Author: Pat

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I’m going a little off topic today…

I always write about MMA betting, but I’m a gambler at heart and betting on March Madness is one of my favorite past times.  March Madness kicks off this Thursday, and if you like excitement and gambling, this is one of the biggest days of the year!

Here are a few of my best tips for betting on March Madness in 2010.

1. Where To Bet on March Madness

You can always bet with a neighborhood bookie, but I prefer to bet online.  When it comes to March Madness, my favorite betting site would have to be Bodog.  Bodog has tons and tons of props on the games in addition to all the regular spreads.

Out of all the online sportsbooks, I think they offer the best odds and they also have a really nice sign up bonuses which gets you some free money!  If you’re looking for  place to bet on March Madness, I highly recommend checking out Bodog now…

2. Look For The Value In The Underdogs (And A Few Favorites)

This is my big “secret” to making good money betting on underdogs…

In the first round, I see a few nice picks that I think offer a ton of value.

• Baylor -11 over Sam Houston State

I made a bunch of money betting on Baylor this season, and I really think they are VERY undervalued in this game.  I think this line should be 4-5 points higher, so getting Baylor at -11 is a hell of a steal for me.

• Murray State +3 over Vanderbilt

Murray State is getting no love from the “experts” in this tourney, and I don’t like it.  Murray St. covered a lot of spreads this year, and I think a lot of people are overvaluing Vanderbilt in this spot.  Good spot for Murray St.

• Temple -4 over Cornell

Temple is a VERY solid team, that consistently performs and gives other teams trouble.  Temple is one of my sleepers for going deep in the tourney, and I think they handle Cornell by 8+ points…

Those are my big picks in the opening round.  Now let me get to a big tip that a lot of guys ignore…

3.  Stay Away From Teasers

Teasers work in the NFL, but in college basketball they are a nightmare.  Honestly I can’t think of a worse time to do a teaser than in the tournament.  Anything can happen in March Madness, so a teaser isn’t going to help you much.

Those are my tips for betting on this year’s March Madness tourney.  If you’re looking for a sportsbook to bet at, I highly recommend checking out Bodog, that’s where Ill be making my bets.

Part 1

Part 2

205 lbs:  Brandon Vera vs.  Jon Jones

Odds: (+190 Vera / -240 Jones )

The main event of the evening pits two of the UFC’s most dynamic light heavyweights against each other other in Brandon “The Truth” Vera and Jon “Bones” Jones.  This is an interesting fight, in that Jones in almost the exact position Vera was in two years ago, a tremendous athlete with a ton of hype behind him.  Vera’s hype cooled off, but he is still a dangerous fighter, so Jones is going to have to have the best performance of his career if he wants to keep his tremendous momentum

Vera, a Muay Thai expert who also has a very underrated jiu-jitsu game, was considered one of the top young fighters in UFC a few years ago.  After a contract dispute, a layoff, and a string of uninspired performances, a lot of that hype has died down, but Vera proved in his last fight against Randy Couture, a decision loss of the most questionable sort, that he is a dangerous, rugged fighter with a versatile skill set.    Vera will enter this fight with a definite technical edge in the standup game, and almost definitely better submissions.

Jon Jones is almost ridiculously athletic, but what makes him so special is how he puts all the aspects of his game together.  Arguably his best attribute is his punching power, but equally impressive is the way that he combines wrestling and judo to take guys down, and to stop takedowns, from every conceivable position.  Although he has looked pretty much unstoppable up to this point, it’s important to note that Vera is a huge step up in competition, especially in terms of striking prowess.  Not only has Jones never faced a striker as good as Vera, Vera can do vicious damage in the clinch, a position Jones has relied on to control his opponents.

Jon Jones is an extremely dangerous fighter who definitely belongs at the top of the Light Heavyweight division, but I think that Vera is a really bad matchup for him.  Vera proved against Couture, one of the best clinch fighters of all time, that he had what it took to play the clinch game with anyone, and Jon Jones is no exception.  In the striking exchanges, Vera will beat Jones to the punch and close distance, and probably rough him up on the inside.  Expect Jones to have a lot of offense as well, but I don’t think he can control and overwhelm Vera, who has a lot of experience fighting much larger and stronger opponents, long enough or effectively enough to put him away.  Vera by UD

Prediction: Brandon “The Truth” Vera via unanimous decision.

• Bet on the UnderDog Brandon Vera at +190 for the Win.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

265 lbs: Junior dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Odds: (-290 Dos Santos / +230 Gonzaga )

In the co-main event of the evening, hot prospect Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos will look to prove that he belongs in the title picture with Mir and Velasquez against a tough gatekeeper in Gabriel Gonzaga. Gonzaga has excellent grappling and has proven that he can stand and slug with the big boys, but Dos Santos has looked absolutely monstrous in the standup so far, so this is an interesting matchup.

Junior dos Santos, a product of Team Noguiera, arrived on the UFC scene with a bang, easily blasting out highly regarded contender Fabricio Werdum. He has been on a roll since then, dispatching Stefan Struve, Mirko Cro Cop, and Gilbert Yvel in his next three appearances. On the feet, dos Santos is a monster, with awesome boxing and muay thai and a load of power. The question is how well his ground game will hold up. Early in his career, he looked extremely shaky on the mat, and since then his striking has been good enough that his jiu-jitsu has not been sorely tested, something Gonzaga is more than capable of doing.

Gonzaga is a very accomplished grappler, but you would hardly know it from watching his fights. Despite his grappling prowess, he prefers to rely on his huge, heavy punching to beat his opponents down. He has proven that he can dole out serious punishment in the standup, but it has also backfired on him in the form of some spectacular knockout losses. There is no question that Gonzaga is better than dos Santos on the ground, the question is whether or not he will try to take the fight down or be content to stand and slug with his opponent as he has for most of his UFC career.

Considering dos Santos’ relative inexperience fighting top-level grapplers, there is a strong reason to believe that Gonzaga could take him down and control the fight, if not submit him. Gonzaga’s previous UFC performances, though, make it seem much more likely that he will give dos Santos what he wants, and engage in a striking power. In the striking, Gonzaga is powerful but dos Santos is vastly superior technically and has just as much power. If Gonzaga chooses to box with dos Santos, which I think he will, this is going to be a replay of his fights with Werdum and Carwin, and he is going to get put to sleep in brutal fashion.

Prediction:  Junior Dos Santos via Second Round T/KO.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…