The Unfaithful You

When you are searching for a dog kennel for your pet, remember that there are certain ones that are made for different types of dogs, and not every cage will be correct for your particular situation. There are kennels which are designed and made strictly for the comfort of small animals which are being transported. There are also the kennels which are designed with security in mind, made especially for the larger pets.

Dog cages can be made in virtually any size imaginable (even large enough to house a room full of adult sized people), and have many styles that serve various purposes. Make sure to get one that suits your exact needs and specifications.

When looking for a traveling cage, you will find several styles to choose from: kennels made of metal grid with a solid floor, a plastic den with a metal door, or even a zipper-entranced, mesh-doored fabric “bag”. The many uses for this kind of kennel range from keeping your pet secure and under control for trips or vacations, to transporting it between training events. Also, these are ideal when you are not allowed to have your pet roaming free in a facility.

Most cages and kennels for training are designed to be used inside as a way of either housebreaking your animal, punishing him for bad behavior, or keeping him from running loose when nobody is around to keep an eye on him. If you can keep your dog in the cage at night when you are sleeping, they will learn to wait to use the bathroom until you are able to let them out, and this will help you with getting them on a schedule.

A training cage makes a good “time out” area when your pet makes a mistake and needs discipline. Your pet will quickly learn that if he doesn’t want to go sit in the cage he will stop doing whatever he did that got him there. While it’s not a substitute for your attention, sometimes a cage is a good way to keep your rambunctious pet under control during times when you’re not home.

You can also buy cages that are made for outdoor use, like kennels, wooden floor cages that are a part of a doghouse, that are great for having a nice place to sleep and move around outside, or dog runs, that are much like cages but have legs above the ground, and are stronger. Finally, walk-in cages are good for the temporary housing of several large dogs, and provide ease of access and cleaning.

Graham writes articles on the dog cage and about how to train your dog with large dog cages.

There are many different phases to playing the different video game systems existing on the market. Then, there are those people that simple enjoy relaxing in the privacy of their own home so as to meditate on the game systems they choose to play. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this process since many people find it to be quite enjoyable. However, there are also those that might have a means of expanding their success and fun with gaming.

One such way people find a means of boosting their quality video game playing time will center on the ability to play live online video game sessions. This is a fun means of investing a little time playing video games with other like minded gamers all throughout the world.

Is it tough to take part in such a gaming venture? Actually, it is a lot easier than most people assume. All you need to do is purchase the proper system that allows you to sign into the live version of the gaming venture. Often, it involves little more than working with the online system each individual system provides. Xbox, for example, has the Xbox Live function that will yield the necessary connection to the online gaming worlds that are available to you.

And yes, there is a unique and amazing world that exists in the arena of online live video game play. When you are taking part in these gaming adventures, you will discover that the essence of the live session revolves around interacting with others that can make the session much more exciting.

Why does it become so exciting? Well, a great deal of the reason that it is exciting deals with the fact the online gaming adventures are decidedly unpredictable. Why is this so? You are playing against (and with) other fellow human gamers. Their actions will certainly be much less predictable than what would be expectant from and automated system. Thanks to the inclusion of the human element, you can have a much more alive gaming experience.

There is also the positive benefit that can be derived from scores of other players which allows you to develop skills in the arena of teamwork. This most definitely delivers a lot of value although most people are not aware of its presence in the early stages where it rears its head. Online gaming ventures most definitely promote a sense of teamwork. Such value should never be diminished.

Game play also becomes more of a social interaction when you are taking part in live play with other members. Some may enjoy the solace gaming provides but then there are others that would rather prefer the process of interacting with others in the online world. Some will find this type of gaming to be the most fun and rewarding of all. Consider that another endorsement for live gaming online.

Since live online game play is a global entity, it becomes possible to venture into such game play on a 24/7 basis. That means that no matter how weak your current schedule might be, you will always retain the option to being able to take part in online adventures. This basically means there will never be a lull in your life as the online realm is always there to bring forth much excitement

Learn how to download Wii Games when you follow this link and learnhow to download Wii Games by following this link.

On January 31, 2000, the historic Mapes Hotel in Reno was imploded by 75 pounds of explosives tucked into the art-deco structures support columns. The destruction of the Mapes put an end to years of efforts to preserve the building via lawsuits, redevelopment proposals, and grass roots action. The National Trust for Historic Preservation took up the cause of the Mapes, and challenged the destruction in a suit that eventually reached the Nevada Supreme Court.

