The Major League Baseball season is well and truly underway now and we have a good indication of who is in form and who will go on to win this season. With teams having played over 90 games now, we are in the home stretch.

Sportsbet is covering the action with betting markets open. You can bet on the MLB World Series Winner, MLB American League Championship and the MLB National League Winner.

Here are the latest odds courtesy of TAB Sportsbet:

MLB World Series Winner

New York Yankees 4.75
Boston Red Sox 4.75
Los Angeles Dodgers 6.00
Philadelphia Phillies 13.00
Los Angeles Angels 15.00
Chicago Cubs 15.00
New York Mets 17.00
St Louis Cardinals 17.00
Detroit Tigers 17.00
Tampa Bay Rays 17.00
Milwaukee Brewers 26.00
Texas Rangers 26.00
Minnesota Twins 34.00
Florida Marlins 34.00
Chicago White Sox 41.00
Atlanta Braves 41.00
San Francisco Giants 41.00
Toronto Blue Jays 51.00
Seattle Mariners 67.00
Cincinnati Reds 67.00
Colorado Rockies 67.00
Cleveland Indians 151.00
Oakland Athletics 151.00
Houston Astros 151.00
Arizona Diamondbacks 151.00
Kansas City Royals 151.00
San Diego Padres 201.00
Pittsburgh Pirates 201.00
Baltimore Orioles 251.00
Washington Nationals 501.00

MLB American League Winner

Boston Red Sox 2.90
New York Yankees 3.00
Los Angeles Angels 8.00
Detroit Tigers 9.00
Tampa Bay Rays 9.00
Texas Rangers 13.00
Minnesota Twins 21.00
Chicago White Sox 26.00
Toronto Blue Jays 34.00
Seattle Mariners 34.00
Cleveland Indians 101.00
Oakland Athletics 101.00
Kansas City Royals 101.00
Baltimore Orioles 151.00

MLB National League Championship Winner

Los Angeles Dodgers 3.00
Philadelphia Phillies 6.00
Chicago Cubs 7.00
New York Mets 8.00
St Louis Cardinals 9.00
Milwaukee Brewers 10.00
Florida Marlins 15.00
Atlanta Braves 17.00
San Francisco Giants 17.00
Cincinnati Reds 26.00
Colorado Rockies 26.00
Houston Astros 51.00
Arizona Diamondbacks 67.00
San Diego Padres 81.00
Pittsburgh Pirates 101.00
Washington Nationals 251.00

The battle for supremacy between the two largest online poker sites heated up over the weekend. Full Tilt had been planning to break PokerStars’ world record for the most amount of people in a poker tournament. They had been meticulously planning the details for a fair amount of time and had a limit of 35,000 placed on the $5 buy-in tournament.

Pokerstars weren’t to be outdone though, they returned fire by starting their own world record attempt just an hour before the Full Tilt tournament was due to begin. The “FIVE” promotion that Full Tilt was running was just a shadow of the PokerStars Guinness World Record.

Sign up for a PokerStars account now and receive $50 free!

It was only a $1 buy-in to play in the PokerStars tourney and they eventually set a cap of 65,000 entries. They also threw in an extra $65,000 of their own money to make it more attractive for their players. Full Tilt added $250,000 to their 250k prize pool to make a total of $500,000.

Make an account at Full Tilt and receive a $600 bonus!

’004 license’ won the PokerStars event and won 13k for his dollar after beating 64,999 players. ‘breo40′ won the Full Tilt event and won a massive $45,000 for his $5.

If last weekend is anything to go by, we can lick our lips in excitement as the heat intensifies. Full Tilt are pulling out everything they have in an attempt to wrestle back some of the market share. PokerStars have always had a solid reputation and have the money behind them to continually come up with the goods though.

One thing is for certain though – this is great news for online poker players. Look out for more great deals and promotions to come from the two biggest online poker sites.

Get your PokerStars Marketing Code now!

Read our review of the Full Tilt bonus

Last weekend Sports Alive took some solid bets and some were lucky enough to come out way ahead. Sports Alive punters are taking advantage of the generous odds available to them and seem to be punishing the new Australian bookmaker. One Aussie bettor has revealed to Australian Gambling that they are now over 6 figures in front since they started betting at Sports Alive.

Let’s get up to date with the latest betting markets at Sports Alive and the biggest bets made on the weekend:

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Rugby League Betting – The betting for the 2009 NRL premiership has seen the mighty St George Illawarra Dragons firm into $3.50 and retain outright favouritism. If recent form is anything to go by, these odds are pretty close to the mark.

