Event: Champions League Group Play: Chelsea v. Spartak Moscow

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Wednesday, November 3, 15:45 ET

As November begins, sports betting heats up with plenty of exciting sports and events for all sports fans. You can continue betting on NFL action week to week, and you can make your NFL predictions prior to kickoff Sunday for all the match-ups. Meanwhile, hockey is underway with games just about everyday, so keep up with all the winners and losers with NHL scores to stay informed. While those leagues are underway in North America, in Europe soccer leagues are in full swing, with the best football in the world on display.

The Champions League continues throughout Europe with group play in their second leg of the matchups, as teams try to make the top half of the tables to move on to the final 16. The top team in England, Chelsea, host Spartak Moscow in a battle of the top two teams in Group F. Not surprisingly, Chelsea sit at the top of the table in their tournament group with three victories over Moscow, Marseille, and MSK Zilina. In those games they have scored eight goals while allowing just one, and won two games on the road by a score of 6-1.

Away from the Champions League, the Blues sit atop the English Premier League standings with only one loss and one draw. Since a 1-0 road loss to Manchester City, they have won three and drawn one, continuing to rise up the table.

Meanwhile Spartak Moscow has a lone loss to Chelsea, and two wins over the other teams, scoring four goals and allowing two in that span. Unfortunately for Spartak, their loss to Chelsea was at hopme and now they take to the road, and they will be without some of their top players. Ari, who leads the team in the tourney with two goals, will be out for at least a couple weeks. As well, Parshivluk, has knee ligament damage and will be out for the rest of the year.

Still, a loss would not crush Spartak. They have six points to Marseille’s three, and Zilinia has yet to win or draw. As long as they don’t lose to either of the teams when they play them again, they will move on to the next round as the second spot in Group F. They simply look to stay competitive and keep up some momentum they have developed in the past weeks as they have won both their league games since their loss to Chelsea. Moreover, they are looking to once again qualify for another Champions League birth next season as they remain competitive this year.

Betting lines: Chelsea are the huge favourites and rightly so. This is as close as a lock as one can get in soccer. They are at home, they are healthy, they are playing well, and they are playing a team that is banged up and considerably less talented. Chelsea wins at home, and wins big.

The Games Gamblers Play: Casino Gambling 101

Casino gambling. The first thing that enters our mind is Vegas, slot machines, bright lights and chips. If you’re not a gambling person and you don’t know a lot about casino gambling, then read on...

According to the Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, a casino is a building that accommodates casino gambling. Customers may gamble by playing slot machines or other games of chance and some skill. Casino gambling games usually have mathematically determined odds built in that ensure the house retains an advantage over the players. This advantage is called the “edge”. “Payout” is the percentage given to players. Some statistically even games may take a commission or tax, a "rake" on bets customers make against each other.

There are a lot of casino gambling games which can get you hooked in no time. First of all, you have the classic slot machine. A slot machine is a coin-operated casino gambling machine with three or more reels that rotate when a lever on the side of the machine is pulled. It includes a currency detector that validates the coin or money inserted to play. The machine typically pays off based on patterns of symbols visible on the front of the machine when it stops.

Sadly, casino gambling games often offer the player the illusion of control in which the player is given choices, but these choices do not eliminate the player's long-term disadvantage. This disadvantage is caused by the casino not paying the full amount that would be expected for the odds wagered. For example, if one game was played by betting what number a roll of a die would give, instead of paying 6 times the amount bet for winning, the casino only pays 5 times the amount bet.

This system is often found in famous casino gambling games like Poker, Craps, Roulette or Blackjack.

Poker is a very popular casino gambling card game. The players, with fully or partially concealed cards make wagers into a central pot, after which the pot is awarded to the remaining player or players with the best combination of cards.

Like Poker, Blackjack is also a very popular casino gambling card game. Much of its popularity is due to the mix of chance with elements of skill and decision making, and a practice called card counting. It is a skill in which players can turn the odds of the game in their favor by making betting and strategy decisions based on the cards that have been dealt. Players suspected of card counting are usually banned and blacklisted by casinos.

Craps is a famous casino gambling game using dice. Players wager money against the casino on the outcome of one roll, or of a series of rolls of two dice. The rules vary slightly from one casino to another, but the expected value of most bets is only slightly negative. All bets have a negative expectation, except the "free odds" bet with an expectation of 0, that the player is allowed to make after a point is established on a flat bet. Unlike in Blackjack, there is no possible winning strategy over any given period of time.

Roulette is a signature casino gambling game. A croupier turns a round roulette wheel which has 37 or 38 separately numbered pockets in which a ball must land. The main pockets are numbered from 1 to 36 and change between red and black, with number 1 being red. In addition there is a pocket numbered 0 of green color. In most roulette wheels in the United States but not in Europe, there is a second zero compartment marked 00, also colored green. If a player bets on a single number and wins, the payout is 35 to 1. The bet itself is returned, so in total it is multiplied by 36.

Be very wary though, these casino gambling games are highly addictive (as they are intended to be). A lot of lives have been ruined by casino gambling and although it might be fun, please do try to regulate yourself.