While the logic and necessity of demolishing the Mapes is very questionable, one thing that is certain is that the hotel was an important part of Northern Nevada history. The Mapes opened in’47 and with it ushered in a new era for casino gambling and the state of Nevada. Despite some historical revisionism that suggests that the modern era began in Las Vegas with Bugsy Siegel’s famed Flamingo, the Mapes was actually the first building in America to have a hotel, casino and live entertainment under the same roof. The Mapes attracted countless celebrities who’d make it their home when business brought them to Northern Nevada–this included movie stars like Clark Gable, TV stars like the cast of ‘Bonanza’ and political power brokers like infamous anti-Communist crusader Joseph McCarthy.

In the 50s and 60s it became, along with Lake Tahoes Cal-Neva Lodge the place to be seen in Northern Nevada. The top floor, window-walled Sky Room showcased performances by the legends: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jackie Gleason, Louis Prima, Mae West, Milton Berle, Sammy Davis, Jr., and the Marx Brothers among others. Subsequent years were not kind to downtown Reno but the Mapes continued to do well during the 60’s and 70’s. The hotel finally closed in’82, due more to financial difficulties experienced by the Mapes family caused by one of their other Northern Nevada gaming properties than anything else.

While the last twenty years brought an amazing boom in the population and economy of Southern Nevada, the Northern part of the state didn’t see much of it at all. For that reason, the urgency of destroying the Mapes is even more questionable. In the Las Vegas area, its easy to justify the demolition of older hotels with simple economics–the older properties simply can’t compete in the current mega-resort dominated marketplace. Furthermore, the insane valuation of the land on which they sit makes it financially unfeasible to preserve them as pop culture museums.

This is not the case in Reno, where land and buildings for development in virtually every casino area are abundant. The city argued that the land on which the Mapes stood was necessary for their redevelopment efforts–a somewhat absurd position given the realities of downtown Reno and the lack of any real development on the property since the demolition. Despite receiving a number of viable concepts for the Mapes Building, the City Redevelopment Authority rejected all of them and the Mapes was destined for demolition.

The role of the City Redevelopment Authority was questioned throughout the process. Overlooking the Truckee River, the hotel was on a prime location between the downtown casino area and the riverfront district. A number of sound financial proposals were presented that would preserve the integrity of the structure including condominiums, office space, and perhaps most viable, upscale senior apartments. Oddly, all of these proposals were turned down by the citys Redevelopment Agency which continued to maintain that demolition was the only viable option despite copious evidence to the contrary.

After the demolition of The Mapes Hotel, the lot remained vacant for almost a year until a temporary ice skating rink was constructed in the winter of 2001. The site now houses a permanent ice skating rink which, while not a bad use for the land, brings into question the insistence by the City Redevelopment Agency that none of the proposals to preserve the building were viable. Clearly, they had no specific plan or even general idea of what to do with the land but for some reason wanted to see the hotel come down. This has led to all manner of speculation, ranging from financial self interest to a rumor that the structure was ‘haunted’ and needed to be destroyed to forestall future paranormal activity in Washoe County. Whatever the reason, the city of Reno lost a valuable landmark of a more civilized era.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Northern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Regulation D, Under Sections 4(2) and 3(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, the SEC adopted Regulation D to coordinate the various limited offering exemptions and to streamline the existing requirements applicable to private offers and sales of securities. The Regulation establishes three exemptions from registration in Rules 504, 505, and 506.

Rule 504, which provides an exemption for non-reporting companies unless they are “blank check” issuers or certain “shells”, stipulates that: The sale of up to $1,000,000 of securities in a 12-month period is permitted provided that there is no general solicitation, the securities sold are restricted securities and cannot be resold except pursuant to a registration statement or exemption, and a notice must be filed with the SEC within 15 days after the first sale. Rule 504 does not provide an exemption under any state laws. In certain limited circumstances where an offering is conducted under state accredited investor exemptions, securities offered under Rule 504 may be freely transferrable. Unlike Rules 505 and 506, Rule 504 does not mandate that specified disclosure be provided to purchasers. Nonetheless, the business person should take care that sufficient information is provided to meet the full disclosure obligations which exist under the antifraud provisions of the securities laws.

