The joke will be on the bookies when Laugh Aloud comes roaring home to win the Duke of Cambridge Stakes on day two of Royal Ascot.

• Bet on the Royal Ascot

John Gosden rates the filly his best chance of the week and reckons she’s a Group 1 horse running in a Group 2 race – and when the master trainer speaks, you should listen.

Ascot Gold Cup – The Formula Of Champions Revealed

Laugh Aloud absolutely routed the field at Epsom last time out and is my NAP of the day.

Get off to a flier by backing Godolphin’s Dream Castle in the opening race of the day, the Jersey Stakes.

There are plenty of positive vibes from the stable about this one, who was an unlucky fifth in the 2000 Guineas; the drop back in tip to seven furlongs will suit, while the quicker ground is another plus. French raider Rivet is the main threat.

American handler Wesley Ward has won the Queen Mary the last two years and can complete the trifecta with Happy Like a Fool, who he rates his best two-year-old runner of the week. The filly won well on her only start last time out and will have too much zip for these.

The feature race of the day is the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, for which Highland Reel can prove his class once again.

Aiden O’Brien’s horse has won at the top level around the globe and, in a far from vintage renewal, can get the better of the likes of Ulysees and Jack Hobbs, who would prefer slower ground.

Frankie Dettori’s unfortunate absence through injury could end up being a blessing in disguise for supporters of El Vip, who’ll now be ridden by Jamie Spencer in the penultimate race of the day, the Royal Hunt Cup.

Luca Cumani’s runner loves being held up for a late run, absolutely ideal for Spencer’s style of riding, and I can see him arriving fast and late to get up on the line.

Did you know 888sport is price boosting every Group 1 favourite ten minutes before the race? Check out all the offers right now.

Get your Royal Ascot off to a thunderous start by backing Lightning Spear to turn over hot favourite Ribchester in Tuesday’s curtain raiser, the Queen Anne Stakes.

• Bet on the Royal Ascot

Backing odds-on favourites at the big festivals is the easiest way to run into trouble, and while Lockinge winner Ribchester, who beat Lightning Spear into a three length second at Newbury, has the best form in the race, his best efforts have come on softer ground.

Ascot Gold Cup – The Formula Of Champions Revealed

With conditions set to be quick, David Simcock’s colt can turn the tables - he looks a mighty each-way bet.

Richard Hannon loves nothing more than training two-year-old winners at Royal Ascot and he looks to have a great chance with one such colt, De Bruyne Horse, in the Coventry Stakes at 3.05pm.

The colt looked very smart when winning the Woodcote at Epsom and looks to have a solid favourite’s chance again.

American raider Lady Aurelia is all the rage in the King’s Stand but I think she’s worth taking on with my each-way NAP of the day, Signs of Blessing.

The French runner scored at Group 1 level in 2016 and was a winner last time out at Deauville; he has all the tools to mount a mega challenge, with Prix de L’Abbaye winner Marsha the main danger.

Plenty fancy Barney Roy to get the better of Churchill in the St James’s Palace but I’m not one of them. The latter is a superstar, winning 2,000 Guineas on both sides of the Irish Sea and he can improve still further – he is the banker bet of the day.

The Ascot Stakes at 2m 4f is the longest race in the calendar and, as you might expect, jumps trainers have an outstanding record in it.

Willie Mullins’ Thomas Hobson is the favourite but I prefer Alan King’s Who Dares Wins, who warmed up for this with a close 4^th in the Chester Cup, having previously come third in a big handicap hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

New 888sport customers can get a huge 6/1 on Churchill winning the St James’s Palace Stakes – see here for TCs!

Did you know 888sport is price boosting EVERY Frankie Dettori runner at Royal Ascot and EVERY Group 1 favourite?

It’s finally upon us. The Cheltenham Festival - jump racing’s Olympics, World Cup and Super Bowl rolled into one – kicks off on Tuesday, and I can’t wait.

• Bet on the Cheltenham Festival

One of the greatest experiences of my life was when my parents, both former trainers, had a winner in Top Cees in 1998 – the cacophony when he was led in in front of stands, with me by his side, will stay with me forever; in fact, I think the hangover is only just wearing off!

