Review Of The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino

The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino is located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Built in an elaborate style, the Venetian is a luxurious resort in a prime location on the Strip, with numerous amenities, plush accommodations, 4,000 suites, and an elegant casino.

There are over 19 restaurants on the premises for fine or casual dining, 80 boutiques and shops in an indoor street environment, a full-service salon, and a fitness center at the Venetian. Fabulous entertainment such as the Blue Man Group and thrilling gondola rides on the Grand Canal attract thousands of visitors to this top of the line Resort each year. The Venetian has four bars and lounges for exciting nightlife including the Tao Nightclub, the V Bar, and La Scena. In addition, guests can spend time at the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum or viewing Madame Tussaud’s collection of celebrity wax figures.

The 112,000 square foot Doge’s Palace Casino, with marble floors and hand-painted fresco ceilings, offers a world of unsurpassed gambling from a wide variety of table games to hundreds of mega-jackpot slots and sports book betting.

The Venetian Poker Room, a gaming venue of approximately 11,000 square feet and 39 tables, features the popular poker games of Texas Hold’em, Stud, 357 poker, Caribbean Stud, Let It Ride, and Omaha. Separate high stakes areas are also available, with seven tables, two lounges, butler service, and gourmet cuisine. There are progressive slot machines, high roller slots areas, video poker, million dollar jackpots, and expensive prizes. For avid slot players, there is the Gold Club Lounge, equipped with televisions, telephones, food and beverage service, and private bathrooms. The Venetian has an extensive selection of over 139 table games including pai gow poker and tiles, baccarat, craps, blackjack, Spanish 21, and roulette. Big screen monitors in the race and sporting events lounge provide gamblers with a complete range of pari-mutuel, sport book, and futures betting on major sport events including football, basketball, boxing, and hockey.

The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino also offers a Player’s Club, where your free membership earns rewards in the form of complimentary suites and dining, cash back, sweepstakes, and promotions. Venetian or Grazie points add up quickly for each dollar you spend in the Casino. These points can be redeemed for merchandise such as jewelry, luggage, and crystal, in addition to tickets for special events, concerts, and trips. Blackjack, poker, and slot tournaments are held year round. If you’re planning a trip to Vegas, be sure to consider the Venetian for the ultimate vacation.

The Soccer Ball – An Ageless Entertainment

It is said that thousands of years ago, South American Indians already kicked an elasticized ball for fun. They used things such as heads, skulls, stitched up cloth and pig or cow bladders. The Chinese played “tsu chu” where animal skin balls were dribbled through gaps in a net stretched between two poles. The actual soccer ball only came after a few thousand years. Ancient Egyptian rites are said to have similarities with soccer, and both the ancient Greeks and Romans also played a game that entailed carrying and kicking a ball.

The more irregular the bladders used as balls were, the more unpredictable was its behavior. After Charles Goodyear patented vulcanized rubber, he designed the first rubber soccer ball (football). It was only in the twentieth century that rubber bladders were began to be used in most balls. In 1862 Lindon developed one of the first rubber bladders for balls, probably inspired because of the ill effects of blowing animal bladders, after his wife died of lung disease.

The soccer ball is an air filled sphere with a circumference of 68-70 cm, weight 210-250 g, covered in leather or other suitable material. Most of the modern balls are stitched with 32 panels of water proof leather or plastic and the colors are usually black and white. Over the years balls have become lighter. Older Balls were usually stitched with 18 oblong leather panels. The problem is that these balls were very heavy. Though in the last world cup in 2006 the ball is stitched with 14 panels and the colour isn’t the usual black and white. By reducing the amount of panels used the more accurate a shot with that ball will be, because with the fewer the amount of panels the more perfect the circumference becomes.

The black and white colors on the soccer ball were defined so that it could be seen better on monochrome televisions, but in cases like playing in the snow the soccer balls have different colours such as yellow or orange. The soccer ball used in the World Cup 2006 final is golden with white and black details. Some soccer ball brands are developing new technologies such as using foam as part of the composition of the ball or even having rings so that goalkeepers can determine the spin of the ball.

