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Early Tournament Strategies

Allen Cunningham

July 30th, 2008

Many players’ first exposure to poker comes from watching WSOP and WPT tournaments on TV, and I think that’s great. It’s entertaining and you’ll see some interesting plays, but viewers have to understand that they shouldn’t model their games based on the action they see on TV.
Why? The answer is simple – what you’re seeing is unrealistic and edited for television. Players in these televised tournaments often start with very deep stacks (sometimes 10,000 chips or more) and, most of the time, all you’ll see on the broadcast is action from the final table where the blinds are high and play is fast. In contrast, the majority of the low buy-in ($1 to $20) tournaments you’ll encounter online usually start with stacks of 1,500 and blinds of 10/20.
Because your approach to the early stages of these tournaments is key to whether you’ll make the final table, the question is, what should your strategy be?
I suggest adopting a simple approach, especially if you’re not a very experienced tournament player. Try not to play too many hands and aim to see a few cheap flops with small/medium pairs if possible because these can provide some the best chances for you to double or even triple up during the first couple of levels. There are many times when you may be able to put in 5% of your stack or less to see a flop and try and hit your set. You’re 7-to-1 to flop a set, but you may be getting 20-to-1 implied odds early on since a flopped set will often be the best hand, and you’ll have a good chance to double up against weaker players who may overplay top pair.
If you are expecting a few callers, you might want to limp with these hands pre-flop. You may also just want to flat call with these hands if there are already a couple of people in for a small raise when the action gets to you. But, if the action is folded to you in late position, you definitely want to raise and take down the blinds. If you want to play conservatively, you can safely throw away small pairs in early position. As I said previously, you don’t want to commit more than about 5% of your stack pre-flop with small and medium pairs (maybe 6% or 7% max), and when you play from early position there’s no guarantee that’s going to happen.
Of course you also want to be playing your monsters like AA and KK, and other hands like QQ, JJ, AK and AQ. Remember early on when stacks are deep, you’re not going to get a lot of action for all of your chips unless you’re up against a pretty strong hand.
There are no concrete rules as to how fast you should try to build your stack in the early going, but the main thing you don’t want to do is go broke by playing too loose. In smaller online tourneys you will either be in the money or close to the money without having to win too many pots if you can just play tight and hang around for a couple of hours. If you speculate too much or take too many coin-flips when you don’t need to early on, chances are that you’ll end up on the rail and miss that opportunity.
Even if you make it to the fourth or fifth level with just a little above starting stack, you’ll usually be in good enough shape to take a run at the money. Remember, getting into the money and beyond is what counts – so learn how to start your tournaments the right way and give yourself the best chance to be the last player standing at the end.
FTOPS IX

Online tournament poker doesn’t get any better than this.
FTOPS IX is bringing you 25 pro-hosted events with a total guaranteed prize pool of more than $15 million, including:

• The $2,500 Two-Day Event on Saturday, August 16th
• The massive $2.5 Million Guarantee Main Event on Sunday, August 17th
• Four other events with at least $1 Million in guaranteed prize money each

It all begins on Wednesday, August 6th, at 21:00 ET with Event #1, a $1 million guaranteed No-Limit Hold ‘em tournament. You can buy in directly to any of our FTOPS events or satellite your way in for as little as $1 or just 50 Full Tilt Points.
See the FTOPS IX Schedule to find your favorite events, and be sure to check out our video highlights of select final tables to see how the action played out.
Don’t miss out on your chance to become our next FTOPS champion – there are more than 15 million reasons to get in on the action today!

Sit & Go Madness

Sit & Go Madness returns this weekend! Play in your favorite Sit & Gos from 16:00 ET (21:00 GMT) on Friday, August 1st to 16:00 ET (21:00 GMT) on Sunday, August 3rd and you could take home your share of more than $75K in cash and prizes. Look for the SNGs in green in the game lobby to get in on the action.
The 48 hours of Sit & Go Madness is divided into 24, two-hour blocks (e.g., 16:00 ET to 18:00 ET, 18:00 ET to 20:00 ET, and so forth) throughout the weekend. There will be a Leaderboard for each of the four groups ($1 to $2 SNGs, $5 to $11 SNGs, $20 to $33 SNGs, and $50 to $110 SNGs) during every time period, with the top seven players in each group getting paid at the end of every two-hour block.
There’ll also be an Overall Leaderboard for the entire weekend, with the top two finishers from each group winning a seat in a $5K Sit & Go Freeroll.
If that’s not enough, for every Sit & Go that you win during the weekend, you’ll get one ticket for the Madness Raffle. We’ll be giving away tournament entries to FTOPS IX and some great gear from the Full Tilt Store. Let the madness begin all over again!

