One of the benefits of online betting is being able to wait until the last minute before placing bets. This weekend’s action at home is fairly sparse with the majority of sporting events, including racing and at least five Premier League games, all called off due to the freezing temperatures.

With online betting, you can look further afield and bet on events such as the cricket, tennis and golf in far off places. The southern hemisphere of course is experiencing their summer and while we freeze at home, they appear to be having record highs for their summers, highs in excess of 40c (104f).

In the cricket, Australia and Pakistan will continue their amazing action later next week – test match cricket received the boost it needed last week with one of the tensest tests ever played. How Australia came back from the death to win will have everyone talking for years. England is also creating waves following their efforts in South Africa. England have now won the Ashes and, at worst, drawn the series against South Africa. A win or draw in next weekend’s final test will see them take the series. Back both Australia and England but the betting odds won’t be fancy.

Tennis – now we are getting into some decent betting action. In Brisbane, the final of the Brisbane International will be an all Belgium affair with the comeback queens fighting it out for the title. Of course, Kim Clijsters has nothing to prove – she has a US Open title to her name as comeback queen. Justine Henin, although out of the game for only 18 months, has come back possibly fitter, stronger and hungrier than when she left.

Clijsters is 8/13 favourite to win and, with a little more tournament form than Henin, a worthy favourite. Henin is 6/5 to win so bookmakers are treating her cautiously. The odds in this final are really poor with bookmakers holding almost 120% against their normal 110%. If you shop around you can get Henin as long as 7/4. She appears hungrier than Clijsters so I lean slightly in her favour. One thing I do know, it will be a great final.

You know it’s Christmas with the new fast approaching when bookmakers start touting their online betting specials for the following year. 2010 looks to be an interesting one with so much going on in so many different sporting fields.

Tennis Betting

Specials for 2010 include whether or not Federer will hold his number one ranking; whether Nadal can win another Slam event; Clijsters to repeat a Slam victory; the Williams sisters to finish the year empty handed and who will be the next rising star.

Federer had a strong year in 2009 whilst Nadal was badly hampered through injury. Serena Williams reclaimed number one but she is starting to show that lack of tournament play is effecting her. Kim Clijsters became the super mum winning the US Open whilst Andy Murray crashed and burned in the later half of the year. 2010 certainly looks to be a promising year. It was interesting to see that many smart punters took the good odds about Clijsters early on in the tournament.

Golf Betting

2010 specials, of course, centre wholly around Tiger Woods – at least, they seem to. Will he play again; will he win a major in 2010; will he finish the year at number one? So many questions and they all deal with Tiger Woods.

Football Betting

The ever present future football betting still has the same culprits sitting in the same places in the online betting markets. Chelsea are still favoured to win; Hull and Portsmouth are still favoured for relegation; and Manchester City is favoured to displace Liverpool in the top four.

When speaking of football you have to mention the biggest sporting event in world history – the World Cup 2010. Who will take out the cup this time around? Punters are keen on England and this is probably their best chance for many years. But then, Spain do like to rain down on an English party, don’t they?

Motor Racing Betting

Recent news of Schumaker’s return to racing has sent bookmakers in a flurry as they frame markets for next year’s Formula 1 series. Will he win another grand prix; will Hamilton win another grand prix or will he win the drivers championship again? And what of Button – will he win the drivers championship again?

It takes a brave gambler to bet on events that are 12 months away. Anything can happen between now and the final event and it can be a harsh way to do your dough. It can, of course, reap some great rewards as well.

What’s your top bet for 2010?

It is going to be an interesting round of Premier League football this weekend and I am sure that online betting agencies are preparing for a flood of bets. Chelsea and Arsenal go head to head tomorrow afternoon and bookies are really struggling to separate the two.

It’s hard to know which way to swing. Arsenal have had an up and down season. Sure, they have had some good wins and had a great unbeaten run until last weekend. We did predict an upset was on the cards against Sunderland last weekend and I am predicting another surprise in tomorrow’s game – actually, I am predicting a no result. This game is perfectly poised for the draw. Both sides played midweek in the Champions League and whilst three points are better than one, I think if you offered both sides the point they would take it.

