Bet365 Cheltenham Festival Offer

As you're probably aware, it's the Cheltenham Festival this week and to celebrate this, bet365 are offering new customers an incredible £250 in Free Bets.

Once you've opened an account and placed your first bet, bet365 will give you a free bet to the same stake, up to the value of £50. And that continues.

After placing your first free bet, place a further 5 qualifying bets of £5 or more, and you’ll qualify for a second free bet from bet365, which will be to the same value as your smallest qualifying bet, up to a maximum of £50.

Further free bets (up to £50) are available on the same basis after a further five, ten and fifteen bets at bet365. This means you can generate 5 x £50 = £250 free bets, getting you off to a potential flyer!

Perhaps the best way to think of this offer is that you get a matched bet FREEBIE, and then for the next 20 bets you effectively get a 20% rebate back on your bets.

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Please note, this offer is only available for this week and ends on Friday 14th March. If you've not yet opened an account with bet365, this is definitely the best time to do so; your bets can be placed on any sporting event.

Click here to register with bet365

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Bookmaker Survey

Ladies and Gentlemen, we've found a site that lets us take a quick survey of opinions - and we want to know what you think about the bookmakers that we cover.

There are four short questions that establish some data for us :
- who your favourite bookmakers are.
- who else you might use
- who you've tried and dropped
- any bookmaker that we should add into our reviews / odds quoting system.

I estimate that this will take about 2 minutes of your time to do - and I'd appreciate any/all answers that we get. And it's completely anonymous - and you don't need to share any personal details like emails etc.

Click Here to take survey

I'll then go through the survey and look to make site changes accordingly.

(Next month we'll look at something else - like what leagues you follow and which bets styles that you prefer to take)

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Best Bookmakers for 2008

With the start of 2008 it seemed a good time to do the full review of our ratings and rankings of the bookmakers out there - and let you know the best places to play.

Here are the four major award winners of our MEGA start of year review.

MOST POPULAR BOOKMAKER - SUITABLE FOR MOST PLAYERS
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Bet365 retains the #1 overall best bookmaker ranking for the 15th straight month.

With good bonuses, special offers, reasonable odds, and a hell of a lot of users from the site (with very few issues) - it all means that this UK bookmaker remains our recommended place to play.

TOP US BOOKMAKER - SUITABLE FOR US CITIZENS
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Bookmaker.com keeps #1 US resident sportsbook ranking for 3rd month in a row. (Sportsbooks that accept US players)

This site has plenty of action on ALL US sports plus a reasonable amount of World Football mean that this bookmaker is competitive in the international market. Being challenged by Bodog - but still has the edge IMO.

Non-US players can also play there of course.

BEST HIGH STAKES BOOKMAKER
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Centrebet rates #1 for high betting limits on major sports and events - saying that they'll take at least $5,000 US of anyones money on any event - and usually a lot more on popular games.

I've got a contact at Centrebet who has told me that if one of our players gets knocked back on a bet they want then I should get in touch with him - and they'll sort it out so it will not happen again.

BEST ASIAN HANDICAP BOOKMAKER
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And the big news was that Canbet moves to #1 ranking for Asian handicap betting style - knocking PinnacleSports off the top.

Canbet have made a major effort to squeeze their margins to match Pinnacle, and with a better website, better football coverage, and three different bonus offers this UK/Aussie company has moved into the #1 spot.

Visit the Full Bookmaker Review for an overview and links to all the sports betting ratings.

Or see our Bookmaker Shootout for more details of the four best sportsbook category winners.

RELATED LINKS :
Bet365 website
Bookmaker.com website
Centrebet website
Canbet website

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Fulham v Newcastle - Kuqi Monster !!

A little note to all punters thinking of taking a bet on the Fulham v Newcastle late kickoff - Irish bookmaker BoyleSports are offering a cash-back on this game.


The Finnish striker has not scored yet this season - but he's started in the last two games ... the bad news is that Fulham lost them both without scoring.

