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Since the 18th century, boxing has been synonymous with betting, as the British defined the sport by making wagers available on either fighter and awarded prizes to the victors. Professional boxing as we know it today has grown tremendously and gone through good, bad and ugly stages, from its peak in the 1960s and 70s with the popularity of fighters like Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard to the more recent downfall and corruption associated with the careers of Mike Tyson and Don King, respectively.

Despite its ups and downs, pro boxing still thrives in Las Vegas, the gambling capital of the world, where boxing odds are available in almost every sportsbook. This article will focus on the different wagering options you have with betting boxing and give you tips on understanding boxing odds, including what factors to consider before placing a wager.

Basics of Betting Boxing Sports bettors mostly enjoy boxing for its brutal nature and promotional build-up, with only the Super Bowl rivaling a major championship fight in terms of betting interest and media attention.

It’s also very easy to place a bet on a boxing match, as you generally wager simply on who you think will win the fight or sometimes on the rare possibility of a draw, all based on money lines. If you are unclear about how money lines work, make sure to check out Reading and Understanding Money Lines.

Here’s an example:

Favorite: -170 (bet $170 to win $100)

Underdog: +150 (bet $100 to win $150)

Draw: +800 (bet $100 to win $800)

In addition, some sportsbooks offer boxing proposition bets, including how many rounds you think the fight will go (i.e. Over/Under 8.5 rounds), increasing the amount of potential action even further. Other popular prop bets for betting boxing include:

  • Picking the specific round the fight will end
  • A parlay-type wager combining two bets picking the winner of the fight and how the fight will be decided, either by decision or knockout

Betting Tips for Success Boxing is the most controversial professional sport due to its close link to gambling and because it is driven solely by money. The best advice we can give you is to learn as much as you can about the fighters, especially heavy favorites since they will obviously require a much bigger investment. Like other sports, champion boxers can overlook opponents and may not always be as motivated as they should be going into a title fight.

There is also big money involved in fight rematches, so it shouldn’t be too surprising when an up-and-coming contender like Jermain Taylor knocks off a champion who hasn’t lost in more than 10 years like Bernard Hopkins ( Taylor beat Hopkins by split decision on June 16, 2005 for the undisputed world middleweight crown). Some boxing contracts even have “rematch clauses” in them to guarantee another money-making fight, with Taylor-Hopkins being one of them.

“I’m not going to say decisions are good for boxing,” Hopkins said following his loss to Taylor . “But rivalries are.”

Hopkins is right: Rivalries can bring in tons of money for the sport and make it much easier to market. The drama and intrigue created around a rivalry is what makes team sports so great, and some of the most memorable fights have been tied to rivalries.

Another key point we can make using the Hopkins-Taylor fight as an example is that the popular fighter (in this case the favorite and defending champion) is generally over-rated and over-priced due to his status of being more well-known with the public. Because of this popularity factor, challengers like Taylor have great value and are worth betting on.

It’s also important to note that boxing matches have more inflated money line prices than most sports, creating a huge dog/fave money line differential between the favorite and underdog. For this reason, you should be aware that boxing odds at different sportsbooks vary, so shopping around online sportsbooks will get you the most bang for your betting buck.

For example, “Online Sportsbook A” might have had Hopkins at -200 and Taylor at +180 while “Online Sportsbook B” had Hopkins at -220 and Taylor at +160. A $1000 wager on Taylor at “Online Sportbook A” would have earned you $1800 compared to $1600 at “Online Sportsbook B” where you would also need to lay down more money if you bet on Hopkins . As you can see, “Online Sportsbook B” is the worse place to bet for favorite and underdog bettors alike because the dog/fave money line differential is greater.

Finding the right online sportsbook for betting boxing should also be determined by who has the most wagering offerings, including propositions. There are several advantages to betting boxing at elite online sportsbooks, but first and foremost, you will get better boxing lines and more ways to bet a fight.

Conversely, the stereotypical barroom bookie will have slim pickings and rather unattractive boxing odds (if he has them at all), very similar to the “Online Sportsbook B” example from above, because he knows he is your only option. Therefore, it definitely pays to explore online sportsbooks, who want you to play with confidence and try to give you a simple and safe environment in which to do so.

