That, folks, is an astonishing 93% and I can live with those numbers any time of the year. Andruw Jones was 5-for-5 with two homers and matched his career high with six RBIs helping the Braves to become the first team since the ‘30 Yankees to score 10 or more runs in five straight games with a 14-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

Adam LaRoche, Chipper Jones and Brian McCann also homered for the Braves who have scored 65 runs during an offensive explosion that includes two 15-run games. The last time the franchise reached double figures in five straight games was in 1897 when the Braves were called the Beaneaters and they totaled 61 runs.

The 65 runs in five games is the best by the franchise since those same Beaneaters totaled 78 including 25 in one game and 21 in another from May 31-June 3. The Braves have 81 hits during their five-game run and 98 in their last six going back to an 8-3 victory over Cincinnati on July 9 which is the last game before the All-Star break.

Chipper Jones was 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 18 games, all but four multihit efforts. He’s batting .534 (39-for-73) during the streak with eight homers and 23 RBIs.

During their six-game winning streak they’ve outscored their opponents 77-32 and they’ve hit 19 homers in the last five games — the most for the franchise in a five-game span and only two off the major league record set by the 1977 Boston Red Sox and 1999 Cincinnati Reds.

The Cardinals lost 15-3 in the opener of the three-game series on Monday and trailed 13-1 in the fifth Tuesday, a two-game sequence reminiscent of blowout losses to the Chicago White Sox by 20-6 and 13-5 on June 20-21.

After ripping starters Jeff Weaver and Jason Marquis, Atlanta faces Chris Carpenter (8-4, 2.85 ERA) in Wednesday’s series finale. He beat the Braves on July 4 by holding them to two runs and four hits in five innings of a 6-3 road win, his first victory in four career starts against Atlanta.

Carpenter is going for his third straight win after striking out seven in pitching a two-hitter in the Cardinals’ 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.

If you’re into sports betting and winning, play the over!

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

There are several types of poker games now played around the world, privately, in a casino, and now, online. Each variant has its own strategy and set of rules, though the concept remains the same. The best hand wins. Developing your strategy is key to playing a good game. In poker, you are almost always playing to win, especially when money is at stake. You want to minimize your risk while maximizing your winnings. There are two types of poker discussed here, limit and no-limit.

Limit poker is recommended for beginners where a set amount is bet. In no-limit poker, however, you are able to win big pots with all-in bets, even when you don’t have the best hand. This is not recommended for beginners as they often make mistakes that wind up costing them a lot of money. If you are a beginner it is advised that you stick to limit poker until you are a more experienced player and have had an opportunity to develop your strategy.

No-limit texas Hold’em strategy. In no-limit Texas Hold’em poker, the all-in factor is what allows you to bully your opponents and take a dominating position in the game. This strategy can work for you if you know how to use it.

One of the best times to go all-in is when you steel a pot from your opponent, however, when you do this, you must be sure the hand meets these conditions.

You want outs. If your opponent calls, there should be cards left in the deck that could help you win the hand. Even if the odds are bad, you still want outs.

You must have a solid read on your opponent. If you are going to steel a pot, you must be confident that the other player will fold.

Those of you not familiar with the latest on internet poker now have at least a basic understanding. But there’s more to come.

You want to have good positioning. Though this isn’t considered to be as important as the first two conditions, positioning is what usually allows you to get a solid read on opponents.

The key is knowing that your opponent will fold. If you choose to play a hand aggressively, know that it could lead to higher bets. This is why you want to go after players who have shorter stacks than you. If a worst-case scenario occurs and you lose an all-in match, you are still not out of the game.

A secondary benefit to this strategy is that if a player has fewer chips it will be easier to play the hand more aggressively and will further lower your risk.

No matter what strategy you try to adopt, remember that it is important to know as much about the habits of your opponents as possible. You will want to use different strategies in different situations, and in different games with different opponents.

Hopefully the sections above have contributed to your understanding of internet poker. Share your new understanding about internet poker with others. They’ll thank you for it.

Steve
Internet Poker

Minnesota (59-41) has won 34 of 42 since June 8 to cut what was an 11-game deficit in the wild card to a half-game.

