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**StarDust Bum** · 04-07-2011, 03:00 AM

MLB Betting Preview: Astros, Cincinnati Reds conclude set

The Astros finish their season-opening road trip on Thursday in Cincinnati.
The baseball season isn’t even a week old and already the Cincinnati Reds have served notice they are the team to beat again in the National League Central Division.

The Reds are off to their best start since they won the World Series in 1990. Cincinnati had outscored its opponents 31-13 in opening 4-0.

The Houston Astros also have made a statement in losing their first four games while getting blown out three times: They are going to be bad again.

Houston opened 0-8 last year on its way to losing 34 of 51 games during April and May.

The Astros turn to Brett Myers on Thursday to get back on track against a Cincinnati club that is 20-7 in its last 27 home games through this past Tuesday. Game time is 9:35 a.m. PT. It’s the third and final game of the series.

The Reds are going with Sam LeCure, who is the team’s temporary No. 5 starter having moved into the rotation after Homer Bailey was put on the disabled list with a shoulder injury.

The starting pitching matchup definitely favors Houston with Myers, but it’s been real tough to go against the Reds so far.

Cincinnati led the National League in most offensive categories last year and the Reds are right up their so far this year ranking first in homers and runs. It’s not surprising since the Reds retained virtually their entire team from last season.

It’s worth noting, too, the Reds have drawn 18 walks during their first four games. They finished 10th in the National League in bases on balls in 2010.

The Reds made the playoffs for the first time in 15 years last year in large part by going 49-30 versus NL Central foes, posting a winning record against every division opponent except St. Louis.

Cincinnati opened this season sweeping Milwaukee at home averaging 7.7 runs per game, hitting .350 with a .641 slugging percentage in winning all three games.

Myers gave Houston a quality start in the Astros’ opening game, a 5-4 road loss to Roy Halladay and Philadelphia this past Friday. Myers gave ‘dog bettors hope against Halladay, a 240 favorite, by holding the Phillies to one earned run on three hits and three walks in seven innings.

Unfortunately for Myers, who came out of the game holding a 1.29 ERA, closer Brandon Lyons blew the game for the Astros.

Myers, a 30-year-old right-hander, has been highly reliable pitching at least six innings in 33 consecutive starts. He was 14-8 last year with a 3.14 ERA and had 180 strikeouts.

Myers is 3-3 career-wise versus Cincinnati with a 4.14 ERA. That’s a lot better than how the Astros have fared against the Reds having lost 20 of the past 27 meetings through Game 1 of the series. This includes a 2-12 mark in Cincinnati.

LeCure made the big leagues for the first time last year. The 26-year-old right-hander had a 2-5 mark with a 4.50 ERA in 48 innings. LeCure has thrown seven career innings against the Astros and has a 1-0 mark and a 2.57 ERA to show for it along with six strikeouts.

Houston is 27-61 in its last 88 road contests when facing a right-hander. The Astros have managed only 13 runs in their first four games batting a puny .215 during this span. New second baseman Bill Hall has managed only one hit in his first 15 at bats.

The ‘over’ has cashed during 12 of the last 17 times when the Astros have faced a right-hander on the road. The ‘over’ also has cashed during Houston’s past five road matchups.

Veteran umpire Jim Reynolds will have the plate on Thursday, his second assignment this season. He worked last Saturday's game in Washington, a 6-3 Nats win against the Braves that went 'over' the 7½-run total. The 'over' held an 18-10-1 advantage in Reynolds' plate assignments last season.

Cloudy skies with an increased chance of rain during the late afternoon is in the Cincinnati forecast for Thursday. The Astros return home after this contest for their home opener Friday against the Marlins. The Reds will travel to Arizona on Friday where they begin a seven-game swing out west that includes a four-game series in San Diego.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-07-2011, 03:03 AM

Trail Blazers visit Utah Jazz on NBA betting slate

The National Basketball Association’s regular season is quickly coming to a close, but there is still some time to improve or maintain playoff positioning.