Ah. Cheltenham and hangovers. It wouldn’t be a Festival without one, and those without the constitution of a Gold Cup-winning gelding may very well not last the pace.

If the Irish only used to trounce the Brits in the drinking department, they’re doing the same on the track now, largely thanks to a man by the name of Willie Mullins.

The master trainer has plundered 48 Festival winners in the past two years, including 15 at the last two Festivals and he again holds most of the aces.

His best chance is the magnificent Douvan in Wednesday’s Queen Mother Champion Chase, while Vroum Vroum Mag faces stablemate Limini in the Mares' event - he should have the 1-2.

I really like the look of Brain Power in the Champion Hurdle - he's an unexposed type who absolutely trounced a valuable handicap hurdle field at Ascot last time, and in a race without an obvious superstar, it could pay to back an up-and-comer.

Money has been pouring in for Unowhatimeanharry to land the Stayers’ Hurdle on Thursday, but Cole Harden won the race in 2015 and has been primed to regain his crown.

The Gold Cup could be an absolute cracker. Trainer Colin Tizzard has the top two in the betting, Cue Card and Native River; it looks like it’s his to lose, but you’d do worse than to have some each-way money on Sizing John, winner of the Irish Gold Cup and tip of many a shrewd judge.

Whatever you’re backing, have a great Festival!

My five favourite Festival winners

Top Cees 1998

Nothing’s more special than having a Cheltenham winner, and that’s exactly what my parents had with Top Cees when I was a teenager. I’ll never forget the sheer elation of seeing a horse I grew up with win a race at the toughest meeting of them all.

Best Mate 2004

The emotion of seeing ‘Matey’ win his third Gold Cup was something to behold. He was one of those horses who caught the imagination of the wider public and watching him make history was special.

Hardy Eustace 2005

Who can forget Paul Carberry sitting motionless on Harchibald, going like a winner as Brave Inca and Hardy were being hard ridden, until the last 50 yards but not quite getting a response in time? A race for the ages.

Synchronised 2012

Vintage AP McCoy as he pushed and shoved the game and talented Sychronised for over a circuit to grab Gold Cup glory – a superhuman effort from horse and rider.

Sprinter Sacre 2016

The comeback of all comebacks. Sprinter looked to be finished with heart problems, but trainer Nicky Henderson somehow coaxed him back to regain his Champion Chase crown – I’ve never heard a Cheltenham roar like it.

Although British betting culture still places horse racing and football at the forefront of any shop or website, tennis is one of the most underrated sports when it comes to betting and potential payouts.

• Tennis betting on 888sport

The more prolific a match, the greater the range of prices generally available from bookmakers, and with tennis matches being played for a vast majority of the calendar year, the rewards for shrewd gambling can come thick and fast.

Where tennis is concerned, the period between May and September is particularly busy, and unlike football, tennis also has a much simpler range of markets from which to choose. The most popular ones are identified in the next section.

Market types

Identifying the most lucrative market is important, and an in-depth read of a preview from a tennis expert is always a wise move before placing a bet or compiling an accumulator. Bookmakers will typically offer the following basic markets for tennis matches:

• 1X2: The overall winner of the match
• O/U: In tennis, this market can refer to whether a match will last over or under a certain number of sets. For instance, if one player wins a best-of-three-sets match in straight sets (2-0), a bet predicting under 2.5 sets would win.
• Handicap: Like 1X2, but the player in question must now win by two clear sets, or more, depending on how much of a handicap they are backed with. Odds are longer for each player, so this market is best delved into when the players are evenly matched, and more likely to share sets.
• Correct Score: As a general rule, the more sets involved in a correct score, the longer the odds. For instance, backing a player to win a best-of-five match by 3-2 would offer a far better price than 3-0 (straight sets). However, the price difference between a straight-sets win and a non-straight-sets win is less drastic if the players are evenly matched.
• Outright: Not found in individual matches, this is a single price for a player to win the tournament.

Players to back

Generally, in tournaments where a ‘seeding’ system is used, seeded players are considered more likely to progress. With is of more significance during the four ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments that take place. In chronological order, they are:

• Australian Open (hard court)
• French Open (clay court)
• Wimbledon (grass court)
• US Open (hard court)

The ranking system used by the ATP and WTA is based on the form of ranked players over a twelve-month period. Under normal conditions, the rankings are a solid enough guideline, but extenuating circumstances such as injury or suspension can result in a highly ranked player nose-diving down the rankings.