“We’re just playing really good baseball,” said manager Ron Gardenhire, whose team was 25-33 nearly seven weeks ago. “People keep talking about the streak we’re on, but streaks don’t last two months or a month and a half.”

The Twins caught the struggling Chicago White Sox, who have led the wild-card race for most of the season, by completing a three-game sweep with a 7-4 victory Wednesday. Minnesota and Chicago are right behind the New York Yankees, who open a three-game home set against Tampa Bay on Friday night.

The Tigers under veteran skipper Jim Leyland have maintained their composure and now must deal with the newest phenom in the American League and that would be none other then rookie pitcher Francisco Liariano. The Twins look to keep rolling Friday behind Liriano (12-2, 1.93 ERA), who pitched poorly against the Tigers in two relief outings this season, allowing seven runs and 11 hits in 3 2-3 innings for a 17.18 ERA.

Since being moved into the rotation, though, the rookie left-hander has become a leading contender for the CY Young Award, going 11-2 with a 1.59 ERA in 13 starts. Minnesota is 2-7 this season against Detroit and has been outscored 64-25. In a three-game sweep from April 28-30 at Comerica Park, the Twins were outscored 33-1. The Tigers (68-33) have the best record in the major leagues, and their 30-13 mark against divisional opponents is also tops in baseball. Detroit leads the AL Central by 8 1/2 games over Minnesota and Chicago.

The question mark for all contending teams is the starting pitching and the Tigers send a struggling Zach Miner to the hill tonight. Miner has lasted only 6 2-3 combined innings and given up 10 earned runs in losing both of his starts since the break. In his first seven starts after being recalled in early June, the right-hander was 6-1 with a 2.57 ERA and didn’t allow more than three runs in a game.

Detroit gave Miner a five-run lead after one inning Saturday against Oakland, but he surrendered five runs in the top of the second and was pulled after a season-low 2 1-3 innings of a 9-5 loss.
Detroit has lost 9 of the past 12 in Minnesota and will be a dog tonight!

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

Let’s start with the glamour division and of course I am referring to the American League East where the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have been trading punches since the opening week of April and George’s boys are now sitting in the penthouse.

Lurking down in the lobby are the Toronto Blue Jays who have fought off injuries to their starting pitching staff, with superb hitting and are 32-25 and are just three games back. Toronto has made it clear from the get go, that they will spend money during the season in order to contend.

In the AL Central my 9-1 betting bonanza and that would be the 2005 Chicago White Sox are scuffling a bit after a torrid start and presently trail the Motown Detroit Tigers. The Tigers began the first 50 games under Jim Leyland in spectacular fashion, but injuries are beginning to hit them, with the latest being to Pudge Rodriguez.

At 28-29 the Cleveland Indians will make a move at some point and placing a few bucks on them, could provide you with a nice return on your dollar. The AL West with Texas, Oakland, Seattle and Los Angeles is a crapshoot, with only 5.5 games separating the VIP section and the cheap seats. The first place Rangers incidentally are the only team in the West with a winning mark in games played within the division and against the powerful AL East and you cannot ignore that vital gambling statistic.

The New York Mets like their neighbors the Yankees like to throw the money around and they sit atop the NL East presently, but the Phillies and Braves can almost reach out and touch them. With 14 straight division titles, I certainly would think about a wagering a few bucks on them to win once again.

The Cardinals are suddenly trying to ward off the Cincinnati Reds who are getting healthy and pounding the ball. The Cardinals meanwhile have all kids of injury issues with Pujols and ace Chris Carpenter does not look stable.

Just like their counterparts in the AL West, the NL West Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Padres, Giants and Rockies are in a fierce battle for supremacy. Just six games separate the top and bottom, with Arizona leading the pack. The Dodgers are getting superb play out of Garciaparra and if their veterans can stay healthy, watch out!

Bob Acton

Current baseball betting lines

In fact not only is Clint Hurdle’s team +112 tonight, the over/under is 9 and that is surprising considering the fact that the A’s have not scored a run in 22 innings.

