Sunday, April 02, 2006

The Internet's largest sports betting site, PinnacleSports.com originally opened wagering on the 2006 World Series immediately after the Chicago White Sox' clinching victory in October's Fall Classic. At that time, the New York Yankees opened as a 5/1 favorite to win their 27th World Series title, but after receiving the most support from bettors, the Yankees' championship odds have been cut to 3/1.

It appears that another Subway Series could be in the making, as the oddsmakers believe in the revamped New York Mets who are listed with the second-best World Series odds at 7/1. The reigning World Series Champion Chicago White Sox are currently 8/1 to repeat along with the St. Louis Cardinals, who hope to break-in New Busch Stadium with a World Championship. Other teams that could make a title run in October include: Oakland Athletics (13/1), Boston Red Sox (13/1), Atlanta Braves (15/1), Los Angeles Angels (18/1) and Toronto Blue Jays (18/1).

The odds on the Chicago Cubs ending the franchise's 98-year World Series drought are listed at 19/1, while the Cleveland Indians are 20/1 to win their first championship since 1948. PinnacleSports.com lists the Los Angeles Dodgers at 21/1 to capture the team's seventh World Series and the Barry Bonds-led San Francisco Giants are 26/1 to win the championship. While they may enter the season with the same record as every other team, the oddsmakers feel a number of franchises have little to no chance of winning the World Series. PinnacleSports.com lists championship odds of the Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Devil Rays as 200/1 underdogs, while the Kansas City Royals have been installed as the biggest long shots at 600/1.

In addition to offering betting on who will win the World Series, PinnacleSports.com also offers odds on each Major League team winning their League Pennant, as well as their respective Division. Bettors can also wager on a wide variety of player props and match-ups, including batting average, home runs, hits, stolen bases, strike outs and saves, among others. Additionally, PinnacleSports.com provides a unique Division "Superfecta," where players can strike it rich by predicting the correct order of the top four finishers in any division with odds of up to 2,000/1.