Rule 505 was adopted by the SEC to provide small businesses more flexibility in raising capital than under Rule 504 – but without the uncertainty of determining the quality of the purchasers that generally is involved in using Rule 506. Rule 505 provides issuers a limited offering exemption for sales of securities totaling up to $5 million in any 12-month period.

Rule 505 contains certain restrictions regarding “accredited investors” and non-accredited persons. The-term “accredited investor” includes:

Banks, insurance companies, registered investment companies, business development companies, or small business investment companies; Certain employee benefit plans for which investment decisions are made by a bank, insurance company, or registered investment adviser; Any employee benefit plan (Within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act) with total assets in excess of $5 million; Charitable organizations, corporations or partnerships with assets in excess of $5 million; Directors, executive officers, and general partners of the issuer; Any entity in which all the equity owners are accredited investors; Natural persons with a net worth of at least $1 million; Any natural person with an income in excess of $200,000 in each of the two most recent years or joint income with a spouse in excess of $300,000 for those years and a reasonable expectation of the same income level in the current year; and Trusts with assets of at least $5 million, not formed to acquire the securities offered, and whose purchases are directed by a sophisticated person.

If the issuer sells any securities to non-accredited investors, it must furnish to all investors the same type of information as required by Regulation A. It must also furnish audited financial statements.

If an issuer other than a limited partnership cannot obtain audited financial statements without unreasonable effort or expense, only the issuer’s balance sheet (to be dated within 120 days of the start of the offering) must be audited.

Limited partnerships unable to obtain required financial statements without unreasonable effort or expense may furnish financial statements prepared on the basis of federal income tax requirements and examined and reported on by an independent public or certified accountant in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards; and The issuer must also be available to answer questions by prospective purchasers about the issuer or the offering.

Further restrictions under Rule 505 include:

The total offering price of each issue of securities may not exceed $5 million. The offering may not be made by means of general solicitation or general advertising. The issuer may sell the securities to an unlimited number of “accredited investors” and to 35 non-accredited persons. There are no requirements of “sophistication” or “wealth” for persons to whom the securities are sold. A company must take any necessary steps to ensure that the purchasers are acquiring securities for investment only, not for resale. The securities are thus “restricted” and investors must be informed that they may not be able to sell except pursuant to a registration statement or exemption from registration. The issuer is not required to file any offering materials with the Commission. Fifteen days after the first sale in the offering, the issuer must file a notice of sales on Form D. The notice also contains an undertaking under this Rule for the issuer to furnish the Commission, upon its staff s request, any information given to non-accredited purchasers in connection with the offering. Rule 505 does not provide an exemption from state securities laws.

SEC Rule 506 offers and sales of securities by an issuer that satisfy the conditions stated below are deemed transactions not involving any public offering within the meaning of Section 4(2) of the Securities Act. For an offering to be considered exempt from the registration requirements, Rule 506 stipulates: There is no ceiling on the amount of money which may be raised. No general solicitation or general advertising is permitted. The issuer may sell its securities to an unlimited number of accredited investors and 35 non accredited purchasers. Unlike Rule 505, all non-accredited purchasers (either alone or with a purchaser representative) must be sophisticated – that is, have sufficient knowledge and experience in financial and business matters to render them capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment. The term “accredited investor” is defined under Rule 505.

If the issuer sells any securities to non-accredited investors, it must furnish to all investors the same type of information as required by Regulation A. It must also furnish the same financial information as would be required by registration on Form S-1.

If the issuer cannot obtain audited financial statements without unreasonable effort or expense, then financial statements may be provided in accordance with the special treatment described under Rule 505.

The securities sold are “restricted” under the same stipulations in Rule 505.

A company is required to file a notice of the offering on Form D at SEC headquarters within 15 days after the first sale in the offering. All states except New York provide an exemption from state securities laws for offerings under Rule 506 but the company must file a copy of the Form D and pay a filing fee in each state. New York has a distinctive law which makes a Rule 506 offering within that state impractical.

Accredited Investor Exemption

The Small Business Investment Incentive Act of 1980 created a new statutory exemption from registration under the Securities Act for transactions involving offers and sales of securities by any issuer solely to one or more “accredited investors.” Under Section 4(6):

The total offering price of each issue of securities under the exemption may not exceed the limit on small offerings set by Section 3(b) the Securities Act, which currently is $5 million per issue. The offering may not be made by means of any form of advertising or public solicitation.