Portland (45-33 straight up, 40-35-3 against the spread) currently resides in sixth place in the Western Conference standings. It seems highly unlikely that the Trail Blazers will catch Denver, but they must really worry about New Orleans and Memphis overtaking them in the standings.

Utah (37-41 SU, 32-44-2 ATS) is playing out the string to a disappointing season, but can still play a spoiler roll down the stretch. TNT will provide coverage of Thursday’s tilt beginning at 7:30 p.m. (PT) from EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City. The game follows the Boston, Chicago matchup on the same network.

Portland was riding a two-game SU and ATS winning streak before Tuesday’s inexplicable home loss to Golden State as 10-point ‘chalk,’ 108-87. The combined 195 points failed to topple the 203-point closing total. The Trail Blazers did secure a playoff berth despite the setback when Houston lost at Sacramento.

Portland was outscored in the second half, 61-40, and finished the contest trailing the Warriors in rebounding, 46-40, while delivering more assists, 19-16. The Trail Blazers shot 41 percent (34-of-83) from the field, and a dismal 14 percent (3-of-21) from behind the arc.

Power forward LaMarcus Aldridge posted 17 points and 12 rebounds in the loss, while guard Wesley Matthews provided 17. Small forward Nicolas Batum scored 15 points in the defeat, while point guard Andre Miller had 12.

Utah had dropped eight games in a row SU and four consecutive contests ATS before surprising the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday as a 13 ½-point road underdog, 86-85. The combined 171 points failed to eclipse the 193-point closing total, helping the ‘under’ improve to 7-1 the previous eight outings.

The Jazz finished the contest with advantages in rebounding, 52-49, assists, 20-19, and fast break points, 22-16. Utah shot 40 percent (34-of-85) from the field, and 39 percent (5-of-13) from 3-point land.

Rookie forward Gordon Hayward paced the offense with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists, while power forward Paul Millsap had 22 and seven. Forward Derrick Favors had 14 and 11 in the victory, while center Al Jefferson provided 11 and 11.

Portland is 2-1 SU and ATS this season against Utah, winning Dec. 27 as a 7 ½-point road underdog, 96-91, and Dec. 30 as a one-point home ‘chalk,’ 100-89. The Jazz prevailed Nov. 20 as a 3 ½-point road ‘dog, 103-94. The favorite is 10-3 ATS the last 13 games in this series, while the ‘over’ is 7-2 the previous nine encounters.

Portland center Marcus Camby (neck injury) is ‘questionable’ versus the Jazz. Utah guard Devin Harris (hamstring) and forward C.J. Miles (ankle) are ‘probable’ against the Trail Blazers, while centers Francisco Elson (knee) and Kyrylo Fesenko (thumb) are ‘questionable.’ Guard Raja Bell (foot) and forward Andrei Kirilenko (knee) are ‘doubtful’ for this matchup.

Portland concludes its regular season with a two-game homestand against the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis followed by a road trip to Golden State. Utah has a two-game road trip against San Antonio and New Orleans before concluding its season with a home game against Denver.

The Jazz have struggled to an 8-20 ATS ledger their last 28 home games. Utah has seen the ‘over’ go 36-15 its previous 51 outings against Northwest Division opponents.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-07-2011, 03:04 AM

NBA Betting: Chicago Bulls look to bury Celtics

The Chicago Bulls look to severely damage the Boston Celtics’ conference hopes when they meet Thursday night in the Windy City.

TNT will have the 5 p.m. (PT) broadcast from the United Center, right before the only other Thursday game of Portland at Utah.

Chicago (57-20 straight-up, 46-29-2 against the spread) tops Boston and Miami by three games each for the Eastern Conference lead. All three teams have just five games left, so a Bulls win would almost eliminate any Boston chance of overtaking them.

