Amateur leads European Tour event in Australia

Golf Betting Lines

11/23/2006 - Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Pike, an amateur from Australia, fired an eight-under 64 on Thursday to take the lead after one round of the MasterCard Masters.

Pike, 21, had six birdies and one eagle and turned in the best amateur performance in a European Tour event in three years.

"Obviously I am delighted with my start," he said, "but if you shoot 64 in the first round, realistically you can shoot it every day. I am not going to change anything or expect myself to win because I've got a 64. But we'll see what happens."

Pike has only been a full-time golfer since last year, when he won the 2005 Queensland Amateur Championship. Prior to that he was a serious cricket player until the age of 16.

His round started with a jolt at the par-five 10th, where he made a 10-foot eagle putt to quickly move below par. Six birdies would follow, including four straight to end his round from the sixth to the ninth.

Afterward, Pike recounted his early eagle.

"At my opening hole I hit driver," he said. "It was the first shot of the day and it was a bit cold. I did not hit it the greatest...my caddie said where to hit [my second shot] and I pulled it about ten feet. It was a bit of a miss- hit but a good miss-hit."

Many of Pike's fellow Australians -- this event is being co-sanctioned by the Australasian Tour -- littered the top of the leaderboard.

Peter Wilson shot a seven-under 65 and shared second place with England's Nick Dougherty, making him one of 11 Australians in the top 15 at Huntingdale Golf Club.

Raphael Jacquelin of France was fourth after a six-under 66.

Beyond that, Aussies Aaron Baddeley, Steven Bowditch, Tony Carolan, Peter Lonard and Craig Parry were tied for fifth place with Spain's Carl Suneson at four-under 68.

Defending champion Robert Allenby shared 11th place with fellow Aussies Gavin Flint, Chris Gray and John Senden and Englishman Justin Rose at three-under 69.

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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.