Nowadays there are many brands that make soccer balls, amongst which are the famous ones such as Adidas, Nike, Mitre, etc. About 80% of the association soccer balls are made in Pakistan, and 75% of these are made in the city of Sialkot.

As soccer is the most popular sport in the world you can find a soccer ball almost in every place on the planet. It doesn’t matter if it’s called football, soccer, fussball, futebol or fútbol, one will always find some soccer ball being kicked around, even in countries were the sport isn’t as popular as in Brazil, Argentina, England, or Germany. Soccer balls are even used in peace campaigns, with special games as on with team with players from Palestine and Israel, playing side by side in a same team united by the same soccer ball.

The Life of an Olympic Athlete

As we get closer and closer to the newest exciting installment of the Olympic Games, the athletes themselves are also preparing for the biggest event of their lives. While cities, fans, and organizers are preparing to host, attend, or enjoy the Olympic Games, the athletes are doing preparation of their own to attempt to be recognized as among the world’s best athletes. Before we watch the athletes take center stage in the Beijing Olympics, let’s take a look at what Olympic athletes go through to get themselves in position to be the best in the world.

Olympic athletes have different lives depending on what kind of sport they participate in. Gymnasts, for example, begin their training at a very young age, many times as toddlers. After they show the aptitude and interest in gymnastics, their training is more and more serious as they spend much of their time perfecting their techniques and getting ready for competitions. Gymnasts must be very hard-working and dedicated, as they train full-time while attending classes or working with tutors to acquire their education.

For an Olympic gymnast, the Olympic Games are the summit of a lifetime of training and competition. Most gymnasts reach the prime of their careers in their teens, so it is especially important for them to capitalize on their limited chances to succeed on the Olympic stage. Keep that in mind as you watch gymnasts compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics- they are under a lot of pressure! Gymnasts, like many Olympic athletes, are particularly impressive because their sport requires so much mental toughness and maturity, along with athletic talent.

Some Olympic athletes, such as basketball players, are already professional athletes as well. This doesn’t necessarily make life easier for them, however. Professional basketball players must participate in the Olympics after already competing in a grueling season for their professional teams. This shows the dedication of basketball players who choose to represent their respective countries. After all, they have already succeeded at a high level, so other than representing their country in international competition, they have no reason to give up their off-season to compete in the Olympic Games.

Athletes that are a part of team sports, such as football (or “soccer” if you’re from the United States) have a slightly different regimen than athletes in individual sports, such as wrestling. In an individual sport, you train with others, hoping to hone your skills to the point that you can qualify to participate in the Olympic Games. In a team sport, you are generally selected to participate on the team far in advance of the Olympic Games. From then on, your time is spent practicing with the team (in addition to working with any other team that you may already play for) so that your team will have the best possible chance to succeed in the Olympic Games. At the Beijing Olympics, you are likely to see many polished teams who play well together as a unit, and the practice and hard work that has been put in is the main reason.

Amateur athletes have a very special lifestyle that can be very difficult. If athletes don’t have sponsors or other financial assistance to help with training, they must go to school or work just like the rest of us, while trying to train at a world class level at the same time. Training is expensive, as coaches need to be paid, trainers must be compensated, and equipment or facility fees also have to be taken care of. Sometimes, the stress of the lifestyle that Olympic athletes must live is greater than the stress involved in training itself!

Although Olympic athletes live much different lives than us, it’s important to remember they are also people, just like the rest of us. They are only able to reach the level they compete at because of dedication and hard work. Keep that in mind when you’re cheering on your favorite athletes this summer at the Beijing Olympics!

How to get Streaming Video for Your Favorite Sport

Whether a person is most interested in golf, hockey, soccer, baseball, basketball or some other athletic game, there is no shortage of activities for individuals to watch when the games are on. Sports are almost always being participated in throughout the year and there is a very specific reason as to why this is happening and what individuals can do in order to make sure that they do not miss any of the necessary and exciting action that the world of sports has to offer them. There are sports being played all year round, and many people do not want to be caught unaware during an important game. This is why when an individual is away from their television, radio, or other device that would inform them of the status or highlights of the game, they will often turn to their computer or cell phone.