If you are a knowledgeable boxing fan who has a good feel about how a match will likely turn out, then you should most definitely trust your insights and use them to find strong bets. Like an up-and-coming prize fighter, experience and comfort level is crucial to your training as a boxing bettor, so study up on boxers as much as you can. Of course it’s up to you to decide which fighter you want to bet on, but the more you learn about boxing, the more prepared you will be when placing your bet. Hopefully after reading our “Basics of Betting Boxing” and “Betting Tips for Success” you’ll be ready to step into the ring (or betting window) in the near future!

RJ Bell is the founder of Pregame.com – Where sports bettors get ready. RJ has been an expert contributor to Maxim Magazine, CNN.com, About.com, and ABC News – and has won 3 world handicapping championships! Located in Las Vegas, the Pregame.com team works at adding to your betting confidence with powerful game insights and sportsbook reviews. FreePicksByEmail.com, the biggest daily sports betting newsletter, delivers help from famous handicappers.

Spread betting is a complicated venture; the statement is nothing but a popular misconception. Proponents of this form consider it to be real easy, once the new player has understood the concept. It enables you to win or loose money depending on how close off or far you are in your betting. Spread betting can be an exciting way to win or loose money, either in casino or while playing online. Win or loss depends majorly on your grasp of the understanding of the betting process.

One of the interesting factors of spread betting is that it allows you to place bets on just about any sport from football to horse racing and at the same time you can place bets on the ever changing stock market.

People have an option on where do they wish to dip in the world of online betting. It could be in a real casino or an online gaming site. In fact there are hundred of sites also offering free training sessions and tips for players new to the world of spread betting.

However once you are well versed with the basics of the game there are limitless venues where you can venture in this world. However like any other form of gambling, this too can be highly negative in yields and thus one should play only moderately, according to the financial resources you have. The game in general, is meant to be enjoyed and can yield an exciting time when played with someone educated in basics.

Like all other gambling games spread betting too has its own historical background.

Spread betting evolves from the basic qualities of gambling, placing money on the outcome and win or lose depending on that outcome. The uncertainty of winning or losing is the very reason for the addictive nature of this game. While in other forms of gambling win or loss depends on the outcome of one game, in spread gambling you may potentially win no matter what the final score. The actual numeric outcome of the game or market has no effect on you win or lose. You will win or lose as long as you bet correctly in the higher or lower margin of the outcome.

Much like other forms of betting, spread too has some bets, which are more popular then others. Some of the most wide spread betting occurs in Europe, where the well spread soccer circuit provides exciting games amply throughout the year. However with so many sports and competitions to bet on, it is hard to pin point any one form as the most popular focus. Besides games spread betting is particularly active on the financial market as well.

People spread bet on the financial markets in hopes of increasing their income or making up for the losses.

Information about betting could be found out by a number of ways. If you are decided on betting, find out as much as you can and know more as nothing here works better then an informed choice. Spending some time with someone experienced in the world of spread betting can be beneficial as you get to know the ins and outs of the game better.

Mansi aggarwal writes about spread betting. Learn more at [http://www.bettingthespread.com]

In this brief introduction to the basics of gaming computers, I’ll explain a few concepts that everyone interested in finding or creating a great gaming computer should be familiar with.

What to look for

Something you should consider when thinking about a new gaming computer is how a gaming computer differs from other computers. What specific components are important to my gaming experience, and will allow me to play the games I want the way I want, with the graphics I want?

The basic components that you should consider first and foremost are the components that will have the greatest impact on your gaming experience. There are four primary hardware components that you must know about: the CPU, video card, RAM, and the hard drive. (These definitions are for the purposes of how they are used in a gaming computer and are in layman’s terms.)

The CPU, or Central Processing Unit, basically controls how quickly your computer will be able to process information and how much can be processed at any given time.

The Video Card controls how quickly and to what degree your computer will be able to process images on your screen.

