With the Super Bowl still a little more than a week away, gamblers have to cool their heels until the mountain of prop bets they made, or are about to make, start to come through. What to do until then? Plenty it turns out. There are several betting opportunities out there.
The Australian Open concludes this week, the NHL All-Star Game is Saturday, and there are a full slate of college and NBA basketball games. There is also two major golf tournaments.
So fear not my sportsbetting friends, we at OG’s Five Bets have some options for you to look at this weekend. Below we put out a quintet of wagers that might be of interest.
1. Manchester City Score in Both Halves Against Burnley +140
Manchester City is on a seven-game winning streak and are heavily favored to beat Burnley. While the team is a -1290 to defeat Burnley, the +140 to score in both halves is a much more attractive bet.
Especially since the team has scored in both halves in 26 of their 36 matches this season. With an inferior opponent and Manchester City showing it is more than capable of scoring goals in the first and second half of games, this is a great bet to make.
Take Manchester City to score in both halves.
2. Novak Djokovic -130 vs. Rafael Nadal +110
No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Rafael Nadal will meet in Sunday’s final of the Australian Open. This is the 53rd meeting between the two, and Djokovic holds a 27-25 match edge.
Nadel does not have a strong history here, unlike at the French Open, where he has dominated on the clay surface. He has won this title just once in 2009, and last year lost to Djokovic in a match that took nearly six hours.
This should be another epic battle, but Nadel will probably come up short again.
Take Djokovic to win Australian Open.
3. Atlantic Division +240 to Win NHL All Star Game
The Pacific Division is favored at +200 to win, but the Atlantic Division could sneak in there and take Saturday’s NHL All Star Game. The
The Atlantic squad features high scoring forwards Steve Stamkos (Tampa Bay), Jack Eichel (Buffalo), and (Austin Matthews (Toronto). The only question mark is Jimmy Howard of Detroit at goal. But if the forwards score goals they should be able to make up for any shortcomings by Howard.
Take Atlantic Division to win NHL All Star Game.
4. MMA Fedor Emelianenko +240 vs. Ryan Bader -300
This is the marquee event at Saturday’s Bellator 214 in Southern California, and it presents an intriguing match up between Fedor Emelianenko against Ryan Bader.
Bader is the overwhelming favorite at -300, but Emelianenko has better odds at +240. Long considered one of the greats of the sport, many believe Emelianenko is past his prime and should have stayed retired.
We are going to take a chance on Emelianenko. We love an underdog and think he can deliver.
Take Fedor Emelianenko to defeat Ryan Bader.
5. Justin Rose 9/2 to Win Farmers Insurance Open
Going into Friday’s second round, Justin Rose was just a stroke behind leader Jon Rahm at the Farmers Insurance Open. His odds before the second round were 9/2. If they stay at that mark jump all over this line. But even if they drop to 3/1 or even 2/1 it would still be a smart play.
Rose is the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Rankings and has had success at Torrey Pines. Rahm is a sold player, but Rose could easily sneak up and take this tournament.
Take Justin Rose to win Farmers Insurance Open.