The term “accredited investor” is defined to include the same individuals and entities as included for purposes of Rules 505 and 506. The issuer is required to file a notice of sales on Form D with the Commission 15 days after the initial sale is made in reliance on the exemption.

Go Public With Your Company, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

Discovering the ‘thumbscrews’ of investors is crucial to getting them to take action. In over a decade of dealing with global investors there are several elements that I’ve discovered to be universal truths about the mind of the private investor (angel investor, accredited investor).

When talking to an investor for the first time, it’s more important to listen than to speak. It’s more important to ask questions than answer them. It’s more important to discover their needs and wants than to exclaim your own. Your first conversation with an investor should be all about piercing the armor and finding the trigger points that prompt a reaction that gets to the center of their ‘childlike’ state.

What I mean by this is, investors, just like anyone else, has insecurities that are rooted in their childhood and what they are outwardly today, is typically a polar opposite of what they are on the inside. For example, an arrogant, chest beater seems proud and obnoxious on the outside but the reality is that they are over compensating for an insecurity that is rooted in an individual or collection of childhood incidents.

Maybe they were made fun of as a child, maybe they’re father was verbally abusive, maybe their teachers would single them out in class opening them up to playground mockery. When talking to these individuals it’s important to listen to their voice and intonation when the conversation topic changes. Take notes on their psychological adjustments to the conversation. After you feel you have discovered the triggers that induce the ‘pleasurable’ responses, end the call, and set your second phone appointment with them.

On that second call, you want to have your conversation ready to go using the triggers you found in the first conversation. Play off of those insecurities that you found, become their best friend without being chummy but it is your mission on this call to be the “guy that understand me” to the investor. You want the overall tone of this conversation to have the response from your target along the theme of, “wow, this guy gets me” , “I can see investing in this company”.

By using this method and not coming across as ‘fake’, you have become an investment opportunity and a shrink all rolled into one. You want to be the one person that this investor can lower his guard to because everything he says, you seem to be the one person who understands him at his deepest level. You seem to naturally be tuned into his insecurities, emotions, needs and wants. Sound strange? Try this out on the next investor you talk to, I guaranty you will be shocked with the results.

For Corporate Consulting or Investor Finder Services, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

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Questions, questions and more questions! They are the most interesting things that we can ask when we want to learn about someone else.

Dale Carnegie in his best-selling book, “How to win friends and influence people” talks about the amazing power of asking questions to show that we are interested in someone else.

Have you ever been to a party and you’ve been the one asking the questions and doing most of the listening? If you have you will probably agree that the other person thought that the conversation was quite interesting – funny that! You probably did less that twenty percent of the speaking but you got 100% of the credit!

If you’re a guy and ask a lady some great questions, you will often find yourself leaping to last-base, saving a lot of legwork trying to build rapport with her. Asking questions and really listening to what a person says is one of the most naturally flattering things you can do with anyone.

If you’re a woman and want to pamper a guy’s ego and make him feel super good and wanted, then just ask him lots of questions and then really listen to the answers. You will have the guy on a dangling string in seconds!

Despite the ego-stroking that can happen, if you are genuine, you will always win someone over quickly. They will feel your genuine interest and respond. Because the people who are genuinely interested in someone else and ask great questions are the people who are always popular and well liked. Faking interest is the worst thing you can do. And at the end of the day, if you are not a natural listener then put yourself to the test and practice. You will start to learn SO much about so many things and you will discover parts of people that are just SO interesting to learn about.

Here’s 21 questions to ask a guy or girl to get conversation moving. They have been written from a female perspective, however just switch them around if you are a guy and want to use them. If nothing else it will get you thinking about your own questions – which are always better.

Here’s 21 questions to ask a guy or a girl

1. If you are working as a waiter and one of your customers was really rude, would you spit in their soup or even think to do this?

2. What was your favourite Halloween dress up costume as a child and why?

3. If you could choose to have dinner with five people – real of fictional – who would you invite and why?

4. If you could suddenly become the invisible man, where would you go and what would you do?

5. If someone was to make a comedy movie about just one part of your life, which part would they script and what would be written?

6. What was your most favourite television character when you were a child? What did you like about them and why?

8. What do you regret not doing the most in your life?

8. What’s the most way-out experience you have had in your entire life?

9. Have you ever had a date with a person that is much fatter or slimmer than you and when you saw them for the first time what did you think?