Chicago’s last game was a 97-94 home win over Phoenix on Tuesday. Joakim Noah (ankle) returned after missing three games and Carlos Boozer played despite battling an illness. Both scored 12 points and Derrick Rose had a team-high 19 as he continues his ascension towards league-MVP.

Phoenix trailed by 22 points in the third quarter, but kept cutting down the lead until it was two points late in the fourth. Chicago failed to ‘cover’ as 11-point favorites and is 0-3 ATS in its last three, despite winning all three (four-game winning streak overall).

The 191 combined points scored went ‘under’ the 203 ½-point total. The ‘over’ was 8-1 in Chicago’s previous nine games.

Chicago is 34-5 SU at home, tied with San Antonio for the NBA’s best mark. The Bulls are 23-14-2 ATS at home overall, but 0-4 ATS in their last four.

The Celtics (54-23 SU, 36-39-2 ATS) are trying to right the ship and head into the playoffs playing good basketball. They also want to at least finish ahead of Miami for second in the conference.

Boston has won and ‘covered’ its last two games over Detroit (101-90) and Philadelphia (99-82). Both were at home with the Philly game on Tuesday. The team is 13-9 SU and 9-13 ATS since trading Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City for Nenad Krstic and Jeff Green.

Coach Doc Rivers still has a big issue at center. Krstic (knee) played 18 minutes off the bench last game after missing two contests. He had a solid eight points and six rebounds, but was struggling before his injury.

Jermaine and Shaquille O’Neal are the other center options. Jermaine has started the last two games, but is playing limited minutes after coming off his knee injury. Shaq (calf) has played a grand total of five minutes since Feb. 1 and is listed as doubtful for Thursday.

It has to be hard for Boston to see Perkins doing so well in Oklahoma City, especially with the title window closing real fast for veterans Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

The Celtics are 23-15 SU and 18-20 ATS on the road this year. They went 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS on a recent four-game trip.

The home team is 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS in games between Boston and Chicago this year. The Bulls won their only one at home, 90-79 as two-point ‘chalk’ on January 8. Noah and Garnett both missed that contest, which easily went ‘under’ the 187-point total.

The ’under’ is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings in Chicago overall.

Noah presents a lot of problems for Boston on the boards with his quickness and hustle as neither Jermaine O’Neal nor Krstic can keep up with him. This is always a great matchup too between point guards Rose and Rajon Rondo. Rose has the strength advantage and had 36 points in the home win.

Chicago is not reporting any significant injuries, while Boston only has the Shaq situation.

Both teams return to the hardwood on Friday night. Boston is home versus Washington, while Chicago is at Cleveland.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-07-2011, 03:05 AM

NHL Odds: Dallas Stars take on Avalanche

Colorado has won the two previous matchups with Dallas this season.
The Dallas Stars will attempt to keep their flickering playoff hopes alive Thursday night when they host the Colorado Avalanche in the front end of a home-and-home series that concludes Friday in Colorado.

Thursday’s opening faceoff takes place at 5:30 p.m. from Dallas’ American Airlines Center.

Dallas seemed to be hopelessly out of the playoff race last week when it was in the midst of a six-game losing skid. However, two straight victories have enabled the Stars to move within two points of Chicago and Anaheim for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

The latest success occurred Tuesday when Dallas blanked Columbus 3-0 as a hefty 215 home favorite. Though the win lifted the Stars’ home ledger to 21-11-3-5, they are just 3-5 in their last eight home dates.

The combined three goals dipped below the 5 ½-goal closing total, leaving the ‘under’ 13-5-2 in Dallas’ last 20 home endeavors and 41-36-2 overall.

Steve Ott scored a power-play goal, while Loui Eriksson and Brendan Morrow added empty-net markers to lead the Dallas offense.

Kari Lehtonen, who has now started between the pipes in 20 consecutive games, made 23 saves for his third shutout of the season. Lehtonen is now 32-23-4-7 with a 2.54 GAA and .916 save percentage.