The RAM, or Random Access Memory, deals with information transfer and also affects how quickly your computer will be able to process information.

The Hard Drive is where data is stored on your computer.

If you focus primarily on these four hardware components, you will find that deciding what you need in your gaming computer can be quite simple. Finding a computer that is fast and powerful enough to play the games you want to play can be as simple as seeing if the components match up with the requirements.

One last component you must keep in mind when deciding what you want in a gaming computer is the operating system. The operating system is the basic framework-program that you use to run your computer. Operating systems include Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OSX, and many others.

Figuring out what you need

The most simple way I’ve found to see what components your ultimate gaming computer needs is to look at the requirements for the games you want to play. You can follow these steps in order to figure out what the CPU, video card, RAM, hard drive, and operating system requirements are:

1. Pick out a game that you want to play. You should probably select a game that has recently come out, for the purpose of understanding what the newest games need to work properly, in terms of hardware and operating system.

2. Find the minimum and recommended system requirements for that game. System requirements for any given game can almost always be found printed on the box it came in, or online at any number of game-review sites. The minimum system requirements are what your computer needs to simply run the game and have it function; recommended system requirements are what will make the game run well or at peak performance levels on your computer. These requirements are listed in terms of what operating system, what RAM, what processor, and what video card are required for the game to function. If your computer has all of these components, then it will be able to handle the game.

3. Write down these requirements so you can reference them later. Keep track of what components the games you want to play require. Naturally, these requirements change with the passage of time; computers can go out-of-date very quickly in this day and age. Thus, you will not only want to meet, but also exceed these requirements with your ultimate gaming computer.

Ultimately, you will want a computer that has a powerful processor (CPU), an advanced video card, plenty of RAM, a hard drive with plenty of free space (contemporary games take up many gigabytes each!), and an operating system that supports most games.

For more information about these components, and for help with deciding what you will want in your computer, visit us at our website. We can also give you tips and tricks for saving money on computers, components, and accessories, so make sure to stop by the site to check out all of the information we’ve made available!

Muro Kikuchi
Webmaster of http://www.findagamingcomputer.com

I know what most of you are thinking; who plays RTS games anymore? They’re nothing compared to things like FPS games or RPGs. Well first off, if you do not know what an RTS game is, it stands for Real Time Strategy games.

In layman’s terms, these games are closely related to chess. As you would in chess, you need to strategize in order to defeat your opponent. Normally in RTS games, you would be controlling an army of units (similar to chess’s concept) and trying to defeat your opponent’s army.

Most people underestimate RTS gamers. In RTS games, people need to carefully plan out what they need to do for a sure victory. On top of all this, they need to manage an army and know where and how to place them. For instance, there is a game made by Blizzard called StarCraft. It takes place in a space environment setting where you have alien, human, and monster races duking it out for survival. An RTS gamer would pick a race and make sure that they are the last one standing in the game. There are professional RTS gamers out there for StarCraft that knows how everything works within the game. Normally, when you see an professional RTS gamer play, you’d think that everything is preset in their mind on what to do and their actions on the screen is automated. You are right. Normally, you get good in RTS games by knowing all the possible strategies. It’s just a matter of incorporating it in the game. These RTS gamers can reach up to 100+ APM (actions per minute). This means that they can perform 100 actions in the game in a span of one minute. So you can just imagine all the clicking and the screen changes happening when they play.

I think that these gamers are rare. RTS gamers are usually good in their own niche. For example, you would have a really good RTS gamer in Starcraft and be mediocre player in Warcraft (RTS version, not World of Warcraft). The key to becoming a good gamer is to know the game and all possible strategies within the game. Only then you can apply it to your playing style.

I hope you liked my article.

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They say 75% of all startup companies fail within their first 2 years. This is also true with clans, only perhaps even more clans fail than companies. I would say the percentage is probably somewhere around the 85%-90% mark. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already taken into consideration running your own gaming clan. I will say, as a former leader of my own for around 3 years, this is no easy task. There are certain things you have to ask yourself before you begin, that will ultimately lead to either the demise or rise of your new organization;

Questions to ask yourself: (So you don’t end up wasting your time :) )

#1) Do I have enough time? To successfully lead a large clan in this day and age, you need to plan to devote at least the time you would to a part time job. Especially during startup. I would say that you should plan for a minimum of 20 hours per week, and as high as 40 during startup.

