Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another is the favourite to win this weekend's Preakness Stakes.

In case you’re looking to make your long weekend a little more interesting, the Preakness Stakes will be contested Saturday in Baltimore.

Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another will once again face Bodemeister and another strong field.

Following is a list of odds to win and props for the race that are currently being offered at Bodog.

2012 Preakness Stakes – Odds to Win (By Post Position)

1- Tiger Walk                 30/1
2 – Teeth of the Dog      18/1
3 – Pretension                35/1
4 – Zetterholm                20/1
5 – Went the Day Well    6/1
6 – Creative Cause         7/1
7 – Bodemeister             17/10
8 – Daddy Nose Best     14/1
9 – I’ll Have Another       5/2
10 – Optimizer                30/1
11 – Cozetti                   40/1

2012 Preakness Stakes – Odds to Finish in the Top 3  

1- Tiger Walk                 9/1
2 – Teeth of the Dog      11/2
3 – Pretension                10/1
4 – Zetterholm                6/1
5 – Went the Day Well    9/5
6 – Creative Cause         2/1
7 – Bodemeister             1/2
8 – Daddy Nose Best     9/2
9 – I’ll Have Another       10/13
10 – Optimizer                9/1
11 – Cozetti                   12/1

Winning Time 

Over / Under 1:55.50

Will Secretariats 1973 Preakness Record be broken in 2012?  

Yes (Faster then 1:53.40)           +600
No (Not Faster then 1:53.40)      -1000

How many lengths will the winner win by?

More than or equal to 1 length    -225
Less than 1 length                     +185
More than or equal to 3 lengths  +175
Less than 3 lengths                   -215

Will a horse win wire to wire? 

Yes                                          +220
No                                            -280

Will there be an inquiry?

Yes                  +400
No                    -600

Head To Head Matchups

2 – Teeth of the Dog      -115
8 – Daddy Nose Best     -115

5 – Went the Day Well    -115
6 – Creative Cause         -115

3 – Pretension                -115
10 – Optimizer                -115

10 – Optimizer                +125
11 – Cozetti                   -155

3 – Pretension                +125
11 – Cozetti                   -155

5 – Went the Day Well    +160
7 – Bodemeister             -200

5 – Went the Day Well    +160
9 – I’ll Have Another       -200

6 – Creative Cause         +160
7 – Bodemeister             -200

6 – Creative Cause         +160
9 – I’ll Have Another       -200

1- Tiger Walk                 +125
2 – Teeth of the Dog      -155

3 – Pretension                +125
4 – Zetterholm                -155

4 – Zetterholm                -190
10 – Optimizer                +155

4 – Zetterholm                -115
11 – Cozetti                   -115

The Los Angeles Kings just keep winning, but should they really be -200 favourites in the playoffs?

Blackjack is designed to give the house just enough of an edge to make money over time. Roulette, craps and slot machines are the same way, just to more of an extreme.

And sportsbooks, though certainly not the biggest revenue source for casino operators, aren’t run by idiots either.

The Los Angeles Kings certainly look unstoppable right now. Save for a 3-1 loss to the Canucks in Game 4 of the opening round, the Kings have won all of their other postseason contests and held opponents to two goals or less in all of those victories.

Who in their right mind would want to bet against the Kings right now?

That might be what will soon make betting against the Kings the more prudent choice.

Maybe not now, with L.A. up 3-0 on the Phoenix Coyotes in the West Conference final. It’s very much possible that the Coyotes, realizing they’re overmatched, have thrown in the psychological towel and will be roadkill in Game 4 Sunday in L.A.

But what about the Stanley Cup final, where the Kings will meet an East Conference champion — either the Rangers or Devils — who are on a roll of their own?

Remember, the key to profitable sportsbetting isn’t necessarily betting on who you think will win. It is betting on propositions where the potential reward (the odds) is greater than the probability suggests it should be.

In other words, if a team has a 20 per cent of winning the game but pays 10 to 1 odds (suggesting it has a 10 per cent chance), it’s a smart bet. You’ll lose this bet eight times out of 10, but the two times you win will more than offset the eight times you lose.

You’re not the only one who has noticed the Kings’ recent dominance. Oddsmakers have as well, making LA a -200 favourite over Phoenix in Game 3. Those odds have been jacked up as high as -230 at Bet365 for Game 4.

