These numbers are based on a calculation I designed, going back a certain number of years for each club. Taking coaches, and players into consideration. And I give a “weighted percentage” grade for total scores both home and away. The process is repeated with a different “weighted percentage” over a certain number of times. Once finished, the “PRT’s” are ready for the season.

Keep in mind that these are hard numbers. We must take injuries, and weather into consideration ourselves.

For example: If a starting quarterback is out for a game. You must decide how many points is he actually worth?

Week 1 for 2006 is a perfect example. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is out as the Steelers host Miami. Veteran Charlie Batch takes his place.

The “Power Rating Total” for this match-up is 41 (we can expect a total of 41 point to be scored).

The game opened at 37 before Big Ben had emergency surgery. Now at most places the total is 34.5. Not a dramatic drop-off is it?

We now have a 6.5 point difference in the “PRTs’” and the actual total. Do you still take a look at playing the over?

Here’s Week Ones NFL “Power Rating Totals”

Miami/Pittsburgh 41

Denver/St. Louis 44

N.Y .Jets/Tennessee 40.5

Buffalo/New England 41.5

Baltimore/Tampa Bay 36.5

Cincinnati/Kansas City 49

Seattle/Detroit 44

Atlanta/Carolina 41

Philadelphia/Houston 43.5

New Orleans/Cleveland 41

Dallas/Jacksonville 38

Chicago/Green Bay 39.5

San Francisco/Arizona 40

Indianapolis/N.Y. Giants 45.5

Minnesota/Washington 43.5

San Diego/Oakland 43

We’re looking for a minimum difference of at least 3 points between the “PRT’s” and the betting total to consider a play.

Thank you and Good Luck!

On the flip side, a good bullpen will do just the opposite and protect those big leads and give the starters good support throughout the season. The middle relief is where games are won and lost and a good middle rotation takes pressure off the closer as well as the starters since they don’t need to feel they have to throw a near perfect game in order to get a win.

Looking at the 2005 season, the top ten teams in bullpen ERA were Cleveland, St. Louis, Chicago, Minnesota, Oakland, San Diego, Los Angeles Angels, Washington, Seattle and Houston. It’s no surprise that seven of those teams were in the top 10 in profits with Minnesota, San Diego and Seattle being the only teams not to show a profit. Those seven teams were a combined +8,542 in profits. Coincidence? Not a chance.

Extending out further, the top ten teams in bullpen ERA finished a combined +4,725, a very solid ending number. Looking at the bottom five teams in bullpen ERA, only Boston finished the season with a winning record and the Red Sox and Devil Rays were the only of those five teams to finish in the black on the money line. The combined losses were -3,438 so a bad bullpen leads to some ugly numbers.

Going back a year and there is not much of a difference. Looking at the 2004 season, the top five teams in bullpen ERA were St. Louis, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Texas and Atlanta. Four of those teams were the top four teams in profits with Anaheim being the only team not in the top four. Those four teams were a combined +7,745 in profits showing once again that a solid bullpen leads to the cash.

Overall, the top ten teams in bullpen ERA finished a combined +5,305. Looking at the bottom five teams in bullpen ERA, only Cincinnati finished the season with a profitable year as Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto and Colorado all finished in the red. The combined losses were -3,585 which is very close to what the bottom five finished with in 2005.

A closer obviously plays a big role in the outcome of a game but just how big? Four teams finished last season with a blown save percentage of 25 percent or less. Three of those teams, Chicago, Cleveland and Los Angeles were the top moneymakers with the Astros being the only team on the outside but not by far. The four combined to go +6,538 on the money line.

Trying to handicap the bullpens is the toughest part since the pitchers are coming in an out, whether it’s to and from the minors or back and forth from the starting rotation. Knowing who is back there is extremely important and looking at daily transactions is a must since the bullpen is constantly turning over for most teams. It’s an aspect that is overlooked by most but obviously should not as the analysis can make or break your season.

Uncle Jerome’s portrait on the wall coated with a light yellow shade reminded me of the ace eclectic talent that had faded with his life. He had told me a lot on the Casino and he took me to the edge of having a fornicate affair with the spirit of sports betting. Now the very yellow takes me through the corridors of the big walled, tightly secured doors of the Casino, this time however through the evanescent memory that I wish to convey before it gets lost. We stopped at sports betting and the time that was, when my Uncle loved to bet on the major event of boxing. The sports book was filled with entrants, new, old, veterans and men on the lighter side of the affair like me who wanted to get the feel of the fun.

