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Only one of the first round series in the playoffs are said and done with, and that means the chase for Lord Stanley’s Cup is clearly still as intense as could be. Join us for our 2013 Stanley Cup predictions and NHL playoff picks.

The Chicago Blackhawks (2013 Stanley Cup Betting Lines: 3.00 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) are just about on their way to the second round of the playoffs once they finish off the Minnesota Wild. They have three chances to get the job done, and we expect that they are going to finish things off without a struggle. G Corey Crawford is playing tremendous hockey, and he has a team in front of him that is scoring goals left and right. We know there is a lot of work to be to win the Western Conference, but there is no team that we would rather have in hockey than this one at the moment. LW Patrick Sharp and the gang might ultimately be the Stanley Cup holders for the second time in the last four seasons.

A team that is in a heck of a lot of trouble right now is the Pittsburgh Penguins (Lines To Win 2013 Stanley Cup: 3.50 to 1 at UCABet Sportsbook). It’s amazing to think that the dial hasn’t moved on the Pens at this point in spite of the fact that they are really in the midst of a huge fight with the New York Islanders. We do think that Pittsburgh is going to get through this series, but it is going to take a heck of a lot more energy to get rid of the No. 8 seed in the East than most would have figured. G Marc-Andre Fleury has gotten pulled out of net, and now, he might ultimately be losing his job for the long run to G Tomas Vokoun. The good news for Pittsburgh is that it has the best offense in hockey. C Sidney Crosby is back in the lineup, and he is the leader for a remarkable offense that has already put up 4.25 goals per game in the first four games here in the playoffs.

List Of Previous Stanley Cup Champions (Since 2000)
2012 Stanley Cup Champions – Los Angeles Kings
2011 Stanley Cup Champions – Boston Bruins
2010 Stanley Cup Champions – Chicago Blackhawks
2009 Stanley Cup Champions – Pittsburgh Penguins
2008 Stanley Cup Champions – Detroit Red Wings
2007 Stanley Cup Champions – Anaheim Ducks
2006 Stanley Cup Champions – Carolina Hurricanes
2005 Stanley Cup Champions – None, Labor Dispute
2004 Stanley Cup Champions – Tampa Bay Lightning
2003 Stanley Cup Champions – New Jersey Devils
2002 Stanley Cup Champions – Detroit Red Wings
2001 Stanley Cup Champions – Colorado Avalanche
2000 Stanley Cup Champions – New Jersey Devils

With the Penguins struggling, we have to think that the Boston Bruins (Odds To Win 2013 NHL Championship: 7 to 1 at UCABet Sportsbook) have a real chance to win the Stanley Cup as well. Boston is up 3-1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and with each of the top three seeds on the ropes at this point, there’s a real chance that the Bruins could be the highest seed left in the Eastern Conference when the first round is said and done. The top line for Boston is tearing things up. C David Krejci has an insane 10 points in four games, while RW Nathan Horton and LW Milan Lucic have three goals and nine assists between them. G Tuukka Rask has been sufficient in the second season, but we know that he can improve quite a bit as the playoffs continue. If he does, and if the top line for the B’s keeps up at this torrid pace, the Bruins are going to be a very tough customer to knock out of the playoffs.

We still think the St. Louis Blues (Stanley Cup Futures Odds: 27 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) have a shot of getting out of the first round of the playoffs in spite of the fact that they are in a 3-2 series hole against the Los Angeles Kings. This is still a team with a top notch defense, and though G Brian Elliott has given up some goals over the course of the last two games, St. Louis still can get the job done. If the Blues get out of the first round (and we recognize that’s a big “if” at this point), this is the most dangerous team in the Western Conference outside of the Blackhawks, if for no other reason, the team can play remarkable defensive hockey. The Blues went on a stretch of six straight games, including the first three in this series, in which they held teams to exactly one goal.

Up To Date 2012-13 Stanley Cup Odds @ SportBet Sportsbook (as of 5/9/13):
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Chicago Blackhawks 3 to 1
Pittsburgh Penguins 3.50 to 1
Boston Bruins 6 to 1
San Jose Sharks 7 to 1
Los Angeles Kings 10.25 to 1
Ottawa Senators 11.25 to 1
Anaheim Ducks 12 to 1
Washington Capitals 14 to 1
New York Rangers 15 to 1
St. Louis Blues 27 to 1
Detroit Red Wings 40 to 1
New York Islanders 40 to 1
Montreal Canadiens 55 to 1
Toronto Maple Leafs 70 to 1
Minnesota Wild 200 to 1

NHL Championship Odds @ UCABet Sportsbook (as of 5/9/13):
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Chicago Blackhawks 3 to 1
Pittsburgh Penguins 3.50 to 1
San Jose Sharks 6.50 to 1
Boston Bruins 7 to 1
Los Angeles Kings 9 to 1
Anaheim Ducks 12 to 1
Ottawa Senators 12 to 1
New York Rangers 14 to 1
Washington Capitals 14 to 1
St. Louis Blues 20 to 1
Detroit Red Wings 33 to 1
New York Islanders 40 to 1
Montreal Canadiens 50 to 1
Toronto Maple Leafs 66 to 1
Minnesota Wild 200 to 1

The 2012 election just ended but there is already betting on the 2016 presidential election for those who have been enamored by the election cycle. Currently, Bovada Sportsbook has the Democrats as a slight favorite (-130) over the Republicans (-110) according to the political betting odds. Expect a lot of volatility in these lines as events unfold over the next four years, though.