That is, of course, unless the player in question is granted license to keep their ranking by the relevant authorities. Research into a player’s strengths and weaknesses, along with his/her recent form is by far a more important element for a bettor to consider if they are to have any chance of success.

Certain players also thrive much better on certain surfaces. Rafael Nadal, for instance, is known as the ‘King of Clay’ – and for good reason. This year, he won the French Open for a tenth time in thirteen years.

Meanwhile, two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has been the man to beat on grass, and many believe that he would have won a third title if he had been free of injury in this year’s event.

ITF challenger events also offer a rich tapestry for bettors, with the tours for both gender divisions holding over 500 events each across the world.

'In play' betting and value for money

In the era of online betting, with betting apps providing an instant fix, many bookmakers compete to offer bettors the best deal. While some bookmakers choose to play the long game, by capitalising on events which will certainly be popular, tennis - by its very nature - demands a quick offer.

Games can change dynamically, and though the seeding system can offer people projecions as to who will face who in the next round, there is still very little time to promote special odds ahead of any match. As such, the best value prices for tennis can often be found during the match, as bookmakers compete with one another to reel new customers in.

When it comes to in-play tennis betting, one potentially rewarding option for the bettor is to look at matches in which the outsider is one or two sets down and back the favourite to win. Yet again, however, studying form is a vital part of doing so with vindication.

Whether a bettor uses in-play services or not, it is in the value of the price that the first battle to beat the bookmaker can be won. Although some picks appear obvious, not one edition of any major tournament has been without at least one upset:

Form over function

In the case of tennis, it is the form of the player – and, by extension, their own record against a particular opponent – that usually matters. For example, anyone backing Kevin Anderson (ranked 32^nd) to beat Dominic Thiem (7^th) at ATP Washington on 3 August 2017, would have seen a payout that was excellent value for money.

In beating Thiem, Anderson took his own personal record against the Austrian to 7-0, and this is crucial to determining the true value of any payout.

Thiem had enjoyed a strong Wimbledon, making him favourite ahead of his ATP Washington match against Anderson. However, Anderson was also in excellent form, and had beaten Thiem on (all) six occasions they had previously met.

Despite this, bookmakers only saw a probability of around 44% that Anderson would win, with the disparity in two players’ rankings their justification for publishing such long odds against Anderson. However, the probability of an Anderson win was (in reality) closer to 60%, given his form and record against Thiem.

Had this been reflected in the bookmakers’ prices, the odds would have been significantly shorter.

South Africa's Kevin Anderson reflects on 'epic' with Dominic Thiem.

Tennis betting: a bastion of change

The ever-increasing frequency of tennis matches on the market, accompanied by an ever-expanding range of betting apps, has changed the nature of sports betting on a wider scale. By extension, the very way in which bookmakers operate has been forced to change.

Some bookmakers, in order to keep ahead of the vast competition that now exists, now actively identify the best value bets. Certain bookmakers may even provide the probability of an outcome along with the price.

With a vast quantity of tennis matches being played, most bookmakers are increasingly using the most prolific matches in their special offers. Less experienced bettors – or simply those that are more casual about betting – will typically remain loyal to one bookmaker. However, these bettors are still more easily taken in than those that are more experienced.

The more drastic special offers advertised are thus targeted at new (not existing) customers, causing them to ‘defect’ to another bookmaker. Ultimately then, it could be argued that tennis has been one of the most influential sports, as far as the process of tilting the betting experience in favour of the bettor is concerned.

For more tennis bets than titles Federer's won, head to 888 Sport

It will come as no surprise to see Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the head of the betting for the Men’s Australian Open. Two icons of the sport dominated in 2017, and are understandably expected to remain at the very top in 2018.

• US Open Betting on 888sport

Nadal claimed the US Open to go with yet another title at Roland Garros, while Federer won in Australia and at Wimbledon. Few would have predicted quite such an emphatic return to Slam-winning for the duo.

It is of no surprise that they sit far clear of the chasing pack at the top of the ATP rankings after this season, though and the Spaniard is currently favourite to win at 5/2 in our tennis betting markets.