Tipple yourself with a pint of life

The sounds that swept the corners fell still, the eyes that strained to grab the beat fell cold and then with a sweep as of the foam filled tide on the barnacle filled shore, my uncle grabbed me to a lift of the centaury. My heart fell out through the mouth, we won the bet. This is no romantic visionary that was forced to tell the tale for want of a few dollars; this is an omen that reminds you of the prospects that are in store for tippling yourself with an excess of a life in the casino. A in poker, a sports book and the crowd that could vanish the very macabre life that you have been trotting on as of now; that was what my uncle had to show me and that’s exactly what I have in store for you.

On the footsteps of Jerome

Sports betting are now high on the list; what the game of poker hid behind the set of cards that could spread out the pot in front of you, sports book deals with a better thrill. It’s the screens that you have to be steady to look out for; it’s the passion that you have to gape at and it’s the game of chances you are in the casino for. A game theorist could move the strategies, and you could be the layman who dances in the glade; and a glade it is the Casino and the color that the bet has to offer. So the legality of sports betting being held high on the agenda, something forced to separate it from gambling and that was where my old blood mate Jerome showed me the way to trace the events that could bring out my best.

The evolution of casino software can be categorized in four primary stages. In the beginning there were low quality downloadable software that took over three hours to download, offered a small choice of games, and poor graphics. The available no-download software of the time were not much better. Later on a breakthrough gave downloadable software an edge: the software was divided to too – a light installation package that downloaded quickly, and a game suite from which the player could choose to download specific games. Thanks to this method and overall technical improvement, online gambling kept on expanding.

The fast increasing popularity of internet casinos naturally led to a growth in the development of casino software. The first software developers’ motivation was to take over as much of the market before the word gets around and the arrival of new competitors will cause a raise in the cost per earned player. This urge brought investors – some of them unfamiliar with internet technology – to put their money on two major goals: improving the downloadable casino software, and creating no-download casino applications. In the third stage of evolution the development of the downloadable casinos was extremely successful; Download speed, graphics, games suite, and most important the game experience have improved dramatically. This led to a further increase in the number of players and the popularity of online gambling. However, in comparison to the downloadable casinos, the development of no-download casino software was quite a failure, primarily due to internet connection speed issues.

In the past, the resources required to operate an instant play casino software (loading graphics, communicating with casino servers, etc.) were beyond the capabilities of internet providers. As a result no-download software took forever to load, and in many cases they weren’t worth the waiting. To make matter worse, whenever players closed the casino window, they had to start the entire process from the start to play again. Nonetheless, in the past couple of years these problems were solved, and this is the fourth and current stage of development.

Today the average clients of internet providers as well as casino operators enjoy faster connections, robust processors, and durable operating systems – and these factors contribute to the rise of instant play casino software. Now the player can start playing within less than a single minute; the communication with casino servers, and therefore the games, run smoothly, free from interruptions. Starting from 2005, in additions to companies specializing in advanced flash software such as FutureBet, major software developers Microgaming and Playtech as well as others released instant play games.

Currently no-download casino software is as common as downloadable casino software and its popularity is increasing rapidly. Almost all downloadable casinos began offering flash games too, such as industry leader www.888.com, and many casinos are basing their marketing exclusively on no-download casino software, such as www.Money-Casino.com . In addition to benefits such as visual superiority, speed, and supply of games, no-download casino provides one of the most important commodities an internet user can ask for at this age: privacy. No download casinos do not require from players to download and install files on their personal computers. This is a double benefit: players can play in a casino without leaving signs in their PCs (like installation package or the software itself), and they can play from each computer at any time just by launching the software from the casino website – a significant attraction factor for players who are more mobile or use other computers than their own.

Casino operators recognize the advantage of this attribute – the player is not limited to a single location or PC, and therefore the average play time is prolonged. As both players and casino owners benefit from instant play software the providers are urged to keep on delivering even more advanced no-download casinos. Judging from all perspectives this market trend is here to stay, the conclusion is that the future of online gambling lies in instant play casino software.

