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Wednesday night sees the FA Cup fifth-round replay between Blackburn and Arsenal with the Gunners probably still feeling the after effects of their Carling Cup escapade at the weekend.

Quite how the Londoners will react from their defeat by Chelsea, with all the publicity surrounding both sides' indiscipline, God only knows although their personnel will be different.

Thierry Henry is just one of the big names that Arsenal will have back in their line-up but we must bear in mind that even a full-strength Gunners couldn't brush aside the tenacious Lancashire side in the first match at the Emirates.

Mark Hughes' men surprised many by holding out for a goalless draw last week where there was yet more aggro, this time between the Welshman and Cesc Febregas after the final whistle.

That spat could be carried on which will not be good news for the purist but a fractured, disrupted match will suit the home side who have taken a few beatings by Arsenal this season.

The Gunners, in fact, have beaten Rovers eight times in the last 10 meetings but we think they may have to negotiate 120 minutes and maybe even penalties to get through this tie.

Even then, we are not convinced the Londoners will emerge winners and we are more inclined to take Betterbet.com's 11/5 for the draw.

If we have all calmed down from the madness that was Chelsea's Carling Cup win over Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday, then we can look at Monday's Championship football from the Potteries, where Stoke take on Barnsley.

Stoke look to build on their terrific victory over Derby last week, a victory that put a dent in the Rams' title hopes while ending their own four-game winless streak.

City have stuttered at times this season but remain just outside the play-off places while Barnsley are only four points above bottom side Leeds United.

The visitors have one less concern with the news that keeper Nick Colgan will be in goal.

Colgan was withdrawn during the derby win over Hull at Oakwell last Tuesday with a suspected calf strain but is expected to return to action at the Britannia Stadium and that is good news for the visitors.

However, we think it will take more than Colgan to stop City and are more than happy to lump on Betterbet.com's 8/5 for the home side to be winning at half-time and full-time.

The first major trophy of the season is up for grabs at the Millennium Stadium in Wales this Sunday and it's two of the game's heavyweights, Arsenal and Chelsea, who do battle.

Perhaps the most important piece of news for the Blues is that influential captain John Terry appears to have won his race for fitness after hobbling off against Porto in midweek with a bad ankle injury.

Despite their multi-talented, multi-million pound squad, the Stamford Bridge side are stretched for central defenders and definitely looked vulnerable without him earlier in the season.

The England skipper will add solidity to the Chelsea defence although they will be as clueless as the ordinary punter as to who exactly will be in red and white.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has handed this tournament over to his second string and what a job they have made of it.

The Gunners thrashed Liverpool 6-3 at Anfield and then disposed of Spurs in the semi-final although they had to bring in the big guns to finish that tie off.

So it all adds up to an afternoon of intrigue and hopefully, there will be goals.

We reckon a scoring draw is the best bet and will take Betterbet.com's 11/2 for 1-1 with a side bet of 14/1 for 2-2.

But for the sake of posterity, we reckon Chelsea will emerge eventual winners after penalties.

No surprises to see the David Pipe trained Lucifer Bleu trading as low as 7/4 with Betterbet.com to win this afternoon's feature race The Racing Post Chase at Kempton Park where the going is sure to prove testing.

So much so that the field has now been reduced to 11 runners with four horses taken out. These include Henry Daly's pair Billyvoddan and Alderburn - both because of the ground.

David Pipe saddles four runners in this valuable race where over recent years fancied runners have done well. However, there can be no denying that that Lucifer Bleu - off a feather weight - is the one to beat. Despite racing from out of the handicap here - he is effectively 21lb in hand at the weights, as the weights for this race were framed before the handicapper had evidence of his runaway victory at Wincanton last time out in similar conditions to what he will face today. Jockey Andrew Glassonbury takes off a further five pounds and the partnership should be backed for success even at 7/4.

If you prefer to play at each way odds then take a look at Lacdoudal who is burdened with top weight but is a class performer on his day as he showed when winning the Betfred Gold Cup at Sandown last year. Betterbet.com make him a 12/1 chance for this afternoon.

A re-run of the 1984 FA Cup final takes place at Vicarage Road on Saturday when struggling Watford welcome Everton.

This match takes place in vastly different circumstance from that sunny day at Wembley over 23 years ago and could be decided by which players don't play as much as which players do.

The news is that Toffees' talisman Andy Johnson, who missed their 2-1 defeat to Spurs in midweek due to a knee injury, will not be fit again so those Merseyside fans who jeered their team in midweek may have something more to moan about.

Watford move closer to the Premiership trap-door with every games that passes and every three points that they fail to gather.

Their cause will not be helped if on-loan goalkeeper Ben Foster, who sustained a dead leg in Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Wigan, misses out.

But somehow, and logically we are arguably up a gum tree, we have got the feeling that this could be a home win.

We reckon that Watford will get relegated but could give themselves a slim lifeline with a victory over Davie Moyes' unconvincing side and Betterbet.com's healthy 7/4 for the Watford win is too tempting to ignore.

After an enthralling midweek of Champions League and UEFA Cup action, we are confident at the Championship clash between Cardiff and Preston will be equally exciting.

There is no doubt that of all the leagues in Britain, England's second tier is shaping up to come to a grand finale, with eight teams separated by only seven points.

With 59 points, Preston are in fourth place and still have ambitions to land the title and Cardiff, three points behind, are on their tails.

The Welsh side lost against West Brom on Tuesday while Preston bounced back from their FA Cup defeat by Manchester City at home last weekend with a 2-1 win over Norwich.