2016 will be different than 2012 primarily because both the Republicans and Democrats will have new candidates as Obama is prohibited from serving more than two terms as president. Historically, if a president serves for two terms, the vice president is seen as his replacement within the party and the favorite to win the nomination, but Joe Biden isn’t a popular figure among most Americans and could struggle to capture the moderates needed for the Democrats to control the White House for a third term.

Biden will also find a huge challenge from within the Obama administration as well, as Hillary Clinton is expected to run for the nomination in 2016. Clinton is buoyed by the vast support for her husband Bill and many political pundits believe that Bill Clinton’s campaigning for Obama played a crucial role in getting President Obama re-elected for a second term. However, Hillary also suffers from a negative perception by the majority of Americans and could struggle to win the support needed to become the first ever female president of the United States.

Republicans have their own set of problems to worry about in 2016, as demographics are moving away from them. The GOP must make in-roads with the exploding Latino population if they hope to have any chance of winning back the presidency in four years and also need to move away from their divisive stances on women’s issues. Women turned out in droves to oppose Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock’s Senatorial campaigns in Missouri and Indiana after their controversial remarks on abortion in cases of rape and played a large part in the defeat of both candidates who were once favored to win their seats.

The good news for the Republicans is that they have three rising stars within the party that are popular with a lot of voters and a combination of two of the three on a ticket could prove to be an unbeatable combination. Marco Rubio (Florida) is Hispanic and would bring a lot of the much needed Hispanic vote to the GOP and would also be a big boost to the hopes of Republicans in winning Florida. Chris Christie (New Jersey) has been a very public figure lately with the tragedy of Hurricane Sandy and the outspoken governor has shown he can cross party lines in order to get things accomplished. John Thune (South Dakota) is a popular, charismatic senator who defeated Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle in 2004 and has been a favorite of many party elites since. Look for one of these three men to win the nomination and possibly the presidency in 2016.

2016 Presidential Election Update (Current Presidential Election Odds) @ Bovada Sportsbook (as of 11/7/12):
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Democrats Win the 2016 Presidential Election -130
Republicans Win the 2016 Presidential Election -110

Light one up and pass down the ballot! Colorado, Washington, and Oregon all have initiatives to either legalize or ease restrictions on marijuana use and sales. With the number of people supporting marijuana legalization growing every year, states have been slowly taking small steps towards legalization for over a decade now but these would be some of the most progressive reforms yet. It comes as no surprise that these initiatives involve three of the most liberal states in the US or that these three early adopters are voting on this on Tuesday.

In Colorado, voters will be able to vote on Amendment 64 which will decriminalize marijuana and give it the same restrictions as alcohol, legalizing it fully for anyone under 21 and allowing stores to sell weed with a state license. If this passes, Colorado would be the first state in the country to fully legalize marijuana and could open the floodgates for other states and perhaps even the national government to fully legalize pot. Currently, Amendment 64 is a -210 favorite at SportBet Sportsbook to pass per the 2012 election odds and the odds for the measure not to pass are +160. When betting these lines, it’s important to keep in mind that initiative or amendment polling has a spotty track record at best, so rather than follow the polls it may be better to go with your gut.

Oregon voters will decide on Measure 80 on Tuesday, but this reform does not seem to have near the support that Amendment 64 has in Colorado. The measure is currently a massive -750 betting favorite according to the marijuana legalization chances with the option of the measure passing checking in as a +450 underdog at SportBet.com. A poll released on Wednesday found that 49% of Oregon voters opposed the measure and only 42% supported it. However, marijuana advocates quickly pointed out how the poll may have been skewed due to pollsters conducting this exclusively over the phone on landlines. They point out that a vast number of young people (assumed to be the major proponents of the measure) no longer use landlines and the poll thus had a flaw in its methodology and underrepresented the measure’s support. This is a valid argument and a poll compiled a different way may have an entirely different result.

Washington’s Initiative 502 is a huge favorite to be passed possibly because this does not liberalize marijuana to the extent that the legislation in Oregon and Colorado will. Right now, the bill is a -600 favorite to pass per the odds that weed is legalized at SportBet.com and is a sizeable +400 underdog to fail. With a name like the Evergreen State it seems inevitable that marijuana will be broadly legalized this fall and there may be a cloud of smoke bigger than Mt St Helen’s to celebrate.

Hovering over all of this though is the United States government, which might use its broad powers to sue any state that passes these measures as being in contradiction to federal law. Federal law prohibits marijuana sale, use, and possession and an action by the United States would tie up the legality of these laws in courts for years before potentially going all the way to the Supreme Court. One could only fathom what the Supreme Court would decide, but even this would go a long ways to the legalization of marijuana in America.

The 2012 College World Series schedule is right around the corner, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are taking a look at the eight teams that have come to Omaha with the hopes of becoming the 2012 College Baseball National Champions. Be sure not to miss our College World Series betting lines preview!

The team that is the clear favorite to win it all this year is the Florida Gators ( Favorites To Win 2012 College World Series: 1.80 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). The Gators are the No. 1 seed in this tournament, and though they might have a bit of a tough time going against South Carolina in that opening match, there is no doubt that neither Arkansas nor Kent State should give this team all that many problems. The Gators still haven’t lost a match en route to the College World Series here in Omaha, and there have been some brutal blowouts in there as well. Taking down the NC State Wolfpack in a clean sweep was definitely not the easiest task in the world, but UF was more than up to the challenge and should be again this time around.

