Italians set to face Ukraine in Fed Cup QFs

Tennis Betting Lines

02/03/2012 - Biella, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Italy, which has won three of the last six Fed Cup titles, will host Ukraine this weekend in a best-of-five World Group quarterfinal.

First up on Saturday in Biella, Italian Sara Errani will face Kateryna Bondarenko, while the second opening singles rubber will pit the hosts' Francesca Schiavone against Lesia Turenko on the indoor red clay at Lauretana Forum. Schiavone was last year's French Open runner-up and titled at Roland Garros in 2010.

Sunday's reverse singles have Schiavone taking on Bondarenko and Errani facing Turenko, while the Day-2 doubles will pit an Italian duo of Errani and Roberta Vinci against a Ukrainian tandem of Olga Savchuk and Yuliya Beygelzimer.

Team Italy is captained by Corrado Barazzutti, who also has veteran Flavia Pennetta at his disposal, while the Ukrainians are piloted by Igor Dernovskyi.

The winner in Biella will meet the Czech Republic-Germany victor in April's semifinals.

Italy is 3-0 all-time versus Ukraine in Fed Cup play.

Nflchance Tennis Betting News

<< Jankovic will open for Serbs against Belgium
Charleroi, Belgium (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2012 Fed Cup quarterfinal between Serbia and host Belgium will get underway Saturday with a singles match between the visitors' former world No. 1 star Jelena Jankovic and Kirsten Flipken

<< Kvitova ready for Fed Cup action against Germany
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Petra Kvitova will play in Saturday's second opening singles rubber in the Fed Cup quarterfinal between her reigning champion Czech Republic team and a host German squad. Saturday's first singles bo

<< Irsay: Manning not yet cleared by Colts
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said early Friday morning that quarterback Peyton Manning has not yet been cleared to play by the team. Reports on Thursday indicated that Manning has been cleared by

<< Play called for wind in Qatar; tourney reduced to 54 holes
Doha, Qatar (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The heavy wind that sent scores soaring in round one, became too much in round two. The second round of the Qatar Masters was suspended on Friday due to high winds and unplayable conditions at Doha

<< Blazers lose in Sacramento
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcus Thornton returned from a four-game absence and scored eight of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, lifting the Sacramento Kings past the Portland Trail Blazers, 95-92. Raymond Felton and Jamal

Three-year-olds take spotlight at Tampa Bay >>
Oldsmar, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday gets solidly onto the Kentucky Derby trail with the running of the $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes. The 32nd edition of the 1 1/16-mile race has attracted a field of 11 three- year-ol

Cubs avoid arbitration with Garza >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs avoided arbitration with Matt Garza on Friday, signing the starter to a one-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the Chicago Tribune reported the settlement to be for

U.S. men to face Canada in June friendly >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The U.S. men's national team will be renewing its rivalry with Canada on June 3 when the two sides meet up at BMO Field in Toronto for a friendly. The game will be part of the Centenary celebrations fo

Wizards visit ACC to take on Raptors >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors try to avoid a third straight loss this evening when they welcome the woeful Washington Wizards north of the border to the Air Canada Centre. With star forward Andrea Bargnani sidelined with a calf inj

Nuggets entertain Lakers at Pepsi Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets shoot for a two-day sweep of Los Angeles when they welcome a Lakers team that has struggled on the road this season to the Rocky Mountains. The Nuggets were in the City of Angels on Thursday and summari

MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker
Since opening in 1997, MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker has been a leader in Internet wagering, providing single account access for sports and casino play. This sportsbook has a revolutionary payment method, Direct Bank Transfer, gives players a faster and more secure transaction option for both deposits and withdrawals. This Internet Sportsbook takes pride in offering an aggressive VIP rewards program, along with seasonal reduced juice specials and high parlay payout odds. MySportsbook.com has set new standards in the sports betting industry, from their fantastic customer service, industry leading bonuses, extensive selection of wager types and props, to the fastest payouts anywhere... MySportsbook.com is America's Sportsbook! Open an account today at MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker, or call toll-free 1-866-238-6648

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Master Card needs.