Crazy Lou

With relatively manageable matches ahead of them, both Roger Federer and Venus Williams are in search of another Wimbledon Championship.

If American sports history has proven anything, it is that the masses love to root for the little guy, the choo-choo train with the engine that never could, the underdog with odds stacked against them, the one person nobody expects to succeed.

It is their determination not to fail, not to falter in the face of adversity, the will to prevail when faced with a man or woman much greater in talent than themselves that shapes the entire backbone of American sports.

As we are more than halfway through the Super Bowl of tennis, the Wimbledon Championship, betting boards in Las Vegas are illuminated by quarter-finals odds from both the ATP and WTA tennis draw. Sorry America, the dogs aren’t barking.

WTA
Venus Williams vs. Agnieszka Radwanska
Venus leads the series 3-1 having won the last 3 encounters, with Radwanska’s lone victory against the American occurring back in 2006 at the Luxembourg tournament when Venus was battling injury. About the only positive Radwanska could draw from is the fact that in March of 2009 she snatched a set against Venus on hard court at the Miami Premier event, that is the only set she has taken from Venus in the last 3 matches.

I absolutely love Agnieszka Radwanskas game, she plays a different style of tennis than most ladies on tour, she has very little power with which to work with and makes up for it with her excellent court coverage, defense, and tennis IQ. She is a player that doesn’t seem to suffer from the same chemical imbalance most ladies on tour do, she isn’t going to gift matches away with unforced errors, isn’t going to hit the panic button should she drop serve. However, her one weak point is the fact that she has no answer for a player with Venus’ skill. I was tempted to say the word ‘power’, but the fact is Radwanska is more than capable of holding her own against heavy hitters, but she has historically done better against the likes of the Petrovas and Wozniackis. The reason for this is these players, while having dominating powerful groundstrokes, often times are deficient in the intangibles department, frequently not making key adjustments to utilize their power.

Venus Williams doesn’t have that problem. She is a master at harnessing her power on grass, and is capable of blowing out the best in the world from wire to wire , as evidenced today in her 6-1 0-1 rout over Ana Ivanovic, dominating her so much that the Serb retired in defeat.

The tennis enthusiast in me wants to say Radwanska is worth a shot at these incredible odds, but the tennis handicapper knows better.

The pick: Venus Williams -655

Other WTA picks include: Dinara Safina -202, Francesca Schiavone +271, Serena Williams -286.

ATP
Roger Federer vs. Ivo Karlovic
Federer leads the series 8-1, but it should be stated that out of those 9 matches there were 12 tiebreaks, the only time the two met on the Grand Slam level was back Wimbledon 2004 where Roger won in straight sets which included two tiebreakers.

The only time Karlovic defeated Federer was back in July of 2008, a month after Rafael Nadal had shocked the world and surpassed Federer by defeating him in the five-set thriller at Wimbledon and snatching the #1 ranking away from the Swiss in the process. It should be stated that Federer was not playing anywhere close to his best at that time, the match included two tiebreakers and the final score-line read Ivo Karlovic 76 46 76.

Federer is nonetheless -775 in a match which again figures to be decided largely by who outplays the other in the tiebreakers. Karlovic rifled down 35 aces in his 4 set win over Fernando Verdasco, won 73% behind his first ball and committed 33 unforced errors. He also was no slouch on the return having had 6 break point opportunities, although he had capitalized off only one. Karlovic in years past has had a reputation of a one-trick pony,  a 6ft 10 Croatian that has the best serve on tour, but is often not prudent on the return with his big clumsy stature and lack of touch. Karlovic has obviously spent an immense amount of time working on his game, as he loves rushing into the net and trying to end each rally with one huge approach. He has incredible wingspan and has also improved his match fitness, having developed a reputation of an early exit on the Grand Slam level as he had up to this point never advanced past the 3rd round. It was believed that his lack of endurance hampered his ability to win best of 5 matches, as opposed to the non Grand Slam tournaments where each match is best of 3.

I can tell you right now, the value is NOT on Roger Federer in this match, even though I like his chances to get it done in 4 or 5 sets. He is my pick to win the championship, but I simply can’t justify laying $775 to win $100 in a match where it is reasonable to believe going in there will be two if not more tiebreakers involved.