Defeat against the Baggies ended Cardiff's five-game unbeaten run although manager Dave Jones bemoaned the loss of senior players through injury and suspension.

Glenn Loovens, Michael Chopra and Simon Walton were all banned while Darren Purse and Ricardo Scimeca were sidelined by injury.

And while the majority of them should be back for the visit of the Lancashire side, the visitors who will probably go into the game with more confidence with a lot of their hopes resting on new boy Pavel Pergl who marked his debut against Norwich with a stunning first goal.

But we reckon the visitors will be just too strong and will stake a few quid with Betterbet.com who are offering 7/4 for the Preston win.

Wednesday's Champions League matches will hopefully arouse as much controversy are Lille's defeat by Manchester United or as much entertainment as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Certainly the Barcelona versus Liverpool game and Chelsea's trip to Porto have the promise of excitement.

The match at the Nou Camp, however, looks to be a contest between two squads of players who appear to be less than united.

The high-profile spat between Eto'o, coach Frank Rijkaard and team-mate Ronaldinho is said to be over although have our doubts.

And with Craig Bellamy allegedly running about daft with a golf club in search of John Arne Riise this week it could be difficult to assess which side are the most focused in this tie.

But in terms of pure football Barcelona, who are unbeaten in 13 games at the Nou Camp, have the edge and so that run should continue.

We think the Reds could be more affected the trouble in their camp and will take Betterbet.com's 8/15 for a Catalan win and take it onto the big game in neighbouring Portugal.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho finds one of his former clubs standing in his way as he continues the Blues' cash-fuelled quest for the Champions League.

Porto at home are a tough side to beat - and Mourinho will obviously know this - although the Londoners have picked up their form recently, winning their last six games on the trot.

But for their part, Porto have won 14 out of 18 in the Portuguese league this season, failing to win only one in nine at home.

We reckon Chelsea will succumb to the same shock result as Arsenal did at PSV on Tuesday and will take Betterbet.com's healthy 5/2 for a home win.

A interesting if less than fruitful weekend of FA Cup football is over and Monday night's live televised football comes from Griffin Park where Brentford welcome fellow strugglers Northampton in League One.

Both sides are enduring a wretched season and the Bees are in the poorer shape, sitting second bottom just seven points ahead of Rotherham.

The Londoners have only won four times at home this season but confidence should be higher after their 2-0 win over Huddersfield on Saturday.

Northampton are just one point above the relegation and they picked up a crucial point against Gillingham on Friday with substitute Jordan Robertson scoring after coming on as substitute.

It's going to be a tight game with goals probably at a premium but we are going to take Betterbet.com's 11/10 for the home win.

For the second Sunday running the most valuable race of the day has again attracted a small field - proving again the equation between prize money and field sizes is flawed.

The totesport.com National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell (3.30) has GBP40,000 prize money guaranteed, yet has attracted only five runners.

The betting on betterbet.com is sure to point to a match between Refinement and United. We prefer the chances of Refinement who represents the bang in form stable of Jonjo O'Neil. The interesting runner is Korelo, who has the ability to win a race such as this but is sadly out of form at present and hasn't been seen since pulling up in the Welsh National over Christmas. We'd recommend just a very small investment on him here on the basis that his price will be bigger than it should be.

A safer betting proposition comes later on in the afternoon when Helen Wood should take all the beating in the 4.30. David Pipe had a great day on Saturday and we take Helen Wood to follow up her recent six length Leicester success.

FA Cup fifth round action spills over into Sunday and it is clear that coming up trumps in this tournament is not as easy as it looks on paper.

Reading's surprise draw at Manchester United and Blackburn holding Arsenal at the Emirates should show once again that nothing is certain in football.

Those two results are perhaps all the more surprising in that Sunday was, according to many tipsters, the day where a shock was perhaps more likely to occur.

Championship side Preston should give Manchester City a good game in the early kick-off but we will look at the later televised game and the all-London clash between Fulham and Tottenham at Craven Cottage.

There is little between the sides in our view but Spurs simply aren't good travellers and now that they've began to ship goals, this more than a tricky tie for Martin Jol's side.

Fulham have only lost to one London team at home this season - Chelsea - so evidently they are no pushovers in front of their home support although the FA Cup has not been kind to them over the years.

Our gut feeling is that this game will be a continuation of Saturday's theme - a draw.

Spurs will be roared on by a big travelling support and that might be enough to help them grab a draw and take the game back to White Hart Lane so we will take Betterbet.com's offer of 9/4 for the stalemate.

FA Cup fifth round weekend and the later kick-off on Saturday sees Manchester United hosting Reading.

Although this is a tie between two Premiership sides, there is still a David and Goliath feel about the game.

But we should be careful. Steve Coppell's men have arguably been the surprise package in the Premiership this season, neat and tidy with touches of class at just the right time.

Their recent form - seven wins and a draw this year - has been that of champions far less of a side just happy to stay in the league and scrapping for survival.

And with hit-man Leroy Lita, the form striker in England at the moment with nine goals in his last 10 games, there is always the threat as he showed by scoring the last time the two teams met at Old Trafford.

However, in United, who ran out 3-2 winners that day Lita scored, Reading are coming up against a team who are surely the champions-elect.

Despite Wayne Rooney being banned, we think the Red Devils will again just have a little too much for the visitors.

Betterbet.com's 12/1 for Henrik Larsson to score the first goal and United to win 2-0 seems about right for us.

A successful season in the betting stakes continued when we tipped Bolton and Arsenal to draw in their FA Cup replay at the Reebok but we drop down to the more sober climes of Division Two for Friday's fix of football.