Day 1 saw a lot of incredible play and some controversy. Many players complained that the cards being dealt were marked as they were used from previous games. Andy Bloch first stood up and received a penalty after going through a deck for marked cards that he saw at his table. The complaint was followed by other players like Annie Duke, Doyle Brunson, Max Pescatori, David Grey and Scott Fischman stating that new card decks should have been brought out. Eventually new decks were provided to all tables. But the card action was of equal interest. During a level featuring the game Omaha 8/OB, Ram Vaswani and Brett Jungblut had to split a pot when both drew the nut full house Aces full of Kings with no possible low. Another hand on the same level and game saw a complicated four way split of the pot with Frank Kassela, Marcel Luske, Phil Hellmuth and Jan Sorensen. The first day ended 14 hours later with only 14 players gone.

Day two had the beginning level start with the game Hold’Em at 2:00 p.m. Some of the first to go were Chip Jett, Eli Elezra, John D’Agostino, Sam Farha and Michael Mizrachi. Also Phil Hellmuth Jr. and Mike Matusow were busted, so no one had to worry about Matusow making good on his earlier bet by running the Amazon room “buck naked” if Phil became the winner. Of all the games in this event, Razz seems to be the least desirable to play by anyone. T.J. Cloutier won the Seven Card Razz bracelet in 2004 and in 2005 he had no desire to defend his title because he said it’s a frustrating game. Irritated looks were on the faces of Daniel Negreanu and others whenever a level featured the game of Razz. Outside of that one selection, the other games let the pros shine at whatever they were best at. Doyle Brunson steam rolled ahead as he took out players like Paul Phillips and others while building his stack to over 1,200,000. Chip Reese who mentioned he would only compete in this and the Main Event played as if his intentions were to win both, reaching the final table with over 1,700,000 chips. Andy Bloch also made the final table in a bit of righteous justice given the treatment he received on Day 1. But with Jim Bechtel, Dewey Tomko, T.J. Cloutier, Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius and David Singer also sitting down to play, any money received will be well earned. And after Day 2 lasted 21 hours, these top pros did not get much rest to prepare for the championship round.

Day 3 play began at 9:45 p.m. to allow some sleep for the final table participants. Players were very careful to pick and choose their battles, folding if they didn’t feel they could win the hand. The first to go less than 10 min into the action was Patrik Antonius (9th). He sat down with only 13,000 only to lose his last $1,000 chip to Chip Reese. Another favorite Doyle Brunson (8th) was slowly losing his chips to others and had to leave after losing an all in hand to Jim Bechtel. Outside of that, like two samurai warriors Andy Bloch and Chip Reese cleared the table. Andy Block took out Phil Ivey (3rd), Dewey Tomko (7th), T.J. Cloutier (5th) and Jim Bechtel (4th). Chip Reese added David Singer (6th) to his list of felled combatants.

At 2:10 a.m. in the morning the heads up battle began with Chip Reese and Andy Bloch. These two fought for hours as huge piles of chips went back and forth. Finally after 7 hours and 6 minutes, which was the longest heads up contest in World Series of Poker history and 354 hands played, Chip Reese was declared the winner. Here is the final hand between both players. Chip (Ac Qc) pushed all his chips to the center and Andy (9c 8s) called. Js 7c 7s comes on the flop, turn card is 4h and the river card is 4s giving a hard and long deserved victory to Chip Reese along with his fourth gold WSOP bracelet.

1. Chip Reese — $1,716,000
2. Andy Bloch — $1,029,600
3. Phil Ivey — $617,760
4. Jim Bechtel — $549,120
5. T.J. Cloutier — $480,480
6. David Singer — $411,840
7. Dewey Tomko — $343,200
8. Doyle Brunson — $274,560
9. Patrik Antonius — $205,920

Food and drink specials, including $1 hot dogs and draft beer, .will be served beginning with 10 a.m. (Pacific time) kickoffs.

The theater features 1,100 comfortable seats, 11 giant (15-foot by 20-foot) high-definition screens with state-of-the-art surround sound.

“Football Central” also will present the Miller Girls.

Prizes from Miller include a year’s supply of beer, monthly Pro Bowl giveaways, including trips to Hawaii, and $250 weekly Mastercard gift cards.

Drawings for $10,000 in prizes, to be shared by five winners each week, will be held at 5 p.m. on Sundays.

Participants can earn game cards to enter the drawings by playing their favorite slot, table games, horse racing action or by making parlay card wagers (before 9 a.m.) in the SuperBook.

Game cards include each Sunday’s pro games.