The Bulldogs have been solid all season. If their fortune had been in their favour earlier in the season, then we could well be talking about them being top of the table. All that aside, the superb form of NSW Blues debutant Michael Ennis and Brett Kimmorley has seem them grind out win after win. They are 2nd favourites paying $3.75.

The next team in the betting in the Melbourne Storm. They are at $6.50, slightly shorter than Manly at $7.50. I don’t think either of these teams have what it takes to win the 2009 NRL premiership. The winner this year will be the Dragons or the Bulldogs.

Punters felt deep pain on Friday night after the Broncos were demolished by the Rabbitohs. One sports bettor at Sports Alive had $18,000 on the Broncos at $1.55 and another had $10,000 on the line. They couldn’t have been too happy with the way things went that night.

Punters then had their fortune turned around a little bit for the Panthers/Raiders game. Bettors jumped all over the Panthers in the $1.90 – $1.95 range. The biggest bet was $10,000 on the Panthers at $1.91.

AFL Betting – With St Kilda’s unbeaten run continuing; they have shortened in to equal favouritism with the Geelong Cats. They are now both at $2.75 to win the AFL premiership. The Western Bulldogs are at $7.25 and Collingwood are paying $11. I’m telling you now, and it won’t come as any surprise; The winner of the 2009 AFL Premiership WILL be either Geelong or St Kilda. None of the other teams have a chance. Get on now before the odds shorten even further.

Start betting at Sports Alive now.

Golf Betting – The British Open was played last week which largely saw punters lose by betting on it. It became much easier when Tiger Woods was eliminated though. There were quite a few bets made of him before the tournament started though.

Tom Watson became the clear favourite for golf bettors during the tournament. Sports Alive took two $5000 bets on him after Woods was eliminated. One was paying $2.00 and the other $1.90. An Aussie punter also put $2000 on Goggin at $11.

There was one happy Sports Alive punter to come out of this though. A solid $10,000 bet was made on the eventual winner Cink. The bettor jumped on at odds of $1.78 for a nice day’s profit.

Rugby Union Betting – The betting was pretty even on Saturday night’s Tri nations game between the Wallabies and the All Blacks. There was an $8000 bet made for the All Blacks paying $1.60. But, there were also numerous bets getting on the Aussies with a 4.5 point head start. Overall, punters came out pretty even from this one.

Horse Racing Betting – The weekend of horse betting for Australian bettors ended up being pretty nasty. Despite a few long shots coming home, overall it is one to be forgotten.

The biggest winner was from a Sports Alive bettor that had $1000 on Apprehend in Caulfield. It was paying $34.20 so he won more than $33,000!

There was also another horse that punters jumped all over and came out massive winner on. Vintedge won in Sydney to slam the Aussie bookmaker. One bettor had $2000 at $9.50 to net $17,000.

A bet of $5000 on Beyonce’s Star at $4, $500 on Jeuneyman at $25 and $4000 on I Am Invincible at $4.60 were other bets that took out five figure sums.

On the losing side though, bets were headed by $20,000 on Koichi in the last in Sydney and a couple of $10,000 bets on the unplaced Skytrain.

Melbourne runners Gran Sasso and Zyzxx also carried losing $10,000 wagers.

Open an account at Sports Alive now to get in on the action!

In the grand scheme of things, sports bettors can be fairly happy with the way things have gone in the last week. The horse racing bettors in Australia won’t be so happy though.

If recent trends are anything to go by, Sports Alive members will continue to win boat loads of money. This Australian bookmaker is taking the gambling industry by storm.

If you haven’t already: Sign up for an account at Sports Alive now!

The first game of the 2009 World Football Challenge gets underway at 1pm today AEST. The teams won’t be taking the competition too seriously because it is their first games of pre-season. The teams seem to enjoy playing in the States though and it usually provides a great spectacle for the American fans.

In my opinion, it can be tough to pick a winner in these type of games. You never know what team will be on the field, except that almost all players will be used. This can lead to a variety of different outcomes during the pre-season campaign.

Australian bookmaker Sportsbet is covering the betting on the World Football Challenge. Even though Chelsea haven’t been very active in the transfer market, Sportsbet have them as favourites. Eager eyes from all around the world will be honing in on new manager Carlo Ancelotti. He had a mass of success at AC Milan and it is widely believed he in the man for the job at Chelsea.

The manager that Ancelotti will be living in the shadow of is the ‘Special One.’ Jose Mourinho now manages their competition today; Inter Milan. He led them to success in Serie A last season, but the Champions League has eluded Inter once again. It doesn’t look like they will have the class this season either.