Federer was impressive in his straight sets dismissal of Robin Soderling, hammering 23 aces and winning 67% behind his first ball. He had only 8 unforced errors the entire match which is quite impressive, he gave Robin only 2 break point opportunities but neither were taken advantage of by the Swede. Federer got in some much needed tiebreaker practice as he defeated Soderling 64 76 76.

Just to put into perspective how good Roger Federer is, even if Karlovic has his best serving game of the tournament, rifles down 50 aces, gives away only one break point opportunity to Federer, I still have to favor the superior skill, decision making, and big game experience of Roger Federer and do like him to break Karlovic whenever possible. Alternatively, I also like Roger to win this match even if we see only tiebreakers. Whereas if you place the shoe on the other foot, I do not think Karlovic has two ways of winning this match. He will either serve his way into the Semi Finals or he will go home, either way it is off his racket and he has no exit strategy if his serve is not clicking. He likely will not break Federer in this match and most certainly is not skilled enough of a returner to hang in there for the real pressure building points.

The pick: No value, but if I had to, I’d take Federer to win 3-1 and 3-2 at the best sportsbook odds possible.

Other ATP picks include: Andy Roddick -242, Tommy Haas +210, and a lean on Andy Murray depending what the odds come out as against JC Ferrero.

Stop on by the tennis betting subforum to chat with fellow handicappers!

Though Rafael Nadal is missing from Wimbledon this year, it doesn't mean that Roger Federer will have an easy time going for his sixth title at the premier tennis event.

Roger Federer has a very realistic chance at regaining the No. 1 ranking in 2009 without having to defeat his arch rival Rafael Nadal. To Fed’s credit, he did best the Spaniard in straight sets at the Madrid masters event leading up to Roland Garros. The significance of that victory was minimized some as Nadal was coming off a marathon 2-hour match against Novak Djokovic in the semis, but the oddsmakers saw fit to lower Federer’s French Open odds from +1150 to +500.

You can't win if you don't play. SBR Contest Calendar is a click away.

In case you have stopped by SBR forum in the past two months you would know that I picked Federer to win his first ever French Open at +1150. The victory does not improve Federer’s chances at securing a sixth Wimbledon crown, but does figure to elevate his already confident mindset headed into Wimbledon.

Nadal pulls out of Wimbledon
As a tennis handicapper my heart sank a little when Rafael Nadal withdrew his name from Wimbledon ’09. You might think that it is counter intuitive for any Federer backer to lament Nadal’s absence, but not I.

Oddsmakers were quick to adjust for Nadal’s absence and re-priced Federer at -115 chalk, and Andy Murray was shifted from a +400 dog to +260. There was incredible value to be had in both of those bets, and it was quickly sucked dry by the absence of the prolific Spaniard. In reality, Nadal even at full strength would have had his hands full in Andy Murray’s side of the draw, but he commands an incredible amount of respect by the betting public and oddsmakers react accordingly.

There will be those that look to chip away at a potential Federer victory here with Rafa’s absence, but part of the game is conditioning, training, and adopting a sustainable style of play that will allow you to stay in the game long-term. Rafael Nadal has not done all three of those things, because even at 22 years of age he plays the most physically taxing style of tennis I have ever witnessed- he’s now starting to feel the effects of just that. Roger Federer, Andy Murray, whoever ultimately wins the 2009 Wimbledon Championship will have earned the title of champion, no asterisk required.

Gentlemen’s singles draw
The 14-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer has a relatively favorable draw for the second straight Grand Slam. It should be noted that Federer withdrew from the Halle warm-up event due to exhaustion from the rollercoaster at Roland Garros. This is noteworthy because the only time Federer missed the Germany event in his career he went on to win the 2007 Wimbledon championship.

Roger is seeded at #1 with the removal of Nadal; on his half of the draw are names like Fernando Verdasco, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Ivo Karlovic and Robin Soderling (the man responsible for Nadal’s first ever defeat at RG and Federer’s first ever title). The Swiss does not figure to have any troubles reaching his 21st straight Grand Slam semi-final where he would likely square off against Fernando Verdasco. From there, I would expect Federer to win in 4 sets against the talented but wildly inconsistent 25 year old Spaniard.

Federer vs Murray
It would certainly not come close to matching the hype or history from last year’s dream match of Federer vs Nadal in their 5-set finals extravaganza, but Andy Murray is the one guy that has the ability to spoil the party. The 22 year old Scot has defeated Federer 4 of their last 5 meetings and boasts a 6-2 lifetime record against the 14 time Grand Slam champ. However, it should be noted that one of those Federer victories against Murray were at the US Open Finals, undoubtedly the biggest match the two have had. The score-line for that US Open Finals amounted to a straight set victory for Federer.