Barry Zito seeks to win his sixth straight start on Wednesday as Oakland tries to salvage the finale of a three-game series against the Rockies at Coors Field. Zito (8-3, 3.51 ERA) is 6-0 with a 3.28 ERA over his last seven starts, including victories in each of his last five. The left-hander pitched eight strong innings on Friday, giving up three runs and eight hits while striking out a season-high 11 batters in a 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rockies (36-35) have never seen, as Zito has never faced Colorado.

The Rockies have now recorded four shutout wins at Coors Field this season, the most in a single season in that stadium’s history. Colorado also registered shutouts on consecutive days at home for the first time in the 14-year history of the franchise.

Slumping third baseman Eric Chavez went 0-for-3 on Tuesday. Chavez is 6-for-39 over his last 11 games, dropping his average from .285 to .262. Oakland center fielder Mark Kotsay returned to the lineup and went 0-for-4 after missing the previous five games with back spasms. Kotsay had hit safely in his previous eight games, batting .333 (11-for-33)!

The Numbers Favor Colorado!

Matt Holliday is batting .462 (24-for-52) with 14 runs scored over his last 13 games for Colorado, which is 5-0 in interleague play this year. The left fielder is 9-for-18 with five runs scored against AL opponents this season.

Manager Hurdle plans to give right-handed hitters Choo Freeman and Ryan Spilborghs starts in the outfield on Wednesday in place of left-handers.

Brad Hawpe and Cory Sullivan and the Rockies are 7-3 against left-handed starters this season.

Colorado’s Jamey Carroll is hitting .423 over the past 14 games after going 2-for-3 against the A’s. … Oakland’s pinch hitters were 0-for-2, stretching the A’s hitless streak to 29 at-bats over spanning two seasons, including 0-for-19 this year.

Dare I suggest Colorado wins 6-0!

Online Sports Betting

In Germany there will be 12 stadiums, hosting 64 games that will put 3 million derrieres in the seat and the host country tackles Costa Rica on day one. Staggering numbers reveal 1.5 BILLION people will watch the opening match and 35 BILLION will take in the tournament and wagering outlets will be staffed to the maximum.

The Belmont Stakes from New York will wrap up a disappointing Triple Crown series that gave us the wonder horse Barbaro and then shattered our dreams with a freakish injury. I have been touting Bon & John all spring and like him in an exacter with Steppenwolfer that was named after the 70’s rock band Steppenwolf.

Last night the Dallas Mavericks got subpar scoring games from stars Dirk Nowitzkie and Josh Howard, but Jason Terry lit the Heat up for 32 points. They also got some quality minutes from Eric Dampier to subdue the listless Heat. Once again the fragile foul shooting of NBA players is alarming and how are you going to win when just two players on the team get to the charity stripe. Shooting 36% (7-19) on a skill that you have practiced since kindergarten is perplexing to say the least.

The Edmonton Oilers are in serious trouble down 2-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes and look for the Chris Pronger team to lay a beating on the North Carolina based Canes. This series is far from over and I look for it to go the full seven.

All baseball eyes are on the Chicago Cubs who are floundering and this may result in the dusting of manager Dusty Baker. The Cubs have lost 11 of their last 16 overall, falling 12 1/2 games out of first place. At 23-36, they’ve matched their season low mark of 13 games under .500.

For the Cubs, it was another night of futile at-bats against the Reds Brandon Arroyo and two relievers. Chicago has lost three in a row, getting a total of 15 hits and two runs in those games.

The PGA tour is in Rye, New York for the Barclay Classic a tuneup for the US Open and Tiger Woods is resurfacing. The nine-week layoff is the longest of his career, and Woods said he isn’t sure what to expect out of his game. But having playing 18 holes at Winged Foot on May 27, he knows what to expect from the course.

Mike Weir is in striking distance after round one and you may want to place a bet on him to win this weekend.

NASCAR parks their trailers in the picturesque Pocono’s this weekend and the Roush team as usual will be front and centre as they have won the past two events staged there.

Happy Wagering!