Both of these devices will enable a person to catch up on what they may have missed during a specific game. There are simple steps that need to be taken before a person can get streaming video from the internet, and some slightly more complicated steps, but all in all many people would argue that it is very helpful to be able to access sports information when they want to, especially in video form. Many people enjoy being able to see the sports highlights from particular games simply because there are many instances in which an individual is not able to accurately envision what happened during the game because it would be too difficult for the person who is writing about the event to come up with the descriptions necessary. It is much faster for the individual to be able to view a streaming video clip as opposed to reading about the instance.

When it comes to getting streaming video for your favorite sport, many people will need to first decide what their favorite sport is, and then they will need to determine if they are trying to access streaming video on their computer or on their cell phone. Whether a person is using the internet or they are using the cell phone, it will be very important that they have an internet connect. This is what allows the individual to connect to the servers that are offering the streaming video clips that sports fans are interested in viewing and learning from on their phone or computer. Once this connection has been established, it is very easy for the individual to be able to access the sports information and streaming videos that the individual is interested in viewing.

They simply need to go to a website that has a server offering these videos. While some people are aware of the particular sports websites that they want to access the information from, other people may have to seek assistance in order to find the particular videos for which they are searching. This particular problem is easily solved by using a search engine in order to look for the sports themed streaming videos of their choice.

Mexican Soccer

The Mexico National Football Team is the national soccer team in Mexico. The Mexican national soccer team is under the Fédéracion Mexicana de Futbol Asociacion, A.C. (FEMEXFUT). The FEMEXFUT is the official governing body of the sport soccer in Mexico. The Mexican national soccer team is also know as the “El Tricolor” and it is also one of the top soccer teams (playing under Group D along with Iran, Angola and Portugal) in the recently concluded FIFA World Cup 2006 that was held in Germany. The Mexican soccer team is under the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American Caribbean Association Football). CONCACAF is the governing body of football associations in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The Mexican national soccer team is currently leading in the number of most Gold Cup wins in CONCACAF. The Mexican national soccer team is also the leader in the overall number of CONCACAF wins. They were not able to claim a slot in the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament. They were knocked out by the Columbian national soccer team.
Even though they were not able to secure a place in the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, the Mexican soccer team has been included the Word Cup for numerous times. In the qualifying round the Mexican team defeated Costa Rica and then two months later defeated the U.S. soccer team. The Mexican soccer team defeated the Iranian soccer team 3-1 in the opening game of the World Cup. The Mexican team was then tied against Angola in a 0-0 score. However, Portugal knockout the Mexican soccer team in a heartbreaking 2-1 score, for a slot as a qualifier in the FIFA World Cup Semi Finals.
The Mexican soccer team participated in the first World Cup in 1930 but was not able to participate until 1950. Since then, it has qualified six successive World Cups and hosted the 1970 FIFA World Cup. Even before the Mexican national soccer team had made an impression in the World Cup series, it was compared to South American and European soccer teams. The Mexican national soccer team only had one victory out of the five World Cup tournaments that they participated since then.
Mexico professed that they have the best league in soccer outside Europe, outplaying the Brazilian soccer club and Argentinian soccer club, because most of the South American soccer players tend to play in other countries rather than their own. The Mexican national soccer team was the only team in to ever have a player participating in five consecutive World Cup tournaments. That Mexican national soccer team player was their goalkeeper named “Antonio Carbajal” who became a legend in the international soccer game. At present there are a lot of Mexican soccer players who want to prove their worth in the international world of soccer. Who can ever tell? Maybe the next soccer superstar will be a Mexican.

Briefly Examining The Football Controversy

By far the most popular sport worldwide is football. Every year, millions of fans come together to experience the exciting moments offered by football players in venues around the globe. Being a team sport, football not only exercises the human body and mind, but also brings people together to produce measurable results. With famous players from every country, like the Brazilians Pelé and Zico, or the Hungarian Puskás, football-which is usually referred to as Association football in order to distinguish it from rugby football-has literally been worshiped mainly by male fans.

At least once, every boy in almost every neighborhood has been invited to participate in a friendly match of football -also known as “soccer.” Promoted by international competitions like the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup, both held every four years, football has become the main subject of several discussions held among men and a cause of tremendous joy or misery. Watching a great goal or loosing a game can be the subjects of debate or celebration amongst football fans, sports writers and athletes alike. But, most importantly, football unites and excites people of all ages everywhere in the world regardless of their religion, their culture, or their political and ethnical backgrounds.