Since that time, Andy Murray has polished his game and even captured his first title on grass preparing for Wimbledon. One of the biggest improvements to Murray’s game has been his mental poise, his ability to keep cool and calm under pressure, he will need to tap into that reservoir for everything it’s worth if he is to usurp the Wimbledon crown from Federer.

In the end, wise man once said experience trumps all. If a wise man didn’t actually say that, I’m going to coin it right now, speaking of coins I will be investing some myself on Federer to snatch his 15th Grand Slam Title and eclipse Pete Sampras once and for all.

The pick: Federer -115

Will Serena Williams capture a fourth Aussie Open Grand Slam title, or will world #1 Jelena Jankovic stand in her way? There are plenty of swings coming as we approach the quarter finals.

It’s been a wild and wacky affair at the 2009 Aussie Open. We’ve seen one of the top seeds in Venus Williams fall early at the hands of 21-year-old world #46 Carla Suarez Navarro. Navarro made a name for herself blasting on the scene of the French Open last year, making it to the quarter finals where she fell to Jelena Jankovic.

It’s been a quiet stretch for Navarro since then, and just as the hype was beginning to die down about the “next” young Spanish superstar, she came through in mammoth proportions eliminating the 7-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams. Whilst we certainly can appreciate the awe inspiring victory, it’s been no secret that Venus’ Wimbledon pedigree has not transferred over Down Under, as aside from a lone finals loss Venus has not enjoyed the same success in Australia that sister Serena has.

We also saw former World #1 Ana Ivanovic eliminated by Alisa Kleybanova. Ivanovic had opened as an overwhelming -658 favorite in the match and closed about -325. The movement perhaps indicative that Ana is indeed a shadow of her former self, no longer the dominant pro we saw last year hoisting the French Open title in victory.

These days it’s not all about the Williams sisters, though. In case you haven’t heard, there’s a new girl on the scene who happens to be world #1 Jelena Jankovic. Jelena has achieved the top rank in the world without ever having won a Grand Slam, something that Serena Williams has gone on record voicing her displeasure for. You might remember Jelena from her loss to Serena in the finals of the US Open last year, and for her semifinals loss in the French Open to Ivanovic.

Jelena plays more tournaments year round than most other women do, with nine WTA titles at just 23 years of age, but she’ll be the first to tell you she’d trade all nine of those to finally win the big one. The sexy Serb has spent much of this last year working on her upper body definition, as she’s more chiseled than we’ve ever seen her.

Endurance has posed a problem for Jelena at times, so her time in the gym figures to pay dividends as the world #1 will need to rely on every bit of strength her 5-9 frame can dish out as she’s tested down the stretch. Is now her time to solidify herself as World #1, or will it be a Williams sister to lift a Grand Slam trophy for the third consecutive Slam?

Another wild card we have in the mix is Elena Dementieva, arguably the second best player aside from the aforementioned Jankovic to never win a Grand Slam event. Elena is undefeated to start the 2009 campaign, with impressive pre-slam wins over the likes of Dinara Safina and Serena Williams. Dementieva seems to have put the injury bug behind her, as she’s obviously been playing some exceptional tennis thus far.

Elena’s known vulnerability is her service games, so it will be interesting to see how she fairs from the R16 on as her serve will undoubtedly be pushed to the limit.

While it is never easy to win a match in a Grand Slam event, Elena figures to advance past Dominikia Cibulkova with ease in the Round of 16, and will then be slated to face the winner of Carla Suarez Navarro and Anabel Medina Garrigues, another match she ‘should’ have no problem with.

If the above scenario plays out as predicted, this means Elena Dementieva is headed on a collision course with the previously mentioned Serena Williams in the semi-finals round. World #1 Jelena Jankovic controls her own destiny on the other side of the draw, with a R16 match up with Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli, the other side of her draw includes Nadia Petrova, Vera Zvonera, Dinara Safina, Alize Cornet, Jelena Dokic and Alisa Kleybanova.

It seems apparent to me that we’ll be looking at a Jankovic vs Williams or Dementieva final, which should be one of the most exciting women’s tennis finals in recent memory. Remember to get the best numbers you can, and good luck approaching Quarter Finals betting and beyond. You can always come join the fun at SBR’s tennis handicapping forum to sound off with other likeminded tennis bettors.