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

First, when you visit an online casino it is not wise to immediately sign up for an account just because the website
offers the type of gambling entertainment you love, nor is it wise to sign up because an online casino website offer seems particularly appealing. Rather, it becomes necessary for Internet gamblers to do a little research about the casino they are considering, before they create and account. In doing so, the Internet gambler will be taking preemptive measures to protect their hard earned money and to make sure that their gambling endeavors remain entertaining.

Internet gamblers should review every inch of an online casino’s website—not a page should be missed. Why? It is important to become familiar with the rules, regulations, game offerings, specials and bonuses that the online casino offers. Signing up for an account at an online casino before reviewing the information on their website is imprudent. Moreover, an Internet gambler should take the time to compare the online casino they are considering with other online casinos? Why? Quite simply—the gambler may find Internet casinos with more diverse gaming, better terms and conditions, or better bonuses.

Alternatively, if a gambler finally decides to sign up for an account with any online casino, one should engage in regular monitoring of their casino account. There have been instances in which gamblers were not correctly paid, and in some instances, players have been locked out of their accounts without further explanation. Thus, a wary eye must be kept on any casino one signs on with.

In the end, a little comparative shopping is in order. Internet users should read online casino reviews and news and keep alert to various scams on the Internet. As long as gamblers take measures to protect themselves, they will find that online casino gambling can be quite an enjoyable pastime.

Game three goes tonight at the Staples Center where the Suns are brimming with confidence after winning a sudden death game last week against the Lakers. They are a tough team to figure out as they can light it up from three-point range, but on the other hand, because of lack of size, can be bullied around.

The Clippers outrebounded the Suns 57-26 and they were 27-14 during the regular season at the Staples Center, as well as 3-0 against the Nuggets in round one! If you want to look at one matchup that could prove to be a deciding factor, Phoenix guard Raja Bell going up against LA’s Cuttino Mobley.

Bell who was at the center of the controversy in his battle with Kobe Bryant in round one, was stellar in the first game, when he held Mobley to 3 points. In game two Mobley scored 22 and the Clippers had both an inside and outside game.

Veteran point guard Sam Cassell’s has an NBA ring and he looks to be pumped in this series, probably due to the fact that MVP Nash is garnering all the attention. He is a motor-mouth that can change the complexion of the game with his leadership ability and antics.

I buried the Suns a week ago and had harsh words for their whiner coach D’Antoni and I see Brand and Chris Kaman being far too much for the soft Suns to handle.

The Clippers take game two by 6 points!

Online Sports Betting

In his third minor league rehabilitation start, Colon gave up six earned runs and nine hits against the Fresno Grizzlies. In three starts for the Angels this season, Colon is 0-2 with a 7.07 ERA and they are going to send down their best pitcher to accommodate him.

Jered Weaver, the Angels’ first-round draft pick in June 2004, reduced his ERA to 1.37 and became the second pitcher in franchise history to win his first four major league starts on Tuesday night. The other was Bo Belinsky, who won his first five starts in 1962 and finished his rookie season 10-11. Whether that’s enough to keep Weaver up in the bigs is another story. He has allowed just four earned runs, 16 hits and four walks in his 26 1-3 innings of work — and has received a total of 30 runs of support from his teammates.

The player who should be sent down is Weaver’s brother Jeff Weaver who is 3-9 with an embarrassing ERA of 6.15, but is earning $8.3 million.

The Angels are lucky to have Orlando Cabrera in the lineup as this guy has been incredible. Cabrera has reached base in 43 consecutive games without the benefit of a fielder’s choice, the longest current streak in baseball and longest in club history. He has hit safely in 27 of his last 31 contests and is 25-for-54 over his last 14 games, raising his average from .271 to .313.

When the LA Dodgers acquired Brad Penny a couple of years ago, much was expected of the hard throwing righthander, but some arm ailments affected him and he was just 7-9 in 2005. Already in 2006 he has equaled his 2005 total. Penny (7-1, 2.34 ERA) is 5-0 with a 2.03 ERA over seven starts since his lone loss of the season at Arizona on May 1. He also hasn’t allowed a home run in 10 outings since April 14.