Yet, the word “football” is used in reference to two different, but related, team sports. Whilst in most English-speaking countries the word “football” usually refers to Association football (soccer being a slang abbreviation of the word “Association”) in the countries of Canada, Samoa and the United States football is used to refer to the game of rugby-also referred to as North American football and Gaelic football. Although most consider that the word “football” refers to an action performed by a foot -like kicking a ball-there are some who accept another explanation and justify the use of hands in a rugby game. Specifically, during the Middle Ages, games played by peasants and involved a ball, which they did not necessarily kick, were described with the name “football”-games played on foot-as opposed to horse-riding, for instance, with was a sports game played mainly by aristocrats. Under this notion, with the word “football” one may describe any game played on foot.

But no matter if football was played primarily with the upper or lower body and regardless if it should or should not involve the use of hands, the fact still remains that it is the biggest success in sports history. In fact, football is one of the few sports in existence today that can exhilarate sports fans in such a degree and give to everyone owning a round shaped ball the opportunity to become a champion for at least a day.

The 2006 World Cup Soccer Outlook

From the 9th of June to the 9th of July, the excitement and fan frenzy builds to a deafening crescendo. Soccer fanatics are on high alert. It is time to defend to no end the pride of Region and Country. This is big. No, it’s bigger than big. Considering the fact that soccer is the most popular sport in the world today, it is no jaw-dropping surprise that Soccer’s World Cup is actually the largest sporting event on the planet. Based on sheer numbers, fan attendance, television ratings, number of viewers, travel revenue, ticket sales and media coverage; there is no sporting event that even comes close to this one. If you take the NCAA Basketball Tournament, the World Series, the Super Bowl and the Olympics and add them all together, it would still not be as big as the World Cup! Three and a half billion people will be watching this tournament unfold in at least a dozen locations in Germany in 2006. Strangely enough, the past World Cup events have been all but ignored in the United States. This is rapidly changing as Americans get more familiar with this action-packed sport.

The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was established in 1904 and they are the ultimate authority when it comes to anything that has to do with International Soccer. For those of you that don’t know, the United States is the only Country in the world that calls this sport “soccer”. Every other Country calls it “football”. The FIFA is, of course, overseeing the qualifying of teams into the World Cup Tournament. This is an extremely lengthy and complicated process that is several years in the making. The process of a team qualifying is too complicated and lengthy to go into here, but suffice it to say that the teams that make the cut are well qualified. Individual team statistics considered for the qualifying starts two years before the World Cup begins. For this year, the host country team, in this case Germany, gets in automatically, as does the reigning Cup holder from four years prior, in this case Brazil. The rest of the field is chosen from 150 possible candidates spread out all over the globe. The FIFA analyzes endless streams of data from the two years of competition leading up to this prestigious event. They eventually whittle the field down to 32 teams. These 32 well represent not only the best soccer teams from around the world, but the will represent the regions of the world.

Certainly, no other sport unifies and assembles so many different cultures from each of the 7 continents. But it also can cause friction and even violence between some fanatical groups. Soccer fans are among the most passionate (and expressive) of any sports spectator group and needless to say; security considerations are always very high as an explosive situation could arrive at any given time. This is true even in the early rounds of the competition. Heck, this is even true in the pre-competition games known as the “International Friendlies” matches, which start up early in March. These games are held all over the world and include more practice and a chance for teams to “feel out” their potential competition. They work on their conditioning and strategy more than anything else. Nevertheless, the competition is very fierce. There doesn’t seem to be anything “friendly” about this phase of the World Cup. It is indeed taken very seriously. Getting respect from opponents in the pre-competition match-ups can be a huge psychological edge going in.