From a field that began 128 strong, poster rjt721 proved his capping mettle to be crowned the champion with a super 8-4 (+3.90 units) run in the championship.

After several intense weeks of handicapping action, the smoke has cleared and SBR forum poster rjt721 is crowned champion. He is the last man standing of a field that topped out at 128 entries, a record-setting number of contestants with an equally big prize pool ($3250+).

In addition to our congratulations to the champ rjt721, we would like to extend a warm thank you to every poster who participated in this event, and a great round of applause for our runner-up blittydeuce and our entire ‘Elite Eight’ finishers who each enjoy a taste of the juicy prize-pool pie. In what was the most highly viewed finals match in posting history, it was rjt721 who rose to the occasion and delivered a blockbuster performance in cementing his name in the SBR Forum Hall Of Fame. Both handicappers have been active contributors on the forum, and it couldn’t have worked out better from that perspective. You’d be hard-pressed to find an individual to mutter a bad word about either contestant, which speaks to their character and qualities as forum members.

The road to the finals wasn’t always pretty for both cappers, but each succeeded in showing their fellow SBR forum posters they deserved having their name under the bright lights. At times they breezed through with ease, and other times they put their heads down and really honed in on a slate of games that even world class handicappers like LT Profits, durito, and donjuan struggled with. At the end of the day, these two gentlemen have made a name for themselves and displayed the kind of handicapping skill we were so optimistic this tournament would draw.

They were strategic and aggressive, making it a point to really mix their games up through the course of the tournament and obviously that paid huge dividends. It was clear from the onset that each contestant was intent on playing their hand a little differently, one can only imagine the kind of game-planning that went into this 12-pick showdown.

With that, let’s recap all the action from the SBR 128 Man Handicapping Contest Championship Round!

The final started off with a bang, as blittydeuce looked to gain the upperhand but came up short his first few picks quickly landing himself in a 0-3, -3.35 hole, while rjt721 was licking his lips waiting to dive in on the action himself. It was all business for the consummate pro out of Boston, as he picked his spots masterfully in what is probably the best fundamental display of championship capping we’ve seen on this side of the globe. rjt721 was surgeon-like in slicing his way through this match, at times resembling a great prize fighter ducking and moving, doing just enough to coast through the match with victory in sight. rjt721 did the brunt of his damage with college football and major league baseball, mixing in a barrage of under bets and ultimately sealed the deal with an 8-4, +3.90 to 2-10, -8.43 victory.

Blittydeuce finished up the championship round with an array of Hail Mary soccer selections, but it just wasn’t meant to be as all lost and that was all she wrote in SBR’s 128-Man Handicapping Contest.

The tournament had its ups and downs for both handicappers, I feel that in examining both handicappers body of work one can deduce that these are two skillful players that any sportsbook wouldn’t welcome with open arms. In closing, both individuals have earned the respect of the entire SBR Forum community in staving off 126 other handicappers in what proved to be a turbulent, hard-fought affair where every capper was pushed to the limit.

A thanks to the following sportsbooks for their part in sponsoring this record setting $3250+ prize pool: Bet Jamaica, Bookmaker, Bet Online, CaribSports, 5Dimes. Last, but certainly not least we’d like to give a final shout out to the “Elite Eight” who clawed their ways to the winners circle: rjt721, blittydeuce, EaglesPhan3, Dwaechte, Cabo, Bmw530i, Fixxer, Sharktank1. None of this could’ve been possible without your participation, and also for the 120 others in helping make this turnout a success!

We look forward to the next tournament, and for our readers out there we hope that you’ll join in the fun next time You can expect the same incredible prizes and as enjoyable a time, now get out of here and beat your bookies!

 

 

The SBR 128-Man Handicapping Contest has come down to this, posters blittydeuce and rjt721 going head-to-head for all the marbles and the bragging rights that come with them.

After weeks of intense handicapping action, the field of 128 has been trimmed down to the final two! The championship round is upon us! Major props to SBR forum posters rjt721 and blittydeuce, the last men standing in what proved to be an all out war among the most respected and feared handicappers in the forum world.

In was a tournament of upsets with high profile handles biting the dust early, both cappers proved their grit and determination in staving off elimination several times and proving that they do indeed deserve to be here. It wasn’t always easy, but these two posters have earned their name under the bright lights and with that let’s take a few moments to recap their road to the Championship!

