1. #1
    Stacocakes
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    Stacocakes Australian Open Thread

    Another year and another Aussie Open. It's been awhile since I made a tennis thread so I figured that this was as good of a time as any to get back into the groove. I was considering adding on to my previous Aussie Open thread which had 56 million posts in it from Fisch and Smitch saying things such as "hey" "good job" "Can't wait for the next one"........but I figured it would probably be best to start a brand new one. Feel free to point dump in this thread as well.It's all good.

    To the tennis.........

    I'll start off as always with the men's draw first and then I will post the women's draw tomorrow. It look's as though Federer has another easy draw so the outright odds of him are justified. He looks like the clear favorite at this point on paper. I've broken the draw down to four quarters as follows:

    Nadal's quarter

    I've made some good money taking Nadal outright's lately but I think that might stop here. The fact that Rafa was nursing an injury during his loss to Davydenko a week ago has me scared. Sure it might not be a serious injury but if Rafa has any type of injury at all, playing two weeks of best of five set tennis definately will not make things better. The outright odds for Rafa haven't moved that much so obviously the books don't feel that his injury is overly serious. Rafa doesn't have anyone that could challenge him up until the fourth round where he could face the winner of the Isner/Cilic match. Cilic is so inconsistant no one knows whether he will win a couple matches or lose the very first one.Anything is possible with him. With that being said, Rafa should have no problems beating either player if he is healthy. In the Quarter finals Rafa will face either Nalbandian or Youzhny. Nalbandian can do some damage to Rafa but Nalbandian's fitness always creeps up on him during these major's and a healthy Rafa should outlast Nalbandian if he had to. The semifinal match will be interesting with Nadal vs either Soderling or Murray. This is where it is all up in the air for me. Soderling and Murray are both capable of beating Rafa, especially if Nadal isn't 100%. With that in mind and Nadal's injury concerns floating around in the back of my mind, I just am not happy with the current outright price of +197 for Rafa. If it was a bit higher I might take a chance on it but I think there is more value as an outright by looking at the other quarter of this draw with Soderling and Murray.


    Soderling/Murray/Tsonga quarter

    Very interesting quarter of the draw. Juan Martin Del Potro is in this quarter but he is still not at 100% so I don't see him making it far. Only question is how many matches he can win. With that being said I still think the draw is wide open for Murray to coast to the quarter finals. Soderling's path to the quarter finals is not as easy though. He will have to face the winner of the Tsonga/Gulbis match, which could be interesting. I would have to side with Tsonga to win that match though and Soderlings career record vs Tsonga is 4-1 so Soderling should be able to get to the quarter finals where he will face Andy Murray. The career head to head is 3-2 Murray. This match is really a complete toss up for me. What makes Soderling more appealing here is the fact that his outright is +1823 while Murray's is +835. Definately better value to take Soderling since this quarter final match will be very close. If Soderling can get past Murray he may or may not have to play Rafa in the semi's. If Rafa's injury concerns come to a head and he is knocked out of the tournament by this point, it should be an easy step for Soderling to get to the finals of this tournament from there.

    Federer's quarter

    Roddick must wonder who he hurt in a previous life to always end up in Roger's draw. Seems like that is how it is for every major. What happens when they do meet? Roger always beats him down. Roger's path to the quarter finals is weak. He will have to face Malisse and Fish before facing either Monfils or Roddick in the quarter finals. Federer shouldn't have a problem beating either of these players to get to the semifinals. Federer's outright price movement has gone from about +210 before the draw came out to currently +176 on Pinnacle and this move was due solely to the draw. I was considering taking a flyer on Roddick when I saw his outrights on BetFair at +10,900 but was reminded once again that I haven't certified my Betfair account to be able to bet Australian sports so I was unable to take Roddick at that price. On Pinnacle Roddick's outright is currently +5982 so you can see how much of a difference there is in price between books. If you can find some outright odds of around +10,000 on Roddick he might be worth a shot but at the current Pinnacle odds of +5982, no way.

