December 2008

PDC Betting: Into the second week...

David Croft / 26 December 2008 / Leave a comment

BBC commentator David Croft has been feasting on the darts and is celebrating a first round treble with some more predictions......Read more »

PDC Championship Betting: Old man MaGowan prepares for the spotlight again

Ralph Ellis / 26 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Once a Bullseye contestant, John MaGowan will again grace television screens across the country when he takes on Dennis Priestley on Monday......Read more »

UK Snooker Championship Betting: Under-rated Fu can defy the odds

Paul Krishnamurty / 21 December 2008 / Leave a comment

It promises to be a tight affair but, having narrowly got the better of his selections in the last two rounds, Paul Krishnamurty has taken the hint about Marco Fu and is backing him to win his final UK Snooker...Read more »

UK Championship Snooker Betting: Laid back Fu meets resurgent Murphy in Final showdown

David Hendon / 21 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Marco Fu's relaxed manner is the perfect foil for his ruthless temperament, says David Hendon. But can he see off Shaun Murphy to become only the third non-British player to win the UK Snooker Championship?...Read more »

UK Snooker Championship Day Eight: Maguire can maintain dominance over arch-rival Murphy

Paul Krishnamurty / 20 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Stephen Maguire has abandoned the ridiculous 'Merlin of Miltown' moniker to return to the old favourite 'On Fire Maguire'. High time too, and hopefully this time he won't play so badly that commentators start replacing it with 'Pretty Dire Maguire,'...Read more »

UK Snooker Championship Semi-Finals: Resumption of snooker's worst grudge match should ensure fireworks in Telford

David Hendon / 19 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Murphy meets Maguire while Carter takes on Fu in the battle to be crowned the UK Snooker Championship's top-man. David Hendon previews the semi-finals......Read more »

UK Snooker Championship Day Seven Bet: A close game awaits but Carter can edge it

Paul Krishnamurty / 19 December 2008 / Leave a comment

In-form Ali Carter faces battling Marco Fu at the quarter-final stage of the UK Snooker Championship, Paul Krishnamurty tells you where his money is going....Read more »

The Contrarian: Why Phil Taylor won't win the PDC World Darts Championship

The Betfair Contrarian / 18 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Have the lights finally gone out on shot The Power's reign at the PDC World Championships? The Betfair Contrarian certainly thinks so, and will be laying plenty of the [1.62] available....Read more »

Betfair Big Interview: Wayne 'Hawaii 501' Mardle

Ralph Ellis / 18 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Time to put on our best holiday shirt and go meet Hawaii 501 - darts showman Wayne Mardle, the man who turned off The Power last year, on the eve of the PDC world championships at Alexandra Palace....Read more »

UK Snooker Championship Betting: Is Ali Carter the Monty of the green baize?

Ralph Ellis / 18 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Ralph Ellis outlines the case to oppose 'Captain' Carter as the UK Championships reach the business end....Read more »

UK Snooker Championship Day Six Bet: Below-par Murphy well worth taking on with resurgent Lee

Paul Krishnamurty / 18 December 2008 / Leave a comment

It's a battle of the big men in Telford today as Stephen Lee faces Shaun Murphy for a place in the semi-finals, and Paul Krishnamurty fancies the outsider......Read more »

PDC World Championship Darts Betting: Bad day at the oche is Taylor rivals' only hope

David Croft / 17 December 2008 / Leave a comment

You won't be getting rich quickly if Phil Taylor wins his first world title since 2006, says David Croft. But there's plenty of good value elsewhere......Read more »

Scottish Snooker Trio: Hendry, Higgins and Maguire represent the past, present and future of snooker

Alsy / 17 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Alister Morgan looks at why a country with a population as small as Scotland continues to consistently produce top-class snooker players, none more so than Stephen Hendry and quarter-final oppponents in the UK Championship: John Higgins and Stephen Maguire....Read more »

UK Snooker Championship Day Five Bet: Gentleman Joe can edge out Fu to reach semis

Paul Krishnamurty / 17 December 2008 / Leave a comment

It's likely to be tight at Telford as O'Sullivan's conqueror meets Marco Fu for a place in the semi-final of the UK Championships. Paul Krishnamurty can't see either man dominating as he files another daily bet for the competition......Read more »

UK Snooker Championship Betting: Robertson can cause upset against distracted Maguire

Ralph Ellis / 16 December 2008 / Leave a comment

The furore surrounding his 9-3 first round win over Jamie Burnett will have affected Stephen Maguire's focus and that could make him laying material for his encounter with Neil Robertson, writes Ralph Ellis....Read more »

UK Snooker Championship Day Four Bet: Improving Carter looks too strong for deteriorating Ebdon

Paul Krishnamurty / 16 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Paul Krishnamurty sees little chance for sliding Ebdon to claim the upper ground in his second round battle with Ali Carter....Read more »

UK Championship Betting: Snooker changes, snooker stays the same

Mike Norman / 15 December 2008 / Leave a comment

"Mystical" Mike Norman has been watching snooker for a long time and seen great characters and players come and go, the game evolve and the fashion sense of players take many guises. But what has changed over time and what...Read more »

UK Snooker Championship Day Three: Comeback king Ebdon looks a cracking mid-match trade

Paul Krishnamurty / 15 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Peter Ebdon has made long, drawn-out, final frame victories his trademark, says Paul Krishnamurty. Expect more of the same in his first round match against Andrew Higginson.......Read more »

SPOTY Betting 2008: Hoy denies odds-on Adlington and Hamilton

Editor / 14 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Outsider trades at [7.2] as voting ends as Sports Personality of the Year again has a shock result....Read more »

UK Snooker Championship Day Two: Struggling Bingham offers no threat to Allen

Paul Krishnamurty / 13 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Paul Krishnamurty files another daily bet from Telford - and it's bad news for Stuart Bingham....Read more »

UK Snooker Championship Day One: Gentleman looks too strong for journeyman

Paul Krishnamurty / 12 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Paul Krishnamurty considers the perils of backing short priced big-guns in the early rounds. But that doesn't mean he has any doubts about Joe Perry's ability to defeat Mark Davis....Read more »

BBC Sports Personality of the Year: Hamilton hoping to recover at the last again

Alsy / 12 December 2008 / Leave a comment

The winner of the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year will be announced on Sunday night and as Alister Morgan explains, according to the Betfair Markets, Lewis Hamilton will need a late surge if he is to pip Rebbeca Adlington...Read more »

Darts Betting: Re-born Power bids for first world title in three years

David Croft / 11 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Phil Taylor is in great form on and off the oche, practising hard and desperate for a 14th world title. Over a bottle of red wine, David Croft spoke to the former toilet handle maker from Stoke about rivals, retirement...Read more »

The Big Interview: "I just don't want the pressure of snooker any more" says Tony Drago

Editor / 11 December 2008 / Leave a comment

He was the supremely-talented yet erratic great entertainer of snooker but these days he's the linchpin of Europe's Mosconi Cup bid. Betting.betfair.com caught up with Tony Drago....Read more »

UK Snooker Championship Betting: Lop-sided draw offers rising star Allen golden opportunity

Paul Krishnamurty / 11 December 2008 / Leave a comment

The unpredictable nature of the world number one combined with weaknesses in one side of the draw could leave an opening for a certain break-building machine from Northern Ireland who already looks like the finished article, says Paul Krishnamurty....Read more »