There’s nothing more fascinating than watching the Premiership handicap market shape up as the season gets underway. Well, maybe a couple of things, but we can’t really discuss them in a public forum. With half a dozen games under the belt, we can really see who’s up for the fight and who looks set to underperform.

Like poor old Pompey, pointless (in the literal sense of the word) and already out to 80/1 in our handicap betting. They’ll need every one of those 39 points our traders saw fit to give them at the start of the season - and then some.

Up at the business end of things, Chelsea have moved into 6/1 and are now outright favourites. Only a one point start, but with 18 from 18 in the real world and a very impressive display against Spurs at the weekend it would be a brave man who bet against them.

But (and it’s a big but) it’s often teams with credible mid-table campaigns and a decent haul of handicap points who end up pocketing the handicap title. Fulham did it last year, and if Burnley can keep their home form going then their massive 52 handicap points will put them right in the mix.

As a rule of thumb you need mid-90s to take this title, so just staying up will have Burnley there or thereabouts. Elsewhere Aston Villa +27 look the value, still available at 8/1. Yes, it is early days, but Villa only need a solid campaign to get close.

Keep watching!

Posted in Football, Premiership Handicap | 2 Comments »

He’s a cricketing legend.

He likes to drink, travel via pedalo and ‘water’ Tony Blair’s roses.

We are in danger of losing him. But if you want to save him - you know where to go.

And in the meantime, if you want to show your support, WEAR YOUR FREDDIE MASK today! That’s right, just click the link to download a full colour Freddie mask absolutely free! wow.

What you do with it then is entirely up to you. If you are Australian you could stick it on a dart board. No bother to us. Australians are crap at darts.

Posted in Cricket | Click here to comment »

I don’t pretend to know much about greyhounds. But I know man who does. A man who is always sniffing out value but too shy to let his face be seen. And I can’t blame him. And here’s his latest thoughts on the world’s richest race (for dogs):

One of the highlights of the Greyhound calendar is the Champions Stakes final, won each year by a top class hound, and this year we were treated to an exhibition of how trapping ability and early pace can be a lethal combination in the deciding the outcome of a race. With the track running fast, there were a few scintillating times posted by a number of dogs, not least Fatboyz Nodrog when taking the final.
(more…)

Posted in Sportsbook | Click here to comment »

If the prospect of two teams of middling talent spending a total of 25 days (minus lunch and tea intervals) throwing and hitting a ball around in order to determine the winner of a miniscule trophy, which never actually leaves the trophy cabinet anyway, then the Ashes is for you!
Luckily I am one of those people. Unlike Chris Gayle, I believe test cricket is the single greatest sporting spectacle in the world (if you disagree let’s settle the matter in the comments below) and it doesn’t get any bigger than England v Australia - even when the latter are no longer the dominant force they once were. (more…)

Posted in Cricket, Sportsbook | 14 Comments »

Over the past couple of years we seem to have lost a fortune on the Tour De France - mainly due to promising to refund bets on all cyclists failing a drugs test and being kicked of the Tour. We thought it would just be a bit of fun, but with whole teams being thrown out of the race in disgrace it turned into a costly joke (but that’s enough about the Paddy Power Marketing Department). (more…)

Posted in Sportsbook | 11 Comments »

Given the way in which Jenson Button has spent the year tearing up the track, we’ve got two choices when it comes to the hundreds of smart-arse petrol heads canny punters who have backed him to win this year’s drivers Championship. We can either sit on their winnings for the next five months and then end up paying anyway (which is what every other bookie is going to do), or we can do the decent thing, admit defeat, and get the whole thing out of the way.

No prizes for guessing that we’ve gone for the second option. As of today we’ve settled all single bets on either Jenson Button to win the driver’s championship, or Brawn GP to win the constructor’s championship as winners. (more…)

Posted in Motor Racing, Sportsbook | Click here to comment »

We’re guessing most Chelsea fans are about as happy about last night’s goings on as Didier “IT’S A F**KING DISGRACE” Drogba. So we’re refunding all bets on Chelsea to win last night’s match and reach the final of the Champions League! (more…)

Posted in Football, Justice Payouts, Sportsbook | 60 Comments »

As you may or may not know, the BBC is currently planning to remove 15 days of racing from its broadcast schedule for 2010. That’s not good news for racing fans - because whatever about this decision, their coverage is excellent. This latest step will restrict that coverage almost solely to the ‘flagship’ events of the year and little else.

Thankfully, if you happen to think that a public service broadcaster like the BBC would be
better off focusing on the sport of kings rather than Strictly Come Dancing or Changing Rooms, there is something you can do. A petition asking the BBC to reverse this decision has been posted on the Downing Street website - and we would encourage you to sign it.

You can sign the petition here, although please note you have to be a British citizen to do so. Those of us freeloading over here in Ireland don’t get a say. Shame!

Grand National 2009
- Aintree Grand National Betting (Ante-post Odds)
- Grand National Odds (Day of Race Odds)
- Grand National Sweepstakes (Various games and Office Sweepstakes Kits)
- Grand National Tips (Keep an eye on the latest blog posts)
- Grand National Results (Race Results when they’re available of course)
- Grand National Betting (All other information)

Posted in Racing, Sportsbook | 5 Comments »

It looks like Cousin Vinny might be the only Irish banker doing anyone a favour this year.

This morning we took the idiotic incredible decision to REFUND ALL LOSING BETS on the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle if Cousin Vinny wins the race. He’s 5/2 now, he’ll almost certainly be shorter on the day, and by my reckoning this makes our offer the most generous Money-Back Special in racing history.

So just to be clear - any horse, no matter where he finishes (or even if he doesn’t) - if Cousin Vinny wins you are all getting your Money Back. And unlike some other bookmakers I could mention, when we say Money Back that’s what we mean.

So is this a stroke of genius or a stroke of madness? I can’t decide. But one thing is for sure, there’s going to be even more interest than usual in the Supreme Novices’ this year here in Paddy Power HQ.

Posted in Cheltenham 2009, Horse Racing Tips, Racing, Sportsbook | 50 Comments »

Nobody likes to see trouble on the pitch. Well, unless we’re talking about a classic set-to like Holland v Portugal in 2004, or comedy moments like Paulo di Canio vs Paul Alcock (no idea when that happened. It was a while back.) (more…)

Posted in Football, Sportsbook | 11 Comments »