Can Lohse Keep up his Outstanding Season?

MLB Match-Up Friday – Cardinals and Phillies match-up, fighting for playoff lives

by T.J. Kendrick

Philadelphia Philles at St. Louis Cardinals – Friday, August 1 at 8:15 p.m. ET

Philadelphia and St. Louis are both fighting for their playoff lives. Either team could win their respective division, though both might be in direct competition for the Wild Card down the stretch. That makes this a very important series.

Philadelphia snuffed out a three-game losing streak with four straight wins. Offense was the name of the game, as Philly exploded for 32 runs over that run. Chase Utley is already having a fantastic season, mashing 27 homers and 75 RBIs, and it looks like he’s ready to add to those totals in a big way.

Utley gone deep in two straight games and has put together a few impressive home run streaks already this season. This could be part of a longer stretch.

Cole Hamels (9-6) will get the call for Philadelphia. He’ll be looking to redeem himself after a poor showing in a 10-9 loss to the Braves in his last start (giving up six hits, nine runs—though just four were earned—in 3.2 innings of work).

The lefty has been mostly great this season, however, posting a 3.27 ERA. He’s traditionally pitched well against St. Louis. He gave up two runs over seven innings earlier this season, adding to career totals of 2-1 with a 3.81 ERA in five starts.

Kyle Lohse (12-3) is enjoying an equally brilliant season. He’s having a career year with a 3.68 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, although the Cards have lost in each of his last two starts. He was shelled against New York in his last effort, giving up 11 hits and seven runs over five innings.

The right-hander seemingly has no qualms facing a potent Phillies lineup, however. He’s 1-1 with a 1.65 ERA in four career starts, including a sterling effort earlier this season (giving up two runs in eight innings).

St. Louis’ offense may not be as talked-about as Philly’s, but it ranks fifth in NL runs this season and has been excellent during the current three-game winning streak, when it raked opposing pitchers to the tune of 27 runs.

The Cardinals are actually the fifth-highest scoring team in all of Major League Baseball since the All-Star break. Slugger Albert Pujols is punishing his opponents right now. He’s mashing to the tune of three homers and nine RBIs in his last five games.

This should be an entertaining series. The Phils and Cards have split their last 10 games and neither can afford to give up an inch right now. Lohse has feasted on Philadelphia in the past, however, and he’s been great at home (2.79 ERA). St. Louis gets the win.

For more props and odds, visit BetOnline.com. BetOnline.com is a top rated online sportsbook providing reliable sports betting to millions of online betting customers. BetOnline.com also offers MLB football betting, live MLB betting lines, props and futures.

Feds Hound Bodog
Janet Novack and William P. Barrett 07.30.08, 6:35 PM ET

The U.S. government recently seized $24 million from bank accounts linked to Bodog, the giant, illegal-under-U.S.-law Internet gaming operation founded by Canadian tycoon Calvin Ayre.

Federal filings make very clear that a serious criminal investigation of the Bodog enterprise is ongoing. At a minimum, word of the seizures is likely to rattle the confidence of U.S.-based online gamblers that they will receive their winnings, not only from Bodog but from the industry’s other remaining participants.

Detailed in court filings in a Baltimore federal court, the Bodog-related seizures from such well-known institutions as Wachovia, Bank of America, SunTrust Banks and Regions Bank, a unit of Regions Financial, increase the possibility of criminal action against Ayre himself. There already has been published speculation in his native Canada that he is under secret indictment somewhere in the U.S.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Baltimore, which launched the two lawsuits to take the $24 million, did not respond to a request for comment.

The flamboyant Ayre–media reports often call him a “playboy”–is now believed to be in Antigua and Barbuda, a country in the eastern Caribbean. He has denied being on the lam. A request on Wednesday for comment from Ayre, sent through the Web site of his Antigua-based Calvin Ayre Foundation, was not immediately returned. Nor were call and e-mail messages sent to public relations contacts listed on Bodog’s Web site.