Some luck is involved in the final groupings. The top 8 teams are separated as #1 seeds for groups A through H. Germany and Brazil get their free pass as top seeds and the rest are drawn at random from a bowl. So the draw is now set and in order of their group seeding, they look like this:

Group A; Germany, Costa Rica, Poland, Ecuador
Group B; England, Paraguay, Trinidad-Tobago, Sweden
Group C; Argentina, Ivory Coast, Serbia-Montenegro, Netherlands
Group D; Mexico, Iran, Angola, Portugal
Group E; Italy, Ghana, United States, Czech Republic
Group F; Brazil, Croatia, Australia, Japan
Group G; France, Switzerland, South Korea, Togo
Group H; Spain, Ukraine, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia

SOURCE: The official site for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ Germany

Keep in mind, only one team emerges victorious from each group when we get to the final eight. The teams that have to be the most hopeful with their draws are England, Mexico, France and Spain. Although the Sweden draw for England historically has been a problem, England is looking forward to putting to rest the thousands of critics that will remind us all that Sweden has not lost to England in 37 years. Beyond that, there is little hope for Paraguay and Trinidad-Tobago.

The two toughest groups to predict a winner out of is obviously Group A, Group E and possibly Group C. In Group A, Germany is, indeed a tough opponent and they are on their home turf, which makes them tougher than usual. However, Costa Rica, Ecuador and especially Poland have a legitimate shot at the final. In Group E, the Italians are good, but overall this group has parody. The United States has as good a shot as anyone coming out of this division, but all four of these teams are evenly matched. For good measure, the two toughest powerhouse entities in a single group are Argentina and the Netherlands out of Group C. One of these two will no doubt emerge victorious.

The best bets in the win market are Brazil (odds to win it all ~ 3/1), England (~ 6/1), Germany and Argentina (~ 8/1), Italy (~9/1), France (~10/1), Holland (Netherlands) (~ 12/1) and Spain (~13/1). The odds are changing every few minutes so consult your favorite sportsbook for up-to-date numbers. If you feel like the soccer universe is about to be turned on it’s head, bet on Trinidad-Tobago (~1000/1). The best long-shots may be placed near the middle of the field by the odds-makers: Portugal (~22/1), Sweden and Mexico (~40/1) and the Ukraine (~50/1). There are many other ways to wager on this epic event including final pair, most goals and continent of winner. You could also look to fatten up your wallet with fairly good odds on the elimination stage, single match, team qualifying and which two teams will reach the final game.

Of the 32 outstanding teams representing regions from all over the globe, only one will stand on the podium with cup in hand. Come July 9th, 31 of the competing countries at the World Cup will experience a range of emotions from mild disappointment to broken hearts. However, one region, one country and one aspiring championship team will experience the elation of overcoming incredible adversity to win, what some would call the greatest sporting event on the planet; The 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Professional Football

In Europe, “football” is the term used for the game we call soccer. Oddly enough, North American football was actually devised from the game of soccer.

Professional football is conducted under the rules of the National Football League (NFL). The game as we know it, is very different from those early days. The first soccer game ever played in America was between Princeton and Rutgers colleges. This evolved into football and in 1876, Walter Camp, known as the “Father of American Football”, wrote the rules of American football.

In the early 1900s, football players were paid only $500 to play professional football. You can’t even get a pro player to attend an autograph signing for that amount these days. The Allegheny Athletic Association and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club were the first teams to play football, as we know it. As professional football evolved, more teams began to form. The first teams to become professional were the Pittsburgh Pirates (now known as the Steelers), the Bears, Cardinals, Giants, and Packers. The Cardinals were the very first professional football team. At that time, the Cardinals were based in Chicago. Over time, the team moved to St. Louis, then Phoenix, and finally to their current home in Arizona.

Since those early days, the professional football league has grown, and it continues to grow. Today’s professional players receive millions of dollars, plus millions more through endorsements and advertising revenues. It’s a far cry from the $500 paid to their league ancestors. People have been playing football for more than a century, and the sport has grown from a small pastime to one of the most important games in North America.

The NFL regulates professional football. The NFL currently has more than thirty teams that play, representing many of the states. The greatest degree of football hype is reached at Super Bowl time. A really good team is defined by the number of Super Bowl wins they have to their credit. Some have won the title many times, while others have never reached that degree of glory.

