Punters clean bowled

[dave nz]

AFTER remaining loyal to the Australian cricket team through a dismal summer, punters have ditched the Aussies in South Africa.

Betting shops throughout the country, headed by TAB Sportsbet, were the big winners on Australia's victory in the opening Test match.

"Our punters certainly burnt their fingers," TAB Sportsbet's Glenn Munsie said.

"The only big bet landed with us was $5000 at $1.95."

Injuries to key bowlers has made Australia virtually unwanted in the second Test, starting in Durban tonight. "We've got them out to $3.45 and only 11 per cent of our hold is on them to win. There's no bet bigger than $500," Munsie said.

The draw has been backed from $2.55 into $2.25, including bets of $3200, $3000 and $2000. South Africa has been well backed to win at $2.75.

Nothing in Tigers' tank

THE Melbourne Tigers' loss in the NBL's first game of the best-of-five grand final series left one TAB Sportsbet punter gasping.

The punter splurged $60,000 across three bets on the Tigers: $25,000 at $2.30 to win, $15,000 to win by four points or more and $20,000 on total game points, being 184 or more. He lost the lot.

Musical highs and lows

MOST punters would dream of backing a 100-1 to winner just once in their life.

But several Betfair punters did even better on blowout winner Musical Hit at Betfair Park (aka Sandown) on Wednesday. Amazingly, one punter matched an $11 at 800-1 bet and collected $8011.

Other bets were matched at 780-1, 770-1 to 740-1.

Given Betfair is a buy and sell market, there must be some layers (the players who offer the odds) absolutely bleeding.

Clever gamblers pay

NOT all Betfair punters are happy. The betting giant has introduced a "premium" on its best strike-rate punters.

"This only applies to 25 of our 60,000 registered Australian customers," Betfair's Hugh Taggart said.

"Exchange betting is only nine years old and it's very much an evolving platform. This will not affect the Joe Average punters, it applies to sophisticated punters, many of whom bet using software programs."

Looking to the real stuff

ONE punter has skipped ahead of the NAB Cup to have $5000 on Geelong at $1.60 with TAB Sportsbet to beat the Hawks in the first "real" game in 2009.

Munsie said the Cats were $1.12 to beat an undermanned Carlton ($5.50) in tomorrow night's second NAB Cup semi.

"If money means anything, Collingwood ($1.28) will win the first semi (tonight against Essendon). The money is running at a 20-to-one ratio for the Pies," he said.