    Djokovic's quarter

    Djokovic's path to the Semi's isn't that difficult either. What you have to always remember though is Novak has problems in the heat...especially long matches in the heat. With that being said he doesn't have much opposition in his quarter of the draw. He will face either Almagro or Ljubicic in the fourth round and both player's are very beatable for Novak. In the Quarter's he will face the winner of the Davydenko/Berdych match. Novak has a winning record vs both Davy (3-2) and Berdych (4-1) in his career. If Djokovic get's to the semifinals though he will likely face Roger who is 13-6 career over Djokovic.


    What have we learnt from this draw? This tournament is definately Federer's to win. He has the easiest path to the finals of all of the top seeds. I liked his pre-draw odds to win the tournament but his current odds of +176 are a bit to low for my liking. As an outright though I am going to take my chances with Robin Soderling at +1823. I may add one more outright before the tournament starts but this is my only mens outright as of right now.

    Best of luck in these next two weeks guys. Hopefully we will all make some money.


    Outright :

    Robin Soderling +1823

  2. #2
    EaglesPhan36
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    Welcome back Staco! That's definitely one I liked too.

  3. #3
    smitch124
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    Who is this imposter? this is the REAL Stacocakes Aussie Open thread:

    http://www.sportsbookreview.com/forum/tennis-han...en-thread.html

  4. #4
    Stacocakes
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    Eagles I look forward to your plays.Good luck. Are you entering the aussie open contest?

    I'll be entering both the mens and the womens but I have to admit that flipping a coin will probably work out better picking the ladies side of the draw then actually trying to make educated guesses. I don't have faith in any of the women player's at this point.

    Smitch I have never heard of that Stacocakes fellow.He looks very wise though and is definately a ladies man

  5. #5
    EaglesPhan36
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    Yeah I am getting my picks together tonight and tomorrow for the contests. Probably be buried after Day 1.

  6. #6
    MUHerd37
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    Was just wondering today if Staco was gonna be back!!!

  7. #7
    MUHerd37
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    Do you think that Soderling being bounced in the first round last year plays into his mentality this time around? I think putting money on Soderling here is like pissing in the wind. I love Soderling but he just plain sucks at this tournament. He is 2-5 in the Australian Open. That's right, he has just 2 career wins in the Aussie Open. His next worst grand slam tournament is the U.S. Open where he has 11 wins. Not sure why he sucks so bad here. I think he has no shot, but I will be backing him early on.

  8. #8
    noober
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    Nadal is not injured. He had the flu.

  9. #9
    EaglesPhan36
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    Quote Originally Posted by MUHerd37 View Post
    Do you think that Soderling being bounced in the first round last year plays into his mentality this time around? I think putting money on Soderling here is like pissing in the wind. I love Soderling but he just plain sucks at this tournament. He is 2-5 in the Australian Open. That's right, he has just 2 career wins in the Aussie Open. His next worst grand slam tournament is the U.S. Open where he has 11 wins. Not sure why he sucks so bad here. I think he has no shot, but I will be backing him early on.
    Throw last year out, Soderling had an elbow injury to start the year. His career record here certainly is poor, but his draw is easy. If he doesn't get to the 4th round, then he really does need to be faded here every year.

  10. #10
    beefcake
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    Soderling from what I can gather just hates the goddamn heat down there and IMO its got the point of a mental block for him.

  11. #11
    Stacocakes
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    I realize that Soderling hasn't had much success here at all. He seems to get to the first or second round every year. What helps Soderling here though is that he has a really easy path up until the fourth round. Starace,a qualifier and maybe Bellucci are the only players he will have to face to get to the fourth round. At this point he will face either Tsonga or Gulbis. I am leaning towards Tsonga beating Gulbis in that match so it sets up a Tsonga/Soderling fourth round match which will be a very good match. Soderling is 4-1 vs Tsonga in their careers. He should advance to the quaterfinals but at this point I agree that it won't be easy for Soderling. I'm just taking him because he has alot of value as an outright and he has the game to get very far in this tournament. I would rather take chances with him as an outright then to bet him as a -500 favorite in a particular match along the way.

    MUherd nice to see you again.Will be a fun tournament

    Noober if Rafa is fully recovered from the flu he will like his draw. Cilic(if he even makes it past the first round), Nalbandian/Youzhny, Soderling/Murray.....a healthy Nadal should be able to get through this draw relatively easy. Would have liked it better if the outright odds were a bit bigger on Nadal. Feel at the current odds for him and Federer it is really not worth it.