His hard court form stateside a few weeks ago was stunning, and fitness seems to be the only thing that can stop the Spaniard at the moment. He was involved in a five-set classic with Federer in the final at the Australian last year, too.

His record in the first Grand Slam of the calendar year is far worse than anywhere else, however, having won only once, back in 2009.

via GIPHY

If Federer can replicate anything like his best from this year, he has to be the pick to win the tournament. The 36-year-old has only failed to make the semis in Australia once since 2003. I am not going to bore you with reams of text about how brilliant Federer is, but that record – and his three victories – speak for itself.

The holder of a plethora of all-time records sits at 3/1 to win his 20^th Grand Slam. Federer has lost only four matches in 2017, and his only Slam defeat came to Juan Martin del Potro at the US Open. The prices may well fluctuate before the 2018 season gets underway, but Federer at 3/1 is great value.

His fitness has been managed superbly, and – with no signs of physical decline – is incredibly tough to look past on a hard court. Third in the market is unsurprisingly Novak Djokovic. Having been out with injury for all of 2017 with an elbow problem, his 5/1 is certainly on the short side.

Djokovic’s preparations for the Australian Open are as yet unknown and, though he has won five titles in the year-opening Slam, his chances must be slim. A lot will depend on how he fares in his warm-up events, but it’s worth staying well away from backing the Serbian while there is so much uncertainty.

Andy Murray is next up at 7/1 behind Djokovic. The Scot recently revealed that he has returned to the court, and could play again before the season is out. Like Djokovic, Murray was expected to be out for the year after his own Wimbledon disappointment.

At a slightly longer price, Murray could be worth backing if he can get some injury-free matches in before we wave the 2017 season a nostalgic goodbye.

Outside of the so-called ‘big four’, the usual suspects offer a bit of wildcard value. Stan Wawrinka has been the best of the rest for quite some time, but 2017 has been damaged by fitness issues for him, too.

Juan Martin Del Potro is no doubt one of the most talented players in this generation. He has Slam winning experience, and showed signs of his best game at the US Open. Out at 25/1, the Argentine is, as he often is, a decent longshot option.

It’s no secret that del Potro can go toe-to-toe with Nadal and Federer, and that 25/1 will look like a great price if he can stay fully fit in the lead up to the tournament.

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

Want the latest tennis odds action and markets? 888sport.com have you covered

Latest markets for the 2018 Australian Open are available here...

The US Open may be the last Grand Slam of the calendar year, but for tennis players it is certainly one worth waiting for. Outside of the iconic venue and the prestige of winning, players will be more richly rewarded at the US Open than at any other tennis tournament in history.

• US Open Betting on 888sport

In what promises to be an open competition on both the ATP and WTA sides, there will be unfancied players hoping to spring a surprise or two on their way to a hefty reward.

Tennis Betting with 888sport.

Five years ago the USTA made a commitment to elevate the prize money on offer above a staggering $50 million, and they have remained true to their word. The total rewards being dished out has increased by around 9% from last year's figure, taking the offerings up to $50.4 million.

The champions, in both the male and female tournament, will take home $3.7 million in prize money, a record sum that makes this year's incarnation of the US Open the most lucrative competition on the schedule. 

The tournament made its debut in 1881 under the guise of the US National Championships. Richard Sears claimed the first seven men's titles on offer in a truly unprecedented level of dominance.

Whilst certainly impressive, he was somewhat assisted by the rule that instantly granted the winner from the previous year a place in the final. Sears' work was done and he retired after his seventh title, something that has never occurred to Roger Federer.

This rule was abolished in 1912, in theory opening the tournament up to a more varied collection of winners. The battle of the Bills saw Johnston prevail against Tilden in 1919.

Tilden had his revenge, and then some. Tilden defeated Johnston the following year, took down Wallace Johnson the year after, and then triumphed over Johnston again, and again, and again, and again.

Four consecutive victories over Johnston and six consecutive titles marked "Big Bill" Tilden as one of the all-time greats. The following years witnessed the first overseas victories, with the likes of French titan Rene Lacoste and the British legend Fred Perry finding glory on American soil.