L 0-2 at Manchester Utd
L 0-3 At Everton

Still - the promotion made me laugh - and playing at home to Newcastle might be an easier place to get a goal eh?

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FourPlay costs BetFred as punters get cashback.

It's always good to see a bookmaker cashback promotion payout - and that's what has happened over at Betfred this weekend.

Betfred were offering correct score refunds of up to GBP £100 if a side scored four goals or more on the weekend.

Man Utd 4-0 win means a refund for all correct score punters in this game at Betfred - and there must have been a few trying their luck at another 1-0 scoreline.

(see BookieLabrat.com for more info )

Mind you - Fred was lucky. It could have been a very expensive weekend with Arsenal, Manchester City, and Newcastle Utd all bagging three goals and coming close to a 4th on several occasions.

It's worth keeping and eye on the bookmakers for these special deals.

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Gamebookers Announce EUR 50 Join Bonus

GET €50 FREE when joining Gamebookers SportsBook

Gamebookers have raised their joining bonus gives all new punters up to €50 free as a 25% first deposit match.

This sounds pretty good to me ... especially if you're looking to add to your bookie options to maximise your chances of getting best odds ... as Gamebookers do have a reputation for offering odds on nearly every professional football match on the planet.

Gamebookers overall web site and systems are just about the best in the industy. We especially like their easy to use "one-click" betting process and handy payout calculator.

It's obvious these guys are specialist Internet bookies - try them - you'll like them.

RELATED LINKS :
Check out the full Gamebookers sportsbook review on our main site ...
Or Join Gamebookers NOW

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Bodog Sportbook added to our list of approved bookmakers

BoDog Sportsbook make the grade and get the Thumbs up from The Gooner

Having analysed Bodog Sportsbook extensively over the last few months we'd like to welcome them into the stable of online sportsbooks and bookmakers used & recommended by the team at GoonersGuide.com.

With its Headquarters in Antigua, and gambling licences in the UK, Antigua and Kahnawake, Canada, Bodog offers a safe and potentially rewarding online entertainment solution.

Bodog has a great reputation for innovation, professionalism - and paying out - which is probably the most important thing on the internet these days.

Bodog offers a single, easy access account to play poker, casino games, and for sports betting and we recommend Bodog Sportsbook for recreational European bettors who want a hip place to play- and also for all US bettors who do not have access to our other sites.

With 10+ years of online experience you know that Bodog.com will payout all winnings - and all US players should definately have this outfit as one of their primary places to play.



Check out our review of Bodog Sportsbook on the main site or visit Bodog.com directly

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Paddy Power - Worth a look !!

Just scanning over the internet today looking for the days betting blog when I came across this entry at the Sports Bookie Blog.

They've taken a look at all the CASH BACK offers on at Paddy Power and found that the mad Irish bookie does actually pay out quite often.

Did you know about their "Necks on the Line” offer on the horses?
If your horse finishes second and is only beaten by up to and including a neck in a specific race then Paddy’ll refund your losing stake.

Apparently according to the LabRats he's paid out of 46 different occasions in the last six months on the nags.

I know nothing about horses - other than I've noticed that the fastest horses all have a leg in each corner - but that seems like some pretty good insurance - and well checking on if you're regularly punting on the races.

What I did know was their regular football bets ... and I see that they're offering a cash back offer on Wednesday night if Julio Baptista scores the last goal against Spurs (assuming he gets over a groin injury).

All-in-all We've found PaddyPower a pretty good bookie (you can find our detailed Paddy Power review here on the main site) and they're in my top 10 bookmakers.

A recommended bookmaker if you're looking for a fair site - that rewards loyal punters again and again and again.

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RELATED LINK :
Here is a beer link to Paddy Power Bookmakers that gives you £25 in free bets if you join up - and we get a free beer too
;-)

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Betting 101 - Do your homework

Just as there is no fountain of youth, there is no secret betting system that is an easy path to riches.

STUDY - Understand the sport that you are betting on
Success in gambling is directly related to study.