    Have faith in Soderling boys.He's +1823 for a reason

  12. #12
    Stacocakes
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    What do you guys think about Juan Martin Del Potro here?Still not 100% but are you guys considering taking him in any individual matches or are you just going to stay away from him? I have a feeling we might be able to get some nice prices on him if he wins a match or two here.Match prices that is, not outright.

  13. #13
    Stacocakes
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    Some of the opening round lines are out. Some very big lines as always for the first round. Who thinks Andreev at -875 over Volandri SCREAMS fixed match? Should Andreev ever be a -875 favorite? Who would bet him at that? I know Volandri has injury concerns and has lost matches left and right lately but still, that big of a dog? A spotty russian player at -875 haha If I was "friends" with Andreev I would tell him to book a vacation for next week and take this match off.

  14. #14
    Stacocakes
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    Nalbandian/Hewitt match is going to be an amazing match to start off this tournament. 5 set match alert right here. My gut is really telling me to bet Fat Dave here but the crowd is going to be crazy as always for Hewitt. Very tough call here

  15. #15
    Stacocakes
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    How come sbr doesn't have an emoticon that is crying? Does everyone at SBR win money??

  16. #16
    kingsr
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    Do these qualify?

    Btw, how bout Tomic V Chardy. Chardy will choke as usual, I like Tomic, with the home crowd! But the books arent being generous at all!

  17. #17
    smitch124
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    Looking at this field, I sure wish Arthur Ashe was still playing he would cruise to the Championship.

  18. #18
    Stacocakes
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    Kingsr you read my mind. I thought the number for Tomic would be a bit better as well. 5 match losing streak for Chardy AND Tomic has the home crowd behind him. Love the play but just +111....c'mon now. Probably won't bet it but I already have Tomic pencilled in for my bracket.

    Smitch would you like the ghost of Ashe to use a wooden racquet or a newer racquet? Career record of 818-260.

  19. #19
    Stacocakes
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    My sbr trivia question for 10 points tonight was how many testicles does Paul-Henri Mathieu have........ was either 0,1,2 or 4. I figured it might be a trick question so I picked 0 since he always chokes away his matches. Wasn't a trick question, he has 2

  20. #20
    smitch124
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stacocakes View Post
    Kingsr you read my mind. I thought the number for Tomic would be a bit better as well. 5 match losing streak for Chardy AND Tomic has the home crowd behind him. Love the play but just +111....c'mon now. Probably won't bet it but I already have Tomic pencilled in for my bracket.

    Smitch would you like the ghost of Ashe to use a wooden racquet or a newer racquet? Career record of 818-260.
    Cakes, Arthur could've beat this field with his bare hand

  21. #21
    shari91
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stacocakes View Post
    My sbr trivia question for 10 points tonight was how many testicles does Paul-Henri Mathieu have........ was either 0,1,2 or 4. I figured it might be a trick question so I picked 0 since he always chokes away his matches. Wasn't a trick question, he has 2
    Best post ever!!

    I think I'm going to put a bit on Volandri just out of principle. Del Potro, well it's a tough call but yeah I think I'll be on him against Sela.

  22. #22
    Stacocakes
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    Some additional Aussie Open props on Pinny right now:

    Fed/Nadal vs the field -210 for Fed and Nadal. As long as you get one of the players to the final you would make money on this. The chances of getting both of these players in the final is also very good. Something to consider here

    Big 4 vs the field -675. Fed,Nadal,Djokovic and Murray

    This one is pretty much a sure thing. I know I took Soderling outrights but I am just taking a shot really. Do I really pick Soderling to win if I had a gun to my head?Hell no. I am leaning towards Federer winning this tournament but looking at this bet, the winner will be one of the four listed there. Odds of -675 though are way way to high.Wouldn't recommend this.

  23. #23
    MUHerd37
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stacocakes View Post
    My sbr trivia question for 10 points tonight was how many testicles does Paul-Henri Mathieu have........ was either 0,1,2 or 4. I figured it might be a trick question so I picked 0 since he always chokes away his matches. Wasn't a trick question, he has 2

  24. #24
    kingsr
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    Stacocakes, are you gonna do a review on the womens draw?