To put these new odds in perspective, when LA faced the Coyotes during regular season, the Kings were favourites of -128, -120, -135, -147 and -129. The Kings were -111 favourites in each of the first two games of the West final as well (though LA was on the road in both those games).

Do these odds look like they’re getting a bit inflated to you? Unless the Kings all of a sudden re-signed Wayne Gretzky, does it make sense from a mathematical perspective that they have gone from 53 per cent likely to win (-111 odds) to 66 per cent likely to win (-200 odds) against the same opponent?

No, it doesn’t make sense. But oddsmakers are simply capitalizing on the public’s new infatuation with the Los Angeles Kings.

It’s why a contrarian way of thinking can be a good thing when it comes to sportsbetting. So often, it seems so obvious one team is going to beat the other. But if the expected outcome always happened, how would those massive casinos exist?

Guaranteed, when the Kings face either the Rangers or Devils — particularly the Devils, since they’re not a “public” team that garners a lot of betting support — the sportsbooks will be cheering against the Kings because the majority of money will be on LA.

Whose side would you rather be on, the general public that typically loses over time, or the owners of those majestic palaces on Las Vegas Boulevard?

Just something to think about.

Arjen Robben is expected to return for Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.

Bayern Munich head coach Jupp Heynckes believes that his side’s Champions League final against Chelsea could go either way, despite the Germans having home advantage.

The two sides go head-to-head in the Allianz Arena on Saturday, with Bayern -250 favourites at Bet365 to lift the trophy, while the Blues are +200 to win the tournament for the first time in their history and +1400 to win the final on penalties. The over/under total for the contest is set at 2.5 goals.

Bet on the Champions League final at Bet365 and get a $200 signup bonus

Heynckes thinks that home advantage will count for little, telling UEFA.com: “The match will be open and the chances are 50-50, but it might be a little advantage to play here at home.

“They have a lot of experienced players in their team and it’s clear that the veterans, the players who’ve been playing at Chelsea for many years, want to win something big. That’s very dangerous for us.”

Heynckes will be without the services of suspended trio David Alaba, Holger Badstuber and Luiz Gustavo, while Chelsea have skipper John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Ramires and Raul Meireles all banned for the final.

Meanwhile, French ace Franck Ribery believes that winning the European crown would make up for domestic failings this season, adding: “If we win the Champions League then we can forget about not winning the league or the cup this year.”

Bayern finished eight points adrift of champions Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, while they were beaten 5-2 by the same side in the DFB-Pokal final.

Chelsea interim coach also downplays homefield

Chelsea’s interim coach Roberto Di Matteo is optimistic home field won’t be much of an advantage for Bayern Munich, either.

The Blues, who are looking to win the competition for the first time in their history, head to Allianz Arena looking to spring a shock, with their hopes of glory being hampered by the absences of Coach Terry and three players.

However, Di Matteo is upbeat after a positive end to the campaign, which included a 2-1 FA Cup final win over Liverpool at Wembley and a famous Champions League semifinal triumph over holders Barcelona.

Of Bayern’s perceived advantage of playing on their home ground, the Italian told UEFA.com: “I’m not sure if it will be like having home advantage, it could go either way.

“If you look at it from another angle, maybe it will bring added pressure. It’s difficult to say whether it will or not.”

Meanwhile, the Blues’ Spanish forward Juan Mata, who pays +1200 odds at Bet365 to open the scoring, is relishing the prospect of being able to clinch a place in next year’s competition and make up for finishing down in sixth place in the Premier League.

He said: “It’s true that in the Premier League it hasn’t been an easy season for us.

“But now we have the chance to play in the Champions League next year by winning the trophy, so it will be amazing for us to win it.”

Arjen Robben expected back for Bayern

Bayern should be bolstered by the expected return of Dutch winger Arjen Robben against his former club.

Robben has been struggling with a cold in the last few days, but is confident of being ready for the showdown.

However, the Dutchman is wary of the threat of a vastly-experienced Blues side, who caused a major shock in the semifinals by eliminating holders Barcelona.