The right-hander enters tonight’s start with a scoreless streak of 14 1-3 innings after a victory at Colorado on Friday. He surrendered five hits over 8 1-3 innings in a 3-0 win.

Padres catcher Mike Piazza, a former Dodger who is hitless in his last nine at-bats, is hitting .400 (12-for-30) with three homers and 12 RBIs in his career against Penny. Piazza is hitting just .188 at home this season.

The Colorado Rockies look to win three straight road games for the first time since April when they continue a four-game series against the Washington Nationals at RFK Stadium on Wednesday.

The Rockies (32-32) opened the season winning 10 of their first 13 road games, but have gone just 6-13 away from Denver since May 1. Still, Colorado is 16-16 on the road this season — a huge improvement over last season’s 27-54 mark.

Garrett Atkins had a double and scored two runs, and is batting .395 (17-for-43) with seven runs, five doubles and nine RBIs during a season-high 12-game hitting streak.

Washington will counter with Tony Armas (6-3, 3.48), who has won six of his last seven decisions. He allowed three runs and six hits in five innings in a 9-8, 12-inning win over Philadelphia on Friday, but did not receive a decision.

The Nationals have won in six of his last seven starts.

Armas is just 1-1 with a 4.80 ERA in six starts at RFK, and has pitched five or fewer innings in three of his last four home starts, posting a 7.13 ERA in those games.

The right-hander is 2-2 with a 7.39 ERA in seven starts against the Rockies, but went 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA in two starts against them last season.

We told you what to expect this year from over the hill Randy Johnson and he has failed to earn his salary in 2006. Johnson (7-5, 5.63 ERA) was hit hard again his last time out, allowing six runs and six hits over four innings of a 6-5 loss to Oakland on Friday. He gave up three more homers, a season high, to bring his total for the year to 15.

The Big Unit has surrendered 10 homers in his last 33 1-3 innings spanning six starts, doing nothing to dispel the notion that his dominance may be fading at age 42. Last year, he gave up a career-high 32 homers in his first season with New York.

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

There were reports of lack of discipline in the clubhouse and on the field last year and it looks like things have gone from bad to worse this year. On Sunday the Twins scored 7 runs in the first inning, to answer the 3 that the White Sox had posted in the top of the frame.

Then the Twins allowed the defending World Series champions to storm back for a 9-7 win and in the process get nailed on a embarrassing triple play in the 6th inning. With Nick Punto on second and Shannon Stewart on first, the Twins Luis Castillo popped up a bunt and a charging Paul Konerko made a shoestring catch.

How in the world could Konerko right himself and throw to first for a double play and then second baseman Tadahito Iguchi fired to Juan Uribe at second for a triple play. The first rule of thumb that a little league player is taught on a sacrifice bunt, is to make sure the ball hits the ground before taking off.

What is heck were Punto and Stewart thinking and why did Gardenhire not sit their butts down on the bench. Sunday’s game was also the first time in AL history that a starting pitcher (Mark Buehrle) allowed 7 runs in the first inning and won a game.

Scott Baker was the latest Twin to get roughed up for Minnesota, whose starters have a collective 6.51 ERA, the worst in either league! The Twins needed a strong start from Baker, especially with everyone else in the rotation not named Johan Santana still struggling to find their form. Before the game, righty Carlos Silva was sent to the bullpen temporarily to give him more time to straighten himself out.

Budding star lefty Francisco Liriano will fill his spot for now as the starters are an embarrassing 13-21.

In eight starts, Silva is 2-6 with an 8.80 ERA and 74 hits and 15 homers allowed in 46 innings. After going 14-8 with a 4.21 ERA in 2004, his first year as a starter, the righty pitched through an injured right knee and was picked as Minnesota’s most improved player in 2005. He went 9-8 with a 3.44 ERA in 188-plus innings and led the majors with the fewest walks, 0.4 — per nine innings.

The Twins are a horrible 7-14 in their own division and now head to Motown to face the surging Tigers, who are the most improved team in baseball. After that they face the Brewers in Milwaukee and a embarrassing road trip, could spell the end to Gardenhire’s regime in the Twin cities!

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting