Monte Carlo Masters Tips: Djokovic faces test as Berd takes off

Nole has an 8-1 head-to-head lead over the Czech, but this will be their first ever meeting on clay.

Sean Calvert explains why he believes Andy Murray's conqueror can cause the world number one a few problems in today's semi-final. Meanwhile, Rafa should win comfortably against Gilles Simon...

Friday was another good day at the Monte Carlo Masters after a tough start to the week, as both of the wagers I suggested were winners.

Andy Murray's match went the way I predicted - to a decider - and it was Tomas Berdych who took a deserved win after being the more forceful of the two players on the day.

It was one of those frustrating displays from Murray, who forced Sky commentator, Barry Millns, into several apologies as the expletives flew with regularity from the Scot's mouth in front of a stern faced Ivan Lendl.

And Gilles Simon's straight sets win over a misfiring Jo-Wilfried Tsonga brought further reward to those who were on the 2.56/4 available on Simon pre-match.

Saturday is semi-finals day and first up is Novak Djokovic versus Berdych and I think if there is ever a time at the moment to take the world number one on it could be now.

His performance against Robin Haase on Friday was patchy and he admitted that "it's tough to play tennis with the way I feel" after hearing of the passing of his grandfather a few days ago.

The other view is that he'll want to go on and win this event and dedicate it to his relative, so he may well be putting everything into the next couple of days.

So, there's his emotional state to consider as well as the usual form and statistics, which tell us that Nole has an 8-1 head-to-head lead over the Czech, but this will be their first ever meeting on clay.

I've always thought that Berdych should be a real contender on clay, but it's hard to believe in him completely with his often erratic and frustrating displays.

He certainly has it in him to beat Djokovic today and the 4.1n/a is a tempting price based on the Czech's best form and the emotional question mark over Nole.

The Berdman was excellent against Murray, but I don't trust him to produce back-to-back performances and consequently I think the best play in this one is to lay Djokovic 2-0 at 1.855/6.

The other bet to consider in my view is the 4.3100/30 about Djokovic taking this one by two sets to one, as I think the Serb will have the odd dip and Berdych should be able to cash in - at least long enough to take a set.

The other semi-final features Rafa Nadal taking on Gilles Simon for the sixth time, with Rafa leading 4-1 overall and this will also be their first meeting on clay.

This should be pretty much a perfect match-up for Rafa, who won't be coughing up anywhere near as many unforced errors as Tsonga did against Simon on Friday.

The Frenchman is going to have to play a much more aggressive game than he's comfortable with to have a chance today, although Nadal hasn't been at his best this week.

Rafa is around 1.071/14 to win, which is far too short considering the knees are still troubling him and the only bet I would consider in this is taking Simon on the handicap with a 5.5 games start at around 2.0621/20.

Recommended Bet
Lay Djokovic 2-0 at 1.855/6

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Betfair Super Saturday Chase: Sacre faces five at Newbury

News / Timeform / 16 February 2012 / Leave a Comment

Newbury stages the Betfair Super Saturday Chase.

"He just has such scope and he can do extraordinary things..."

Sprinter Sacre steps out of novice company for the first time in the rescheduled Betfair Super Saturday Chase at Newbury on Friday...

The two-mile-one-furlong prize has attracted six runners, headed by this Nicky Henderson-trained superstar.

After turning in a superb round of jumping on his fencing debut at Doncaster, Sprinter Sacre pummelled Peddlers Cross at Kempton to leap to the head of the ante-post betting for the Arkle at Cheltenham next month.

"He's done what we've asked him and he was a very good novice hurdler, plus bumper horse plus everything," said Henderson.

"One always rather hoped that when he got jumping fences you might see something a bit special and he has been so far.

"He just has such scope and he can do extraordinary things."

Henderson has an interesting second string in French Opera, who won this race 12 months ago but has not been seen since winning last year's Celebration Chase at Sandown.

Perhaps Sprinter Sacre's biggest danger is Hold Fast, who earned this step up in class with a runaway victory in a Sandown handicap.

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls is keen to learn whether the eight-year-old is a serious contender for the Champion Chase.

"He's going the same route as Master Minded took in his first season - I'm not saying he's Master Minded or anything like that but Friday will tell us whether we go for the Champion Chase or the Grand Annual," said Nicholls.

"He'll improve, but Ruby (Walsh) keeps saying he needs to go right-handed, but then he used to keep saying that about Master Minded as well."

Zaynar comes back in distance having run well in an Ascot handicap last month, while I'm So Lucky looks up against it having run down the field in the VC Chase on the same afternoon.

Rank outsider Kinkeel completes the field.

Jessica Harrington has decided against running Steps To Freedom at Dundalk on Friday and he will now head straight to next month's Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham......