Tomorrow’s other game is between Everton and Liverpool. I am going against the grain in this game as well. Liverpool seem to be on a downer at present. They were the first English side eliminated from this year’s Champions League so I am not sure how ‘up’ they are going to be for this game. Everton are at 3/1 and whilst their form is nothing to sing about, they are at home against an out of sorts opposition – the 3/1 is too good to pass up.

Today, if you want to go against the grain, back Portsmouth to either win or draw against Manchester United. Pompey are at home and playing under a new manager, a manager that took Chelsea to the Champions League final and almost the Premier League title. Teams have a history of firing for new managers – don’t be surprised if the same happens today. Don’t forget, it was only a couple of seasons ago that Portsmouth were at Wembley contesting an FA Cup final – and winning. At 9/1 to win and 4/1 for the draw, you can back them both and come out in front – unless, of course, United win – but that is what betting on outsiders is all about – taking a chance.

Premier League football finally returns after a brief interlude and it returns with a real bang in today’s early game. Liverpool are under a lot of pressure this season and have lost touch with the leaders on the table. After finishing second last season there were high expectations to do well this season. To be eleven points from the top is not what most fans expected.

Today they host the big spending Manchester City. It has taken several seasons for them to come together as a team but they are finally starting to make an impact. Online betting is predicting a top four finish for the City boys – however to get there they need to win these types of games. Liverpool are even money or there abouts to win today with City out as much as 3/1. That’s pretty good value for City and fairly tempting. If they are to lay claim to a top four berth, they need to win today – City to win a tight game.

Other games today include Birmingham (6/4) hosting the Potters (2/1) – I lean towards Fulham in this game. Burnley (5/2) at home to Villa (5/4). Burnley love to spoil a party and I think they may spoil Villa’s day today. Chelsea (1/6) will have a picnic today and Wolves (20/1) will be on the menu whilst Hull (7/5) and West Ham (8/5) will have to settle for the draw (2/1).

The last two games add further interest with Sunderland (5/1) hosting Arsenal (4/6) and Manchester United (2/5) hosting Everton (8/1). United should win but Everton are so unpredictable you just never know. On form – United will romp home.

Sunderland, on the other hand, are not easy beats at home. Those odds of 5/1 are pretty handsome given their record. Arsenal are improving but still a little unpredictable on the road – they are certainly not good value at 4/6. This could wind up a draw – Sunderland will certainly walk away happy at sharing the points. The draw at 14/5 is good value and worth a bet. Football betting looks like becoming quite keen as we run in to the January transfer period – we are in for an interesting time.

Online betting can be a strange activity sometimes. In the weeks leading up to this the ATP Paris Masters bookmakers had Roger Federer at fairly short prices to win. Last week’s results have seen the odds on all players move significantly.

Federer has drifted out following his loss in home tournament last week. The Davidoff Swiss Indoors has been Federer’s event for the last three years but this year saw the event going to Novak Djokovic. Federer’s price has now eased out to 11/4 although if you look around you may even get longer than 3’s.

Djokovic’s prices have come in from around 8’s to a clear third favourite at 5/1. Andy Murray’s sixth win for the season has seen his price also come in a little from 6’s to 9/2. The only player to remain unchanged is Rafael Nadal who is firm at 8/1.

The second level players (those outside the top four) could make things interesting with the likes of Juan Martin Del Potro (12/1), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, James Blake and Nikolay Davydenko all capable of huge upsets in this type of event.

Tsonga was specked at 33/1 with enough support to bring his odds into 16/1. Safin has also been specked at long odds following his first round victory. This is his last tournament before retiring. His odds have come in from 200/1 to 100/1 – still very much the outsider. As a former number one and US Open winner, I am sure he would be looking for a fairytale ending. His second round match against current US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro should be a good match. If he can get past Del Potro then anything is possible and the 100’s will look great value then.