Next on the board are the UCLA Bruins (Odds To Win College World Series: 3.35 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). The Bruins are probably in the easier of the two brackets at this point, knowing that they get what probably amounts to be the worst team in the tourney to start in Stony Brook. The pitching was just flat out awesome for UCLA in the Los Angeles Regional. The team didn’t lose a game to get here, and there were just nine runs conceded in the five games, including just three runs in two games against the TCU Horned Frogs in the Super Regional, who averaged 12.5 runs per game in the College Station Regional.

And then there are the Florida State Seminoles (College World Series Odds: 3.60 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). The Noles have never won the College World Series, but they do have a ton of history playing here in Omaha. Their offense was out of this world leading up to this event, dropping 35 runs in two games against the Stanford Cardinal in the Super Regional to get here. Remember that Stanford had some of the best pitchers in the nation this year, and to beat up that staff was definitely no small feat.

Even though they are the No. 8 seed in the field, we have to at least take a look carefully at the South Carolina Gamecocks (2012 CWS Odds: 5.75 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). The Gamecocks have won 11 straight games here at the College World Series, which is an all-time record. They aren’t going to go down easily for sure, but they do have a very, very tough draw and know that they are probably going to have to beat Florida twice to get to the CWS Final. Still, the back to back champs are forces to be reckoned with for sure, and they’ll be up for a big time challenge to start against their SEC East foes, the Gators to start off on Saturday.

In Bracket 2, the Arizona Wildcats (2012 College World Series Lines: 5.90 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) have to at least be a tad wary of their situation. They weren’t the best team in the Pac-12 this year, and they aren’t going to have the better offense in this first game against Florida State. That being said, it could be a very short stay for the U of A in this tournament. What we do know from this team though, is that we can expect a lot of runs to be scored. Arizona put up 15, 16, and 16 in its three games at its own regional, and then it went on to score 14 runs in two games against the St. John’s Red Storm to reach this point.

And now is when we start getting into the teams that are sure to be having some problems at the College World Series. The Arkansas Razorbacks (Odds To Win CWS: 7 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) had a rough road to reach this point, knowing that they had to go on the road and take down the top seeded Rice Owls and then the Baylor Bears out of the Waco Super Regional. The pitching staff really only had one bad game, the first against the Bears of that three-game set, but aside from that, there were just nine runs conceded in five games, including a pair of shutouts against some rock solid teams.

And then come the two teams that are playing in the College World Series for the first time. The Kent State Golden Flashes (College World Series Gambling Lines: 15 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) and the Stony Brook Seawolves (2012 College World Series Betting Lines: 15 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) are both going to have to pull off some big time miracles just to win games in their respective brackets. Kent State was able to survive a regional at Purdue and a Super Regional at Oregon though, and that was definitely no easy feat. Stony Brook became the first team from the SUNY schools to make it to the College World Series, and it is the only team that was ranked as a No. 4 seed to make it to Omaha. Somehow, Stony Brook was able to beat both the Miami Hurricanes once and the UCF Knights twice on back to back days to make it to the Super Regional, and even then, the Seawolves wouldn’t be daunted against the stout LSU Tigers, who ended up falling in three games.

2012 College World Series Odds @ SportBet Sportsbook (as of 6/14/12):
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Florida Gators 1.80 to 1
UCLA Bruins 3.35 to 1
Florida State Seminoles 3.60 to 1
South Carolina Gamecocks 5.75 to 1
Arizona Wildcats 5.90 to 1
Arkansas Razorbacks 7 to 1
Stony Brook Seawolves 15 to 1
Kent State Golden Flashes 15 to 1

Odds to Win 2012 College World Series @ Bovada Sportsbook (as of 6/14/12):
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Florida Gators 5 to 2
Florida State Seminoles 3 to 1
Arizona Wildcats 4 to 1
South Carolina Gamecocks 4 to 1
UCLA Bruins 7 to 1
Stony Brook Seawolves 15 to 2
Arkansas Razorbacks 9 to 1
Kent State Golden Flashes 15 to 1

Our 2012 CFL season preview as here, as we are going to be taking a look at the CFL betting odds at the outset of the season on the road to the 100th Grey Cup! Join us for our initial Grey Cup predictions!

The team that we’ll start with is the defending Grey Cup champions, the BC Lions (Odds to Win Grey Cup: 4.60 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). Returning for the Grey Cup champs is QB Travis Lulay, who quietly had a great season last year. He doesn’t quite have the same type of talent at wide receiver this year, but with the new stadium at BC Place ready to go and the confidence of coming off of the Grey Cup victory, there is no doubt that this is going to be a team to watch out for.

However, in the West, it isn’t Head Coach Wally Buono and the gang that are favored to win the Grey Cup. Instead, those honors go to the Calgary Stampeders (Favorites To Win Grey Cup: 5 to 1 at BetOnline Sportsbook). With Henry Burris gone, the job belongs to QB Drew Tate, who took over last year and nearly got the Stamps into the Grey Cup. RB Jon Cornish is back for what should be another great season in the backfield, and an incredibly talented set of receivers is back as well. Expect to see a lot of points put on the board for Head Coach John Hufnagel and company this year. Calgary is the real deal, though it will have a difficult time here in the West.