Professional football players are usually recruited from college teams. Coaches scout out the college teams to see which players have the potential and skill to make it as a professional football player. These athletes must be disciplined individuals who are able to focus as much as possible on the game, and avoid being distracted from their main goal. Every year, each NFL team strives to make it to the Super Bowl. Only one Super Bowl competitor will win the trophy, but both teams are considered the greatest, most competitive professional football teams.

From its humble beginnings on a soccer field, to a stadium filled with screaming NFL fans, professional football has grown to be one of the most important sports in North America.

Sports Apparel for Babies

Babies may not be that good yet with sports since the muscles are still developing. This hasn’t deterred parents from already introducing the kid to a certain sport or favorite which in the long term will hopefully grow in the individual as a teen.

The parents can’t enroll the little boy or girl yet in one of those sports clinics but can start by getting some sports apparel that can fit the baby.

These can be found in some souvenir shops, sporting goods stores, specialty stores and online. The sizes range from 12 to 18 months, which is ideal until the baby has finally become a toddler.

Most of the sports apparel is made of 100% nylon construction. The individual can choose the team that even has the player’s name and number in the front and back. Since it is hard for the baby to put on, manufacturers use the easy snap closure at the bottom and on the upper left shoulder for easy access.

It even has the jock tag or the lower left front showing the sport it is in for example baseball, basketball, hockey or football which are just one of the many activities that happen all year round.

The average price for one of these shirts fetches around $32 a piece. This is because of the intricate design as well as the fabric used to make the small outfit.

Some people find this to be too expensive and will just wait for the store to go on sale or have a promotion. If waiting is not the person’s forte, perhaps checking looking in some outlet stores can bring the customer some luck.

Those who are resourceful may buy it at 30 to 40% off the regular price and can even get more if this is bought in bulk.

Another place to check will be the Internet. There are online stores that sell all sorts of merchandise at rock bottom prices. This may have minor defect in the lining or somewhere but no one will notice when it is brought out and worn.

Sports apparel is available for people both young and old. The parents will just have to look around for a good bargain so that the baby can also have one. This will surely look great and catch the attention of many when the entire family goes to the stadium and roots for the home team.

Playing The Parlay — Gauging Risks And Potential Gains

Probably the most familiar type of wager in sports betting is the straight or side bet. The term “straight” is a good way to describe it—winning is determined by one basic factor and the payoff is clearly stated. If a bettor puts money on a team and they win or beat the spread, if a spread is involved, the person placing the wager collects on that one bet.

In your trips to your favorite online sportsbook, you may have noticed that you could opt to play a parlay. It may have intrigued you, but you were unsure of exactly what it entailed and what risk factors were involved.

Note that some bettors won’t go near the parlay, due to the risk factors inherent in this type of wager. With a parlay, which in England is known as an accumulator, you make a series of bets all of which you must win in order to collect. If you lose any of the wagers, you lose the entire bet.

If this sounds risky, it is. One incorrect wager means you’ve lost the entire bet. What attracts bettors to the parlay is the payoff. The standard Vegas two-bet parlay pays 2.6 to 1. Put down $100 and if your parlay comes in you realize $260. A parlay with three wagers pays 6 to 1, which translates into a $600 payoff on a $100 wager.

Let’s say you wagered on a 3-game football parlay and won $600. How much would you win on three individual bets where you put $110 on each team? You’d realize $100 per wager. Because you’re placing money on three separate teams, the straight bets cost $330, whereas a three-team parlay would involve only $100. In a best case scenario with the straight wagers, $300 will get you an additional $330. The parlay results in a $500 net on $100 wagered. That’s the benefit; you get a much better return on your money from the parlay.

The greater risk in our parlay example comes from the fact that you must win all three wagers to make any money—it is all or nothing. Here are some tips on lowering your risk if you’re new to the parlay and want to try it.

One Sport

Many online sportsbooks will offer parlay tickets that feature numerous combinations of sports. You may see a ticket with four football games, three baseball games, and three hockey games. Stay away from that type of ticket, or if you play it bet on only one sport. Why?

Although mixing sports can be attractive, it’s tough to do for the beginner. Football, baseball and hockey are all very different animals and unless you’re an expert handicapper in each, which is rare, stay with the sport you know best.

Also, you’ll see greater benefit from learning even more about football, if that’s your strong suit, than trying to figure out hockey.