For mine, Andy Murray looks to be settled and focused. Roger Federer is always hard to beat on this surface and in this type of event. After a good look at the way the players have been warming up for this event, I am going to with Nadal at good odds to finally get his name back on the winning list.

There is so much in the way of online betting today it is hard to know where to start. Arsenal host Spurs in a battle for third place on the Premier League table; England host Australia in the four nations rugby league tournament; add to the mix cricket, tennis and the baseball World Series and you have a super Saturday of sport. There are no World Cup 2010 matches to spoil the mix this week either. We may even find a winner or two in that mix.

Starting closer to home with battle for third place on the EPL table. Arsenal are hot favourites going in to today’s game against Tottenham. Spurs have had a good start to the season whilst Arsenal have tended to the hot and cold. Online betting odds favour Arsenal with odds of 8/13 whilst Spurs are drifting at 4/1 – a little longer on some books.

It is hard to bet against Arsenal at home but their form is so inconsistent it is hard to tip them with confidence. The draw at 3/1 looks tempting but I think this could be a game where you’re better off watching and keeping your wallet in your pocket. If forced to pick, I’d go the draw.

In the Four Nations rugby league tournament – the two strongest teams in the competition meet with England going into the match with a fine record to protect. Australia are poor value at 1/6 considering their season has been over for a month and they are on foreign soil. England at home at 6/1 look to be tremendous value. If I do have doubts it is in the lack of experience at international level for some of their youngsters – still, they have nothing to lose and a point to prove – England to win at good value in a tight tussle.

The WTA continues in Doha. Jelena Jankovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Serena Williams and Venus Williams have reached the semi-finals with an all Williams final on the cards. The semi-final draw has Serena Williams taking on Caroline Wozniacki and Jelena Jankovic up against Venus Williams.

Serena is 4/6 to take out the season ending title with sister Venus second pick at 3/1. You can have 7/1 for Jankovic and 20/1 for Wozniacki. At 3/1 I am going with defending champion Venus Williams to once again pip her sister.

In international cricket, you can back the Aussies to claim another one day victory against in India and in the World Series, New York claimed the vital away win in the second game and should now go on and claim the title 4-1. Expect them to win tonight but the odds won’t be fancy.

What a super Saturday. Keep up with all the latest betting news through UK Betting Central – good luck and happy punting.

Every time Tiger Woods fronts up to a golf tournament you can bet he will be a short priced favourite with online betting markets. Rather than take the short prices, you could try your hand at some of the special bets that are on offer.

Online betting markets love their special bets. If they can think of a way to prize your wallet out of your pocket, they will. Here are just two of the specials on offer – all featuring Tiger Woods, of course.

How many majors will he win in 2010:

none – 7/4
one – 6/4
two – 11/4
three – 10/1
slam – 22/1

When will he beat Jack Nicklaus’ 18 major wins:

2011 or earlier – 7/2
2012 – 15/8
2013 – 5/6

What is interesting is the way you can play bets off against each other. Using the above two as an example, online betting has the Tiger at 7/2 to go past 18 major wins by 2011. To do that he would need to win at least three titles next year.

Tiger Woods is at 10/1 to win three titles next year – what is your preference, 10/1 or 7/2? I much prefer the 10/1. Of course, you may prefer to forecast which majors he will win. This is where comparison betting can really pay off if the odds are in your favour.

Any Major – 1/2
One Major – 11/8
Wins No Major – 6/4
US Masters – 9/4
2010 US Open – 5/2
2010 US PGA – 5/2
2010 British Open – 11/4
Two Majors – 3/1
Three Majors – 11/1
All 4 Majors – 25/1

Notice the ‘win three majors’ odds – 11/1. Only a point better than 10/1 – but those odds are still much better in your favour than the other way around.

You have a choice when it comes to online betting, take the short odds on offer for each tournament, or take the longer odds now and if things change, place a few saver bets closer to the tournament.

Rafael Nadal may be coming back from an extended injury break but online betting support has seen his price firm considerably in the Montreal Masters.

