Editor’s post: Ronald Po is in Japan this week, so today’s column is shorter than usual.

The Australian Open begins this Monday, January 17. The draw will be released later today. Let’s have some fun and try to make our own draw a la March Madness. The object is to try to predict the outcome of each match starting from a specific round. Starting from the first round, which involves 256 players and 128 matches, so it might be better to start at round 4, when the field is down to 32 players.

Continue reading "Ang Sugarol: More Australian Open talk and Friday PBA semifinals picks"

Isang Manigong Bagong Taon mula sa inyong Sugarol!

January is a fun month for sports and sports betting enthusiasts. The PBA playoffs return, the last half of the NBA regular season commences and the NFL inches closer toward the Super Bowl. January also marks the start of a very long season in professional tennis.

On January 17, the year’s first Grand Slam event, the Australian Open, starts anew. In 2010, this was the only Grand Slam won by former world number 1 Roger Federer and the only Slam not won by current number 1 Rafael Nadal.

Continue reading "Ang Sugarol: Betting on Australian Open tennis, and PBA semifinals picks"

My pick: Talk N Text (-4.5) vs. Derby Ace

Talk N Text is simply better than Derby Ace. While I expect Derby Ace to put up a good defensive game, the favorites will ultimately prevail. Chot Reyes and his boys are hungry for a title and this seems to be their year.

Previous results:
Game 1: Talk N Text 98-91
87-76 Talk N Text (10/6)
104-97 Derby Ace (11/5)

Series Prediction: Talk N Text wins 4-1

Continue reading "Ang Sugarol: Wednesday semifinals picks"

My pick: Talk N Text (-4.5) over Derby Ace

Previous results:
87-76 Talk N Text (10/6)
104-97 Derby Ace (11/5)

Last playdate’s record: 0-1
Overall record: 5-4

Former UP professor and sports betting enthusiast Ronald Po writes Ang Sugarol, Fire Quinito's regular sports betting series. A column on betting strategy comes out every Friday, while his picks are posted on each gameday. Follow him on Twitter at @AngSugarol.

Talk N Text, San Miguel, and Derby Ace are all in the semifinals, for good reason: for most of the Philippine Cup, they’ve been among the top four teams in the league.

The last semifinalist will be determined today with a knockout game at the Cuneta Astrodome between the Alaska Aces and the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings. As predicted, this has been the closest matchup of all quarterfinal pairings. Ginebra’s 18-point win was entirely unexpected; I thought the crowd darlings would take game 2, but I didn’t think it was going to be a blowout.

Continue reading "Ang Sugarol: Do-or-die Christmas pick"

Alaska (+3.5) over Ginebra

Previous results:
104-101 Alaska(12/17)
79-68 Ginebra (11/14)

Continue reading "Ang Sugarol: Wednesday quarterfinals picks"

(1) Talk and Text vs. (8) Rain or Shine

Previous Results:
95-93 Rain or Shine (11/20)
86-81 Talk N Text (12/4)

My pick: Rain or Shine (+6.5) over Talk N Text

Rain or Shine is a scrappy team and should have finished higher than 8th. While powerhouse Talk N Text will eventually prevail in this series (they only need to win once), I like Rain or Shine to steal one from the Tropang Texters. If Sol Mercado’s posse doesn’t win tonight, I expect a close game. A small bet on the Rain or Shine moneyline might end up scoring you a quick buck.

Continue reading "Ang Sugarol: Sunday quarterfinals picks"

In previous installments of this column, we discussed the basics of sports betting, and your options on where to bet. Today we wade into the deeper end of the pool to talk about betting strategies in time for today’s start of the Philippine Cup quarterfinals. Not all match-ups are created equal, but make no mistake about it, wagering on the games isn’t any less fun.

Continue reading "Ang Sugarol: Handicapping the start of the 2010 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals"

Editor’s note: Ang Sugarol is Fire Quinito’s series on sports gambling. After taking us through betting 101 in the first installment, former UP professor and sports betting professional Ronald Po discusses the options available to the betting newbie.

In the previous post, I discussed some concepts and ideas about sports betting. Armed with knowledge about the sport/league that you want to bet on, you are now ready to dabble into the fun world of sports betting. You have a few choices on where to bet, each with its own pros and cons:

Continue reading "Ang Sugarol: Know your betting options"

Editor’s note: Ang Sugarol is Fire Quinito’s special series on sports gambling. In our first installment, former UP professor and sports betting professional Ronald Po takes us through the basics of gambling odds, betting lines, and handicaps.

What’s better than cheering for your favorite team? How about cheering for them and getting some money as well? Traditionally, betting in local basketball involved head-to-head wagers as well the “ending” numbers game, which involves predicting the last digits of the final score of the basketball game.

The past few years, underground bookies have emerged to collect bets on NBA, UAAP and PBA games. More recently, legal online sports books have started operating in the country, allowing one to bet on a smorgasbord of sports competitions.

Continue reading "Ang Sugarol: Odds, betting lines, handicaps"