League leaders Walsall versus Lincoln is the live televised game from the Bescot Stadium - (the ground closest to a motorway of any in Britain?) so you can put your bet on, climb on the coach and - hopefully - watch your winning accumulate some more.

The midlanders crashed 3-1 to Hartlepool last time out which was not on the agenda and manager Richard Money could again be without of two key defenders, Ian Roper and Anthony Gerard who both missed out on the trip to the north east with injuries.

Lincoln are in fourth place in the table, five points behind their opponents and will see this as huge opportunity to polish their title credentials.

The visitors will be on a high following their 1-0 win over Torquay last weekend but are again without suspended striker Jamie Forrester so they are similarly disadvantaged in terms of team selection.

But we think home advantage can swing it for Walsall. They have lost just once at home this season while Lincoln have lost six times on their travels so, all things considered, we recommend Betterbet.com's 5/6 for the home win.

Better Bookmakers continue to bring innovation and value to punters. Hot on the heels of their 'non runner - no bet' offer for the Cheltenham Festival - they now have the same deal on the Grand National, for which the weights were announced this week for the 119 entered runners.

Given one of the main (if not only) reasons punters choose not to bet ante-post is because of the risk of not getting a run for their money - this really is a better offer in every respect.

They were first off the blocks for Cheltenham and are currently the only bookie offering this for the Grand National for which their current 10-1 co-favourites are last year's front two Numbersixvalverde and Hedgehunter with the lightly raced Irish raider Far From Trouble.

The offer stands until midnight on the 28th February, so get your heads in the formbook now - at least you'll have the guarantee of getting a run for your money.

You can place your bets online at http://www.betterbet.com/betterbet?action=go_dd&sport=horses&level=EV_IDS&ev_id=482676

Wednesday night brings an FA Cup replay between Bolton and Arsenal at the Reebok Stadium.

The Gunners are still reeling from the fall-out from their late win against Wigan on Sunday which owed more to refereeing mistakes than their undoubted ability.

But will it have any effect on Arsene Wenger's men?

Of all the sides who could be facing the on-form Gunners, however, the Trotters arguably have the least to fear.

In the last seven encounters between the two clubs in Lancashire, Bolton have carved out four wins, two draws with just one defeat.

Recent form 'up North' is even more encouraging - the last three have all been victories for Sam Allardyce's men.

We think that extra-time will be needed, at least, to separate these two sides and will take Betterbet.com's 11/5 for the draw and double it up on another game in another competition in another country.

UEFA Cup action taking place over in Israel sees Hapoel Tel Aviv hosting Rangers.

The Ibrox club have been rejuvenated since Walter Smith returned to take over as boss for the second time following the departure of Paul Le Guen.

Hapoel are no great shakes but neither are Rangers it has to be said and the Govan club are also experiencing an injury crisis with eight players unavailable.

We will go for the draw in this game as well - which would suit the visitors - and take Betterbet.com's 2/1 for the stalemate.

Tuffey has been kept out of action with a shoulder injuryFast bowler Daryl Tuffey has been recalled to New Zealand's 15-man squad for next month's World Cup in the West Indies after a two-year absence.
Tuffey edged out Test fast bowler Chris Martin and all-rounder Andre Adams to replace the injured Kyle Mills.
He last played a limited overs match for New Zealand against Australia in February 2005.
Injuries have kept him out since but New Zealand coach John Bracewell remains confident of Tuffey's fitness.
"We wanted an up front, outswing, new-ball bowler and Daryl fitted the bill," Bracewell said.
The other 14 members of the New Zealand squad, which will be captained by Stephen Fleming, were all involved in the recent Commonwealth Bank series against Australia and England.
Craig McMillan retains his position, despite not enjoying the best of form in the series.
Tuffey's call-up re-establishes his successful new-ball partnership with Shane Bond.
Bond's pace and Tuffey's ability to swing the ball in the early overs of limited overs matches became a useful formula for New Zealand before Tuffey's string of injuries.
New Zealand will face England, Canada and Kenya in Pool C of the World Cup, in a group based at St Lucia.
New Zealand squad: Stephen Fleming (captain), Daniel Vettori, Daryl Tuffey, Shane Bond, James Franklin, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Brendon McCullum, Craig McMillan, Michael Mason, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Lou Vincent.