Here are the Sportsbet odds for Chelsea vs Inter:

Head To Head

Chelsea 2.25
Draw 3.10
Internazionale 3.00

The second game will be on tomorrow ( 23rd July, 2009). AC Milan will be taking on C F America. AC Milan have lost their best player, and one of the world’s greatest; Kaka. He was simply amazing during his time at Milan but has now moved on to Madrid.

AC Milan should beat C F America, but stranger things have happened. Sportsbet have the odds:

Head To Head

A C Milan 1.60
Draw 3.50
C F America 5.25

They both should be enjoyable games to watch as some of the bigger European champions are in action as they prepare for another campaign.

If you haven’t already created an account at Sportsbet then we suggest you do so. They are Australia’s largest bookmaker and have a solid reputation of trust and security.

They are also running the Sportsbet Super Saturday this weekend.

For an exclusive Australian Gambling bonus and free $50 bet check out the official Sportsbet website.

Australian bookmakers are all over Alberto Contador as he excels in the mountain stages of the 2009 Tour De France. The 2007 winner is going from strength to strength as he chases a second win in the Tour De France.

Recently he sprinted away to gain a valuable lead from his main rivals. That included his team mate and the formidable Lance Armstrong. That paved way for Contador to convince his team mates to support him on his journey to win the 2009 Tour De France.

Sportsbet Australia have jumped all over him too. He is paying a short $1.10 to win the event. Here are the full odds offered on Sportsbet:

Yellow Jersey Winner

Alberto Contador 1.10
Andy Schleck 12.00
Lance Armstrong 15.00
Bradley Wiggins 26.00
Carlos Sastre 41.00
Cadel Evans 67.00
Andreas Kloden 67.00
Frank Schleck 101.00
Vizenco Nibali 101.00
Christian Vandevelde 201.00
Tony Martin 201.00
Roman Kreuziger 251.00
Mikel Astarloza 401.00
Luis Leon Sanchez 501.00
Vladimir Karpets 501.00

Green Jersey Winner

Thor Hushovd 1.22
Mark Cavendish 4.20

Polka Dot Jersey Winner

Franco Pellizotti 1.18
Egoi Martinez 8.00
Alberto Contador 10.00
David Moncoutie 26.00
Pierrick Fedrigo 26.00
Mikel Astarloza 41.00
Brice Feillu 41.00
Amets Txurruka 51.00
Christophe Kern 51.00
Sylvain Chavanel 67.00

Make an account at Sportsbet now!

White Jersey Winner
Andy Schleck 1.30
Vincenzo Nibali 4.00
Tony Martin 7.00
Roman Kreuziger 26.00
Brice Feillu 151.00
Peter Velits 201.00
Nicolas Roche 251.00
Chris Anker Sorensen 301.00

Team Classification

Astana 1.20
Team Saxo Bank 7.00
Team Columbia – High Road 17.00
Ag2R 17.00
Garmin – Slipstream 41.00
Liquigas 51.00
Team Milram 51.00
Cervelo Test Team 81.00
Euskaltel – Euskadi 101.00
Rabobank 151.00
Cofidis 151.00
Caisse D’Epargne 251.00
Francaise des Jeux 251.00

Start betting at Sportsbet today and you will receive an exclusive Australian Gambling bonus. Sign up and receive a free $50 bet!

England’s Freddie Flintoff tore through the Australian batting lineup to help the poms on their way to a memorable victory at Lords. Australia hadn’t lost there in 75 years, which makes the feat that much more significant. Australia did fight back late on day 4, but couldn’t hold out the England bowling lineup.

The betting on the Ashes hasn’t seen much of a go for England either. This is actually quite surprising. Sports Alive have England paying $4.00 to win the 3rd Ashes test of 2009. The new Australian bookmaker has the Aussies paying $2.60 and have the draw at $2.35. The four dollars that England are paying does look quite tempting after the performance of the Aussies in game 2.

The 2nd Test of The Ashes will go down as one of the most controversial of all time. Australia will feel hard done by after no less than three of their batsmen were dismissed incorrectly at the beginning of the second innings. This resulted in a top order collapse that they couldn’t overcome.

Even though the Aussies did show promise after their capitulation in the 1st innings, it wasn’t enough. Will poor umpiring decisions and the red hot form of Flintoff they couldn’t win against all the odds.

The 3rd game should be an interesting one in both betting and the game itself. Australia dominated the 1st game, played poorly in the 2nd and almost won. If they play at their best then they should get up. They won’t have it all their own way though, as England proved in the 2nd Test. Australia just doesn’t seem to have the firepower and match winning players that are needed at crucial times. Whether that comes into play in this game remains to be seen.