Blittydeuce squared off against SBR forum poster dwaechte in one Final 4 showdown, starting by nailing two of his first three 3 picks while his opponent struggled out of the gate early unable to find his footing. Blittydeuce has shown an uncanny ability to cap Major League Baseball, trying his hand at some soccer throughout the tournament as well. It was the football weekend however that allowed blittydeuce to drive the nail in the coffin, as dwaechte simply had no answer for the overwhelming display of variety and skill he faced.

Dwaechte caught some bad breaks, but ultimately it was just blittydeuce's day as there was no let up in what was a fairly straight forward victory to the tune of 4-4-2 -1.21 units compared to 2-7 -6.22 units. Dwaechte had enough class to avoid taking a shot on a huge moneyline underdog with his final play, and conceded defeat. An excellent showing and in-the-money finish for the up-and-coming handicapper out of Ontario.

Blittydeuce comes off this match feeling in form; he hasn’t struggled throughout this tournament and has sort of relished being the underdog in the minds of many. The talk of the tournament was LT Profits, Donjuan, Durito, veterans that were sizable chalk going in, but it was handicappers like blittydeuce that saw an opportunity to make a name for themselves and capitalized on it. An excellent showing in the Final 4 advances blittydeuce to the championship round!

As exciting as that match was, it takes a backseat to what went down in the other corner of the draw in the match up between SBR forum posters rjt721 and EaglesPhan36. 'Wow' doesnt even sum the match up accurately, but it’d give you a good idea as to the kind of match it was. There were thrills, spills, and just moments that made you wince watching this epic handicapping dual. We’ve seen a lot of high flying and exciting matches thus far in our 128-Man Handicapping Contest, but never have the stakes been this high.

Rjt721 and Eaglesphan36 both started out in a collective rut, so although both were in the negative early things were on somewhat of an even keel. We’ve been so used to seeing one poster start off cold, another just steamroll all tournament long, never have we seen two individuals both start off stuck in the mud quite this bad. Needless to say, after a few picks the standings were rjt721 0-2 -2.08, EaglesPhan36 0-2 -2.00.

It quickly became apparent this was going to be a defensive struggle, like watching the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers clash in a Monday Night Football game in December. Offensive firepower in this match was anything but existent and that’s what made it all the more exciting as for the most part it was anybody’s ballgame.

As the picks progressed we started to see EaglesPhan36 pull away, winning a few picks and getting his record up to 3-6 -3.10, while there was no end to rjt721’s struggles as he had amassed a 2-6-1 -4.55 unit record. Both had one play left to reach their total number of 10 for the Final 4 round, and it seemed probable that EaglesPhan36 would seal the deal. What happened, you ask?

Well, EaglesPhan36’s next pick was Juan Carlos Ferrero +115, a tennis selection, which EaglesPhan36 has made many of throughout the tournament. I know, you’re thinking EaglesPhan36 lost that pick, but he didn’t. That pick won taking EaglesPhan36 to 4-6 -1.95 for the round.

Rjt721 was staring elimination right in the face, and was a mere matter of hours from flat-lining out of this tournament. Rjt721 had made public well before the tournament began that he invested a wager on himself at +6500 at Bet Jamaica - you might remember from previous articles that Bet Jamaica was kind enough to hang lines on SBR’s handicapping challenge, giving various odds to different posters. Rjt721 decided to make things a little more fun and made a wager of $50 at +6500, looking at a $3250 payday should he win the tournament aside from the $3K+ prize pool SBR has set up. So needless to say, it was literally all riding on rjt721’s final pick.

He chose Histon +270, a soccer team many of us North American sports enthusiasts had never heard of. A team that figured to have too much to overcome, symbolic in a way to the notion that rjt721 was about to bow quietly out of the Final Four, never putting up much of a fight. Think again. If you think like that, you just don’t know rjt721. I’m personally not convinced he didn’t have this game circled on his calendar all along, estimating he’d be in a tight match that things would literally come down to the wire in.

Histon scored to end the first half and take the lead 1-0 and rjt721’s heart palpitations went up from there. At any minute, the game could have been tied and rjt721 would have his bags packed and be headed home. Histon held on, and with that, rjt721 delivered a stunning knockout to EaglesPhan36, edging him out narrowly at 3-6-1 -1.84 units, to 4-6 -1.95 units.

