Turn ‘Dead’ Matches Into Live Money Makers…

Those ‘in the know’ don’t waste their time trying to pick the ‘home, away or draw’ result, they clean up by betting on the number of red and yellow cards that will be earned. Here’s  how it’s done…

Play your Cards right in the Premier League this spring…

History shows that year after year the last weeks of the season
produce far fewer red and yellow cards in the Premier League than any other period. And it’s the ‘dead’ matches that are responsible. You can cash in too, but first check out how ‘card betting’ works…

The bookmakers’ price-up this market for ALL live TV Premier League matches. They use this Bookings Points scoring system:

Yellow Card shown                10 points
Red Card Shown                   25 points
Any player shown 2 Yellows
(followed by an automatic Red)   35 points

Here’s how the Bookings Points totted up in a match between
Blackburn and Arsenal earlier this season…

Blackburn (65 points):
Samba                  Yellow   10 points
Bentley                 Yellow   10 points
Savage                 Yellow   10 points
Nelson  Yellow-Yellow-Red  35 points

Arsenal (40 points):
Clichy                    Yellow   10 points
Flamini                   Yellow   10 points
Da Silva                 Yellow   10 points
Van Persie             Yellow   10 points

Total match Card Score (sometimes called the ‘Make Up’) = 105
points.

If you hand-pick the right games from now until the end of the
season, you can bet with confidence that the Card Score will be a
lot lower than this one, and make an excellent profit for yourself.

So what are those ‘right’ games?

If BOTH of the teams are currently in no danger of suffering the
drop, OR of being able to qualify for a European competition next
season, then you have a real possibility of landing a ‘Low Cards’
bet.

Once you have a suitable game, there is another very important
factor you need to take into account before betting. The Referee.
It’s absolutely true that some refs go for their top pocket far
more than others. There are those who seem to be looking for any excuse to make a booking, and those who bend over backwards not too.

In my Sports Statistician newsletter I keep a note of them all, and
here is our up-to-date list of the ten most lenient Premier League
referees, with the average number of card points they dish out per
game.

Referee           Average Bookings Pts per game
U.Rennie          20.00 per match
L.Probert         25.00 per match
S.Tanner          29.00 per match
M.Halsey         32.94 per match
K.Stroud          34.00 per match
L.Mason          35.00 per match
C.Foy              35.00 per match
H.Webb           35.88 per match
A.Marriner       35.91 per match
M.Riley            38.58 per match

Don’t forget, these averages were earned in hard-fought early and
mid-season games, you can expect the totals to be lower in the end-of-season strolls you are looking for.

It’s always helpful in deciding whether to bet if you know the
match referee in advance.  There is one website that delivers the
information days before the game, the official Premier League site:

www.PremierLeague.com. Look under ‘news’ and then ‘match
previews.’

The sports news site www.SportingLife.com also carries Ref
info, or you can pick up the name of the official on the morning of
the game in ‘The Racing Post.’

If he is one of the lowest 10 listed, and the teams suit, you are
then ready to weigh up your betting options.

Different firms price their ‘Card’ bets in slightly different ways.

Example, a ’2-card middle band’

Under 25 Pts   9/4
25-45              9/4
Over 45          Evens

Example, a ’1-card middle band’
Under 30          2/1
Exactly 30        9/2
Over 30           8/13

Example, ‘No middle band’
Under 40          5/6
40 and Over     5/6

You want the best odds for your ‘low card’ bet, so always check
with as many bookies as possible before putting down your cash. All the High Street and major firms offer odds on Live Games and
there’s plenty of choice.

The recommendation is to always allow the ref a 2-card (20 point) game. Even though the teams may seem well-behaved sorts and they have little to play for, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

The card bands ‘Under 25 Pts’ and ‘Under 30 Pts’ are the ones you should look for. You will generally get odds of 9/4 or 2/1 for
these, and you should never accept less than 6/4. Then sit back and enjoy those yawn-making games that bore everyone else rigid!”

Here are some of the leading bookies that offer prices for ‘Cards’
or ‘Bookings Points’ on live Premier League games*:

www.willhill.com
www.paddypower.com
www.bluesq.com
www.bet365.com
www.coral.co.uk
www.betfred.com
www.ladbrokes.com
www.stanjames.com

*The day of the game is the best time to find bets on Cards and
Bookings. Make sure you always get the best odds possible (check out odds.sportsxtra.co.uk).

Note: Some bookies (such as Bet365) offer a ‘Total Cards’ market that works on a slightly different format to ‘Bookings Points’:
Total Cards:
Yellow Card = 1
Red Card = 2
Two Yellows resulting in a Red = 3
(The most one player can get in a game is therefore 3).

For LIVE Premier League results in every betting category - including, Booking Points, Corners, Goals and Scorers and more, go to: www.FootballBettingResults.co.uk

All scores are updated in-play, then when the final whistle goes you can settle you bets with an instant, 100% accurate results service.

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Maradona’s ‘heckle’ of God?

The brilliant Argentinean football star of yesteryear hasn’t
mellowed one little bit – here’s a little news item proving that
even when watching a tennis match Diego is still crazy after all
these years…

Italian tennis player Potito Starace has lambasted former idol
Diego Maradona for insulting him during his quarter-final loss to
Argentina’s David Nalbandian in the Buenos Aires Open.

The soccer great Maradona was supporting his compatriot
Nalbandian from the stands but Starace, a fan of Maradona’s former team Napoli, was appalled by his conduct.

“Maradona insulted me as soon as the match began,” Starace told
Italy’s Radio Kiss Kiss on Saturday. “Diego made me lose my head, I went to the umpire and I said to him: ‘Either you throw him out or I’ll go bash a racket in his teeth’.”

World number 35 Starace became increasingly irate during his 4-6 7-6 6-4 defeat.

“I have always been a big fan of Napoli and Maradona and before the match I told journalists I would like to meet him. But I was very disappointed by his behaviour,” he said.“I know that at the end of the match he came down to the dressing rooms but I had already left because I was very angry.”

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Yours in sport,

Matt Nesbitt