In 1968, the US National Championships became officially known as the US Open. As you might expect of a Grand Slam, its list of victors reads like a list of tennis greats. Jimmy Connors took five titles on home soil as did compatriot Pete Sampras, making them the most successful players in the US Open era alongside Rodger Federer.

The tournament takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center situated at Flushing Meadows in New York City. The stadiums are famed for the scale, so it is fitting that the largest prizes on offer are available in some of the world's largest tennis arenas.

The Arthur Ashe Stadium, named after the former world number one who took his first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 1968, is the biggest of them all, with a capacity of just over 23,000.

As the last Slam of the calendar year, the US Open is the last chance for all players to make an impression on the world rankings. The top eight players from the year participate in the ATP World Tour Finals.

With a raft of injuries decimating the list of current leading players, many players will be licking their lips in anticipation of a deep run at the US Open earning them a spot alongside the world's elite at the end of the year.

The US Open is now the most difficult to predict of all the men's Slams, demonstrated by its varied list of winners. Seven different players have accounted for nine of the last titles, with no stranglehold on the tournament since Roger Federer claimed five consecutive trophies between 2004 and 2008. The days of Richard Sears winning them all are long gone. 

In fact, the seven current active players on the ATP tour to have triumphed in a Grand Slam have found success at the US Open. Rodger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka have all added a US Open title to their collection on their path to become this era's Fab Five. In Murray's case, that title was his first Slam trophy and inspired him to future success at Wimbledon.

The other two players are Juan Martin Del Potro and Marin Cilic, triumphing in 2009 and 2014 respectively. The US Open represents their sole Slam title, making them two of the most surprising victors across all the Slams in recent years.

Del Potro took down five-time defending champion Federer in the final, as the 6th seed prevailed in a five-set epic. The Argentine would probably have added to that title if injuries had not been cruel to the affable and supremely talented player.

Cilic faced another man in the final looking to win his first Slam in Kei Nishikori, and claimed glory in straight sets in an appropriate culmination of a fortnight for a man who was truly in the zone. Cilic certainly has the ability to beat anyone on his day, and took down Federer in the semi-finals. Beating the Swiss legend is usually a decent barometer of a player's form. 

Cilic will be hoping that he can rediscover the spirit of 2014, as it is likely that only Federer and Nadal will represent the Fab Five at Flushing Meadows. Djokovic and Wawrinka have already declared their absence, whilst there are persistent concerns over Murray's fitness that could result in either a withdrawal or a performance short of the Scot's indefatigable best.

As defending champion, Wawrinka will be particularly disappointed at not being able to attempt to protect his title. If only the rule still existed that would have parachuted him straight into the final; perhaps he could have played through the pain barrier for one match.

Federer arrives as heavy favourite at 6/4, with his form this year suggesting that Swiss domination will continue. But there will always be lingering concerns over his fitness at this age, no matter how effortless he makes everything look. That could open the door for Nadal, although the Spaniard is never as comfortable outside of the clay-court swing.

Or it could open the door for a newcomer to join the pantheon of greats who have triumphed at the US Open. Maybe the stars will align for a more established player who has fallen just short of a Slam title; Milos Raonic at 16/1 and Kei Nishikori at 33/1 have been defeated in Grand Slam finals, and will judge this comparatively open field as a chance for redemption.

Or could it be the time that a youngster makes their mark on the biggest of stages? Look no further than Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev. Thiem looks destined to have more success at Roland Garros as heir to Nadal's throne as King of Clay.

Zverev has had a stellar year, from a title earlier in the year at the Rome Masters marking his credentials to his recent victory in Washington showing that his form is not wavering. 

The young German has struggled to make his mark at previous Slams, but he will take heart from those who have come to the US Open before him and left with a legacy.

Maybe it is time for one of tennis' young stars to write their names in the history books at the US Open, following in the footsteps of so many of tennis' superstars...

www.888sport.com - for all of your tennis betting needs

The most beautiful moment of the year for Euroleague has arrived, when all the most important basketball people of Europe and the World gather to enjoy a weekend full of parties, events and possibly a basketball game or two. So today in 888sport.com we are going to look at these two Final Four games.