The team at the bottom of the West this year might be the Edmonton Eskimos (100th Grey Cup Odds: 9 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). Of course, we really didn’t think all that much of the Eskies last year either, and QB Ricky Ray went on to put on a good show. Of course, the team fell apart down the stretch of the campaign, and in the end, Ray was shipped out on town. Now, it appears as though the starting QB job belongs to QB Steven Jyles who is ready to step in and prove that he can get the job done. That being said, there are a ton of other options for this team to use at quarterback, including Kerry Joseph, Matt Nichols, and Jeremiah Masoli. The offense added a huge star in WR Greg Carr, but there are definitely some holes elsewhere that need to be filled.

And that leaves the Saskatchewan Roughriders (Grey Cup Odds: 11 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). It is going to be an interesting season in Riderville after a lousy 2011 campaign. QB Darian Durant is still a turnover machine, and this year, he really has nothing but relatively inexperienced signal callers behind him, including Drew Willy and Levi Brown. This receiving crop awfully good with Weston Dressler, Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg, and the newly added Sinorice Moss and Dallas Baker amongst others, but there are still some major issues for this team to work out defensively.

In the East Division, the favorite is the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2012 Grey Cup Lines: 4.75 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). We are always wary of backing the Tabbies, as they have been a team of late that has had a heck of a lot of issues living up to the hype. This year though, with the addition of QB Henry Burris and the return of RB Avon Cobourne, it really seems as though this team is set to make some real noise. There is a heck of a lot of confidence right now in the Ti-Cats with their new quarterback, as they had a defense that was most certainly good enough last year to be competitive. The beasts of the East, though? That might be a different question.

That’s especially true when you consider the veteran presence of the Montreal Alouettes (Odds To Win 100th Grey Cup: 5.75 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). QB Anthony Calvillo is back, and he is clearly one of the best that this league has ever seen. QB Adrian MacPherson remains a great backup plan just in case anything goes down. For the first time though, AC knows that he has to break in some new receivers, and that could prove to be difficult. The secondary still looks as strong as could be though, and that could make the difference. The feeling is that Montreal underachieved last year when it finished second in the East Division, but that could all change this year.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Grey Cup Gambling Lines: 5.75 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) were a bit of a surprise team last year, knowing that they were able to come from out of nowhere to win the East Division. QB Buck Pierce stayed healthy for the most part, and when he didn’t, QB Alex Brink picked up the slack and did well. The receiving corps is going to hurt a bit with some offseason departures, but SB Terrence Edwards is still one of the best at his trade in the game. With a new stadium opening up this year after a few games at Canad Inns Stadium, the effect could be the same that it was last year for the Lions after getting to open up their newly remodeled stadium.

Finally, we have the team that is hosting this year’s Grey Cup, the Toronto Argonauts (100th Grey Cup Betting Lines: 7.50 to 1 at Bovada Sportsbook). QB Ricky Ray is the man in town now, but there has to be a level of pessimism for sure for the Boatmen. Remember the last time that they made one of these splashy type of quarterback signings? QB Kerry Joseph came to Toronto and was absolutely atrocious. It was only a year ago that we were wondering if Ray wasn’t at the end of his career. Granted, it didn’t cost the Argos all that much to get Ray relatively speaking, but they are hitched to the CFL veteran now and will only go as far as he can take them.

2012 CFL Grey Cup Odds @ SportBet Sportsbook (as of 6/13/12):
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Calgary Stampeders 4 to 1
BC Lions 4.60 to 1
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 4.75 to 1
Montreal Alouettes 5.75 to 1
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 5.75 to 1
Toronto Argonauts 7.25 to 1
Edmonton Eskimos 9 to 1
Saskatchewan Roughriders 11 to 1

Odds to Win 2012 CFL Championship @ Bovada Sportsbook (as of 6/13/12):
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BC Lions 9 to 2
Calgary Stampeders 9 to 2
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 9 to 2
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 5 to 1
Montreal Alouettes 11 to 2
Toronto Argonauts 13 to 2
Edmonton Eskimos 8 to 1
Saskatchewan Roughriders 9 to 1

Grey Cup 2012 Odds @ BetOnline Sportsbook (as of 6/13/12):
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BC Lions 4 to 1
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 4 to 1
Montreal Alouettes 5 to 1
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 5 to 1
Calgary Stampeders 5 to 1
Toronto Argonauts 7 to 1
Edmonton Eskimos 8 to 1
Saskatchewan Roughriders 10 to 1

There are just four players that are left on the men’s side of the French Open draw, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are analyzing the four players that are left standing and see how they are going to fare on the 2012 French Open betting lines.

2012 Men’s French Open Predictions & Info
2012 French Open Dates: Sunday, May 27th – Sunday, June 10th, 2012
2012 French Open Location: Roland Garros, Paris, France
Defending Men’s French Open Winner: Rafael Nadal
2012 French Open TV Schedule & Live French Open TV Coverage: ESPN2, Tennis Channel, NBC

With a record now of 50-1, it is impossible to think that there is any way we could bet against Rafael Nadal (Favorite To Win French Open: 1 to 2.80 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). Nadal hasn’t lost a set here at Roland Garros this year, and that’s not a shock for a man that has won this title six times and is just two matches away from breaking Bjorn Borg’s record for the most French Open titles in the Open Era. The Spaniard also has had the draw open up for him, and he is a -1150 favorite on the French Open odds in his semifinal match. It is clear that this is still the King of the Clay Courts, and with Andy Murray out of the way, there really is just one match that should be left for Nadal to play of any note before he claims that seventh title.