Once you have some experience betting your favorite sport in a parlay situation, start testing the water of the multi-sport parlay.

Limit the Number of Teams

Wow, that six-team parlay looks so attractive with its 40 to 1 payout! Wow, that six-team parlay is so much tougher to hit than that three-team parlay that pays 6 to1! Of course a six is more unlikely to payoff—it is 40 to 1 after all.

Limit parlays to no more than three bets. This gives you a greater chance of winning (add another team and your risk goes up) while providing an attractive return. Would I like to put down $100 and get back $4,000 on a six-team parlay? Sure.

However, hitting that number of teams on one ticket is extremely difficult. Is it impossible? No, it’s not. But you have a much better chance with a three-team wager.

Other Limits

Along with combining different sports, you can often mix various types of wagers, including point spreads, win/loss, over/unders, money lines, and more. Once again, simplify your process and play your strength as a handicapper and the strength of the teams on which you’re wagering.

If you’re more adept at predicting the over/under than you are at playing the spread, go with the over/under and vice versa. Look at it logically and realistically. How many times have you been right about the over/under and the win/loss in the same game? The answer is probably not very often.

Better yet, try a few mock parlays. Scan the latest offerings and put together some parlay tickets you might bet, mixing up the types of wagers. Be sure to do this over numerous betting sequences, for football at least three weeks or with baseball, basketball or hockey a week or two of games.

Remember—it doesn’t matter in the parlay if you only lost one game, or you didn’t know a particular player would change the outcome by performing poorly or a team won on a freak play. If you were incorrect on even one wager, no matter what the circumstances, you lost that parlay.

There are no Mulligans in sports betting and parlays are especially unforgiving. Play to your strength after you’ve done your research. Hunches are normally bad bets anyway; they are anathema in the parlay.

The Strongest Selection

One way to increase your chances of winning involves betting on numerous parlay tickets and including the same strong selection on each ticket, while varying the other teams.

As an example, the Chicago Bears are playing the Arizona Cardinals at home. Chicago looks very good in this contest, an almost sure thing if there were one in the world of handicapping. You decide you’d like to play 4 separate three-team parlays at $25 each (you’re still risking $100). In this scenario, you’d include Chicago on each ticket and then a combination of different teams on each of the four.

One parlay might be Chicago over Arizona, Dallas over San Francisco and Pittsburgh over Atlanta. The next parlay would still include Chicago over Arizona, while picking the New York Giants over Philadelphia and Seattle over Oakland. The third parlay continues with Chicago over Arizona but now has New England over Buffalo and Denver over St. Louis. Your fourth ticket would be Chicago over Arizona and could include Pittsburgh over Atlanta and Seattle over Oakland—a combination of teams from two of your other parlay tickets.

TICKET 1: Chicago over Arizona, Dallas over San Francisco and Pittsburgh over Atlanta.

TICKET 2: Chicago over Arizona, the New York Giants over Philadelphia and Seattle over Oakland.

TICKET 3: Chicago over Arizona, New England over Buffalo and Denver over St. Louis.

TICKET 4: Chicago over Arizona, Pittsburgh over Atlanta and Seattle over Oakland.

Theoretically, all of these games could end in your favor. If that happened, you’d be kicking yourself because you missed a 7-team parlay that would have paid 75 to 1 or $7,500 on a one hundred dollar bet. Making each a 3-team parlay with $25 on each ticket would result in a return of $600 at the standard 6 to 1 odds if all teams won. But chances are that won’t happen.

More likely than not you may hit one or, perhaps even two of these parlays. One winning ticket would result in a total return of $125, while 2 would get you $250. Either way, you’re ahead.

The important thing to remember about playing parlays, as it is with any form of wagering, is that trying to win big by taking high risks rarely results in success. You’re looking to win 55 to 60% of your wagers, which is what most experts do over the course of time. In the world of gambling, quick, high-risk bets can be exciting and occasionally lucrative, but wagers with a bit more certainty that are spread out tend to provide better results in the long run.

As with any form of wagering to which you’re new, be sure to do your homework, start slowly, and consider sound betting strategies when playing a parlay. You’ll still have a chance of winning more than you would with a straight bet, while staying in the game longer.