• Euroleague Betting on 888sport

The first matchup is Friday at 18:30 local time where we have a classic between CSKA Moscow and Olympiacos Pireus at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul, Turkey. Two teams with a lot of history in European finals come together once again for a game with two different styles of basketball. CSKA reached the semifinal as the most potent offensive team in the league with an average of 87.61 points per game while the Greeks were second best in defense only giving up an average of 73.60 to their opponents. The Russians won both games both regular season games, the first in Greece by 6 points and then in the last game of the season by 4 in Russia. Now in a neutral court the Russians are favored by 5.5 points and I really can not justify using these two results as a betting guide but I can use Final Four history.

If we talk about history between these two we can not forget the 2012 final when the Greeks erased a 19 point deficit in 12 minutes to win the title and then three years later wiped out 9 points in the final 4 minutes to again beat the Russians and reach the 2015 final in Madrid. CSKA does not like the way Olympiacos plays and so I think the 5.5 points are a lot and in my opinion this game will be decided on the last possession. I have a good feeling that the Greeks can pull off the upset and for that they pay us 3.05 but if it’s less risk your looking for then I would take the points to secure my bet.

Olympiacos Piraeus +5.5 @ 1.92

Later in Game 2 at 21:30 the matchup between Fenerbahce Ukler and Real Madrid tips off. The Turks are home in Instanbul but do not be fooled, they are not playing on their home court. I expect to see the entire stadium painted yellow and black but I don’t see this advantage as clear as it was two years ago for Real Madrid when they won the championsip and actually played on their home floor. Fenerbahce are favored by -2.5 points and pay 1.86, while Real at +2.5 pays 1.97. With numbers like that the people at 888sport.com beleive in a Turkish victory but I see things differently. Real has undoubtedly been the most consistent team throughout the year and face a Fener team that has been everything but consisitent. I have no idea which Fenerbahce team will walk out of the locker room Friday night but in these cases I always like the team that has showed me consistency throughout the entire season.

Real Madrid to Win @ 2.28.

Not much longer before this show starts, enjoy and good luck !!

It is April and welcome to the NBA playoffs, sit back and enjoy because we will be here for a while. The playoffs begin on April 15th and if we are fortunate enough to go to a seven game final like last year it will not end until June 18th. That is a long time to enjoy the best part of the NBA season and also take advantage of some nice betting and money making opportunities in 888sport.com.

• Euroleague Betting and odds

The first look we will have is in the Eastern Conference where we saw what some might call quite a surprise, the Boston Celtics are the leaders and have home court throughout the playoffs in the East. Their first round Matchup though will not be an easy one as they will face the Chicago Bulls. They split the season series 2-2 with each team winning on their home court. Three of the four games were tightly contested before a 20 point Celtic victory on March 12th. This will be a closer series than most 1vs.8 in the past but we should see the Celtics moving on to the next round.  BOSTON CELTICS 4-2

The second seeded Cleveland Cavaliers basically gave away the first seed to the Celtics by resting their stars throughout the season with a “we don’t care, we can beat anyone, anywhere and anytime attitude”. They will face Indiana in round one and have pretty much dominated the Pacers this season. With a 3-1 series lead this year the Cavs won those three games by a total of 29 points with the only loss on November 16th in Indiana. The Cavs usually turn it on this time of year and want their stars to rest so I see them sweeping the series in four games to get those extra days off. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 4-0

The young Milwaukee Bucks have found themselves in the playoffs as a 6 seed and will face the Toronto Raptors who finished third but with the same 51-31 record as the Cavs. Toronto is one of those teams that is always hanging around the top but can never finish come playoff time. They should get by the Bucks who are just happy to be here but will give Toronto some problems but the Raptors will advance to face the Cavs in the next round. TORONTO RAPTORS 4-2

The 4vs5 matchup is usually the more difficult playoff and has the most possibilities of going to a seventh game but not this time around. The 4th seeded Washington Wizards face the Atlanta Hawks. The Wizards could not of asked for a better pairing in the first round. They matchup perfectly with the Hawks and have won the last three games including a 26 point blowout in Atlanta on January 27th. The Wizards play the Hawks well and should be looking forward to facing the Celtics in the next round.  WASHINGTON WIZARDS 4-1

Enjoy these playoffs in the East and remember to check back here for some betting tips and angles throughout this years playoffs in 888sport.com.