Robben told his club’s official website: “They’ve made it as far as the semifinals in six of the last nine seasons. This is the last chance for many of the older players, they’ll be really fired up.”

Bayern will also have plenty of motivation having lost out to Borussia Dortmund in both the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal, with Robben adding: “It’s the biggest game of the season for all of us, because there’s only one more prize up for grabs this season.

“We’ve shown we’re one of the best teams in Europe, hopefully, by Saturday night, we can say we’re the best.”

Looking to bet on the Champions League final? Check out Bet365 or any of our other recommended sportsbooks for a safe place to play.

The Liverpool captain is expecting a tight game between the two sides, and thinks Roberto Di Matteo’s side will not be distracted by their forthcoming Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

Chelsea looks likely to miss out on qualification for next year’s Champions League through the league and will be under pressure to defeat Bayern on their home ground. However, Gerrard believes they will be fully focused on lifting the FA Cup at Wembley.

A 1-0 win for Liverpool can be backed at +700 at Bet365, with Gerrard at +1000 to score first. A clean sheet for the Anfield side can be backed at +225.

“Chelsea are an experienced team full of quality players and it will boil down to the small details on the day, who gets the big decisions and who gets that stroke of luck,” said the England international.

“I don’t think there is much between the teams and I think it is a 50-50 game at the weekend.”

Winning the FA Cup, following their success in the Carling Cup, could provide a springboard for Liverpool to achieve more in the league next season. Kenny Dalglish’s side have endured a forgettable 2011/12 Premier League campaign, currently sitting eighth in the table, but Gerrard hopes two trophies could go some way to easing that disappointment.

He added: “I think people will judge us after Saturday. People will say ‘You didn’t do well in the league’ but we will say ‘We won two cups’ and I think that is a fair argument.”

Don’t forget all of the fantastic markets Bet365 has to offer, including In-Play betting, can be accessed on your mobile phone with Bet365‘s new and improved mobile site.

Sports Interaction also offers season-long betting on the Canadian Hockey League, which includes the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The sportsbook will of course offer Memorial Cup betting later this year as well.

Check out Sports Interaction if you are interested in betting on some CHL hockey this spring.

After taking a surprising 3-0 series lead on the Penguins in the opening round, the Philadelphia Flyers are now the betting favourite to hoist the Cup this spring. Philadelphia is listed at +375 (slightly less than 4:1) odds at Bet365 to be this year’s NHL champion.

The Los Angeles Kings, also enjoying a 3-0 lead in their first-round series against the Canucks, aren’t far behind Philadelphia at +450. Rounding out the top five are the New York Rangers (+600), Nashville Predators (+700) and Boston Bruins (+800).

Pittsburgh, the favourite before the playoffs began, is now a +4000 (40:1) longshot to win the Cup. Vancouver is +2800. Both the Penguins and Canucks were paying below 5:1 at the start of the playoffs.

Toronto has been annointed as a team to watch for MLB betting sharps and while it’s still too early in the season to jump the gun, it has to be encouraging for Blue Jays fans to see how they have played over the first six games.

The Blue Jays won’t be leaving Toronto this week as they welcome Baltimore and Tampa Bay to the Rogers Center. Here’s a look at those series before the first pitch is thrown.

(Betting preview provided by Bodog Canada)

Baltimore Orioles, Friday April 13th – Sunday April 15th

Following an afternoon win over the Red Sox on Wednesday, the Blue Jays get a day off on Thursday before taking on the Orioles on Friday. The Orioles offer some great MLB betting value but that’s because they’re a bad team. They have some young pieces but the Orioles are at least two seasons away from seriously competing in the East.

Friday’s pitching matchup tentatively features Brandon Morrow getting the ball in his first start at home in 2012 and the Orioles will counter with Tommy Hunter. Morrow took a no-decision in a 7-4 extra-inning win in Cleveland by giving up just one hit over seven innings and that one hit was a two-run homer. The Blue Jays need Morrow to step up and grab the No. 2 spot behind Ricky Romero in the rotation because he has the stuff to be an ace on any staff but hasn’t been consistent. Hunter is in his first full season in Baltimore after coming over from Texas where he showed promise with a 13-4 record in 2010.