Clarke beat Tiger Woods to win the WGC Match Play in 2000Darren Clarke is likely to face Ryder Cup team-mate Paul Casey in the first round of the WGC Match Play Championship in Arizona next week.
Clarke is the only European to lift the title, having beaten Tiger Woods in 2000, while Casey won last year's £1m Wentworth World Match Play.
The top-64 event, based on rankings, puts Clarke against Sergio Garcia.
But American Arron Oberholser is expected to withdraw with a bad back, meaning Clarke would play Casey.
Oberholser pulling out would also mean Lee Westwood switching from a duel with European number one Padraig Harrington to a meeting with defending champion Geoff Ogilvy.
Harrington would take on American Ryder Cup player Zach Johnson instead.
Four all-European clashes are on the cards for next Wednesday's opening day - Casey against Clarke, Colin Montgomerie against Swede Johan Edfors, Garcia against Thomas Bjorn and Henrik Stenson against Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Welshman Bradley Dredge is set to play either Phil Mickelson or Ernie Els depending on Oberholser's fitness.
Top seed Woods will start against either Brett Quigley or JJ Henry - and could come up against David Howell in the third round and Luke Donald in the quarter-finals.
If the seedings work out, the semi-finals would be Woods v Mickelson and Jim Furyk v Adam Scott.
But the matches, played over 18 holes with a 36-hole final , have a history of throwing up surprises.
Twice winner Woods has lost in the past to Jeff Maggert, Clarke, Peter O'Malley, Nick O'Hern and Chad Campbell.
The WGC Match Play takes place at the Gallery Golf Club, Tucson, Arizona from 21-25 February.
Provisional draw (seeded positions in brackets):(1) Tiger Woods v (64) Brett Quigley or JJ Henry(32) Tim Clark v (33) Robert Allenby(16) Nick O'Hern v (49) Lucas Glover or Ben Crane(17) David Howell v (48) Rory Sabbatini or Lucas Glover(8) Luke Donald v (57) Miguel Angel Jimenez or John Rollins(25) Shingo Katayama v (40) Aaron Baddeley(9) Henrik Stenson v (56) Zach Johnson or MA Jimenez(24) KJ Choi v (41) Carl Pettersson(4) Phil Mickelson v (61) Bradley Dredge or Richard Green(29) Michael Campbell v (36) Justin Rose(13) Sergio Garcia v (52) Darren Clarke or Thomas Bjorn(20) Stuart Appleby v (45) Charles Howell(5) Ernie Els v (60) Charl Schwartzel or Bradley Dredge(28) Ian Poulter v (37) Bart Bryant(12) Trevor Immelman v (53) Thomas Bjorn or Steve Stricker(21) Chris DiMarco v (44) Brett Wetterich(2) Jim Furyk v (63) Shaun Micheel or Brett Quigley(31) Angel Cabrera v (34) Chad Campbell(15) Davis Love v (50) Ben Crane or Mike Weir(18) David Toms v (47) Arron Oberholser or Rory Sabbatini(7) Vijay Singh v (58) John Rollins or Scott Verplank(26) Robert Karlsson v (39) Stephen Ames(10) Padraig Harrington v (55) Lee Westwood or Zach Johnson(23) Stewart Cink v (42) Jeev Milkha Singh(3) Adam Scott v (62) Richard Green or Shaun Micheel(30) Yang Yong-eun v (35) Rod Pampling(14) Paul Casey v (51) Mike Weir or Darren Clarke(19) Colin Montgomerie v (46) Johan Edfors(6) Retief Goosen v (59) Scott Verplank or Charl Schwartzel(27) Joe Durant v (38) Niclas Fasth(11) Geoff Ogilvy v (54) Steve Stricker or Lee Westwood(22) Jose Maria Olazabal v (43) Paul Goydos

IT'S almost as if the race was put on for her, or as if she was named with this race in mind.That's the story behind in-form sprinting bitch Leica Drink and her quest to win the Publicans' Cup.Leica Drink (Brett Lee-Rose Of Shiraz) has drawn box eight in her heat of the Publicans' Cup (520m) at Albion Park on Thursday night.Bob Lambert, Brisbane Club committeeman and husband of the bitch's owner Robyn Lambert, saw the irony of Leica Drink being engaged in the Publicans' Cup series.Leica Drink has had a great run of inside box draws in recent times and has won five of her past six starts."But she has already won from box eight at Albion Park, running 30.52 in November last year," he said."I think she is at the peak of her form and the fact she ran a 5.70 first section when she won at Albion Park last Thursday night shows she can cross from the eight this week."Leica Drink took her record to 12 wins from 26 starts with her victory in the Surf Lifesaving Trophy at headquarters last week.She ran 30.20, her best winning time at Albion Park, when leading throughout to beat Adrian by two and a quarter lengths."I spoke to Tony (Brett, trainer) on Saturday night and the bitch had pulled up fantastic," said Lambert."We've realised she is not a bitch who backs up well."Lambert said the bitch would "go straight" out of the boxes and this would give her a great opportunity to utilise her early pace and lead the heat.Leica Drink's immediate program includes the up-coming Winged Runner Trophy.Unfortunately she will be too old for the Group 2 Bogie Leigh Futurity series at Albion Park just after that."We've spoken to Tony about her future and he is considering taking her south for some feature races during the year," said Lambert."Obviously that all depends on how her form is."In the meantime, there are a few celebratory drinks to be had, specially if she wins "her race" the Publicans' Cup.

Takaloo holds the World Boxing Union welterweight titleWorld champion boxer Takaloo and his wife have appeared in court charged with benefit fraud.
Iranian-born Mehrdud Takalobiagashi and his wife Sarah are jointly accused of falsely claiming social security, housing and council tax benefits.
Mr Takalobiagashi, of Upper Park, Loughton, Essex and his wife, of Gainsborough Avenue, Margate, Kent, appeared at Canterbury Crown Court.
They were released on bail until 30 April when they are due to enter pleas.
The alleged offences took place between April 2003 and September last year, the court was told.
Mr Takalobiagashi holds the World Boxing Union welterweight title.