Congratulations are in order to EaglesPhan36 for a great showing. One has to wonder if it wasn't karma rearing it’s ugly head after EaglesPhan36 advanced in the last round by hitting a +600 soccer pick with his final selection.

With that, we have rjt721 and blittydeuce set to take off Wednesday morning! Be sure to stop by the SBR Forum handicapping contests forum to follow all the action, and check by MySBR blog for the latest updates and nuggets on the Championship Round!

Stay in touch with the finals at the SBR Forum.

The field of 128 has been whittled down to the Sweet 16 as SBR posters vie for a prize pool worth more than $3,000. Which eight will have the right stuff to move on to the next round?

With 16 handicappers remaining, who will advance one round further and enter the Elite Eight?

We are now down to 16 handicappers out of a starting field of 128. There has been several twists and turns so far, and that figures to continue as we proceed a step closer to the record-setting $3250 prize pool. All that remains in the way of these handicappers and the money in their current opponent.

It’s the ultimate contest of survival, strategy, and a little bit of luck as ultimately without the gambling gods on our side, most of us would be lucky to cover a grossly off-market pointspread. The champagne should be left on ice for now, as there’s still an entire round of handicapping left to do and even those favored to advance still have to make the plays. That being said, these 16 handicappers are a week a way from getting a taste of that prize pool pie, and should be highly motivated to bring their A-game as the competition improves with every round that passes. Who will win it all? Your guess is as good as mine!

Let’s take a minute to review some of the more exciting highlights from Round 3.

Some people believe in saving the best for last, but not me. If this article flops after this one paragraph, it’ll be so worth it, because I can’t wait any longer to talk about what transpired in the donjuan versus gm2022girl matchup. In what was the most highly viewed and talked about match in SBR handicapping contest history, donjuan put on a performance to remember in a 7-1 (+7.68) rout over the up-and-coming gm2022girl. She had a misstep out of the gate, losing her first pick and falling into a -1.40 unit hole. donjuan, the last person in the world you’d want to spot a lead to, quickly capitalized and aced his first two out of three picks.

It didn’t get any easier for gm2022girl as she proceeded to lose her next four out of five picks, placing the ball firmly on the tee for donjuan to blast out of the park like he was standing calmly inside a batting cage. Some say nerves may have played a part in gm2022girl's demise, as several posters had her as their wild card pick to upset donjuan and advance further in the tournament.

donjuan simply would have none of it in what appeared to be somewhat of a statement game for the feared handicapper. Whatever the case may be, donjuan slowly morphed into Roger Federer trouncing a local amateur club player as he nailed his next five out of five picks and finished 7-1 (+7.68) over gm2022girl's 1-7 (-6.49). This keeps alive the hopes of a dream match between donjuan and durito during the Elite Eight; the two posters are best friends and both commonly regarded as the sharper posters around SBRforum.

As memorable and record setting as this match was in terms of fan interest, it may actually raise the bar even further in terms of skillful play. Congratulations to donjuan and also to Gm222girl playing the role of underdog spoiling a few posters' dreams along the way.  A very respectable outing for the up-and-coming poster and one can imagine she’ll only emerge stronger.

Moving right along, there was the topsy-turvy affair between posters ShamsWoof10 and bmw530i.  It started out looking like it would be all ShamsWoof10 as he raced out to a 3-0 (+3.37) lead while bmw530i quickly traveled in the opposite direction dropping a unit and change. There were some pleasantries exchanged, pleasantries being used tongue-in-cheek, as ShamsWoof10 sparked up a mild serving of smack talk while bmw530i began picking college football underdogs. It was all well and good until bmw530i proceeded to nail a 14.40-1 moneyline winner on UNLV, stunning ShamsWoof10 and also knocking the wind out of him at the same time.

The roles were then reversed and it was bmw530i who had the big lead, and with his foot on the gas in the aforementioned smack talk department as he proceeded to give ShamsWoof10 a taste of his own medicine. ShamsWoof10 took it like a champ though, proving that two handicappers can bust each other's chops in a good-natured manner. ShamsWoof10 ended up finishing 4-3 (+1.85), waving the white flag and making only seven picks since he was mathematically unable to advance, as Bmw530i finished 1-7 (+7.40). That lone, excellent call on UNLV was ultimately enough to seal ShamsWoof10’s fate, and although bmw530i could not find a groove in any other picks, that 14.40-1 winner was enough to catapult him into the Sweet Sixteen. Congratulations bmw530i.

