For all of the debate about when the Washington Nationals should bring Stephen Strasburg back in to the rotation following Tommy John surgery, it looks like he is more than ready to throw right now. Strasburg made his first start of the MLB betting season on Tuesday night, allowing just two hits over five shutout innings while striking out four and leaving the game with a 3-0 lead. Of course, Washington’s pitiful bullpen couldn’t handle the suddenly powerful Los Angeles Dodgers and they ended up giving up seven runs over four innings to fall 7-3, but that didn’t seem to matter much to those on hand who repeatedly got to their feet for the pitching phenom. It might not make a difference in games this year, but Strasburg will be back in 2012.

As for the Nationals, it seems as though there are a few teams around the league that just can’t seem to put the pieces together even with talent in their lineup. Washington showed flashes of their potential at the beginning of last year, but the addition of Jayson Werth hasn’t panned out the way that they had planned it so far, and the club hasn’t gotten much support when fishing for another breakout star in Michael Morse. The Nationals are battling to stay out of the National League East basement, but it hasn’t been easy in that division this year. It may take some time, but with Strasburg back at least there is now an eye to the sports betting future.

Any talk about the National League has to begin and end with the team that has dominated the pennant race, as the Philadelphia Phillies have ran away with the best record in the league so far in 2011. After adding Cliff Lee to an already impressive starting rotation, the Phillies have the sports betting weapons on both offense and defense to get the job done, and there is no doubt that they will push through the rest of the year and clinch the pennant.

Joining Philadelphia in the postseason will be the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants, who have managed to remain at the top of the weakest division in the NL in their effort to get back to the big dance. The Atlanta Braves likely won’t catch the Phillies in the NL East, but they should have no problem locking up the NL Wild Card spot with the second-best record in their MLB betting division. That leaves the NL Central to be decided, and with so many teams at the top it is hard to project who will get in and who won’t. The St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Pittsburgh Pirates are all within one game of eachother for the division lead, and it could come down to the final days of the season to determine a winner. The only thing that is certain at this point in the season for the NL, is that it is the Phillies and then everyone else.

Perhaps watching Lebron James and his Miami Heat teammates battle the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA finals ahead of the 2011 Belmont Stakes betting isn’t as difficult for fans living in the city of Cleveland with the success of their baseball franchise this season. Known for some of the worst teams in professional sports, the Cleveland Indians have risen above the Cavaliers and Browns to give the city hope that they could have a true championship contender in 2011, and it is a wise online sports betting move not to bet against them when they are playing at home.

The Indians won 19 of their first 25 home games in 2011 and are now on track to bring home the American League Central division with a comfortable cushion ahead of the second-place Detroit Tigers. The Motor City has had the good fortune of watching the Red Wings bring home Stanley Cup trophies over the past decade, and the Pistons weren’t that bad not too long ago so it is obvious that Cleveland is the more desperate city. A couple of key trades involving the acquisition of Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo allowed the Indians to grow their two biggest stars within the organization, and now they are producing at an elite level this season. Cleveland might not have what it takes to win a World Series in 2011, but they are a competitive team and they have brought a championship hope to the city making it wise to bet against them at home in the near future.

PayPerHead.com, an online sportsbook service provider for local agents, today unveiled a new campaign featuring Vince Curatola, Johnny Sack of The Sopranos fame.

The campaign leads with Vince asking “Five bucks per head, that’s what I wanna pay…” and the website, featuring video and voice overs by Vince, walks you through the product, the process and the competition.

“Five bucks a head is really an industry first given our level of service,” a spokesman from PayPerHead.com explained. “And we very carefully and in great detail delineate on the website exactly what you get and at what price level at PayPerHead versus the other serious players, such as ABC Per Head.”

You get a great deal of sports betting services, including not only the traditional online sportsbook but an optional casino, live poker, in game live betting, mobile betting, tools for managing players and their funds, layoff and scalp accounts, even a “sharp check.” “We have the sharpest lines out there and one of the most experienced stages anywhere offshore,” the spokesman said, “so if we start seeing sharp action from one of your players, we can give you a heads up. What you want to do with him is up to you.”

The choice of Vince Curatola was an interesting one. “We always liked Vince’s character on The Sopranos, as John “Johnny Sack” Sacramoni,” the PayPerHead spokesman said. “He had a certain style, classy, but not over the top; there’s a calmness and authority about him that we really admire.  He brings that serious business demeanor to PayPerHead.com, the first sportsbook-service to EVER feature any kind of celebrity in its marketing.”

With post-up books like BetUS, Sportsbook.com and SportsInteraction stopping taking US players, Bodog and others struggling with “Ecom” processing problems, the street scene is heating up and players are posting daily in forums looking for a “local out.” Most players want the huge selection of markets, including live in-game betting, and the convenience of anytime betting online or via a mobile device, but more and more, we hear players say “they want to bet online but want to settle in cash on Monday.”

Many in the industry think this is the future of online sports betting – and it very well could be. And with firms like PayPerHead.com investing in marketing in an unprecedented way (celebs, who’d have thunk it?!) and in product (they also offer live poker, casino and in-game betting), expect to see this sector grow significantly this season.

For more information, see PayPerHead.com.

Do you have a bet that you would love to make, but you can’t find any poker websites or casino to book it? If so, you are in luck. Investigate the world of odds trading and expand your gambling universe to new levels. With the right betting exchange, any bet you imagine is a possibility.

Making Bets Through Odds Trading

The way odds trading works is simple. You think of a bet and determine what you think would be fair odds for that bet. Depending on which side of the bet you want, you go to an online betting exchange and post the bet and the odds you wish to lay or to get. Other people go onto the site, look at the available bets, and if they like your offer, they accept. You then have a bet which is as valid as if you had bet directly with an online bookmaking site.

Types of Odds Trading Bets You Can Make

If you can put odds on it and it is legal, you can probably post the bet online. You can request 10-to-1 odds on which player will be the next to be incriminated in a steroid scandal or offer 12-to-1 to anyone who wants to take the St. Louis Rams to make the football playoffs this year. All you have to do is set up an account, create a bet and put up your money. With the sheer volume of eager bettors out there, there is a good chance that if you have created a reasonable bet, you will find a taker, or someone willing to negotiate with you to create the bet that you want.

Advantages and Disadvantages to Odds Trading

The good thing about odds trading is that you are not subject to the whims of the casino or sportsbook regarding what odds you can give or get and what bets you can make. The downside is that you have no protection. If you make a bad bet and have to pay for it, that’s on you. On the other hand, if you have a way to get an edge, there’s nothing to stop you from taking advantage of it.