Players pick their choices for each game and then deposit them in a drum before early game kickoffs.

Five game cards will be drawn each week, with the highest cash prize of $3,500 going to the game card with the most winning teams.

Second is worth $2,500, third $2,000, fourth $1,500 and fifth $500.

*****

Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning, Carolina’s Jake Delhomme and New England’s Tom Brady are favorites to pass for the most touchdowns this season at Station Casinos.

The trio also are the only NFLers in single digits at 3/1, 5-1 and 7/1 respectively; everyone else is double digits, ranging from Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer and Denver’s Jake Plummer at 10/1 to long shot Michael Vick of Atlanta at 75/1.

Others are Donovan McNabb of Phildelphia, Dallas’ Drew Bledsoe and Kansas City of Kansas City, all 15/1; Green Bay’s Brett Farve, Eli Manning of the New York Giants and Oakland’s Aaron Brooks, all 18/1; Marc Bulger of St. Louis, 20/1; Miami’s Daunte Culpepper and Drew Brees of New Orleans, 28/1; Arizona’s Kurt Warner, 30/1; and Philip Rivers of San Diego, 40/1.

Ben Roethelsberger of Pittsburgh, the 2006 Super Bowl’s winning quarterback, is 35/1, Seattle’s Matt Hasseback, the loser, is 22/1.

*****

Farve enters the season chasing retired Miami signal caller Dan Marino’s record of 420 touchdown passes.

The Packer quarterback, who is returning following a lengthy decision-making process, has 396.

Marino built the Dolphin Dynasty of Don Shula, leading the AFC in completed passes in five different seasons between 1985 and 1994.

Farve has paced the NFC only once, in 1995 when he threw for 38 touchdowns.

Caesars Palace has Farve at minus $1.60 NO and plus $1.30 YES to hit 421 this campaign.

*****

Caesars has posted on the number of Reggie Bush touchdowns.

OVER 7 1/2 is minus $1.60 and UNDER is plus $1.30.

*****

Odds on NCAA totals at Caesars pretty much have remained the same the past week, with some slight fluctuations and a couple of notable exceptions.

Texas, with an over/under of 9 1/2, has dropped from 20/1 to 12/1 and Oregon, which has a 7 1/2 total, has fallen from 100/1 to 80/1.

Shortest odds are on 4/1 Notre Dame with a 9 1/2 over/under.

*****

Station and the Hilton each have the AFC favored to win the 2007 Super Bowl.

The junior loop is a 5-point favorite at Station resorts and 4 1/2-point choice at the Hilton.

The total at both is 47 1/2.

You may be one of the legions of people who have become interested in online poker in recent times. As a consequence, you may be interested in finding out more about the various types of online poker tournaments that are conducted online with regularity. When it comes to online poker tournaments, there are essentially four different types of competitions:

- Elimination Tournaments

- Shootout Tournaments

- Rebuy Tournaments

- Satellite Tournaments

Through this article, we provide you with a brief overview of the different types of online poker tournaments to see if these types of online competitions might be something of interest to you. Because there are different type of tournaments, you should be able to find a competition that interests you and that is appropriate for your current skill level.

Elimination Tournaments

The most common type of online poker competition is the elimination tournament. There are significant numbers of this type of poker tournament being conducted online throughout the course of the year. Indeed, if you were so inclined, you likely would be able to find a different elimination tournament to play in on a consistent basis.

In an elimination poker tournament, play continues until one participant has all of the chips. In short, all of the other players are eliminated. The elimination poker tournament begins with each player being given the same amount of chips. In the brick and mortar world, in an elimination poker tournament, the remaining players actually will be seated at fewer and fewer tables.

Of course, in the online elimination poker tournament, there are no actual tables. However, there can be groupings in certain online poker tournaments — electronic groupings of participants rather akin to tables in a real world casino. In such a case, in an elimination poker tournament online, there are fewer player groups as the tournament progresses and participants are eliminated.

Shootout Tournaments

Online shootout poker tournaments are rather like elimination tournaments. In fact, shootout poker tournaments really are a variety of elimination tournament.

In shootout poker tournaments on the Net, players are put into groups at the start of the competition. (In the brick and mortar world, these players would be seated at different tables.)

Tournament play continues until there is only one player left in each group. At that juncture, the players are all brought together for a final round of play. The tournament continues until there is only one player left standing, the player who will have all of the poker chips.