Anadolu finshed the last 10 rounds of the competition with an 8-2 record and stormed into the playoffs as the sixth seed. They of course face the third seeded Olympiacos Piraeus who who has one of the most difficult courts top lay on in all of Europe.

• Euroleague Betting on 888sport

The Peace and Friendship stadium will be host to the first two games of the series and right now we will look into game one with some help from 888sport.com. The home team is the favorite by 6.5 points and pays 1.94 to 1 and the game total is set at 151.5 which pays out 1.91 to 1. The team split their season series with two games that do not have much bearing on this playoff. Game 1 was played way back in round 2 and the Greeks enjoyed a 24 point blowout but had the favor returned in round 29 just a couple of weeks ago with a hard fought 8 point win for the Turks. These games do not give us much to work with and either does the fact that Olympiacos limped into the playoffs with three straight losses.

This information makes this a difficult game to find the best betting angle but luckily I have done some research for you. Olympiacos is a very defensive team and at home only allow 70 points a game to their opponent and rank second in Europe allowing only 74.2 points throughout the 30 game schedule. Anadolu i son the opposite side of this spectrum and allow 83 points a game and plays more of an uptempo type of game. Looking at the numbers and knowing a little about playing in this famous stadium my prediction is the Olympiacos defense should suffocate the turks. The final of this game should be in the mid to low 70s. My prediction would be a final score of 76-69 which keeps us below the threshold of 151.5. This is a tough game to call but I honestly believe defense determines the result in Athens…….. UNDER 151.5 @ 1.91 or we can look deeper into 888sport.com and find a better payout, for example…….UNDER 147.5 @ 2.38. Points will be hard to come by in this game. Remember, the last game in Istanbul only came in at at 146 total points and in game one Anadolu was only capable of putting up 66 points………..LOVE THE UNDER!!!!

Good Luck

The first two games to start the Euroleague playoffs this Tuesday are very good opportunities to make some extra cash with 888sport.com. There are many different philosophies when you start a five game playoff but the most important of them is to pull out all the stops to win that first game. This philosophy is consistent for both the home team and the visitors. Tuesday the 17th of April we get started in Russia with CSKA Moscow facing Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz, then in Greece it’s Panathinaikos Superfoods and Fenerbahce Istanbul. Now let's go over some important keys and find where we're going to make our money.

• Bet on Euroleague

CSKA is at home where they are one of the most dominant teams in all of Europe and I’ll leave you with a little information here to understand exactly what I mean, 14 victories with only 1 defeat at home this season. Of those 14 wins the Russians  average margin of victory was 14.35 points per game and that  includes their 112-84 destruction against Baskonia in round 9. It should also be noted that Vitoria has lost 10 consecutive games in Moscow since 2005. With all this information, one would think we should bet on CSKA but the win only pays 1.12 to 1 at 888sport.com. CSKA are also favorited by 11.5 points which pays a little better at 1.91 to 1. If you ask me the 11.5 points could be too much for this first contest because the norm in these cases is the road team does everything they can to try and pull off the quick surprise. That's why I think if we look towards the over/under of 165.5 points we give ourselves more options to win. These teams like to score and and I do not expect any type of defensive battle. The play here is OVER 165.5, which also pays 1.91 to 1 and I feel is less risky.

The matchup between Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce is another chance to win some cash. Two teams that are in the playoffs thanks to their intense defense and I do not think their styles will change much during this series. The biggest problem for the Turks is their inability to score points while they hold teams to a low output and that’s reason I give a big advantage to the Greeks in game one. The atmosphere in Athens and home court advantage will be two reasons that Panathinaikos should fly out of the gate and get off to a fast start. In 888sport.com the Greeks are favorites by 3.5 points and I think they will cover this number but it is paying only 1.84. The alternative bet which is a Double Opportunity bet for Panathinaikos knowing that they will come out very strong in the first half and should win the game. In Double Opportunity we play the 1/1,that means the home team will be leading at the end of the first half and also will win the game. This bet is a bit more risky but pays much better at 2.20 to 1.

We can play each one as individual bets or combine the two bets  which will increase our profits to a 4.20 to 1 payout. I honestly like both these plays so feel free to do as you please just make sure to get in on the fun.

Good Luck.