Last week the world's highest Timeform rated sprinter Black Caviar (135+) put to rest any doubts about her handling 1400m with an emphatic victory in the G1 C F Orr Stakes at Caulfield however on Saturday she faces a new challenge....

Leading RSA Chase fancy Last Instalment has been ruled out of the Cheltenham Festival with a leg injury......

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PokerView Brings Faces to Online Poker

A new poker site has announced that poker players will be able to see each other when they play online. PokerView is a poker site that is built around the idea of using webcams while playing poker. Poker players will need to have the right equipment, and if they do they will be able to add a new level of poker playing to online poker. With PokerView poker players can interact just as they do in real life poker, and possibly use their tell reading skills as well.

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Formula One: Ecclestone wants rain but Lewis faces pain

Formula One / Ralph Ellis / 02 March 2011 / Leave a Comment

Is Hamilton being overly optimistic?

"Hamilton talked of McLaren closing the gap, there's a real danger that Red Bull will start the season with a run of victories which will make them too hard to catch... "

Bernie Ecclestone's latest idea may be a short-lived gimmick but Ralph Ellis fears that Lewis Hamilton could face more enduring problems with his new car...

Clearly Bernie Ecclestone has got his months muddled up. Yesterday was March 1 and he obviously felt it was April. I can't see any other reason behind his latest idea for trying to make Formula One more interesting.

Bernie was perhaps thinking out loud while he was watching Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton show off McLaren's new road car on a sleety track in Surrey. But the man with the marketing brains behind modern Grand Prix racing is suggesting having sprinklers to produce artificial rain in the middle of races.

"We always have exciting races in the rain, so let's think of making it rain," he suggested. "You could have a 20 minute spell in the middle of the race, or near the end with 10 laps to go. It would guarantee suspense."

Yes, Bernie, but so would putting Ashley Cole on one of the bends with his air rifle to see how many of the cars he could hit - or having a Ford Sierra towing a caravan round the track at the same time as everybody else was racing.

Arguably the only people who would welcome Bernie's hair-brained scheme would be the McLaren team because Hamilton is almost always the best bet when real rain affects a race. It seems to bring out his natural flair for driving - last year's triumph at the Belgian Grand Prix was an absolute master class in dealing with difficult conditions.

Hamilton certainly needs something. He's [6.6] third favourite for this year's drivers' championship, but the signs are that's far too short and a good opportunity to lay. While his McLaren masters were very proudly showing off their new road toy, the latest model for the track appears to be way off the pace. Meanwhile, the new Red Bull to be driven by reigning champion Sebastian Vettel has performed superbly in testing to make the German the [3.8] favourite to retain his title.

More worrying for Hamilton is that on the tests so far, it is not only Red Bull who are quicker, and not even just the traditional powerhouse of Ferrari either (Fernando Alonso is [3.85] second favourite). The early reports suggest that if a race were held tomorrow then Toro Rosso, Williams, Renault and even the new boys of Force India would be in front of him, with Mercedes probably neck and neck.

Hamilton was driving reporters around and admitted himself that mechanical issues on the F1 car had limited them to only 38 laps on one of their testing days. And while he optimistically talked of them being able to close the gap, there's a real danger that Red Bull will start the season with a run of victories which will make them too hard to catch - even if they did put the sprinklers on.

Five things you might not know about McLaren's new super car the MP4-12C

1. The core structure is built from magnesium, which is 50% lighter than steel
2. It has a 3.8 litre twin turbocharged engine, producing a top speed of 205mph and accelerating from 0-62 in 3.1 seconds
3. Despite all that power it's comparatively economical. If you can afford to buy it in the first place you might not be bothered, but it delivers 24.2mpg
4. The radiator for cooling the engine is set at the rear of the car
5. McLaren aim to manufacture 1,500 of them annually by 2012. To raise the £168,500 on the road price you could always try staking £12,000 on Jenson Button for the drivers' championship at his current price of [15.0]!

Bernie Ecclestone's latest idea may be a short-lived gimmick but Ralph Ellis fears that Lewis Hamilton could face more enduring problems with his new car......

He may be the youngest ever Drivers' Championship winner but Sebastian Vettel may not be quite the finished article, says Ralph Ellis. So will you lay the German for the 2011 title?...

Red Bull driver becomes youngest ever world champion with flawless performance in Abu Dhabi....