Nadal is through to the third round following an easy first up win after David Ferrer was forced to retire through injury. There was nothing startling about his progress with both players having lost serving games. However, what we did see was enough to suggest that given some match time, he will soon be back to his former self.

He won’t be alone in the third round, however, as all the top ranked players made it through. Roger Federer still dominates online betting although easing a little to 9/5. Andy Murray is second pick and remains solid at 11/4. Nadal has firmed considerably to be third pick at 13/2. Of the rest, Djokovic and del Potro remain in a point and solid at 9/1.

A lot has been written regarding Nadal’s layoff, however, it should be remembered that both Federer and Murray have also had layoffs having not played since Wimbledon. Both players will be looking for extended runs in this tournament in the lead up to the US Open later this month.

Murray will get his wish in his next match having drawn Juan Carlos Ferrero. Murray is 1/5 to win in online betting with Ferrero at 4/1. However, Ferrero will not be the walkover the odds suggest. We still predict a Murray victory along with a good workout – just what he needs.

Federer looks solid to take out the tournament but watch out for Nadal. The layoff doesn’t seem to have hurt him and he still looks hungry – that’s when he is dangerous.

Online betting cannot split them and I am blowed if I can either. Tiger Woods started day three five strokes behind a rejuvenated Padraig Harrington. By the end of the day he had narrowed that gap to just three shots. This has set up a final day pairing that will be intriguing to watch.

There are two little birdies sitting in the back of my mind that worry the heck out of me when it comes to backing either of these two. For all his poise, charm and often brilliant play, Tiger Woods has been terribly inconsistent so far this year. He missed the cut for the first time in a long time in England, almost missed the cut in the Buick Open, then stormed home and won.

On the other hand, Padraig Harrington has had nothing short of a terrible year. He has only had the one top ten finish, and that was a win against no-one in the Irish Open. Apart from that, his golf has been on the weekend hacker level.

With those two thoughts in mind, I don’t know how anyone can take the even money on offer for either of them. The next best in betting is Stewart Cink, Kenny Perry and Jerry Kelly – all at 50/1 and all five or more shots off the lead.

The way the two leaders have played in the past, if they both have a brain explosion then anyone could win. In his favour, Tiger Woods is a day four master. If he does have inconsistent rounds they are generally on the first two days.

That only leaves Harrington – will he meet the challenge front on and survive? Online betting cannot split them – neither can I so my tip for the weekend, keep your wallet in your pocket and for those using online bookmakers – keep your fingers off the keyboard.

Tiger Woods is struggling to get his game back on track yet his betting odds continue to be quite short. He is 10/11 in some markets to win the Buick Open – you may say so what – he is the best in the field. You would be right except for one thing – he is running hot and cold at the minute and with that form, can you afford to risk your money when he is odds on?

His first round was, in his own words, terrible. Despite returning a one under par, he was still in 80th place and would have faced missing the cut (again) with a similar round on day two.

Fortunately for punters, he returned a credible 9 under to sit at 10 under for the tournament, still three shots of the lead, but at least not in 80th position. Everything now depends on what he does on day three. If he has another cold day then all those that took the short odds can tear up their tickets and wait for another day. A similar round like today and he will still be in the mix.

The problem for all punters is the unpredictable nature of golf. Sure, he is three shots of the lead, however, that could become one shot or five shots in a matter of minutes. He misses a put and bogeys whilst his playing partner birdies – suddenly he’s five shots off the lead. Of course, the opposite could also happen. He birdies whilst the leader bogeys and the margin is suddenly one shot.

When a player of Tiger Wood’s caliber is out on the fairways, you just don’t know which way the ball will fall. However, when he is not playing well I don’t see how you can justify backing him at odds on.

Of course, things could be different. If you backed John Daly you won’t know whether to laugh or cry. His round was unbelievable for a professional golfer and included two bogeys, two double bogeys, a triple, a quadruple and quintuple-bogey for a round of 88.

Love your golf then visit UK Betting Central for the latest results and news feeds and for all the information you need to find the best online bookmakers betting on golf.