Rebuy Tournaments

Online rebuy poker tournaments are rather different from elimination play. In an online rebuy poker tournament, players do start off with the same amount of chips. However, during an initial period of the tournament, players who do lose their chips have the option of “rebuying” their chips to continue in the tournament.

Online poker experts believe that rebuy tournaments tend to begin far more aggressively than elimination tournaments. Players in a rebuy tournament do not risk elimination early on in the competition because they have the ability to rebuy their chips and carry forth.

In many instances, an online rebuy poker tournament will end up with a larger pot at the end of the competition because players contribute more money through the rebuy process early on in the tournament.

Satellite Tournaments

Online satellite poker tournaments are becoming more and more common as a larger number of people have taken to playing online poker. A satellite tournament is rather like a preliminary tournament in a larger poker competition.

In a satellite tournament, a group of players compete against each other, the winner advancing onward to the main event, to a larger poker tournament.

In many instances, the prize awarded in a satellite tournament is a paid entry fee to the next level of competition.

Selecting a Tournament that is Right for You

When it comes to selecting an online poker tournament that is right for you, there are a number of factors that you should consider.

First, you need to make an honest assessment of your skill level. There are a wide array of different types of tournaments geared towards people of different skill levels. It is not recommended that you enter into a tournament with people who are far more advanced in your level of play that you are at a given point in time. The process for you of participating in a tournament in which you are greatly outmatched will be very frustrating.

On the other hand, by entering into a tournament geared towards newer players will be equally frustrating. While you might have a better chance of winning, the process of getting to a tournament victory will be boring and unchallenging. In addition, the prizes awarded in such tournament usually are minimal.

By making an honest assessment of your skills, and by entering into an online poker tournament with people at a similar level, you will have an enjoyable and appropriately challenging experience.

Second, when considering entering into an online poker tournament, you need to seriously consider how much money you want to put on the line, how much money you want to pay to participate in such a tournament.

By being thoughtful about which tournament you choose to enter when it comes to online poker, you will be more satisfied with the experience — even if you do not take home the first place prize when all is said and done.

As mentioned, each and every month, more and more people are flocking to the World Wide Web to play online poker. More and more people are entering online poker tournaments all of the time.

With the growth in online poker tournaments that are being held each and every year, you have a number of different opportunities to test your skills and to perhaps even take home a cash prize after lively competition.

Already promoted Sheffield United also recorded a 1-1 away draw at Luton. Ahmet Brkovic gave the home side the lead after 72 minutes but Michael Tonge’s equaliser in injury time set up a 9/4 draw.

Watford stretched QPR’s winless streak to 10 matches as they won 2-1 at Loftus Road and ensured they would play their home leg in the play-offs second. Marc Nygaard gave the Hoops the lead via a penalty on 39 but Ashley Young equalised three minutes later. The 6/4 Hornets secured victory 12 minutes from time when Georges Santos put the ball into his own net.

Leeds recorded their first win in nine matches at the expense of relegated Crewe. David Healy struck the decisive goal for 6/10 United after 74 minutes.

A goal two minutes before half-time denied Preston all three points at Hull. Simon Whaley gave North End the lead after 33 minutes but an own goal from captain Youl Mawene 10 minutes later secured a 9/4 draw.

Crystal Palace won their first match in four attempts against mid-table Southampton. Andy Johnson gave the 9/10 Eagles the lead after 63 minutes but Ricardo Fuller equalised for the Saints six minutes later. Substitute Clinton Morrison made sure of a home win with nine minutes remaining.

A Kenny Miller penalty after 31 minutes secured a 7/10 win for Wolves against relegated Brighton. However, the result was overshadowed by an unhappy Molineux crowd who chanted “disaster”, “Hoddle out” and “sack the board” throughout the match.

Robert Earnshaw returned to Ninian Park and struck the winner for 11/5 Norwich as they beat Cardiff 1-0. Wales international striker Earnshaw, who spent seven years with the Bluebirds, struck the decisive goal after 16 minutes.

Ipswich ended an eight-match winless streak with a 2-0 victory against Derby. Nick Forster gave the 6/5 Tractor Boys the lead a minute after the break and Darren Currie made sure of the points on 65.

Relegated Millwall gave themselves some pride with a 1-0 victory over Burnley. Marvin Williams scored the only goal of the game on the stroke of half-time for the 7/5 Lions.