under ½ yard -115

Total receiving yards for Larry Fitzgerald? (max bet is $300)

Over 94 ½ yards -125

Under 94 ½ yards -105

For more NFL betting articles, see the following:

NFL Wild Card Weekend - Bodog Odds and Predictions

NFL Week 17 - Bodog Odds and Predictions

NFL Betting Lines and NFL Prop Bets

International Gambling News - Online Gambling News

Here at Dare to Gamble, we try to report on Online Gambling News and U.S. Gambling News as often as we can. We realize, however, that we also have a number of readers from around the globe, so this installment of International Gambling News is especially for you. It’s also good reading for anyone planning to travel abroad on a gambling vacation.

MONKS ARRESTED FOR GAMBLING IN KOREA

They don’t screw around in South Korea, especially when it comes to monks engaging in illegal gambling. Last week, The Korean Times reported that police in Boeun, South Korea had busted five Buddhist monks for taking part in an illegal poker game at the Mount Songni Hotel.

What were they doing at the hotel? They were attending (I kid you not) a national Buddhist event. By the time they were caught, the monks had wagered over $7,000.

If I ever get to Korea, I’ll feel better knowing that those dirty monks are being taken care of. There’s nothing worse in my mind than a monk jonesing for a poker fix.

NEW GAMBLING LEGISLATION IN KAZAKHSTAN

And just when I was about to pack my bags and head off to sunny Kazakhstan….

A bill to increase gambling regulation in the country was passed in the senate during its first reading. It’s designed to close several loopholes in the law regarding gambling. Ultimately, it will make gambling within the border of Kazakhstan totally illegal. That’s bad news for citizens of Kapchagai and Shchuchinsk, as those were the last two places in the country to contain casinos.

CZECH REPUBLIC TO OFFER ONLINE GAMBLING LICENSES

On January 5th, the Czech Republic started offering online gambling licenses. The Czech sports book Fortuna Group helped pave the way for this new policy.

While legislators worried about underage gambling, the policy already in place by Fortuna Group helped alleviate their fears. This same policy will be adapted for online casinos, required players to first regiater with a land-based casino to verify their age. Transactions will take place via “payment cards,” which is designed to keep a player from blowing their life savings at online blackjack or online slots.

SLOT MACHINE LIMITS TO INCREASE IN U.K.

A resolution in the U.K. has been passed to increase the limits on slot machines. Bookmakers, pubs and clubs with slots can not take wagers of up to $1.47 per spin and pay out up to $102.88. The previous limits on slot machines were 74 cents per spin and $51.47 in payouts.

This increase is expected to boost tax revenue by 20 percent, resulting in an overall increase of over $40 million. As it stands now, U.K. slots take in about $14 billion per year and pay out around $12 billion.

Critics (led by church groups, of course) are complaining that this will further encourage gambling addiction. Critics of the critics have told them to shut the f*ck up (just kidding, but I wish that were the case).

For more gambling news, check out the following:

Gambling News - Vegas Casinos and Online

New Bonuses and Games Offered at Bodog

International Gambling News - Online Gambling News

Niki Gudex - Babe of the Week

This week's babe is Australian mountain biker Niki Gudex. She also works as a graphic designer and model and has been voted one of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World by the Australian version of FHM magazine.

Niki Gudex - Babe of the Week

NFL Wild Card Weekend - Bodog Odds and Predictions

The NFL regular season is finally in the books. As always, it was a year full of surprises and disappointments. Teams like the Cardinals and Falcons went way beyond the expectations of their fans, while the Cowboys and Broncos left fans pulling out their hair. If your team did suck, take heart. Next season brings a whole new opportunity.

Just like last year, we here at Dare to Gamble will be following the games all the way through the Super Bowl. We’ll be posting the betting line from Bodog’s sportsbook, and we’ll also be making our own picks.

For my Week 17 picks, I ended with a record of 8-4-1. That gives me an overall record of 95-86-4. I’m happy to be above .500, but we’ll keep going and try to improve throughout the playoffs.

2008-2009 NFL PLAYOFF TEAMS

The following NFL teams will be competing in the playoffs of the 2008/2009 NFL season. I’ve listed each team in the order they were seeded.

AFC Playoff Teams

Tennessee Titans (#1 seed)

Pittsburgh Steelers (#2 seed)

Miami Dolphins (#3 seed)

San Diego Chargers (#4 seed)

Indianapolis Colts (#5 seed)

Baltimore Ravens (#6 seed)

NFC Playoff Teams

New York Giants (#1 seed)

Carolina Panthers (#2 seed)

Minnesota Vikings (#3 seed)

Arizona Cardinals (#4 seed)

Atlanta Falcons (#5 seed)

Philadelphia Eagles (#6 seed)

2008-2009 NFL PLAYOFFS - WILD CARD WEEKEND

Here are this week’s playoff games, with the odds provided by Bodog’s sports book. As always, my selections for the week are in bold print.

Saturday

Falcons -1 ½ @ Cardinals +1 ½

Colts -1 @ Chargers +1

Sunday

Ravens -3 ½ @ Dolphins +3 ½

Eagles -3 @ Vikings +3

For more NFL playoff action, click on the following links:

Week 17 - Bodog Odds and Predictions

Week 16 - Bodog Odds and Predictions

NFL Wild Card Weekend - Bodog Odds and Predictions