The man that is going to be trying his best to get past Nadal is another fellow Spaniard David Ferrer (Odds To Win French Open: 19 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). Ferrer knows that he is up against it in this one, but he was up against it versus Murray as well. It only took four sets for Ferrer to dispose of the Brit, and now, he is in the semifinals of a Grand Slam event for just the second time in his career. Of course, this is probably the end of the road for Ferrer, knowing that he is going to be a tremendous underdog against Nadal, and it is difficult for him to overcome that outrageous 50-1 record that Nadal has here at Roland Garros.

List Of Past Men’s French Open Winners (Since 2000)
2011 – Rafael Nadal
2010 – Rafael Nadal
2009 – Roger Federer
2008 – Rafael Nadal
2007 – Rafael Nadal
2006 – Rafael Nadal
2005 – Rafael Nadal
2004 – Gaston Gaudio
2003 – Juan Carlos Ferrero
2002 – Albert Costa
2001 – Gustavo Kuerten
2000 – Gustavo Kuerten

On the other end of the bracket sits Roger Federer (2012 Men’s French Open Tennis Odds: 10.17 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). At the outset of this tournament, Federer was just 11 to 1, so as you can see, nothing really has changed in spite of the fact that he has made it into the semifinals of the French Open. The problem for Federer is that he has had a very tough road to get to this point. The master of the Grand Slam events needed five sets to get past Juan Martin Del Potro, and now he has to deal with the best player in the world right now and then the man known as the King of the Clay Courts. Federer is still a fantastic player, but at this point in his career, he is clearly in that second tier of players. He is going to need to be at his best to beat Djokovic for the second straight year in the French Open semifinals, and then likely Nadal, a man that he has never beaten in the French Open.

And that brings up to the No. 1 ranked player in the world, Novak Djokovic (2012 Men’s French Open Tennis Betting Lines: 4.24 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). Djokovic has won three straight Grand Slam titles. He would be one of the few to ever have a career Grand Slam, but it would be even more impressive if he were to end up with all four of the Grand Slam titles at the same time. We were saying this about Federer for quite some time. His career wasn’t going to be validated until he won here at Roland Garros. Now, Djokovic is in the same boat. Granted, he has quite some time to get this last leg of the Grand Slam, but it would be awesome to see him get the job done here. Getting past Federer on the clay courts would be part of career validation, but beating Nadal in a French Open finale, who has never been beaten in a French Open final, who ensure that the Serb is known as the best of his generation.

2012 Men’s Odds To Win The French Open @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 6/7/12):
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Rafael Nadal Wins French Open -280
Field Wins French Open +240

Novak Djokovic Wins French Open +424
Field Wins French Open -547

Roger Federer Wins French Open +1017
Field Wins French Open -1533

David Ferrer Wins French Open +1900
Field Wins French Open -3800

The 2012 Ladies French Open bracket is about set to be released, and the tournament is set to get underway this weekend! Be sure not to miss out on the Roland Garros odds for the women’s draw on the odds to win the French Open!

2012 Ladies French Open Predictions & Info
2012 French Open Dates: Sunday, May 27th – Sunday, June 10th, 2012
2012 French Open Location: Roland Garros, Paris, France
Defending Ladies French Open Winner: Li Na
2012 French Open TV Schedule & Live French Open TV Coverage: ESPN2, Tennis Channel, NBC

Beating the ladies tennis odds are difficult in virtually every single tournament, as there are so many question marks in all of these best-of-three set matches. That being said, the woman that we know is going to be hanging around for the mass majority of this tournament is the favorite, Serena Williams (Favorite To Win French Open: 2.55 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). Williams has only won the French Open once in her career, and that was a decade ago, and there is a heck of a lot of work that she is going to have to put into grabbing a second title on the clay courts of Roland Garros. Williams comes into this tournament ranked No. 6 in the WTA rankings, and No. 5 in the field, but she has a lot of question marks ahead of her. Remember that Williams has only been to one Grand Slam Tournament final of late, and that was the US Open last year. She finished as a quarterfinalist the last time that she played at Roland Garros two years ago, and she hasn’t even made it to the second full week of a Grand Slam tourney since that point. Williams might be the best women’s tennis player in the world, but there is a reason that she isn’t an insanely huge favorite on the odds to win the French Open.

The 2012 French Open winner is back to defend her title. Li Na (Odds To Repeat As French Open Ladies Champion: 12.85 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) won her first major tournament last year at the French Open at the age of 29, and she is going to be one of the ladies that is to be reckoned with for sure. Since that point that she won the French Open though, the Chinese tennis star has been knocked out in the first round, the second round, and the fourth round of her Grand Slam events. The good news though, is that she has a great history here on the clay courts of Roland Garros, getting into the third round in all of her efforts at this tournament.