Once you get outside of the major poker hotspots of Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Atlantic City, it can be a little difficult to find a game. Indian casinos can offer some respite for poker players but, in most areas, it is verboten to even play the game. So when you have the opportunity to step to the felt for a game, you definitely have to take the time! Recently I was in Florida, which has been an interesting area of the poker spectrum. At the beginning of 2006, No Limit poker tournaments were ruled to be against the state law that limited betting to $2 increments in a limit format. The assorted Indian casinos and the dog tracks (where poker is a good deal of the attraction) abided by the

decision, albeit reluctantly. After much discussion, this decision was reversed later in the year and No Limit tournaments could be conducted in the licensed locations across the state. With all of this in mind, I decided to take a look at one of the local dog tracks where poker was offered and found a very vibrant poker scene, although there were some drawbacks. The Naples/Fort Myers Greyhound Track, located between the two cities, was bustling on the evening I was there. The age range ran the gamut from college aged men to an older crowd and there were also some good female players among the group. The poker room opens at noon every day and closes at a rather early midnight, but this is because of the shutdown of the dog track at the same hour (otherwise the poker players would probably stay all night!). The poker room carried (much to my surprise) twenty four tables which carried a variety of activity throughout the night and, amazingly, the poker room's glass enclosure prevented the sounds of the track from invading the space. There were many tables that carried differing games and, as I learned through the players there, the tournament action was substantial. Multi-table tournaments are offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and usually have a very large attendance. With a $45 buy-in (which is the case for all of the tournaments offered), this can allow for some rather large payouts to the final table finishers. On the particular night I was there (a Wednesday), the MTT brought out around 175 players for the 7PM tournament. There are special three table SNGs offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays for those in attendance and, finally, single table SNGs are offered during the hours of operation seven days a week. In addition to this action, there were cash games that abounded at the track. Because of the state laws limiting betting to $2 limits, the best game you will find in any official poker room in Florida is blinds of $1/$2. There are four bets to the cap preflop or afterwards but the betting limits cannot exceed $2, thus the max you can get in the hand on a betting round is $8 (you would normally see an increase to $4 limits on the turn and river in many other locations). The Naples/Fort Myers Greyhound Track does offer an assortment of games from normal Texas Hold 'Em to Omaha (both Hi and Hi/Lo) and Seven Card Stud (again, both the Hi and Hi/Lo versions). One interesting variation I found, though, was something that was called "Action" Hold 'Em. In this game, all players anted $2, with the blinds adding in their normal $1 and $2. After this, the game was normal Texas Hold 'Em (with the same betting restrictions) and the "action" part of the game comes into play. As was the case I found with most of the players there, normally everyone will stay in the pot due to the low limit nature of the game, even with hands that should have headed straight to the muck. It was not uncommon to hear the call of "Capped!" from the dealer on each street of certain hands as the players jostled for the pot. As you can imagine, this led to very sizeable pots and chip stack swings between the players! A skillful player would be able to work this game fairly well, but also would have to be prepared for some off the wall bad beats along the way. The rake was also quite high in comparison to the poker venues that most might have visited previously. In the single table SNGs, only two spots are paid ($220/$100) and the three table SNGs pay three spots ($500/$300/$160). This translates out to roughly a 29% juice as part of the $45 dollars paid, which is unbelievably high (it is normal to see upwards of 10% in many other poker arenas). The cash games are also a bit high on the rake, taking 10% of the pot up to $5, but I was definitely more surprised by the tournament vig. The blind structure of the SNGs was also a concern. With a starting chip stack of 2000, the blinds were set at 100/200 (a miniscule ten big blinds) and players only had fifteen minute levels to work with. This was done perhaps to move more SNGs through the room during the hours of play, but it would be good to see the skill of the game emphasized rather than the luck factor because one bad hand in the early going would leave you seriously depleted for battle. Even with all of this, though, I still enjoyed my visit with the Florida poker scene at the Naples/Fort Myers Greyhound Track. If you are looking for some poker action in the state and are nearby, it is worth the look. Just be prepared for some things to happen that you wouldn't normally see in a Las Vegas or Los Angeles poker room and you should be fine and do well. For more information on the action at the Naples/Fort Myers Greyhound Track, call (239) 992-2411.

Venn Ottery was formerly trained by Paul NichollsThe death of racehorse Venn Ottery after he ran at Newbury is set to be investigated by the Horseracing Regulatory Authority.
Venn Ottery, owned by Oliver Carter and trained by Sue Gardner, was put down after fracturing a pelvis on Saturday.
Gardner has since told the Racing Post the 12-year-old ran in the two-mile Game Spirit Chase against her wishes.
HRA spokesman Paul Struthers told BBC Sport: "We need to establish the facts and talk to the individuals concerned."
He added: "Given that it appears Venn Ottery ran against the wishes and advice of his trainer and at the insistence of his owner, we will be formally looking into the matter.
"We need to establish the full facts, whether this could have been avoided and whether any Rules of Racing have been broken.
"Whilst there has been comment about the grade of race Venn Ottery was running in, it is quite likely that he might well have suffered this injury regardless of the grade of the race."
Carter has been unavailable for comment, while Gardner described the horse's death as "heartbreaking."
Venn Ottery, who was having his first race for the trainer, was passed fit to run by a racecourse vet.
Results of a post-mortem carried out after his death will be examined by HRA officials.
The 88-year-old Carter is a permit holder, which effectively licenses him to train, so could potentially have chosen to change the trainer for the race from Gardner to himself.
Struthers said the HRA relies on trainers, who have gone through a licensing process, to have horses' best interests at heart.
VENN OTTERY FACTS
Age: 12
Races: 46
Wins: 4
Second: 2
Third: 2
Unplaced: 38Carter caused some controversy within horse racing when he ran Venn Ottery as a rank outsider in both the 2005 Champion Chase and Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival.
He was trained at the time by Martin Pipe, having previously been with the current champion trainer Paul Nicholls.
In 2004, the horse enjoyed a successful campaign when trained by Nicholls, winning four races inside a month and finishing fifth to Azertyuiop in the Champion Chase.
But Nicholls had voiced his concerns before the Newbury race, saying it was an "utter disgrace" he should now be running in such a high-quality contest.
Afterwards, Nicholls was quoted by the Racing Post as saying: "When he goes a mile-and-a-half, pulls up and then has to be put down afterwards, it's terribly sad for the horse.
"I felt very strongly about his running, and hopefully there will be some lessons learned from it."
The nature of jump racing means equine fatalities are a part of the sport.
Triple Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Best Mate died in 2005 after suffering a suspected heart attack following a race at Exeter.
The ground was too soft and the race too hot
Trainer Sue GardnerDevon-based Gardner is not one of racing's most well-known trainers, and Venn Ottery was only her second runner of the year.
"It was unfortunate as it could have happened on the gallops and, as I instructed, his jockey at Newbury was not pushing him," she told the Racing Post.
"But he should not have been in that race. I didn't enter him or declare him - Oliver insisted that the horse ran and I tried to persuade him not to run.
"If we hadn't turned up with the horse, I would have been fined.
"I told him the ground was too soft and the race too hot, and he said he would take the horse to the races if I didn't."
The HRA has received no official complaint from any party about the running of Venn Ottery.
Going into Saturday, the horse's form had been largely disappointing - he was pulled up twice and fell once in his previous five runs under the Rules of Racing.
The Newbury event was won by Well Chief, who is now favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase, one of the feature races at next month's Cheltenham Festival.
Venn Ottery was sent off a 200-1 shot for the eight-runner race and was in last place when he was pulled up by jockey Andrew Glassonbury.
The Racing Post report of the race said: "Venn Ottery has little business in this company these days, and he was pulled up halfway down the far side."