You should understand the sport and league that you are betting on - and have access to basic statistics and team news if you seriously thing that you can beat the bookmakers lines.

They have put in time, resources and committment in setting an accurate price - so you have to at least have the basic sports knowledge in place to spot a soft line.

SEARCH - Check reliable sites for information
However, you're unwilling to commit to excessive hours of study, then at least become a student of the markets and take advantage of what happens, even if you don't know why it's happening.

As a good example I've regularly seen the Pinnacle Sports Sharp Report on places like The Sports Bookie Blog which often report which side of a game sharp players are on in line moves.

By my reckoning - simply following their advice on these price movements provided a winning 31-15-1 record since we started checking them out this years - and that's an impressive return for a simple piece of websurfing.

SELECT - Always get the best price
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it repeat my mantra once more ALWAYS OBTAIN THE BEST AVAILABLE PRICE.

For those Sports Bettors outside the US, PinnacleSports.com still offers -104 (1.96) lines on NFL sides which saves players up to 60% of the "juice" other books charge with traditional -110 (1.90) pricing.

They have a similar over-round on their asian handicap prices in European football, regularly offering odds of 1.96 on each side - and should be a preferred destination for most handicap punters.

Put simply, you have to win close to 53% of bets to break even with -110 (1.90) , while at odds of -104 (1.96) you only need to win 51% of your plays to break even.

NOTE
Pinnacle Sportbetting's recent decision to voluntarily exit the American market brings the importance of this maxim sharply into focus for US residents.

The vacuum that Pinnacle Sports leaves is a hard one for any book to fill and the number of questions on the betting forums is a reflection of this.

If you are outside the US then you have a huge advantage and you SHOULD be using PinnacleSports.com for your American sports bets and Asian Handicap bets.

If you are NOT - then you are LOSING MONEY !

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Choosing your first bookie

We get plenty of requests on the forum for recommendations on the "best bookie".

Now we do a lot of work in testing and ranking our favourite bookmakers and also in finding the best free bet offers but it's still a bit of work to match them up to each punter.

This depends a lot on what the person is looking for - and some of the criteria could be things like :

What is your Favourite Sports
European Football, American Football (NFL / NCAA), Tennis, Other sports.

What is your Preferred Competitions
Main Leagues Only = English Premier, Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga (etc)
Minor Leagues as well = Turkish leagues, Australian league, Jpanese leagues, Lower divisions.

Which markets do you prefer ?
1x2 Betting, Handicaps and AH betting, Over/under or special bets.

Are other features important?
Ease of use, Money transfer options, Joining bonuses.

All these factors will go into finding the best bookmaker for your betting sport, style and league type and it does take a while to find the best bookie that matches to your type.

For most UK punters who are just start out betting online - we recommend four places that are safe, reliable, cover a lot of local games and styles and off a nice free joining bonus.

1) Bet365 = 92% (see Bet365 Review)
2) BetFred = 85% (see BetFred Review)
3) SportingOdds = 80% (see SportingOdds Review)
4) PaddyPower = 75% (see PaddyPower Review)

Depositing GBP 30-50 in each of these four bookies and playing it through will see you earn a series of bonuses (which is always nice) - and you'll get a feel of which of these bookies suits you best.

American and European punters will have slightly different tastes and requirements and will almost certainly prefer different books.

US punters seem to be happiest at :
1) PinnacleSports = 91% (see PinnacleSports Review)
2) CanBet = 77% (see CanBet Review)

And all US players are welcome at both these books - no state restrictions.

While European punters seem to prefer :
1) Bet365 = 92% (see Bet365 Review)
2) EuroBet = 78% (see Eurobet review)
3) Interwetten = 60% (see our Interwetten review)

So get in there and choose your first couple of bookies (it's always recomemnded to try at least 2-3 in order to compare what's best) and see how you find them with a small deposit.

Then you can continue on with your favourites - or come back and check the reviews in more detail - as you'll probably have a much better idea of what you're looking for in a bookie.

Good luck with your punting.

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