Saturday’s afternoon matinee will see Joel Carreno on the mound against the Orioles’ Jason Hammel, who spent the last four seasons in Colorado, but he started off his career in Tampa Bay, so he is familiar with the AL East. He’s got a career 7.94 ERA at Rogers Centre while giving up a .435 batting average to the Jays in his two starts there.

Carreno was good but not great in taking the loss as the Blue Jays fell 4-3 in Cleveland and he gave up a pair of homers while walking four batters. He’ll likely be sent back down to the minors soon, so check the matchups on the MLB betting lines in case there’s a pitching change here.

The finale on Sunday afternoon pits Henderson Alvarez against Baltimore’s Brian Matusz. Alvarez was impressive in a 4-2 loss against Boston, earning a no-decision. He has added a couple miles per hour to his fastball, which will make his already-deadly off-speed pitches even better. Matusz is a 25-year-old southpaw with plenty of promise trying to stick with the big club.

Toronto has won seven of their last 10 at the old SkyDome against the Orioles and the betting lines should favor them in this series.

Tampa Bay Rays, Tuesday April 17th – Thursday April 19th

The Rays will be next to visit the Great White North and before the Blue Jays attempt to challenge the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, they’ll have to get past the Rays, who could be the surprise team in the division. Although, it’s hard to call them a surprise as they have the pedigree and are genuinely a good team under manager Joe Maddon, who may be the best in the majors.

The series starts next Tuesday with three evening games beginning with Kyle Drabek taking on Jeff Niemann, who is unspectacularly steady, which is what the Rays need from their No. 5 starter. If only Drabek could be that consistent, Toronto’s MLB betting chances would improve immensely. He was very good in a 7-3 win against Boston but Drabek still threw 91 pitches in 5.1 innings and that’s far too much. Like Morrow, Drabek has the stuff to be a big league starter but he has to prove that he has the mental makeup.

Chances are good that Toronto fans will see Romero and Morrow close out the series against the Rays, who will likely send out David Price against Romero in a meeting of All-Stars.  Price dominates the Blue Jays with a career 2.06 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 12 career starts.

Jeremy Hellickson was hit in batting practice on Wednesday, so double-check that he can still take his turn in the rotation.

Toronto has lost six of their last 10 at the Rogers Center against the Rays, but it’s a new season and anything is possible for the Blue Jays.

Bodog Canada is an excellent sportsbook to use for MLB baseball betting because it uses a dimeline. Check out our Bodog review for more information on Bodog.

Those V+ and H+ bets offered at Proline aren't worth it.

If you’ve ever played Proline, you’ve likely been tempted by the bigger payouts offered by the V+ and H+ columns.

Proline’s V+ and H+ mean different things in different sports. In hockey betting, it means either the visiting or the home team is required to win by two goals or more. In baseball betting, the team you bet on has to win by two runs or more. In football betting, that spread is inflated to over a touchdown.

You likely realize there’s a tradeoff with taking the fatter odds on the V+ and H+ bets. It’s far less likely for teams to win by those margins in sports, so you’re a lot less likely to win your V+ and H+ picks. That explains why you get a bit extra on your bet.

But how much extra should you be getting when you take the V+ and H+ bets?

Here’s the answer: Way more than Proline is offering you. Often more than double what Proline is offering you, in fact.

I found this out today when analyzing the Proline odds on the opening games of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. Here’s a breakdown:

TEAM             V+             H+                  PAYS                         SHOULD PAY

Flyers              3.00                                 +200                           +438
Penguins                         1.80                 -125                           +175

Red Wings      2.70                                 +170                          +339
Predators                        2.20                 +120                          +226

Kings              3.00                                 +200                           +469
Canucks                         1.80                 -125                            +183

Senators        3.00                                  +200                           +505
Rangers                         1.90                  -111                            +174

Capitals         3.00                                  +200                           +504
Bruins                             1.80                 -125                            +170

Sharks           3.00                                  +200                           +480
Blues                              1.90                  -111                            +196

Blackhawks   2.30                                  +130                           +344
Coyotes                          2.60                 +160                           +244

(V+ and H+ are taken from Proline odds in Ontario. ‘Pays’ odds are a conversion of what Proline V+ and H+ odds are paying on the moneyline. ‘Should pay’ odds are taken from Pinnacle Sports):

As you can see above, the Flyers, Kings, Senators, Capitals and Sharks are the biggest underdogs in opening games of the playoffs. All offer 3.00 odds at Proline to win by two goals or more, which breaks down to +200 on the moneyline (a 2:1 return). But taking those teams to win by two goals or more at an offshore sportsbook like Pinnacle Sports would pay you more than a 4:1 return on each game, and the Senators and Capitals would pay you more than a 5:1 return.

