Skidding Heat host Rockets

Basketball Betting Lines

02/09/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat hope a return to south Florida will cure their recent woes, as they try to halt a five-game losing streak Tuesday versus the Houston Rockets at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Miami has fallen into a virtual tie with Milwaukee for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and is coming off Saturday's 95-91 setback at Chicago in the finale of a winless three-game road trip. Wade recorded 20 points and Jermaine O'Neal added 24 and a game-best 16 rebounds for the Heat, who got just six points from Michael Beasley.

"Our focus right now has to be staying together, our purity and commitment to each other and the team and to hold our ground until we turn the tide. This was a tough loss," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

The Heat, who are 13-12 as the host, will try to stop a two-game slide at home and is 9-12 against teams from the Western Conference this season. Wade, meanwhile, has scored in double figures in 145 consecutive games, a team record. He owns 429 double-figure scoring games in his career and is closing in on Alonzo Mourning's team record of 442 straight games.

Houston is coming off a tough home loss versus the Philadelphia 76ers in which Aaron Brooks recorded 34 points and tied a career-high with a 6-of-11 performance from three-point territory. Brooks posted 17 points in the second quarter for Houston, which was outscored by a 32-19 margin in the final stanza.

"That was a tough loss," said Houston coach Rick Adelman. "We didn't play well at all offensively. In the fourth quarter you have got to make stops, and we didn't really stop them in the whole fourth quarter."

Kyle Lowry netted 14 points and Carl Landry added 13 and 10 rebounds in the loss, Houston's fifth in its last eight contests. Lowry left the game in the third quarter with a sprained left ankle and is expected to miss Tuesday's game. Trevor Ariza could also miss tonight's tilt in Miami with an injured hip. Ariza was forced to exit the game in the final moments of the fourth quarter.

Saturday's loss to Philadelphia snapped Houston's home winning streak in the month of February at 17 straight games. On a brighter note, the Rockets hold a 17-5 record in games following a loss this season and are 1 1/2 games off the final postseason berth in the West.

Miami recently defeated Houston, 115-106, on January 15 at the Toyota Center behind Wade's game-high 37 points and eight assists. Miami halted a three-game slide in the series with that win, but the Rockets have won five of the past seven meetings between the teams.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.