Dallas is scoring and allowing an average of 2.7 goals per game. The offensive mark ranks 19th, while the defensive statistic ranks 15th. The Stars are 15th on the power play (17.7 percent) and 24th on the penalty kill (80.2 percent).

Colorado is just playing out the string after dropping six of its last seven games. That includes Tuesday’s 3-1 loss against St. Louis as a 195 road underdog. The setback lowered Colorado’s road record to a grim 14-22-3-1.

Though the combined four goals slithered ‘under’ the NHL odds, the ‘over’ is still 48-30-1 in the Avs’ first 79 overall efforts.

Colorado has now scored two goals or less in four of its last six games and has yielded three goals or more in eight of its last 10 contests.

Most of Colorado’s problems this season have occurred on the defensive end where the club ranks last by allowing an average of 3.5 goals per game.

Peter Budaj has been between the pipes for most of Colorado’s defensive woes. As a result, Budaj is 14-20-4-0 with a bloated 3.21 GAA and a dismal .895 save percentage.

Surprisingly, Colorado has defeated Dallas in both meetings this season. However, both matchups occurred in November when the Avs were playing fairly good hockey.

The first meeting (Nov. 6), saw the Avs blank the Stars 5-0 as 135 home favorites. The combined five goals slipped ‘under’ the 5 ½-goal closing total.

Two weeks later (Nov. 20), the Avs needed a shootout session to edge the Stars 4-3 as 150 road underdogs. The combined seven goals catapulted ‘over’ the 5 ½-goal closing total, leaving the ‘over’ 15-5 in the last 20 series meetings at Dallas.

Colorado has outshot Dallas 71-60 during the two meetings, with the Avs going 2-for-7 on the power play and the Stars going 1-for-8.

The Don Best Sports injury report lists Dallas right winger Adam Burish as “questionable” with a lower body injury. Colorado has defensemen Adam Foote (ankle) and Cameron Gaunce (hand) also listed as “questionable.”

After Friday’s game against the Stars, Colorado’s season will mercifully end Sunday with a home game against Edmonton. Dallas will conclude its regular campaign with a road contest at Minnesota.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-07-2011, 03:06 AM

Phil Mickelson tops PGA betting odds at Augusta

Phil Mickelson finds himself in a rare position as the favorite at the 2011 Masters Tournament that begins Thursday from famed Augusta National Golf Club.

Tiger Woods has been the favorite every year since 1997 when he blew away the field for his first title. Woods was the heavy plus 350 ‘chalk’ last year despite playing for the first time after his worldwide scandal that ultimately led to a divorce with wife Elin Nordgren.

Mickelson went on to win last year with a minus 16 score and is the current favorite at Bookmaker.com (6/1). The once dominant Woods is plus 950.

Woods and Mickelson have combined to win seven of the last 14 Green Jackets, the former having the slight advantage (4-3). However, Woods hasn’t won here since 2005, while ‘Lefty’ has been victorious twice in that span.

Mickelson comes into this tourney with momentum. He won last week’s Houston Open by shooting a 63 and 65 in the final two rounds. It was his first win since last year’s Masters and zoomed him up to third in the world rankings. He will start late on Thursday with only one group going after.

Woods hasn’t won in 19 months, getting shutout last year. His last major was the 2008 U.S. Open and before his knee surgery. He has clearly lost the aura where other golfers are afraid of him, with Ian Poulter the latest to openly mock his chances this week.

Woods finished tied for fourth (minus 11) at August last year, not a bad showing given his prior travails. He then finished tied for fourth at the U.S. Open before doing significantly worse at the British Open (tied for 23rd) and PGA Championship (tied for 28th).

It’s hard to believe Woods is now 35-years-old. He needs to prove his new swing is in working order as well as deal with the mental hurdle that grows bigger with each defeat.