Wilkinson is due to play for Newcastle on SundayEngland will announce their team to face Ireland on Tuesday in the hope that the players will be rested by their Premiership clubs this weekend.
Coach Brian Ashton was due to announce the team next week ahead of the game at Croke Park on Saturday 24 February.
The announcement has now been brought forward so the clubs know the identity of the players Ashton wants rested.
"What Brian would like, quite rightly, is the starting XV not to have to play," elite director Rob Andrew said.
The clubs are required to release England players a week before an international match.
Andrew told BBC Sport: "The biggest issue is that there are three Premiership games on Sunday.
"It will mean (the players involved) won't do a great deal on Monday or Tuesday, will train Wednesday and go to Dublin on Thursday."
There are three Premiership matches on Sunday - Bristol v Newcastle, Saracens v Gloucester and Wasps v Sale.
Fourteen of the players who could be in the England squad, including skipper Phil Vickery and fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, play for those teams.
Ireland's players will not have played for the two weeks between their defeat by France last Sunday and the England game.
They are centrally contracted and the Irish Union can decide when they play, with the emphasis on peaking for international matches.
"Whereas Ireland will have two weeks' preparation, England will probably have one and a half," Andrew said.

Mandaric looks set to take the Leicester hot-seat
Milan Mandaric is set to be installed as the new owner of Leicester City, according to reports.
Mandaric is believed to have had a £25m offer backed by the Foxes' shareholders and the club have announced a news conference for 1200 GMT on Tuesday.

"I'm getting positive news from everybody and I am excited by the prospect," the former Portsmouth owner told the Leicester Mercury.

The 68-year-old confirmed making a bid for Leicester back in November.

He added: "I have always had the deepest respect for the club's shareholders, because it was they who stepped in to save the club when it was in trouble.

"When I have chatted to them on my visits to the club, I have found them very supportive and never found anyone who was against this.

"I felt they always had the best interests of their club at heart and it shows."

Manager Rob Kelly said he was delighted that the saga was set for a conclusion.

"It is a good thing for the supporters and the players that it looks as if it is all over," he told the Leicester Mercury.

"We have all had this hanging over us for so long now.

"We will now know where we are heading after all the uncertainty, and that can only be good for everyone.''

The wonderfully named Johnstone Paints Trophy Northern Area final second-leg between Doncaster Rovers and Crewe Alexandra is Monday night's live televised game.

It's a far cry from the glamour of the FA Cup or the Premier League but nevertheless it's another chance - if needed - to get the bank balance into the black.

This competition is notoriously difficult to analyse and the first game between the two sides is evidence of that.

A thrilling 3-3 draw at the home of the Railwaymen enthralled the punters but the advantage is now arguably with the Yorkshire side who are eight points ahead of their opponents in League Two.

Doncaster have lost only twice at home in the league this season but lost 1-0 against Tranmere away at the weekend so their confidence will not be high.

And manager Sean O'Driscoll revealed four of his players who featured in Saturday's defeat were suffering from the bug which has swept through the club.

The fact that Crewe's match against Scunthorpe was called off due to the weather might mean that they will be the fresher side and that could prove to be significant.

However, we reckon another scoring draw is on the cards and will take Betterbet.com's 14/1 for a 2-2 draw with a side bet on a 1-1 draw at 11/2.

In all probability, Arsenal versus Wigan at the Emirates this Sunday will end up as one-sided as many people would think.

One simple fact over-rides all our thoughts when we are considering this encounter - the Lancashire men simply don't beat the Premiership big boys.

And although there is always a first time for everything, we can't see Paul Jewell's men leaving North London with anything on this occasion.

Wigan are hardly in the middle of a good run of form either, their late victory over Portsmouth last week ending a nine-game winless run which has seen them slide down the table.

Arsene Wenger's side, on the other hand, are unbeaten this year with leaders Manchester United a recent victim of arguably the most attractive side in the country when they are on top form.

No value in a straight home win so for any value in this match, it's a matter of judging by how many the home side will win by and when all is said and done, we will take Betterbet.com's offer of 13/2 for a 3-0 Arsenal victory.