  25. #25
    Stacocakes
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    Yup just looking at the women's draw right now.Will have a review either late tonight before I go to bed or by tomorrow afternoon. I'm really poor at tennis since its a crapshoot so I wouldn't eagerly await anything amazing haha.

  26. #26
    kingsr
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    No prob just curious to see people opinions and compare with mine.

  27. #27
    Stacocakes
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    Womens draw

    Was looking at the women's draw and there are basically 15 player's that I wouldn't be surprised if they won. What does this mean? Means there is some great value in the outright markets.

    Wozniacki's quarter

    Factor in Wozniacki's current form and her racquet change and people are quick to discount her at this tournament. She has a pretty difficult draw which starts out with Dulko, who is capable of pulling off a big upset, Paszek, Cibulkova, Bartoli, Henin, Sharapova/Azarenka and Stosur/Clijsters/Zvonareva in the final. With women's tennis upsets happen all of the time so to think Wozniacki would have to play all of these good players is a bit of a stretch. With that being said, +817 odds (+950 on Betfair) are completely unbelievable. The number 1 seed (though debatable), getting +817 odds to win a tournament, sign me up. I admit that I am really scared about the back end of her draw but I think it's worth a shot at these odds. Henin looks to be in good form and will be difficult to defeat for Wozniacki in the quarterfinals. You can currently find odds of approximately +500 on Henin to win this tournament and really that is another unbelievable price.Taking two players from the same quarter to win a tournament is probably not the best of ideas so I am going to go with Wozniacki since she has a nicer price. I really think you can't go wrong taking either her or Henin here though.Both great plays.

    Masha/Venus/Azarenka quarter

    This is Venus William's last season and she is already showing that she is on the decline. She has lost 3 matches in a row going back to last year and is considered a longshot here as per her +2473 outright odds. Looking at her draw though it really isn't that bad. She is facing Errani, Zahlavova, Petkovic and Masha to get to the quarterfinals. In her current form that is probably a stretch for her to get this far but she is a fighter and can never be counted out. I do lean on Sharapova to beat Venus if they both make it to the fourth round though and Sharapova's outright odds of +1958 are also very good. Try to steer clear of Azarenka in this quarter of the draw since she tends to have some dodgy matches, especially when she is a big favorite. I like Sharapova to get out of this portion of the draw and at odds of +1958 to win it all, she should never be counted out. If you bet on her though,make sure not to watch her matches though because she will give you a heart attack since she likes to spray the ball all over the place.

    Clijsters quarter

    Oh how the mighty have fallen. Former number 1, though it wasn't deserved, Jelena Jankovic has lost 6 matches in a row and 8 of her last 10. Avoid her like the plague. She might be good fade material going forward in this tournament, if she can get out of the first round that is. Look to fade her if she is ever a big favorite. Clijsters has a very nice draw here which is the reason she is +231 as an outright. I like to get more bang for my buck with my outright selections so based on price alone I will not be taking her but she is the favorite here. She has a player who is totally shot in Safina in the first round and then Martinez Sanchez, Ivanovic/Petrova (Petrova and Ivanovic are both banged up coming into this tournament so they can be ignored at this point), Kleybanova/Jankovic in the quarterfinals and then either Stosur or Zvonareva in the semi's. Radwanska has some injury concerns coming into this tournament so that is why I have brushed over her in this part of the draw. Clijsters should have no problems making it to the semifinals of this tournament and of course, she has a great shot of winning it all. A nice dark horse in this part of the draw would be Kleybanova at around +7218 but I am going to pass on her because I have taken some shots with her before only to be disappointed.

    Stosur/Zvonareva quarter

    I like this quarter alot. Since I am passing on Clijsters as an outright I definately looking to this quarter of the draw to get a nice juicy outright. Stosur, Zvonareva and Kvitova all have a very good shot of coming out of this portion of the draw. Zvonareva has got to back to back slam finals but she lost both of them. Is she due?Possibly. Not going to be easy though. She has Safarova and Kirilenko standing in teh way of the quarterfinals for her. Both players are beatable. In the quarters she will face either Stosur or Kvitova. This is where it gets interesting. I am really torn at this part of the tournament and I can really be talked into any of the three players to get to the semifinals. Kvitova has a very nice outright price of +5388 but for some reason I just have a very strong gut feeling about Stosur here. Stosur will have the home crowd behind her and the question is, will that be something that helps her and propels her deep into this tournament OR will the home crowd carry with it to much expectations for Stosur and cause her to crumble under the pressure. Very tough call. I like Zvonareva ALOT here but I have to go with my gut and take Stosur at +1426 and hope for the best. You can't go wrong taking either of these players at this point.