List Of Past Ladies French Open Winners (Since 2000)
2011 – Li Na
2010 – Francesca Schiavone
2009 – Svetlana Kuznetsova
2008 – Ana Ivanovic
2007 – Justine Henin
2006 – Justine Henin
2005 – Justine Henin
2004 – Anastasia Myskina
2003 – Justine Henin
2002 – Serena Williams
2001 – Jennifer Capriati
2000 – Mary Pierce

The woman of the hour this time around might be the one of the top ranked player in the world though, Caroline Wozniacki (Odds To Win French Open: 40 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). Wozniacki has had herself an interesting career. She has won plenty of tournaments, but none at this level of competition. She has been the No. 1 ranked player in the world as recently as last year, though she has still not quite tasted that Grand Slam glory. This could be her year, though. Wozniacki was a quarterfinalist at the Australian Open this year, and she has had a good history on the hard courts, though this might be tough for her to get the job done on the clay courts, where she usually struggles. Wozniacki has a lot going for her, but she needs to get over the hump in the toughest of matches to be able to win the plate at Roland Garros.

But of course, the woman that is going to have all of the attention on her is the great Maria Sharapova (2012 French Open Tennis Odds: 6.15 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). Sharapova’s beauty always makes her a popular tennis pick to make, but in the end, she has the skill to back it up. Sharapova was a finalist at the Australian Open earlier this year, and she has used that to get all the way up to the No. 2 ranking in the world. That means that she is going to likely be avoiding a draw with some of the top contenders here at the French Open, and she might be able to claim this jewel of the Grand Slam as a result. If Sharapova can beat the French Open odds this year, she will be one of the few that has the career Grand Slam.

2012 Ladies Odds To Win The French Open @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 5/24/12):
(Get a HUGE 50% Bonus at 5Dimes.eu When Using This Link)

Serena Williams 2.55 to 1
Victoria Azarenka 4.75 to 1
Maria Sharapova 6.15 to 1
Na Li 12.85 to 1
Petra Kvitova 13.75 to 1
Samantha Stosur 13.85 to 1
Agnieszka Radwanska 23.75 to 1
Angelique Kerber 38 to 1
Caroline Wozniacki 40 to 1
Ana Ivanovic 50 to 1
Venus Williams 50 to 1
Francesca Schiavone 55 to 1
Mona Barthel 70 to 1
Julia Goerges 80 to 1
Kaia Kanepi 90 to 1
Marion Bartoli 125 to 1
Sara Errani 125 to 1
Svetlana Kuznetsova 135 to 1
Sabine Lisick 145 to 1
Jelena Jankovic 145 to 1
Vera Zvonareva 175 to 1
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 175 to 1
Carla Suarez Navarro 175 to 1
Dominika Cibulkova 240 to 1
Simona Halep 250 to 1
Yanina Wickmayer 255 to 1
Flavia Pennetta 300 to 1
Ekaterina Makarova 400 to 1
Lucie Safarova 470 to 1
Shuai Peng 480 to 1
Sorana Cirstea 500 to 1
Petra Cetkovska 550 to 1
Nadia Petrova 550 to 1
Maria Kirilenko 600 to 1
Anabel Medina Garrigues 675 to 1
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 700 to 1
Tsvetana Pironkova 700 to 1
Roberta Vinci 725 to 1
Andrea Petkovic 1,000 to 1
Anastasija Sevastova 1,000 to 1
Bethanie Mattek Sands 1,000 to 1
Daniela Hantuchova 1,000 to 1
Elena Vesnina 1,000 to 1
Iveta Benesova 1,000 to 1
Aravane Rezai 1,000 to 1
Bojana Jovanovski 1,000 to 1
Jie Zheng 1,000 to 1
Shahar Peer 1,000 to 1
Alexandra Dulgheru 1,000 to 1
Jarmila Gajdosova 1,000 to 1
Polona Hercog 1,000 to 1
Christina McHale 1,000 to 1
Irina Begu 1,000 to 1
Monica Niculescu 1,000 to 1
Ksenia Pervak 1,000 to 1
Marina Erakovic 1,000 to 1
Sofia Arvidsson 1,000 to 1
Timea Babos 1,000 to 1
Silvia Soler Espinosa 1,000 to 1

Our US Open predictions and free picks for the men’s bracket continue this week, as the US Open betting action gets set to get underway next week in Flushing, NY!

2011 US Open Odds, Picks & Info
2011 US Open Dates: Monday, August 29 – Sunday, September 11
2011 US Open Location: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York
2011 US Open Favorite: Novak Djokovic (+170)
Defending US Open Ladies Champion: Rafael Nadal
2011 US Open TV Coverage – Network: Tennis Network, NBC

With just two losses to his credit for the entire year, Novak Djokovic (Current US Open Odds: 1.70 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) is clear the man to watch out for over the course of the next two weeks. Djokovic has played in this final twice in his career, but he has never taken home the coveted trophy. This has been a banner year for the Serb, who has captured the world’s No. 1 ranking and has already won a pair of majors (Australian Open and Wimbledon). Often times he and the fourth favorite, Andy Murray end up taking a back seat here in Flushing, and there is a decent chance that the exact same thing could happen this time around.

And why is that? Because the defending champion of this event, Rafael Nadal (US Open Lines: 4.45 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) isn’t going to want to get off of his throne. Rafa already has a Grand Slam title as well this year to his mantle, taking care of the French Open crown once again on the clay courts. However, hard surfaces have always given the Spaniard trouble, probably due to the fact that he doesn’t have the biggest serve in the world and that his best asset is his return game. Still, Nadal won’t go down without a fight in this one, and he is going to be the man of the hour to watch through the full fortnight, knowing that no one should touch him until at least the quarters at best.