Thankfully, on a weather interrupted week, the card at Newbury has been given the thumbs up.

It's an absolutely tremendous card with plenty of Cheltenham clues and the equine stars include Kauto Star who will be long odds-on to complete his Gold preparations by winning the Aon Chase at 2.40.

Betterbet.com have really caught the imagination with their Cheltenham non runner no bet offer and amazingly, in the case of some horses, they are actually a better price as well as having the concession. A case in example is the favourite for the Champion Chase - Voy Por Ustedes who runs in today's Game Spirit Chase at 3.50. Betterbet have him 11-4 favourite for the Champion Chase with the non runner no bet guarantee whilst William Hill only go 5-2 - and if he is a non runner you lose. So as always – shop around.

The two big betting races of the day are the handicap hurdles at 2.05 and the totesport Trophy at 3.15. Isle De Maurice (2.05) and Moore's Law (3.15) are speculative selections.

Betterbet.com have a match bet between Private Be (4/5) and the bottom weight Rio De Janiero (evens) in the 3.15 The odds look right and Private Be should come out best between this pair.

Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan has challenged his players to turn Croke Park into a "coliseum" that intimidates the opposition.

The stadium will host its first rugby international on Sunday when Ireland meet France in a potentially epic clash that will shape the RBS 6 Nations title race.

With double the capacity of Lansdowne Road, which has been closed for redevelopment, O'Sullivan is sure the Gaelic Athletic Association-owned venue will prove inspirational.

He said: "Playing at Croke Park will be a big boost because there will be a lot of excitement, a lot of expectation and a lot of hype around.

"We've always had that at Lansdowne Road but there's that bit extra edge there this weekend.

"It's the first rugby game at Croke Park and that will heighten the intensity. There will be 82,300 voices, most of them cheering for Ireland for a change.

"Usually, when we go to the big stadiums in Paris or London most of the crowd are cheering for the opposition.

We'll take France with a four point start on the handicap with betterbet.com at 10/11.

Saturday's live televised match sees a potentially exciting clash between Portsmouth and Manchester City at Fratton Park but this is not an easy game to tip.

Harry Redknapp's Pompey racked up the points in the first half of the season but it seems that they cannot buy a win at the moment.

Without a win a game of a since Boxing Day, a return to the form of the 2006 is needed and needed soon.

Manchester City continue to confound. Stuart Pearce has come under pressure after taking the England job and all eyes will be on him and the City results over the next few months.

Crucial to this match will be the selection - or non selection - of keeper Nicky Weaver who is a big doubt for the trip to the south coast.

Weaver is suffering from a hip problem sustained against Reading last week which could leave the door open for Sweden World Cup star Andreas Isaksson to make his first Premiership start after being restricted to just two substitute appearances since his £2million summer arrival from Rennes.

At the other end, David James could hardly inspire more confidence in his side. If he stops his former club scoring he will equal David Seaman's record of 141 clean sheets in the Premiership.

We think he will do it which is why we will take Portsmouth at 11/5 for the home side to be winning at half-time and full-time.

Perhaps the return to league football will help us all come to terms with England's poor performance against Spain at Old Trafford on Wednesday. We certainly hope so.

Championship football this Friday comes from the coast where Southend take on Queens Park Rangers at Roots Hall in a battle between two of the division's strugglers.

The home side are in second-bottom place with relegation a real threat this season but they may have been buoyed a little by picking up a valuable points at Stoke last week.

But despite having lost only one of their last seven games, United are still four points adrift of safety.

It has to be said that John Gregory's side are hardly faring much better.
Rangers remain just two points ahead of the relegation places and defeat to Southend is unthinkable.

However, the Super Hoops' 3-1 home win over Burnley last time out will have renewed their confidence and we think they will build on that with a win - their first in five games - against the Shrimpers and will take Betterbet.com's 7/4 for the away win.

After England under-21s' troubles against their Spanish counterparts on Tuesday night, Steve McClarens' men get the chance to go one better against the senior side at Old Trafford.

England had some terrible results in friendly games under Sven Goran Eriksson and with the usual call-offs, it will be difficult for any sort of pattern to be laid down against the Spanish.

McClaren, who has made seven changes from the side which drew with Holland in Amsterdam three months ago, has confirmed stopper Jonathan Woodgate will start along with on-loan Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster- who will make his senior debut at the home of his 'real' club Manchester United.

In fact, there is even more of an experimental look about this England side than usual with players such as Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer and Chelsea bit-part player Shaun Wright Phillips also starting.

To be honest, we don't have much confidence in McClaren.

A host of substitutions is sure to spoil the flow of the game and, as in many such games, both managers will be happy enough not to be beaten.

Betterbet.com's 2/1 for the draw has never looked better.

Let us take you back to Sunday's tip when Manchester United travelled to White Hart Lane to take on Spurs.

Our parting shot to you was, 'take some of Betterbet.com's offer of 10/3 for United to win after the game being drawn at the interval.'

So, with those winnings safely in our pocket, we turn to Monday night's League One match between Scunthorpe and Bristol City.

The home side hope to go reclaim their top spot back from Oldham who leapfrogged them at the weekend.

The Iron have had some good results when they have appeared in front of the television cameras including a 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest earlier in the season and will be boosted by the return of Cliff Byrne from suspension.

Interestingly though, Scunthorpe have only ever won once at home to City, away back in 1964 when they carved out a 5-2 victory.

And City , who recently carved out a great draw against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup, are only three points behind and can go level at the top on points with a win.

However, we think the Iron is hot and ready to strike so we will take Betterbet.com's 5/4 on offer for the home win.