    Women's outright plays

    Stosur +1426
    Wozniacki +817


    Best of luck guys.Should be a very interesting women's tournament this year

  28. #28
    EaglesPhan36
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    You guys are nuckin' futs to bet on Tomic-Chardy. Two total meatheads going at it. That is one of the matches I am interested in watching, but if you're out to be pissed off on Day 1 or 2 or whenver it is ... betting that one is a good start. Just my two cents as I did my own WTA write-up, but I think Stosur is a flameout special. I think that quarter is going to have a total surprise as a semifinalist - I chose Kvitova. She's never done anything here and has been playing pretty poorly to start the year. Of course, I am one of the douchebags who is considering Azarenka again ... but I think there are some things that go WITH her this year. Henin is my pick to win it all. Agree with a lof of what you say as usual. Can't wait to get rollin!
    Last edited by EaglesPhan36; 01-15-11 at 03:04 PM.

  29. #29
    Stacocakes
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    Eagles I like that Kvitova outright alot. Just going with the gut feeling with Stosur. Such a great number on kvitova though if you hit it.Good luck

    Can never go wrong with Henin either. I'm just getting greedy trying to get a better payout. Clijsters and Henin would be the final if I had a gun to my head and had to pick one.

    I won't be betting the tomic/chardy match. Toss up there.

    As of right now, 1 day 2 hours and 41 mins.......can't wait

    Make sure to get your plays in for the contests guys. I'm just waiting for the last qualifiers to be decided.

  30. #30
    Stacocakes
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    Well its 16 hours away from the start of the tournament and the official site still hasn't updated the draw to show which qualifiers are playing where.Unbelievable

  31. #31
    Stacocakes
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    Plays for opening day:

    Davydenko/Fish/Querrey parlay +113

    Just going to get my feet wet tomorrow with this parlay. Nothing to crazy. Should cash. Just best to take it easy the first couple of days and wait for all of the prices to come down a bit on these matches.

    Best of luck tomorrow guys

    By the way, the draw has still not been updated. What a pain in the ass for all of us that want to submit a bracket for the mens and women's contests on sbr.

  32. #32
    Stacocakes
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    If you are unsure about watching women's tennis try to check out the Wozniacki/Dulko match on opening day. It's the second match of the day after the Sharapova match in Rod Laver Arena. I am guessing it would be around 8 pm eastern sunday night. Two of the hottest girls you will see playing tennis.Can't wait for this one. Sharapova is amazing as well of course

  33. #33
    smitch124
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stacocakes View Post
    How come sbr doesn't have an emoticon that is crying? Does everyone at SBR win money??
    This guy doesn't look very happy, he's even Blue!!

  34. #34
    kingsr
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stacocakes View Post
    If you are unsure about watching women's tennis try to check out the Wozniacki/Dulko match on opening day. It's the second match of the day after the Sharapova match in Rod Laver Arena. I am guessing it would be around 8 pm eastern sunday night. Two of the hottest girls you will see playing tennis.Can't wait for this one. Sharapova is amazing as well of course

    Oh my let me tell you, I was up close and personal with Wozniaki in Sydney, got her auto graph for my kids etc. It was SEX SEX SEXXXXYYYYYYYY!!!! Yummmmmmmmm

  35. #35
    Stacocakes
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    haha lucky guy Kingsr. Will be a great match today

    Added play for today:

    Volandri +760

    Small small small play on Volandri today. He has some injury concerns and I really think he has no shot in this match BUT if Andreev loses at -1000 odds and I didn't get in on the dog in the match, I would be very very upset. Had to put a small play on this. Andreev should never be -1000 against ANYONE. Here's hoping for a nice fix........I mean upset.

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