Other Americans in the mix

While Woods and Mickelson are getting most of the publicity, there’s a whole group of other Americans ready to challenge.

Nick Watney (plus 1500), Dustin Johnson (plus 2000), Hunter Mahan (plus 2500), Matt Kuchar (plus 2800), Bubba Watson (plus 2800) and Anthony Kim (plus 3000) are all looking for their first major title.

The California native Watney is the favorite of the group and third overall. He finished seventh here last year, but won the WGC Championship at Doral last month and has four top-9 finishes this year alone. He also led the PGA Championship last year heading into the final round, but shot a horrible 81 to drop into a tie for 18th.

Kim finished third at The Masters last year (minus 12), while Mahan was tied for eighth (minus seven).

Europeans look to breakthrough

Europeans hold five of the top-6 spots in the world rankings. They are Martin Kaymer (No. 1), Lee Westwood (No. 2), Luke Donald (No. 4), Graeme McDowell (No. 5) and Paul Casey (No. 6).

McDowell won the U.S. Open last year, becoming the first European to do so since Tony Jacklin in 1970. Kaymer won the PGA Championship last year as well, following up Padraig Harrington’s effort in 2008.

A European winning the Masters for the first time since Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999 would be another sign of dominance. Westwood (plus 1600), Rory McIlroy (plus 2000), Donald (plus 2200), Kaymer (plus 2200), Justin Rose (plus 2500), Casey (plus 3500), McDowell (plus 4000) and Harrington (plus 4000) are the continent odds leaders.

Westwood had a one-shot lead heading into the final round of The Masters last year, but bogeyed on the first hole and shot a final-day 71 to finish three shots back (minus 13) of Mickelson in second place.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-07-2011, 03:14 AM

Thursday, April 7

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Boston - 12:05 PM ET Boston -174 500
Cleveland - Over 8.5 500

Houston - 12:35 PM ET Cincinnati -139 500
Cincinnati - Over 8.5 500

Oakland - 12:37 PM ET Oakland +108 500
Toronto - Under 8 500

Minnesota - 1:05 PM ET Minnesota +132 500
NY Yankees - Over 9.5 500

Colorado - 1:35 PM ET Pittsburgh -107 500
Pittsburgh - Over 8.5 500

Atlanta - 1:40 PM ET Milwaukee -101 500
Milwaukee - Under 8 500

Tampa Bay - 2:10 PM ET Chi. White Sox -111 500
Chi. White Sox - Over 8.5 500

NY Mets - 3:05 PM ET NY Mets +182 500
Philadelphia - Over 7.5 500

Detroit - 7:05 PM ET Baltimore -147 500
Baltimore - Under 9.5 500

Washington - 7:10 PM ET Washington +175 500
Florida - Under 7.5 500

**StarDust Bum** · 04-07-2011, 03:25 AM

Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls (-4.5, 179)

Boston and Chicago are set to do battle on Thursday night in a potential preview of the upcoming Eastern Conference finals. The Bulls have the inside track on the No. 1 seed and they are three games clear of the Celtics and Heat.

These two teams have faced each other three times this season, with Boston leading the head-to-head series 2-1. After winning a pair of home games in November and December, the Celtics fell at Chicago 90-79 on Jan. 8. They’ll have to do a better job on the glass against one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA. Boston actually won the boards battle by 10 on Dec. 3, but the Bulls dominated 43-31 in rebounds on Nov. 5 and 48-27 on Jan. 8.

PLAYOFF PREVIEW

The Celtics (54-23, 36-39-2 ATS) are coming off another potential playoff preview, as they went up against Philadelphia at home on Tuesday and hammered the Sixers 99-82. Boston featured a balanced scoring attack and shot 52.6 percent from the floor while limiting its opponents to 39.3 percent shooting.

“We’re not going to play those guys [the Bulls and Heat] in the first round,” Rajon Rondo told the Boston Globe afterward. “Tonight was a good test for us. (The Sixers) might be a first-round team and we did a good job making a little statement as far as it’s going to be difficult to beat us in a seven-game series.”