We’re out of time folks, but luckily you’re right on time to follow the entire Sweet 16 and all the action therein! A special thanks to Bet Online, Bet Jamaica, Carib Sports, Bookmaker, and 5Dimes for helping make this tremendous prize pool possible. Visit the Handicapping Contests subforum at SBR, or visit MySBR blog for all the latest and greatest thrills and spills in our 128-man Handicaping Contest.

Round 1 went the way of the underdogs with several key upsets, including top-ranked LT Profits who was taken down by Seaborneq.  Do more upsets await in Round 2?

The smell of action is in the air as our Handicapping Contest is underway. Round 1 is officially in the books, and it proved to be the day of upsets indeed with odds on favorite (lines courtesy of BetJamaica) LT Profits falling at the hands of SBR poster Seaborneq.

Seaborneq put together an incredible first round going 6-1 for +5.81 units, edging out LT who many foresaw as the likely champion of this event. LT didn't go down easy, but ultimately it just wasn’t meant to be as Seaborneq finished his incredible first round with a 6-1, +5.81 unit victory over the world class handicapper.

LT finished up Round 1 with a more than respectable 5-2, +3.62 showing, and actually had put himself into a position where he'd have narrowly edged out Seaborneq if he lost his last play.

Seaborneq would have none of it, and hit an MLB underdog like it was nothing to deaden LT in his tracks, and our featured match was over.

Some other memorable moments from Round 1 were SBR poster BeatTheJerk jumping out to a 4-0, +4.65 unit lead, only to have victory snatched away at the last possible moment with LVHerbie hitting a Hail Mary of a play with an 11.25-1 college football underdog. LVHerbie, a prominent, well-respected poster at SBRforum.com didn’t get off to the best of starts in Round 1 but narrowly edged out BeatTheJerk finishing 1-6 for +4.75 units.

One thing to learn from this match, it’s never over until it’s over. BeatTheJerk already had the champagne on ice and perhaps went on cruise control a little too soon after that 4-0 start, as Herbie was 0-4 and all but a few matches away from flat-lining out of this event in the opening round. Hang in there, BeatTheJerk.

As close as that match may have been, it almost takes the backseat to the dramatic showdown between SBR posters Thejrichshow85 and PureGuava. The Jrichshow85 is a flamboyant poster at SBRforum.com, and his match was certainly no different. TheJrichshow85 started Round 1 off as Tom Brady would a football game, and that is simply without flaw. He came firing out of the gates and won his first two plays going up nearly three units compared to the rocky road PureGuava sled down losing his first four plays.

There was no mercy rule in effect as Thejrichshow85 continued to apply the pressure with an onslaught of winners nailing four of his next five picks, totaling his record to 6-1 +5.26 units. Sounds like a one-sided affair, right? Well, stop right there.

PureGuava threw up a number of Hail Mary's, all huge underdogs and seemingly dead money, until he hit one of them. There was the look of concern on Thejrichshow85’s face as we went to the scorecards and he narrowly edged out SBR poster PureGuava. Narrowly doesn’t really do it justice; he literally won 6-1 +5.26 units over 1-6 +5.25 units, a single cent difference to seal the victory. The “Floyd Mayweather Jr.” of SBR lived up to his hype and delivered everything but a knockout punch to poster PureGuava. Good luck in the next round, Thejrichshow85.

Round 2 figures to have all the drama, excitement and fireworks of Round 1 and then some as attitudes, egos, and tempers flare as posters come that much closer to the $3250 prize pool. The five sportsbooks which will dish out the handsome servings to winners are BetOnLine, BetJamaica, Carib Sports, Bookmaker and 5Dimes. With all that being said, the stage is set and the prizes are up for grabs.

There are 64 with a shot, but there will be only one capper left standing when it’s all said and done. It’s a good thing the other places pay out too, but there are bragging rights at stake here and that is why I expect no shortage of smack talk and brow beating within the next few rounds. Normally, that kind of stuff takes away from what we’re all here to do, and that’s discuss sports and gambling.  But given that each poster now has an opportunity to back it up, things will continue to get more interesting with each day that passes throughout this event.

 

For more tournament coverage and to share your comments, visit my MySBR blog or stop by the Handicapping Contests lounge at SBRforum.com.