List Of Past Ladies US Open Champions (Since 2000)
2010 US Open Winner: Rafael Nadal
2009 US Open Winner: Juan Martin Del Potro
2008 US Open Winner: Roger Federer
2007 US Open Winner: Roger Federer
2006 US Open Winner: Roger Federer
2005 US Open Winner: Roger Federer
2004 US Open Winner: Roger Federer
2003 US Open Winner: Andy Roddick
2002 US Open Winner: Pete Sampras
2001 US Open Winner: Leyton Hewitt
2000 US Open Winner: Marat Safin

As always though, we can’t forget about the five-time champ of this event, Roger Federer (Odds to Win the US Open: 6.15 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). It’s amazing to think that Federer hasn’t won a major this year, and it’s also odd to think that he is the fourth choice of the tennis oddsmakers this year at the tournament that he has historically dominated. With six finals appearances and five wins, no one since the great Pete Sampras has played like this at this tournament. Whether Federer has anything left in the tank or not is a totally different question.

US Open Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 8/26/11):
(Get a HUGE 50% Bonus at 5Dimes.com When Using This Link)

Novak Djokovic 1.70 to 1
Rafael Nadal 4.45 to 1
Andy Murray 5.15 to 1
Roger Federer 6.15 to 1
Juan Martin Del Potro 22 to 1
Jo Wilfried Tsonga 38 to 1
Mardy Fish 40 to 1
Robin Soderling 50 to 1
Tomas Berdych 75 to 1
Andy Roddick 80 to 1
Gael Monfils 225 to 1
John Isner 255 to 1
David Ferrer 315 to 1
Bernard Tomic 375 to 1
Ernests Gulbis 375 to 1
Fernando Verdasco 400 to 1
Marin Cilic 425 to 1
Richard Gasquet 500 to 1
Gilles Simon 525 to 1
Stanislas Wawrinka 550 to 1
Nikolay Davydenko 600 to 1
David Nalbandian 750 to 1
Alexandr Dolgopolov 750 to 1
Mikhail Youzhny 925 to 1
Jurgen Melzer 1,000 to 1
Nicolas Almagro 1,000 to 1
Viktor Troicki 1,000 to 1
Florian Mayer 1,000 to 1
Juan Ignacio Chela 1,000 to 1
Marco Baghdatis 1,000 to 1
Michael Llodra 1,000 to 1
Janko Tipsarevic 1,000 to 1
Feliciano Lopez 1,000 to 1
Ivan Ljubicic 1,000 to 1
Thomaz Bellucci 1,000 to 1
Kevin Anderson 1,000 to 1
Andreas Seppi 1,000 to 1
Guillermo Garcia Lopez 1,000 to 1
Fabio Fognini 1,000 to 1
Xavier Malisse 1,000 to 1
Albert Montanes 1,000 to 1
Ivan Dodig 1,000 to 1
Philipp Kohlschreiber 1,000 to 1
Juan Monaco 1,000 to 1
Sergiy Stakohvsky 1,000 to 1
Andrey Golubev 1,000 to 1
Dmitry Tursunov 1,000 to 1
Adrian Mannarino 1,000 to 1
Kei Nishikori 1,000 to 1
Ryan Harrison 1,000 to 1
Somdev Devvarman 1,000 to 1
Lukasz Kubot 1,000 to 1
Robby Ginepri 1,000 to 1
Steve Johnson 1,000 to 1
Jack Sock 1,000 to 1
Donald Young 1,000 to 1
Julien Benneteau 1,000 to 1
Bobby Reynolds 1,000 to 1
Pere Riba 1,000 to 1
Carlos Berlocq 1,000 to 1
Potito Starace 1,000 to 1
Michael Berrer 1,000 to 1
Fredrico il 1,000 to 1
Flavio Cipolla 1,000 to 1
Ivo Karlovic 1,000 to 1
Fernando Gonzalez 1,000 to 1
Horacio Zeballos 1,000 to 1
Philipp Petzschner 1,000 to 1
Albert Ramos 1,000 to 1
Marcel Granollers 1,000 to 1
Mikhail Kukushkin 1,000 to 1
Pablo Andujar 1,000 to 1
Juan Carlos Ferrero 1,000 to 1
Grigor Dimitrov 1,000 to 1
Santiago Giraldo 1,000 to 1
Dudi Sela 1,000 to 1
Radek Stepanek 1,000 to 1
Tommy Haas 1,000 to 1
Alejandro Falla 1,000 to 1
Yen Hsun Lu 1,000 to 1
Andreas Haider Maurer 1,000 to 1
Jarkko Nieminen 1,000 to 1
Victor Hanescu 1,000 to 1
Thiemo De Bakker 1,000 to 1
Tobias Kamke 1,000 to 1
Alex Bogomolov Jr 1,000 to 1
Filippo Volandri 1,000 to 1
Diego Junquiera 1,000 to 1
Karol Beck 1,000 to 1
Daniel Gimeno Traver 1,000 to 1
Ricardo Mello 1,000 to 1
Maximo Gonzalez 1,000 to 1
Tatsuma Ito 1,000 to 1
Lukas Rosol 1,000 to 1
Rui Machado 1,000 to 1
Robin Haase 1,000 to 1
Igor Andreev 1,000 to 1
James Blake 1,000 to 1
Oliver Rochus 1,000 to 1
Michael Russell 1,000 to 1
Marc Gicquel 1,000 to 1
Denis Istomin 1,000 to 1
Ryan Sweeting 1,000 to 1
Edouard Roger Vasselin 1,000 to 1
Gilles Muller 1,000 to 1
Matthias Bachinger 1,000 to 1
Igor Kunitsyn 1,000 to 1
Eric Prodon 1,000 to 1
Blaz Kavcic 1,000 to 1
Nicolas Mahut 1,000 to 1

Our US Open predictions and free picks for the women’s bracket continue this week, as the US Open betting action gets set to get underway next week in Flushing, NY!