Sunday soccer from White Hart Lane where Spurs welcome Manchester United hoping to derail the Red Devil's Premiership title hopes.

At the moment, the Red Devils look too strong for chasing Chelsea and it's mainly down to their impressive performances away from Old Trafford.

Spurs should beware. United have won 26 points from a possible 36 on their travels and have emerged the victors in their last five games at the Lane.

Martin Jol's side seemed to be on the verge of something special early in the season but it's all gone pear-shaped recently, especially at home.

They hadn't been beaten there since August but that run came to an end at the end of December when Liverpool won 1-0 and they've since managed to lose
3-2 to Newcastle, which takes some doing.

Add to that a two-legged defeat in the Carling Cup semi-final by Arsenal's second eleven and you can see why confidence is low.

Injuries to key players adds further to their woes.

Skipper and defensive lynchpin Ledley King continues to struggle with a foot injury, striker Dimitar Berbatov (six goals already at home in the Premiership this term) has a groin problem and Aaron Lennon missed out in midweek through illness.

So it's difficult to put forward a case for anything other than a United win - so we won't even try.

We will take some of Betterbet.com's offer of 10/3 for United to win after the game being drawn at the interval.

Sky Sports' popular nostalgia football programme 'The Football Years' on Friday night showed Liverpool and Everton fighting out the 1988 FA Cup final and coincidentally, both these sides face each other on Saturday, although this time on Premiership business.

The Reds triumphed 3-2 all those years ago and it's difficult to see them losing this time round even though names like Rush, Barnes and Aldridge are no longer there. The Koppites are in championship form, having won 9 out of their last 10 games while blowing away Chelsea in their last game at Anfield.

Everton famously won 3-0 earlier in the season against their arch rivals at home but with Andy Johnson missing for the Goodison Park side through injury, the smell of revenge is in the air.

Take Betterbet.com's 4/7 for the home win and take it onto the later game between Middlesbrough and Arsenal at the Riverside.

Boro have had a great start to the year, unbeaten in their seven matches in all competitions and having spanked Bolton 5-1 in their last match at home confidence will not be short.

Arsenal are also in fine form, unbeaten in eight and having just made it though to the Carling Cup final after beating rivals Spurs over two legs.
But we think a shock of sorts is on the cards.

The Teessiders, who have been known to carve out some of their best results against the top boys, won this fixture last season and have already drawn at the Emirates. The odds of 3/1 to win with Betterbet.com is too good to miss - and we don‘t intend to.

Friday night football comes from the Championship and a tasty encounter between Cardiff and Barnsley, two clubs with different priorities in mind at the moment.

The Yorkshire side are just three points above the relegation zone but look to have found some good form after successive wins over fellow relegation candidates Luton and QPR.

And Barnsley could be bolstered by Hungary internationals Peter Rajczi and Istvan Ferenczi who might be in the starting line-up at Cardiff subject to FA clearance.

Cardiff are sixth in the table, 10 points behind leaders Derby, having won their last two games but they have been rocked by the loss of midfielder Ricardo Scimeca through injury.

The 31-year-old has been ruled out for a month, after sustaining a hamstring problem in last weekend's victory over his former club Leicester.

We think the Bluebirds will still be too strong for the Tykes and we will take Betterbet.com’s 8/5 for them to win at half-time and full-time.

Chris Cook
Thursday February 01 2007
The Guardian

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds," as that famous punter Ralph Waldo Emerson so rightly pointed out. In like spirit, let us set aside the advice given in this space four short weeks ago, to the effect that no ante-post bets should be considered on this year's Cheltenham Festival.

You might point out, and rightly, that the reason for that advice still holds true - it remains impossible to predict the going at Prestbury Park in mid-March, partly because the clerk of the course may opt to turn on the taps. But something else has changed.

It is the decision of Better Bet bookmakers to offer 'non-runner, no bet' on nine Festival races, a concession that seems almost too good to be true. Most firms will get around to offering such terms as the big week looms but to start taking bets on this basis in January is little short of sensational.

Of course, it would count for nothing if Better were offering shorter prices across the board, but this is not the case. Without looking to the rank outsiders, I found over a dozen horses in their lists for which the Better price matched the top price on the High Street. They offer Detroit City at 11-4 for the Champion Hurdle - that's half a point more than you'll get from William Hill, who will keep your cash if the grey is injured in Saturday's prep-run.

The one that leapt out at me was Nickname at 7-1 for the Champion Chase. The eight-year-old is 10-1 elsewhere but that has a lot to do with the fact that he is a doubtful starter - trainer Martin Brassil wouldn't risk him on anything faster than soft.

If he were to line up at Cheltenham, that could only mean that the ground had come right for him, in which case he would start a lot shorter than 7's. Nickname spent his formative years learning to cope with the porridge-like ground that Auteuil invariably serves up and he rolls through mud like a tractor. His last two outings have resulted in easy wins against high-quality rivals on heavy going.

There's another interesting bet in the Triumph Hurdle, where Better offer a quarter the odds each-way to four places. Degas Art, the only horse to have beaten Katchit over hurdles, is on offer at a very tempting 14-1, matching the best price with the big firms.

Katchit is as low as 5-1 in places, having franked the form with three subsequent wins. Degas Art has been given a break since mid-November but is still believed to be healthy and, as he was more than a stone better than Katchit on the Flat, there is every reason to expect that he will confirm the placings when they meet again.

Better Bet launched in 2005 and now have 13 shops, with plans to open more. If there isn't one near you, go to their website at www.betterbet.com.