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Bellagio Robber Faces 35 Years in Jail

Poker News / Matthew Pitt / 24 February 2011 / Leave a Comment

Anthony Michael Carleo

Anthony Michael Carleo faces up to 35 years imprisonment if he is found guilty of the armed robbery charges he faces in relation to the $1,500,000 theft from the Bellagio casino back in the early hours of December 14. The possibility of such a long custodial sentence will have shocked Carleo as he told his arresting officer that he believed the most he could be charged with would be possession of stolen property

Carleo was arrested last month, ironically in a Bellagio hotel room he was being comped for as a high roller, after he sold a number of $25,000 chips to an undercover police officer, Michael Gennaro, at a discounted price. Gennaro revealed that he had met with Carleo on five separate occasions and bought a total of 14 $25,000 chips for prices ranging between $7,000 and $10,000. Gennaro also revealed that he pretended to Carleo that he was bringing his New York based gang to Las Vegas and asked the defendant if he wanted to join them to rob the Bellagio, to which Carleo laughed as he replied, "I already did!"

Twenty-nine year old Carleo heard these allegations at a preliminary hearing on Wednesday which was held to see if Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman had enough evidence to take the case to a criminal trial. A number of testimonies from casino employees were heard including that of Floor Supervisor Don Crosby who recounted the series of events that results in a the suspect allegedly making off with $1,500,000 in casino chips. Crosby's presence in the robbery could add extra jail time to any sentence given to Carleo as Las vegas law allows for enhancements to be placed on charges if a victim is over the age of 60. Crosby recently celebrated his 72nd birthday.

Zimmerman not only decided there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial but actually added new charges for Carleo to face. At a yet undetermined date, Carleo faces three counts of armed robbery (including the aforementioned enhancement), two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of burglary and one of carry a concealed weapon. As mentioned, the maximum jail term for the armed robbery charge alone is 35 years.

The court heard how at the time of his arrest Carleo was in the middle of a self-confessed drug and gambling binge that was rapidly spiralling out of control. He revelaed that he was a regular user of cocaine and the opium like prescription drug OxyContin. Carleo confessed to Gennaro during one of their five meetings that he had lost more than $300,000 at the Bellagio, including $70,000 on New Year's Eve alone, something his defence attorney William Terry wants to be taken into account if and when he client is charged.

He pushed Zimmerman to put up a reasonable bail amount but upon hearing all the testimonies and taking into consideration Carleo's drug problems and the fact officers found a handgun and plans of money locations at the Caesar's Palace casino in Carleo's room when he was arrested, she set the bail at $1,000,000. In addition to the huge bail sum, she added that should Carleo manage to post bail that he would be immediately placed under house arrest.

The case continues

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Anthony Michael Carleo faces up to 35 years imprisonment if he is found guilty of the armed robbery charges he faces in relation to the $1,500,000 theft from the Bellagio casino back in the early hours of December 14. The...

The 2011 NBC Heads Up Poker Championship takes place between Thursday 3 March and Sunday 6 March at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada and will see a mixture of 64 poker players and celebrities take to the felt in a...

The Estonian capital once again plays host to the hugely popular Betfair LIVE! series. Taking place between April 14th - 17th at the Reval Park Hotel & Casino, Betfair Poker LIVE! Tallinn features several tournaments with buyins ranging from €100...

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Man faces jail for hacking Facebook poker!

Poker News / Matthew Pitt / 03 February 2011 / Leave a comment

One of the most popular applications on the social networking site Facebook is Zynga Poker, an application that allows users of Facebook to play poker against friends, family and strangers from around the world, much like any other poker site except this one is played for a virtual currency rather than actual money.

Although no real money changes hands between players on the site, it is possible to buy extra virtual chips to top up those that are awarded to new players when they sign up for an account and by all accounts Zynga do very well financially from players wanting to buy what is essentially worthless currency.

Wherever there is money involved there will always be someone looking to get their hands on it cheaply or illegitimately and Zynga Poker is no different. Ashley Mitchell, a 29-year old man from Paignton, Devon, UK, now faces a jail term after admitting that he hacked into the servers of Zynga Corporation and "stole" no less than 400 billion chips from them! He then used a well-known auction site to sell these chips for £430 per billion and had made profits of £53,000 by the time he was tracked down. Had he managed to sell all 400 billion he would have made £184,000, however had Zynga sold this many through the proper channels they would have made a staggering $12,000,000!

Judge Phillip Wassall informed Mitchell that he would face a substantial jail term for his "sophisticated" offences, which were likened to steal from the National Mint. Mitchell pleaded guilty to four charges of converting criminal property and a fifth charge of violating the Computer Misuse Act.

Unsurprisingly, this is not the first occasion that Mitchell has used his obvious talents for a dastardly deed, as back in 2008 he was given a suspended 40-week jail sentence for hacking his former employees website and altering information there so he would receive a payment of £3,498. This latest offence violates the conditions set by that particular sentence.

Mitchell's defence solicitor, Ben Derby informed Exeter Crown Court that these offences took part whilst his client was "wrestling a gambling addiction" that had seen him lose more than £3,000 to online games. Mitchell was remanded in custody until a date for his trial can be decided.

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