As for the betting, I really can’t see England getting up again. I know the just won the 2nd Test, but everything was stacked up against the Aussies. If it wasn’t for the terrible, highly dubious umpiring decisions, perhaps it could have had a different result?

If you would like to have a bet on The Ashes then I suggest opening up an account at Sports Alive. They have extensive betting options available on The Ashes and are proving that they are a force to be reckoned with in the Australian online betting market. In their short time as an Australian bookmaker they are turning heads from all angles inside the betting industry.

If you haven’t checked out them already – go an open an account at Sports Alive now!

This Saturday Sportsbet are running another of their hugely popular Super Saturday promotions. They are offering more than 40 different ways to receive a special gift from the team at Sportsbet Australia. In June 2009, they gave away more than $600,000 in extra dividend payouts, cash backs and free bets!

This Saturday new members will receive a 40% first deposit bonus and members that refer friends get two free $50 bets instead of one. There is also a Sportsbet Stimulus package available for serious punters. For full details check out the Sportsbet Super Saturday page.

There are too many offers this Saturday to take you through all of them. What we can do though is give you an idea of what you can expect to receive if you make an account at Sportsbet this Super Saturday. Some of the offers include: Everyones a Winner, Happy Hour, Fifty/Fifty Free Bet Frenzy, Funky Fourth, Resurrection Bets and Join Now/ Refer a Friend. For the full details on these offers visit the official Sportsbet website.

This is an internet betting promotion only. That means that you must sign up on the internet by creating an account at Sportsbet. Bets must be made between 10am-6pm on Saturday the 25th of July 2009.

Don’t miss out on what is shaping up to be one of Australia’s biggest online sports betting promotions. Make and account at Sportsbet now!

Full Tilt Poker have released their plans for yet another installment of their Full Tilt Online Poker Series. This one will begin on the 5th of August 2009 and has 26 events. There will be more than $19 million in guaranteed tournaments on offer.

If you have never played an FTOPS then you really are missing out. They offer plenty of excitement, for almost everyone. If you don’t have the bankroll to support the buy-in you can qualify by entering one of the many satellites.

Remember, that Mini FTOPS runs along side the regular FTOPS. It only costs 1/10th of the regular buy-in and there is still plenty of opportunity to land a big cash.

#1 8-5 NLHE 6-max $200+16
#2 8-6 NLHE 4x Shootout 6-max $300+22
#3 8-6 Omaha Hi/Lo $200+16
#4 8-7 NLHE 1R/A $200+16
#5 8-7 7-Card Stud $200+15
#6 8-8 PLO 6-max $500+35
#7 8-8 NLHE w/ Rebuys $100+9
#8 8-9 NLHE Knockout 6-max $240+16
#9 8-9 NLHE Heads-Up $500+35 $500,000
#10 8-9 NLHE $300+22 $1,500,000
#11 8-10 HA (Half PL Hold’em, Half PL Omaha) $200+16
#12 8-10 NLHE (Antes from Start) $1,000+60
#13 8-11 NLHE 3x Shootout $300+22
#14 8-11 H.O.R.S.E. $500+35
#15 8-11 NLHE 6-max Turbo $200+16
#16 8-12 PLO Hi/Lo Knockout $240+16
#17 8-12 NLHE 6-max w/ Rebuys $300+22
#18 8-13 PLO Heads-Up $200+16
#19 8-13 LHE 6-max $200+16
#20 8-14 NLHE 6-max $200+16
#21 8-14 Razz $300+22
#22 8-15 NLHE 6-max (2 Day) $2,500+120
#23 8-15 PLO w/ Rebuys $100+9
#24 8-16 NLHE Knockout $120+9
#25 8-16 NLHE Main Event $500+35

The schedule for the 2009 World Championship Of Online Poker (WCOOP) has been released and doesn’t it look spectacular. Every year since its inception in 2002 the series has grown in stature. 2009 will be the best yet with the introduction of new tournaments, more event and over $40 million in guaranteed prizes.

The PokerStars WCOOP 2009 sees 45 events on the list. The new events include the $320 buy-in Fixed Limit Badugi tournament, a $530 buy-in Heads-Up Pot Limit Omaha contest and a Big Ante No Limit Hold’em event.

In a press release that PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu said: “There are hundreds of exciting tournaments all year round, but nothing compares to the WCOOP – it’s the ‘must play’ event of the year for any poker player. Last year, over 20,000 players came together from across the world to compete in the largest ever online poker event for their chance to become a World Champion.”