How about just one game? That’s what Chicago (57-20, 46-29-2 ATS) will be looking to do on Thursday, but the visitors probably won’t have a backer in Philadelphia head coach Doug Collins.

“We ran up against a team that played probably as well as they’ve played in a long time,” Collins told the Globe after Tuesday’s loss.

The Celtics, furthermore, are the healthiest they have been in a while. Although Shaquille O’Neal will almost certainly miss the game with a calf strain, the team is used to playing without him (Shaq has missed 22 of Boston’s last 23).

TRENDING TOPICS

The Celtics are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games.

The Bulls are 0-4 ATS in their last four home games and 1-4 ATS in their last five overall.

The under is 8-2 in Boston’s last 10 road contests and 12-3 in its last 15 overall. However, the over is 8-2 in Chicago’s last 10 overall.

Head-to-head, the Bulls are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings with the Celtics and the under is 9-3 in the last 12 at the United Center.

Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz (N/A)

Portland and Utah will be going head-to-head for the fourth time this season when they collide on Thursday night. The Jazz went on the road to win 103-94 back on Nov. 11, but the Trail Blazers got revenge twice in December; 96-91 at Utah and 100-89 at home three days later.

Interestingly, Portland’s Brandon Roy missed all three games. Knee injuries have kept him out for two extended stretches during this campaign, and both coincided with contests against Utah. Roy is good to go now the Jazz will get their first look at him on Thursday.

At the same time, though, they will have to do a better job focusing on the Trail Blazers’ LaMarcus Aldridge. The 6-foot-11 power forward is averaging 25.7 in his three outings versus Utah and also pulled down 11 boards in the first showdown.

TRAIL TO THE PLAYOFFS

Portland (45-33, 40-35-3 ATS) got blown out 108-87 at home by Golden State on Tuesday, but it still clinched a playoff spot by virtue of Houston’s loss to Sacramento.

Nonetheless, the Trail Blazers have no reason to sandbag it throughout the remainder of the regular season. They stand in sixth place (which would likely pit them against Dallas in Round 1) but are just one game ahead of eighth-place Memphis, meaning a first-round series against either the Spurs or Lakers is real possibility.

“It's a big concern when you lose,” point guard Andre Miller told OregonLive.com. “We don't want to throw away games, especially at this point when you're trying to position for a playoff spot.”

ALL THAT JAZZ

Which Jazz team will show up on Thursday? That’s a tough call.

Will it be the one that has stumbled through most of the season and had lost eight in a row prior to Tuesday, or will it be the one that just went into the Staples Center and stunned the Western Conference-leading Lakers?

Sample size suggests it will be the former, and the injury report indicates the same. Raja Bell (foot), Kyrylo Fesenko (thumb) Devin Harris (hamstring), and Andrei Kirilenko (knee) are all questionable for Thursday’s clash. All four players have missed at least two straight games.

That is not good news for Utah (37-41, 32-44-2 ATS), who’ll miss Mehmet Okur (back, out for season) and Ronnie Price (calf, out indefinitely).

TRENDING TOPICS

The Trail Blazers are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with losing SU records.

The Jazz are 5-20-1 ATS in their last 26 outings against teams with winning SU records and 1-4 ATS in their last five overall.

The under is 4-0 in Utah’s last four against the Western Conference and 5-0 in its last five overall.

Head-to-head, the over is 7-2 in the last nine meetings between the two teams and the home team is 13-5 ATS in the last 18 encounters. The Trail Blazers are 1-5 ATS in their last six trips to Utah.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-07-2011, 03:27 AM

How to bet golf: Wagering options at the Masters

Rule No. 1 to successfully betting golf – don’t worry about picking the winner of the tournament. The odds are against you.