Meanwhile, taking the H+ with the favourites isn’t a great deal either. Six of the H+ bets at Proline are offering moneylines of -111 or worse, meaning you aren’t even doubling up your money on that bet. The lowest moneyline return on a team winning by two or more at Pinnacle Sports is +170 (the Bruins), which is still a 1.7 to 1 return on your bet.

To put the V+ and H+ odds into even further perspective, compare Proline’s payouts on V+ and H+ to what they are offering (and should be offering) on teams just to win the games:

TEAM             V             H                  PAYS                         SHOULD PAY

Flyers              2.30                            +130                           +156
Penguins                       1.40              -250                            -169

Red Wings      1.90                            -111                            +120
Predators                      1.60              -167                            -130

Kings              2.30                            +130                           +157
Canucks                        1.40             -250                            -171

Senators        2.20                             +120                           +160
Rangers                        1.45              -222                            -174

Capitals         2.30                             +130                            +163
Bruins                           1.40              -250                             -177

Sharks           2.20                             +120                            +144
Blues                            1.45              -222                             -156

Blackhawks   1.64                             -153                             +115
Coyotes                        1.85              -118                             -125

You can clearly see the disparity between the odds Proline is offering you and the odds at online sportsbooks is not quite as large when simply betting on teams to win, at least when you’re betting on the underdogs. In fact, the odds Proline is offering on the Coyotes in Game 1 are nearly the same as what Pinnacle Sports is offering. It is still a ripoff (you have to lay the equivalent of $250 to win $100 if you bet on the Bruins at Proline, but you’d only need to bet $177 to win $100 at Pinnacle), but it’s not nearly as bad as the V+ and H+ payouts.

To summarize, we don’t recommend betting NHL hockey — or betting baseball or betting basketball or betting football or betting any other sports — at Proline., But if you do, definitely make sure to avoid the V+ and H+ bets. That little bit of extra payoff offered only tips the scales even further in Proline’s favour. It simply isn’t worth it.

That’s what oddsmakers seem to think, at least, after making all four first-round favourites in the East roughly 2:1 favourites to advance to Round 2.

The biggest favourites in Round 1 are the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. Both are listed as -225 to -230 favourites at Pinnacle Sports, SportsInteraction and Bet365.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils are both listed in the -200 range for their opening-round series.

In the West, the only heavy favourite is the Vancouver Canucks, who are -200 chalk against the L.A. Kings. The St. Louis Blues are favoured in the -155 to -160 range at Pinnacle Sports, SportsInteraction and Bet365, while the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks are -125 favourites in their respective series.

Chicago and New Jersey are the only teams in the first round to be favoured despite not having home-ice advantage.

Sidney Crosby and the Penguins are favoured to win another Stanley Cup.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will enter the 2012 NHL playoffs as the betting favourite to win the Stanley Cup.

Pittsburgh is a +445 (roughly 4.5 to 1) favourite at Pinnacle Sports to win it all, despite finishing fourth overall in the NHL regular season and having a tough first-round series with the cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers.

The defending Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks — one of two Canadian teams in this year’s tournament — aren’t far behind the Pens in the eyes of oddsmakers. Vancouver, the top seed in the East, pays +480 to win the Cup.

Rounding out the top five are the New York Rangers (+805), Boston Bruins (+908) and St. Louis Blues (+918).

Potential darkhorses include the Flyers (+1285), Detroit Red Wings (+1285), Nashville Predators (+1603), Chicago Blackhawks (+1708) and San Jose Sharks (+1922).

Canada’s other hopes, the Ottawa Senators, are listed as a +3198 longshot. Only the Florida Panthers (+4265) are considered less likely by oddsmakers to win the Cup this spring.

Pinnacle Sports has yet to release betting odds for the first-round playoff series.