The 2009 WCOOP on PokerStars includes the $10,300 HORSE tournament with $1 million guaranteed. This will be the one the big pros will want to take down to feed their egos. It is the one tournament that is a true test of the poker playing ability of the toughest and best players.

The World Championship Of Online Poker will conclude with the Main Event. This $5200 No-Limit Hold’em event will run over 2 days and have a whopping $10 million prize pool. In all the events, there is a ton of money to be won and with one decent cash, you could be set up for life.

Here is the full WCOOP 2009 Schedule:

Event 1: September 3rd at 14:30?$215 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max?$1,250,000 Guaranteed

Event 2: September 3rd at 16:30?$215 Razz?$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 3: September 4th at 14:30?$215 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max?$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 4: September 4th at 16:30?$215 No Limit Single Draw 2-7 with Rebuys?$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 5: September 4th at 20:00?$109 Eight-Game 10 Minute Levels?$50,000 Guaranteed

Event 6: September 5th at 12:45?$109 No Limit Hold’em?$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 7: September 5th at 14:30?$215 Pot Limit Five Card Draw?$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 8: September 5th at 16:30?$215 Fixed Limit Hold’em?$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 9: September 6th at 12:45?$215 No Limit Hold’em?$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 10: September 6th at 14:30?$10,300 No Limit Hold’em High Roller?$2,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 11: September 6th at 16:30?$530 No Limit Hold’em Two-Day?$3,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 12: September 7th at 14:30?$215 No Limit Hold’em Four-Max?$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 13: September 7th at 16:30?$320 Seven Card Stud?$150,000 Guaranteed

Event 14: September 8th at 14:30?$320 Mixed Hold’em Six-Max?$300,000 Guaranteed

Event 15: September 8th at 16:30?$320 Fixed Limit Badugi?$100,000 Guaranteed

Event 16: September 8th at 20:00?$1,050 No Limit Hold’em?$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 17: September 9th at 14:30?$530 No Limit Hold’em Triple Shootout 10-Max?$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 18: September 9th at 16:30?$320 Eight Game?$300,000 Guaranteed

Event 19: September 10th at 14:30?$320 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max Cubed?$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 20: September 10th at 16:30?$320 Fixed Limit Triple Draw 2-7?$100,000 Guaranteed

Event 21: September 11th at 14:30?$215 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys?$1,250,000 Guaranteed

Event 22: September 11th at 16:30?$530 Fixed Limit Omaha High-Low?$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 23: September 11th at 20:00?$320 No Limit Hold’em 10 Minute Levels?$300,000 Guaranteed

Event 24: September 12th at 14:30?$530 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Match Play?$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 25: September 12th at 16:30?$320 HORSE?$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 26: September 13th at 12:45?$215 No Limit Hold’em?$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 27: September 13th at 14:30?$25,500 No Limit Hold’em High Roller Match Play?$800,000 Guaranteed

Event 28: September 13th at 16:30?$1,050 No Limit Hold’em Two-Day?$3,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 29: September 14th at 14:30?$320 Mixed Pot Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha?$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 30: September 14th at 16:30?$320 No Limit Hold’em 2X Chance?$600,000 Guaranteed

Event 31: September 15th at 14:30?$320 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys Six-Max?$700,000 Guaranteed

Event 32: September 15th at 16:30?$530 Seven Card Stud High-Low?$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 33: September 15th at 20:00?$1,050 No Limit Hold’em?$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 34: September 16th at 14:30?$215 No Limit Hold’em Big Antes?$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 35: September 16th at 16:30?$320 Pot Limit Omaha High-Low?$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 36: September 17th at 14:30?$530 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys Six-Max?$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 37: September 17th at 16:30?$2,100 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Max?$600,000 Guaranteed

Event 38: September 18th at 14:30?$530 No Limit Hold’em Cubed?$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 39: September 18th at 16:30?$1,050 Fixed Limit Hold’em Six-Max?$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 40: September 18th at 20:00?$215 No Limit Omaha High-Low 10 Minute Levels?$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 41: September 19th at 14:30?$530 Pot Limit Omaha Heads-Up Match Play?$250,000 Guaranteed

Event 42: September 19th at 16:30?$2,100 Eight Game?$350,000 Guaranteed

Event 43: September 20th at 12:45?$215 No Limit Hold’em?$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 44: September 20th at 14:30?$10,300 HORSE High Roller?$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Main Event of the PokerStars WCOOP

Event 45: September 20th at 16:30?$5,200 No Limit Hold’em Main Event Two-Day?$10,000,000 Guaranteed