There are 99 golfers in this year’s field at the Masters. Jeff Sherman, Nevada’s premier golf oddsmaker, has listed 80 of them with odds to win the tournament. Phil Mickelson, the defending champion, is a +650 favorite (13-2), followed by Tiger Woods at +900 (9-1). The remaining 19 golfers are grouped in the Field at +1,200 (12-1).

Sherman, a manager at the Las Vegas Hilton sportsbook, estimates 80 percent of the total amount wagered on the Masters will be placed on the odds to win the tournament. That amount is made up of what Sherman considers public money from novice bettors who simply want to put $20 on their favorite golfer.

The other 20 percent of the handle is divided up between head-to-head matchups and proposition wagers.

“The sharp golf bettor, traditionally, doesn’t look at the odds to win the tournament,” Sherman explained. “They look at the head-to-head matchups, where their guy only has to beat one guy, not the whole field.”

Mickelson and Woods have combined to win seven of the last 14 Masters. But other winners during that stretch include Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman and Zach Johnson. Those three aren’t exactly no names, but each of them was considered a longshot. Cabrera won in 2009 at 125-1. Immelman was 150-1 when he won in 2008, and Johnson won in 2007 as a 125-1 dark horse.

Mickelson has emerged as the clear-cut favorite this week, thanks to his impressive three-shot victory on Sunday at the Shell Houston Open. But most believe this field is as wide open as it’s been since Woods joined the Tour. Good luck to those of you attempting to pick the winner.

The best golf bet: Head-to-head matchups

The head-to-head matchups pair two golfers, each with a betting price. The object is to pick which golfer will finish with the better score for the tournament. For example, at Bodog.com, Mickelson and Woods are paired with Mickelson a -150 favorite to finish the tournament with a better total score than Woods, who is a +115 underdog. If Lefty finishes the tournament at 4-under, and Woods at 3-under, Mickelson backers would win.

Individual matchups also are available on a round-by-round basis, with only the score of that particular round deciding the winner.

Sherman uses a wide array of factors in determining the prices for the head-to-head matchups, but the biggest three are:

1. Current form: How has the golfer been playing recently and overall this season? “You want to see how a guy is playing coming in,” said Sherman. “There are a lot of good, young golfers who have had stellar starts to the season that are seeing a lot of support, like [Matt] Kuchar, [Luke] Donald and Nick Watney. Because they’ve had such great starts to the year, that’s who a lot of people are betting.”

2. Past form at the course: “At the same time, you want to make sure a guy can play the course,” said Sherman. “Even if you got a guy who’s playing well, but has never done well at a particular course and misses the cut all the time, that’s going to factor into your handicapping.”

3. Statistics: “I’d say you have to look closely at putting statistics next, especially for a course, like Augusta,” said Sherman.

Kevin Na, who is in the Masters field, leads the PGA in fewest putts per round at 27.47, followed by Rickie Fowler (27.55) and Nick Watney (27.65). Mickelson is tied for 18th.

Matt Fargo, a professional handicapper and golf specialist for Covers Experts, agrees with Sherman and focuses on current and pass form when looking for value in the head-to-head matchups.

“With the event being played at Augusta every year, looking at successful players in the past is vital. Granted bookmakers know this when setting lines, but we can often find edges that make it possible to pick the value side,” said Fargo. “Recent play is also a big factor as hot and cold players tend to carry those runs into the Masters.”

Prop Bets

You can find all types of proposition bets on the major tournaments. For the Masters, odds on who will be the top Australian, Asian or European golfer and what region the winner will come from are available at the Irish sportsbook PaddyPower.

More commonly, you can bet on the over/under of the winning score and the lowest round of the tournament. Adjusted prices on players finishing in the top five also are available. But Fargo advises caution when tackling prop bets.

“I stay away from props,” Fargo said. “They are there for the books to get added action, and they are usually tough bets. Unless there is something available that the person has heavy knowledge or inside insight, my advice is to stay away.”

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