#2) Am I alone? You will never be able to get a clan off the ground on your own. Starting a clan takes a team-wide effort. You will need a minimum of 3-4 VERY dedicated members to help you get this thing on its feet. The more the merrier.

#3) Am I/my founding members mature enough? Age certainly comes into play as a leader. You have to be willing to put up with alot of bullshit. You will hear alot of complaining. Maturity is certainly a necessity. I have never seen a clan successfully run by a 13 year old.

#4) Do I have the motivation to put in the effort? You can have all time in the world, but if you don’t do anything with it, you get no where. You had better plan for those 20 hours per week, to be 20 hours of work. If you sit around and chat for 10 of those you’re getting nowhere.

If you answered all these questions in the correct manner then you have just met the basic requirements of being a clan leader. There are literally hundreds of other things that play into a clan being successful. Now, to get started:

First, decide what kind of clan you want.

You and your founding members must decide the basics about the type of clan you are preparing to found. All decisions are relative to what game you play. (Typically first person shooters like counter strike will not be looking for large numbers on the member list. Real Time Strategy and MMORPG’s also have different sets of core values). Do you want alot of members? Small amount? Will there be ranks? If so how many? Will you be using the standard military ranks, or going for something original? Once the ranks issue is decided, then you must decide which founding members will hold what place in the ranking system. This can get sticky, so try to be as democratic about it as possible. I would suggest having only you, as the founding leader be the commander (or comparable rank), and perhaps let all other founding members be your general staff.

Tip: Save transcripts of all meetings, and keep them for a later date, or to post on your message board later.

Once these things are decided, you begin to create.

Open a website.

Make sure that you have your own .com/.net/.org domain for your clan, and a pay-per-month hosting plan. (This can be purchased at godaddy.com).

The website is the most crucial piece of any clan. The website, or perhaps even more importantly, the forum/message board gives your members a place to chat and get to know each other outside of the game. It gives your clan more of a community feel to it. Your site should, at minimum, have a page devoted to news, rules, members, and a message board for chatting. It is absolutely imperative that you have a message board. Oftentimes, your webhost will have message boards that can be automatically set up in the cpanel.

Make your website look as professional as possible. Do your best to make sure it is neat and orderly, and has a minimal amount of spelling mistakes. The more seriously you take yourself, the more seriously potential members will take you.

Find your place in-game

Depending on what game you are launching this clan for, there are certain steps that need to be taken in order for you to have a meeting spot for your members in-game. For Counter-Strike, and other first person shooters, you must purchase a server. But, for the rest of this article, I will assume you are a battle.net clan. In which case, you must get a clan channel. It really does matter if you have a Clan ______ channel, or an Op _______ channel. Just make sure one of your founding members can keep a bot sitting on ops (ops controls the channel, can kick/ban) 24/7. Make sure that you trust this person, and in fact, it is even best if you yourself hold ops. Make sure this bot is able to delegate out power to others in the channel.

Recruit.

Depending on how you answered your questions earlier regarding the size of the potential clan, you begin recruiting in a number of ways. Most clans like to start off recruiting as many people as possible. Make sure to tell each and every recruit about your website.

Post on Forums about your newly founded clan, and let them know that moving up is an option.

Make recruitment games to reach out to new members. Always have your best player online at the time play the potential members.

When playing alone, make sure to ask anyone you encounter that is of the appropriate skill level, if they would be interested in joining.

Essentially, in creating a clan, you are a salesman. You dress up your website in it’s finest business attire to attract the most business-like crowd. You have to SELL your clan to every potential member, and make them excited to join. The best members are always the ones who were excited from the get-go.

All potential clan-leaders have been provided enough info in this basics to get going. Please refer to our other articles for more in-depth looks at how to successfully run your clan.

Ryan Bozeman
Clan-Man.com