2011 US Open Odds, Picks & Info
2011 US Open Dates: Monday, August 29 – Sunday, September 11
2011 US Open Location: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York
2011 US Open Favorite: Serena Williams (+160)
Defending US Open Ladies Champion: Kim Clijsters
2011 US Open TV Coverage – Network: Tennis Network, NBC

It’s ironic to think that the woman who is the favorite this year by a country mile at the US Open isn’t even ranked in the Top 25 in the bracket. However, we all know that Serena Williams (Current US Open Odds: 1.60 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) is going to be the force to be reckoned with. Williams is only No. 28 in the bracket thanks to the fact that she hasn’t played a heck of a lot of tennis of late, but with three US Open titles to her credit and a slew of other finals, many of which were lost to her sister, there is no doubt that this is the player that no one wants to mess around with.

With women’s tennis so far out of tilt over these last few years, without any truly dominating players, we are at the point that we are content taking underdogs and seeing how things work out. The woman that really catches our eye in spite of the fact that she really has never played all that well on hard courts is Na Li (US Open Lines: 22 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). The Chinese standout played in the final at Wimbledon this year, which came just one major tournament after claiming her first ever Grand Slam title at the French Open. Li is already 29 years old, but she has definitely blossomed this year into one of the top players in the world and definitely should not be forgotten, especially at this type of a price.

List Of Past Ladies US Open Champions (Since 2000)
2010 US Open Winner: Kim Clijsters
2009 US Open Winner: Kim Clijsters
2008 US Open Winner: Serena Williams
2007 US Open Winner: Justine Henin
2006 US Open Winner: Maria Sharapova
2005 US Open Winner: Kim Clijsters
2004 US Open Winner: Svetlana Kuznetsova
2003 US Open Winner: Justine Henin
2002 US Open Winner: Serena Williams
2001 US Open Winner: Venus Williams
2000 US Open Winner: Venus Williams

She really hasn’t panned out as one of the best top seeds in women’s tennis this year, especially at majors, but the time is definitely coming for Caroline Wozniacki (Odds to Win the US Open: 17 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) to make a name for herself at the Grand Slam level. She’s won plenty of secondary events over the course of the last few years, but she has never gotten all the way through the biggest events of her career. Is this her day? We tend to think that there is at least a 1 in 17 chance of the Dane getting the job done.

US Open Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 8/24/11):
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Serena Williams 1.60 to 1
Maria Sharapova 6.50 to 1
Petra Kvitova 11 to 1
Victoria Azarenka 12 to 1
Caroline Wozniacki 17 to 1
Vera Zvonareva 21 to 1
Na Li 22 to 1
Sabine Lisicki 32 to 1
Andrea Petkovic 42 to 1
Agnieszka Radwanska 42 to 1
Samatha Stosur 44 to 1
Marion Bartoli 55 to 1
Jelena Jankovic 60 to 1
Venus Williams 65 to 1
Svetlana Kuznetsova 90 to 1
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 90 to 1
Daniela Hantuchova 90 to 1
Ana Ivanovic 95 to 1
Francesca Schiavone 120 to 1
Dominika Cibulkova 150 to 1
Julia Goerges 190 to 1
Yanina Wickmayer 190 to 1
Shuai Peng 200 to 1
Nadia Petrova 200 to 1
Flavia Pennetta 250 to 1
Roberta Vinci 260 to 1
Lucie Safarova 270 to 1
Jarmila Gajdosova 300 to 1
Maria Kirilenko 385 to 1
Shahar Peer 450 to 1
Bethanie Mattek Sands 500 to 1
Kaia Kanepi 500 to 1
Elena Vesnina 500 to 1
Ekaterina Makarova 500 to1
Tamira Paszek 500 to 1
Petra Cetkovska 500 to 1
Irina Camelia Begu 500 to 1
Tsvetana Pironkova 500 to 1
Lucie Hradecka 500 to 1
Gisela Dulko 500 to 1
Simona Halep 500 to 1
Bojana Jovanovski 500 to 1
Jelena Dokic 590 to 1
Anabel Medina Garrigues 1,000 to 1
Sara Errani 1,000 to 1
Klara Zakopalova 1,000 to 1
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 1,000 to 1
Polona Hercog 1,000 to 1
Rebecca Marino 1,000 to 1
Iveta Benesova 1,000 to 1
Lourdes Dominguez Lino 1,000 to 1
Alexandra Dulgheru 1,000 to 1
Ayumi Morita 1,000 to 1
Ksenia Pervak 1,000 to 1
Kimiko Date Krumm 1,000 to 1
Elena Baltacha 1,000 to 1
Monica Niculescu 1,000 to 1
Sofia Arvidsson 1,000 to 1
Pauline Parmentier 1,000 to 1
Johanna Larsson 1,000 to 1
Sania Mirza 1,000 to 1
Vera Dushevina 1,000 to 1