Ronaldo's hat trick lifts Real over 10-man Levante

Soccer Betting Lines

02/12/2012 - Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick after Levante had Vicente Iborra sent off, and Real Madrid won 4-2 at the Bernabeu on Sunday to open a 10-point lead atop La Liga.

Gustavo Cabral fired fourth-place Levante into the lead inside 5 minutes, but a second yellow to Iborra late in the first half earned him an early trip to the shower, and put Ronaldo on the spot for his first goal of the match.

Ronaldo added two more goals in the second half and now leads La Liga with 27, and Karim Benzema added a fourth to seal Real's 11th home win in 12 matches.

Levante did make the match interesting for a few minutes in the second half as Arouna Kone scored in the 63rd to cut Real's lead to 3-2, but Benzema's strike followed just 3 minutes later.

Real took advantage of Barcelona's loss Saturday, and now leads the standings by 10 points with 16 matches left in the season. Levante is 26 points off the pace in fourth.

Valencia 4, Sporting Gijon 0

Valencia, Spain - Sofiane Feghouli's first-half goal sparked Valencia to a 4-0 win over Sporting Gijon on Sunday at the Estadio Mestalla as the hosts snapped a five-game La Liga winless run.

Feghouli scored in the 33rd, an own goal put Valencia in control in the 73rd, and Jonas added a brace in stoppage time to seal his club's first win since mid-December.

Despite the slide, Valencia maintained third and used the win to solidify its place in the Champions League places. Gijon lost for the third time during its current four-game winless run, and sits 19th on just 19 points from 22 games.

Villarreal 3, Granada 1

Villarreal, Spain - Marco Ruben and Borja Valero scored as Villarreal won its second straight, and for the third time in its last four, 3-1 over Granada on Sunday to climb to 14th in La Liga.

Ruben opened the scoring on 16 minutes and, after Inigo Lopez tied the fixture early in the second half for Granada, Valero restored the lead in the 64th. An own goal in the 73rd accounted for Villarreal's third goal.

The Yellow Submarines were in the bottom three before their recent success and have pulled three points clear of the relegation zone. Granada had a two-match win streak snapped, and is two points from danger in 16th.

Real Zaragoza 2, Espanyol 0

Barcelona, Spain - Last-place Real Zaragoza used goals from Paulo Da Silva and Juan Carlos to post just its third win of the season Sunday, 2-0 over Espanyol at the Estadi Cornella-El Prat in La Liga.

Da Silva opened the scoring 10 minutes after halftime and Carlos sealed a road win - Zaragoza's first of the season - in stoppage time. Zaragoza was winless in its first 11 road matches, with eight losses and three draws.

Real Zaragoza remained in last, eight points from safety, after its first win since October. Espanyol could have moved into the top four and a Champions League spot, but remained fifth.

Malaga 3, Mallorca 1

Malaga, Spain - Sebastian Fernandez, Jeremy Toulalan and Rondon scored to help Malaga overcame an early deficit for a 3-1 win over Mallorca on Sunday at the Estadio La Rosaleda in La Liga.

Pereira fired Mallorca in front after 4 minutes, but Fernandez pulled one back on 11 minutes, and Toulalan and Rondon scored in the second half to seal a win for Malaga.

Malaga pulled level on points with Atletico Madrid for sixth place and a place in the Europa League next season. Mallorca lost for the third time in its last five, and is just two points above the drop in 14th.

Rayo Vallecano 2, Getafe 0

Madrid, Spain - Michu and Diego Da Silva Costa scored on each side of halftime as Rayo Vallecano defeated Getafe, 2-0, at the Teresa Rivero to climb into the top half of the La Liga standings.

Vallecano, which has won two straight and three of its last five, climbed into 10th place, although its still just five points clear of the relegation zone.

Getafe lost its second straight, and fell one point behind Vallecano to 11th.

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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.