In early 2006 Ayre rocketed to international prominence–and the cover of Forbes magazine’ annual issue on the world’s billionaires–for his stewardship from Costa Rica of Bodog Entertainment Group and his open flouting of authorities in the U.S., his major market. The story headline: “Catch Me If You Can.” The operation was said at the time to be handling $7.3 billion yearly in poker, casino and sports event wagers.

But since then, Ayre has been the subject of law-enforcement raids abroad and growing regulatory scrutiny, especially in the U.S. In late 2006 President Bush signed a law strengthening the prohibition on online gambling. Ayre fell off the Forbes worldwide billionaires list after just one year, amid a decline in his industry’s fortunes.

In overall actions against the industry, federal prosecutors in New York have charged executives of Neteller with illegally processing online gaming transactions. This summer, Canada’s ESI Entertainment Systems, an Internet payment business, entered into a “deferred prosecution agreement” with the same prosecutors. The company admitted to criminal wrongdoing and agreed to disgorge $9.1 million in criminal proceeds for its role in processing $2 billion in Internet gambling payments for hundreds of thousands of U.S. customers. Criminal cases have been started against various online gambling shops.

Ayre has been trying to put legal distance between himself and the operation he founded in the 1990s. For years its business was run through Internet servers belonging to Mohawk Internet Technologies, located on the Kahnawake Reserve Indian reservation in Quebec, Canada. In September 2007 Bodog said its North American operations would be licensed to Morris Mohawk Group, also located on the reservation and run by tribal chief Alwyn Morris.

Three months ago, Ayre, now 47, said he had transferred ownership of Bodog itself to Morris Mohawk Group. “It’s true; I’m packing it in,” Ayre wrote on a Web site.

Court filings in Maryland say that in January and February a total of $14.2 million was seized from accounts in the name of JBL Services and Transaction Solutions at Wachovia, Regions Bank, Bank of America and Sun Trust Bank. In July, filings say, another $9.9 million was found in eight accounts at Nevada State Bank, a unit of Zion Bancorporation, in the name of Zaftig Instantly Processed Payments, doing business as ZipPayments.com. The companies are described as helping to facilitate parts of the Bodog operation.

The court papers detail an elaborate international structure put together to allow Bodog to collect money and write checks to winning gamblers in the U.S. One affidavit by Randall S. Carrow, a special agent with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division, said that $248 million involving entities linked to Bodog was processed through Wachovia Bank, from which $11 million of the $24 million was seized.

In a statement to Forbes, Wachovia said the bank cooperated with law enforcement, doesn’t knowingly allow Internet gaming operations to open accounts, and the funds ending up at the bank were in accounts of a third-party credit card servicer. The statement also hinted that various accounts might have been kept open at the request of investigators to aid their efforts.

According to Carrow’s detailed sworn statements, the IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division started looking at Bodog in 2003 and opened a formal probe in 2006. The extensive sleuthing has involved close examination of public and bank records, the enlisting of unnamed cooperating witnesses and informants, and undercover efforts to make bets on football and collect winnings.

Ayre, says Carrow’s statement, is president of Middleton Financial, a Nevada corporation described as a key cog in the U.S. Bodog machinery, as well as Stratham Finance, said to be based in Malta. Other entities linked to Ayre in the court filings are Gateway Financial Services, EBanx Ltd., Gregor Financial Ltd. and Calvtek Industries. The filings list dozens of businesses involved in processing Bodog transactions.

The ongoing federal pressure to disrupt Bodog’s financial transactions may be bearing fruit. Carrow’s affidavits say several checks issued from Bodog to its undercover gambler bounced.

A break in the inquiry came in May, one of Carrow’s affidavits says, when an undercover operative for “another state’s gambling commission” received a check that didn’t bounce from an account at Nevada State Bank, which is headquartered in Las Vegas. That led to the $9.9 million seizure this month. The bank had no immediate comment.

Carrow’s affidavits were filed in connection with the U.S.’s successful efforts to get a federal judge to authorize the seizures. But to keep the money permanently, federal prosecutors must file a civil lawsuit and allow a challenge by anyone with a claimed interest. No one fought the $14.2 million seizure, and it was ordered forfeited to the feds. The lawsuit over the $9.9 million–its official name is United States of America v. $9,869,283.05–was just filed.

Even before the advent of Bodog, Ayre carried considerable baggage. Close family members were convicted of drug trafficking. (Ayer himself was never charged.) In 1996 Ayre was banned for 20 years from the British Columbia securities industry for stock market offenses. By that time, he was already moving into online gaming.

“One of the things that drives me is the excitement that I could fail,” he told Forbes in 2006. “What better buzz can you get?”

Forbes.com

Yankees and Angels Battle in NY starting Thursday

MLB Match-Up Thursday – Yanks try to stop free-fall against red-hot Angels

by T.J. Kendrick

Los Angeles Angels at New York Yankees – Thursday, July 31 at 7:05 p.m. ET

The Yankees recently traded for Pittsburgh outfielder Xavier Nady to bolster their lineup. It was a smart, solid move, but it looks pretty insignificant to what Los Angeles did on Tuesday: trade for Mark Teixeira.

Teixeria bolsters an already impressive-looking World Series run for the Angels (66-40). “Tex” can slug the ball about as well as anyone in Major League Baseball. He already has 20 homers and 78 RBIs this season, certainly on pace to be around his career averages of 34 dingers and 111 ribbies.

Nady, on the other hand, has been a bust so far in New York (59-48). That’s pretty unfair considering he’s had just four games since joining the Yanks, but he’s a pitiful 1/11 since the trade. Nady’s numbers are very superior compared to past seasons. New York has to be wondering whether it bought high and the outfielder is ready for a steep decline.

That’s bad news for the Bronx Bombers, because they need all the hitting they can get right now. The pitching completely imploded over the past three games, all losses. During that stretch the team allowed an unbelievable 29 runs.

Andy Pettitte (12-7) will try to get New York back on track. He got New York its last victory, which was the final one of an eight-game winning streak. Pettitte is having a fine season, posting a 3.76 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.

He’s also been very solid against the Angels. In 22 lifetime starts he’s 12-6 with a 4.02 ERA. That’s great news for the slumping Yankees.

Los Angeles will respond with Jon Garland (9-6). The team has won three of his last four starts, though he got bailed out by the offense in one of them. His 4.30 ERA isn’t exactly impressive and he’s seemingly been lucky more than anything.

He’ll need a little luck against the Yankees, whom he’s struggled against in the past. In nine career starts he’s 3-5 with a 4.26 ERA. That doesn’t seem so bad, but his ERA explodes to a whopping 6.75 in three career starts at Yankee Stadium.

Los Angeles and New York haven’t met up this season. L.A. has mostly prevailed lately, winning six of their past 10 meetings. Throw in the fact that the Angels are 11-2 since the All-Star break (and New York’s pitching is tanking) and it smells like another victory for Los Angeles.

For more props and odds, visit BetOnline.com. BetOnline.com is a top rated online sportsbook providing reliable sports betting to millions of online betting customers. BetOnline.com also offers MLB football betting, live MLB betting lines, props and futures.

Mark Teixeira

by T.J. Kendrick

Los Angeles Angels at Boston Red Sox – Wednesday, July 30 at 7:05 p.m. ET

If the regular season ended today, the Angels (65-40) would likely be World Series favorites. They’ve torn through Major League Baseball in July, going 15-6 thanks to solid efforts in all phases of the game.

After ranking near the bottom third in American League run scoring all season, the offense has suddenly come alive. The Angels have scored the second-most runs in July, averaging about six per outing. Torii Hunter has been a big part of that, hitting .315 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 20 games this month.

The staff has been extremely solid this season, posting a 3.90 team ERA. Joe Saunders (13-5) has been a big part of that. Los Angeles has won three of its last four games started by Saunders. The young righty has been extremely consistent this season, allowing him to put up a 3.10 ERA.

That’s bad news for Boston. Even worse news? Saunders pitches very well against the Red Sox, even on the road. He’s notched a 3-0 record and 2.87 ERA in five career starts against Boston, including two wins and a sparkling 2.63 ERA in two starts at Fenway Park.

Boston (61-46) needs to get its act in gear before it blows a playoff spot. It’s certainly not time to panic, but the Yankees are suddenly in the mix and the Devil Rays still own the AL East division lead. The Red Sox have won just four of 10 since the All-Star break.

Their hitting has been awful during that stretch, producing just 39 runs and a .251 batting average. David Ortiz just returned from the disabled list and has been good (7/16, one HR, four RBIs in four games) but it hasn’t been enough to propel the offense.

At least Boston is turning to ace Josh Beckett (9-7) on Wednesday. Beckett hasn’t been as sharp as he was last season, but he’s been good nonetheless, posting a 3.83 ERA and 119 strike outs in 127 innings.

He’s lost his last two starts, though it wasn’t entirely his fault (he lost his last outing 1-0). He’s been reliable against the Angels throughout his career, though, going 2-1 with a 2.73 ERA in five career starts.

Boston needs a to go on a bit of a run, but it might be tough sledding against Los Angeles. The Angels have won six of their past 10 games against the Sox, including a three-game sweep a few weeks ago. Considering how these teams are playing, a likely scenario will follow Wednesday night. The Angels get another win.

For more props and odds, visit BetOnline.com. BetOnline.com is a top rated online sportsbook providing reliable sports betting to millions of online betting customers. BetOnline.com also offers MLB football betting, live MLB betting lines, props and futures.

Team Bodog Poker Players in the Spotlight on ESPN’s WSOP* Broadcast

Team Bodog player Grant Hinkle and pros David Williams and Justin Bonomo will be featured the next two weeks during ESPN’s final table coverage of the 2008 World Series of Poker*

For Immediate Release
July 29, 2008
From the moment the first cards were dealt at the 2008 World Series of Poker* to the final days of the Main Event, Team Bodog enjoyed a terrific run this summer in Las Vegas. And tonight, poker fans will be able to see one of Bodog’s very own capture the ultimate prize, a WSOP* bracelet, when ESPN airs its coverage of Event No. 2 ($1,500 buy-in No Limit Holdem). The two-hour, final table coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET.
During tonight’s ESPN broadcast, viewers will witness Team Bodog player Grant Hinkle, a 27-year-old marketing manager from Kansas City, Mo., bust a talented final table featuring poker legend Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, young gun Theo Tran and tournament ace David Bach. Along with his impressive victory in an event that drew 3,929 players, the largest non-Main Event field in WSOP* history, Hinkle took home a life-changing $831,462.

Hinkle’s early bracelet win proved to be momentous for Team Bodog. Just a day later, the team was back in the spotlight with Bodog pros David Williams and Justin Bonomo seated side by side at the final table for Event No. 4 ($5,000 buy-in Mixed Holdem). With an all-pro final nine, including 2008 WSOP* Player of the Year Erick Lindgren, this will be one to watch when it airs on ESPN on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 8 p.m. ET.
Like Williams and Bonomo, Team Bodog pros Jean-Robert Bellande and Evelyn Ng also found great success at the tables this summer. In the final tournament before the Main Event, Bellande racked up a second place finish to pocket $173,564 and Ng saw herself cashing in two events this summer including an impressive deep run in the Main Event. All together, Team Bodog pros and qualifiers walked away with a combined total of $1,629,767 in winnings from the World Series in Las Vegas.
“We are extremely proud of our Team Bodog pros and qualifiers for their successes at this year’s World Series,” said Morris Mohawk Gaming Group CEO Alwyn Morris. “The WSOP* has been very good to Bodog players for several years now, including a Main Event win in 2006 and a number of bracelet titles. We expect to see even more success at the WSOP Europe this September and across the globe at WPT, EPT and APT events throughout the year.”
Regardless of how they fared at the tables, no Team Bodog qualifer walked away empty-handed as everyone donning the black and red of Bodog was treated to an unparalleled VIP experience the moment they touched down in Las Vegas. From an exclusive party at The Palms Hardwood Fantasy Suite filled to the rim with Bodog Girls to private helicopter excursions to the Grand Canyon and an adrenaline-filled day at the racetrack driving high-performance Corvettes, Bodog’s WSOP qualifiers experienced Las Vegas like no one else – in total Bodog style.
The World Series in Las Vegas is just one of a number of tournaments held around the world that poker players can win seats to for as little as $1 at Bodog every week. From the Asian Poker Tour in Macau this August, to the WSOP Europe in London this September and WPT events across North America, Bodog’s Player’s Choice packages give winners the chance to compete for millions of dollars while experiencing some of the most exciting and exotic locations in the world as only Team Bodog members do.
For more details on how to qualify for these packages visit http://poker.bodoglife.com/tournaments/overview.html.
For more on the Bodog World Series experience in Las Vegas, visit http://poker.bodoglife.com/tournaments/world-series-vegas.html.
About Morris Mohawk Gaming Group
The Morris Mohawk Gaming Group (www.morrismohawk.com) is located in the territory of Kahnawake just outside Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission to offer gaming services from Kahnawake to users worldwide. The Antiguan-based Bodog has entered into a license agreement with the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group to allow this group to use various elements of the Bodog brand within North America to support the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group’s marketing activities. Morris Mohawk Gaming Group is led by Olympic Gold medalist, Order of Canada recipient and First Nations’ leader Alwyn Morris. For more information, contact Media Relations at pr@morrismohawk.com.
About Bodog
Bodog has its head office, and is licensed in, the Caribbean nation of Antigua. The Bodog group of companies (www.bodoglife.com) offer a host of entertainment services, including online gaming, which includes Poker, Casino and a suite of other world-class gaming products. Bodog does not offer “for money” gaming services within North America. For more information, contact Media Relations at pr@bodoglife.com.
*World Series of Poker and WSOP are trademarks of Harrah’s License Company, LLC (”Harrah’s”). Harrah’s does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with, Morris Mohawk Gaming Group, Bodog or any of their products, services, promotions or tournaments.

Blue Jays Ace Roy Halladay

by T.J. Kendrick

Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays – Tuesday, July 29 at 7:07 p.m. ET

The Rays (61-43) will turn to Matt Garza on Tuesday to help the team gain some momentum; the team is barely clinging to the AL East division lead. Tampa Bay has won six of its last 10 games, a run most consider pretty solid. Still, considering it follows a seven-game losing streak, a prolonged winning streak would be much appreciated by Tampa fans.

Garza (8-6) has shown lots of promise this season. The youngster has a solid 3.83 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, though he’s been inconsistent as of late. The Rays have lost three of his last four starts, including a rough outing against Kansas City a few days ago.

Despite being a little all over the map recently―Garza has given up zero, three, seven, zero and four runs in his past five starts, respectively―he’s enjoyed immense success against Toronto this season. In two starts, the righty has given up just one run in 14.1 innings of work (though he earned a loss in one of those games thanks to a poor bullpen performance).

He’ll need to be at his best with a subpar offense behind him. The Rays haven’t been great at scoring runs all year and they’re really struggling in July, producing just 3.6 runs per game this month.

Emerging superstar Evan Longoria is doing his part, however. The rookie has mashed this season, amassing 19 homers. He’s had a fine run lately, hitting .314 in 10 games while clubbing three dingers and eight RBIs.

He even hit a grand slam last week against Toronto’s starter, Roy Halladay. The Blue Jays (53-52) are hoping their ace can continue a nice little run lately. The team won five straight last week after losing to Seattle on Sunday.

Halladay (12-7) is making a run at the Cy Young award. He’s among league leaders in wins (tied for fourth), ERA (third at 2.82), strike outs (third with 133), WHIP (third at 1.04) and innings pitched (first with 159.1). Toronto has picked up wins in four of his last five starts, including a victory over Baltimore last week (he gave up one run in seven innings).

The right-hander has struggled against Tampa Bay this season, however. He’s 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA in two starts. That’s well off his career marks of 9-6 with a 3.90 ERA in 25 appearances. He hasn’t had much run support against the Rays this season, so perhaps the offense can help out.

That might be a tough task for Toronto. The lineup has struggled all season, showing very little pop and frequently hitting into double plays. There have been signs of life in July―the Jays are seventh in scoring this month―but it’s hard to believe things will magically turn around at mid-season.

Halladay is the superior pitcher, but the Rays seem to have his number this season. Considering Garza’s great success against the Blue Jays this season and a Tampa Bay win makes sense.

For more props and odds, visit BetOnline.com. BetOnline.com is a top rated online sportsbook providing reliable sports betting to millions of online betting customers. BetOnline.com also offers MLB football betting, live MLB betting lines, props and futures.

 Bodog is giving online players the chance to freeroll their way to APT Macau and compete for share of its $1.5 million guaranteed prize

For Immediate Release
July 23, 2008
Bodog Poker is once again giving its online poker players the chance to freeroll their way to poker stardom and riches while traveling to exotic locations in total Bodog style. The Asian Poker Tour event in Macau, held Aug. 26-31, is guaranteeing $1.5 million in prize money, and Bodog Poker is now running freeroll qualifier tournaments where the winner receives entry to the APT Macau plus an all-expenses paid trip to the exciting gaming destination situated along the Pearl River Delta in China.
The freeroll tournaments are scheduled four times daily throughout the month of July. The top 25 finishers per qualifier move onto the APT Macau Seat Giveaway Finale on Saturday, Aug. 2, with the top prize being an $8,000 prize package that includes the event’s $5,300 buy-in, round trip flight, spending money and a six-night stay at the luxurious Galaxy StarWorld Hotel & Casino located in the heart of Macau.

“With the World Series in Las Vegas all but over, it is time for online poker players to head east—the Far East that is—for a shot at scoring big, and Bodog Poker is excited to give players the chance to win their way into this major tournament without spending a dime,” said Morris Mohawk Gaming Group CEO Alwyn Morris. “We’re sending a team of players to the APT Macau in total Bodog style and one of them will be freerolling their way there to compete for a share of its $1.5 million guaranteed prize pool.”
In addition to the APT Macau Seat Giveaway freeroll qualifiers, online poker players can also play for one of three $8,000 APT Macau VIP Prize Packages that Bodog is awarding in qualifiers held through Aug. 3. Players can work their way up from the “cheap seats,” build tournament credits for other qualifiers, blast through a Turbo Quarterfinal or two, or skip the line and buy directly into one of the $300 + $20 buy-in Semifinal events held over the next three Sundays at 3:15 p.m.
The APT Macau is just one of a number of tournaments held around the world that poker players can qualify for through Bodog every week. From the World Series event in London this September to tournaments across Europe, Asia and North America, Bodog’s Player’s Choice packages give winners the chance to compete for millions of dollars while experiencing some of the most exciting and exotic locations in the world as only Team Bodog members do.

For more details on Bodog’s APT Macau Seat Giveaway and qualifiers, visit

About Morris Mohawk Gaming Group
The Morris Mohawk Gaming Group (www.morrismohawk.com ) is located in the territory of Kahnawake just outside Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission to offer gaming services from Kahnawake to users worldwide. The Antiguan-based Bodog has entered into a license agreement with the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group to allow this group to use various elements of the Bodog brand within North America to support the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group’s marketing activities. Morris Mohawk Gaming Group is led by Olympic Gold medalist, Order of Canada recipient and First Nations’ leader Alwyn Morris. For more information, contact Media Relations at pr@morrismohawk.com.
About Bodog
Bodog has its head office, and is licensed in, the Caribbean nation of Antigua. The Bodog group of companies (www.bodoglife.com ) offer a host of entertainment services, including online gaming, which includes Poker, Casino and a suite of other world-class gaming products. Bodog does not offer “for money” gaming services within North America. For more information, contact Media Relations at pr@bodoglife.com.

MLB Baseball All Star Game: Changes should Come after Epic Battle
July 17, 2008

By:  Dirty — GamblingIQ.com

The All Star Break in Major League Baseball was one to Remember this year all the way around. Who could ask for anything better? You had three things that should make this the last In-Season All Star Game in Major League Baseball History.

• You had the game being played at the most recognized and celebrated Stadium in the History of all sports, Yankee Stadium.  It is the Shrine’s last year of being an active ball park before the Yankees move across the street into the new $1.2 billion Yankee Stadium. The old one will be turned into a Monument park and Museum and still host some amateur games the last I heard. I am just grateful they are not putting the wrecking ball to it like happens to most old stadiums.  This was a perfect game, in the perfect setting for the Last All Star game to be held in Yankee Stadium.

• Josh Hamilton hitting 28 homers in the first Round. Some of them made you think Zeus, the ancient Greek God,  had been reincarnated and was bringing thunder and lighting with him.  He hit one completely out of Yankee Stadium and ended with 35 total homeruns. Sure he didn’t win the competition as he had worn himself out with his God like feats in round one. Anyone watching could tell this kid who has battled back from self inflicted drug problems, and being out of baseball 3 years, was having the time of his life. He was feeding off the atmosphere and truly relished every moment.  He would go from signing autographs between pitches to hitting 500′ blasts into the Gotham night.   You got the feeling that this kid was Superman on this particular night.  This young man should be a role model for any young player growing up today. He plays the game the right way, he appreciates what he has, and he is genuinely a great guy. Josh Hamilton battled back from the dredges of the drug culture and has proven that anyone can become a success with hard work and the right attitude.

• Before the game the Stage was set with the unveiling of the All Time All Star Game team. It was very emotional and electric to see the stars of yesteryear. “The Boss” George Steinbrenner even made an appearance.  The All Star Game Itself was a Instant Classic. The American League won an epic battle that seemed like it was going to last forever.  It was like a boxing Match in the Rocky movies, but the heavy hitting was done by the pitching and defense of each team.  The American League extended its winning streak to 12 straight with a Sac fly in the bottom of the 15th.  You could feel each teams intesity growing throughout the game and by the 4th inning you got the feeling that these guys were here to play baseball and not put on an exhibition that was no fun to watch. Sadly the past 15 or so All Star games were nothing more than Big league players in their Uniforms acting like they were playing whiffel ball in their back yard.  Not in this game. You could feel the excitement every inning. You could see the excitement, and the agony, on the players faces on almost every play.  You had guys sliding hard into bases, trying to take catchers out, and you had pitchers working on 2 days rest that had thrown 100 pitches the game before.  This was a throwback to the All Star Games to yesteryear.

Now lets get to the Changes I think Should be Made. You could have not written a better script to end something than what took place on Monday and Tuesday in The Bronx.  Let the in season All Star Game end on a high note like it deserves.  Now lets do something drastic. Lets end it and make it a 7 game series after the World Series is over. There are many reason to do this and Here are my thoughts

1. You get rid of the silliest thing in sports — Letting the Home team in the World Series be determined in a what is usuall nothing more than a scrimmage.
2. You will get home field Advantage going back to how it should be. Either rotate it every year, or let the team with the best record have it..
3. You still have an All Star break to honor the guys in the Mid Summer Classic.  You have a first half All Star Team and a Full Season All Star Team. The one in July can still be had like always. Only difference is you will Honor the guys who had a great first half of the season. You have the Homerun Derb, the Celebrity Softball game, etc on Monday. Then on Tuesday you have a Old Timers game like they used to have all the time and then you have a Rookies Vs. Sophmores in a “Future Stars” game that lasts 7 innings. You can also throw in a skills challenge, a Father and Son/Daughter Softball game, or anything the players want to have. It is their 3 day break.  To increase fan interaction let so many lucky fans come down to the field and try to hit or strike out their favorite Super Star.  Have a make a wish foundation bring in some kids with severe illnesses come in and spend some time with their Favorite player. Just make it where it is fun and relaxing and the guys get a 3 day break from the daily grind of a 162 game schedule.  You would get all the players and their families there even if they were injured for a fun and relaxing time.
4. 4. Full Season All Star Series would be held after the World Series.  Voting would be done like it is now but wouldn’t start until August 1 and would end the last day of the regular season.  Our Stars are already going to Japan and other countries to play in Exhibition games, why not let them do it here in America for the fans that pay their salaires and support their teams.   The games would be played in warm weather cities or in domes.  The Fans would turn out and you would get a sweet TV deal to air the games during the week to fill the void on no Midweek football at that point.  The stars would be more apt to play as they would not be as worried about getting injured and ruining their 2nd half of the season. Teams would let their stars play for the same reason. Pitchers could make more than a token appearance.  You could add spots to the roster so more players from the lesser teams could make it.  If you are a Royals fan you could see your guy play a good bit instead of pinch hit.   

I could keep on and will maybe if I get some good feedback on this idea. I believe it would go along way in bridging the gap between baseball and the fans that have been alienated by the Strike, Steroids, and that idiot Bud Selig ruining the game we love as an owner acting like a Commisioner.

Lets get America’s Pastime back to where it belongs…… A Fan Favorite and something we enjoy watching and talking about and as far away from all the black eyes the sport has suffered the past 15 years.

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