10. What age were you when you had your first proper date and did you get to kiss them?

11. What was the worst lie you have ever told in your life? Did you get caught out?

12. If you were suddenly turned into a woman for a day, how would you spend that day?

13. If you do not like someone what do you normally do, show it or hide it and why?

14. What is more important to you in a woman – good looks or intelligence?

And now let’s get a little more risqu! Obviously you would have had a few drinks before asking some of these questions!

15. Have you ever been caught stark naked in a public place – if so what were you doing?

16. What’s the difference between having sex and making love for you and which do you prefer?

17. If you could suddenly change the age you lost your virginity, would you?

18. What are your biggest sexual turn-ons and turn-offs?

19. Have you ever been unfaithful to your partner and did they find out? If so, what happened?

20. Has anyone ever caught you touching yourself sexually? If they did what did you do?

21. Have you ever serial sex – with one person and then been with a different person somewhere else within the same day?

If you would like to read more fun questions that you can ask different guys then visit 21 questions to ask a guy today.

For most people, dreams are mysterious ‘mini movies’ that play in their minds while they’re sound asleep, seemingly without their control, with some being rather pleasant, and others, not so much. However, we now know that it is actually possible to make dream control a complete reality, bringing about what is known as lucid dreaming.

But, what does the term truly mean and how does it work, and what, if any, are the benefits, and is it really possible for anyone to achieve this means of making our nightly journeys into the world of dreaming our own continual series of fascinating adventures? Read on for the answers to these common questions about the art of dream control.

What Is Dream Control?

Dream control, or lucid dreaming is when you are completely aware that you are dreaming while you are doing so; and in control of the events which take place within your dream. Even while your body is sound asleep, your mind knows that you are dreaming and you are in the directors chair for the proceedings.

For those suffering from frequent nightmares, this simple but powerful method may serve to be just the thing they need to finally enjoy a restful night’s sleep.

Common Techniques For Inducing Lucid Dreaming

A rather effective method known for achieving lucid dreaming involves the use of binaural audio, which entails listening to two different frequencies at the same time in order to synchronize the brain waves, bringing about a deep sense of relaxation, as well as a state in which lucid dreaming is possible known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

Prior to the advent of binaural audio technology, now available on CDs and DVDS, meditation and self hypnosis were used to bring about dream control. While these methods are indeed effective, it can take a considerable amount of time to become expert at these techniques.

Besides these methods, there are many other techniques which have been employed by experts in the field. Regardless of how one trains their mind to start using dream control, the idea in every case is to let the dreamer come to the awareness that they are dreaming and start to take control of their dreams.

To do this, we must, of course, begin while we are wide awake, with the key being to remember to do or say something in a dream, which will trigger the recognition necessary within the mind and allow us to then control what happens next.

It’s often a simple matter of telling yourself, just before going to sleep, that you will be dreaming soon and in that dream you will remember to do or say something specific, and when that happens, you will instantly realize that it is a dream.

This form of dream control is called mnemonic induction of lucid dreams (or MILD for short), a technique developed by researcher Dr. Stephen LaBerge. Once reminded, you are then in control of your dream. You can then decide what happens in your dream, with your imagination being the only limiting factor.

A dream diary can also help you to get started with lucid dreaming. Immediately after you wake up, write down each and every detail that you remember from your dreams. After doing this for a while, you’ll train your mind to remember your dreams; this is the first step to dream control and soon you’ll start having lucid dreams!

When you know how to use dream control, you can dismiss your nightmares and have incredible experiences which would never be possible in the physical world; you can go anywhere and do anything that your imagination can conceive!

However, there can be too much of the good thing which is lucid dreaming. Dreams can tell us important things, according to psychologists. So while you should unlock your full potential to have lucid dreaming experiences, make sure to give yourself some time off now and then to have natural dreams.

David Heoung is a writer for the http://www.luciddreaminginfo.com website. Discover the amazing experience of dream control for yourself and get twenty nine Free lucid dreaming Binaural and hypnosis mp3 audios when you visit here.

If you have a college student, a desktop computer can be one of the best tools that you can give that student. The desktop offers easier upgrades and functionality than a laptop at a lower price.

A desktop computer that has internet connections can open a wide world to your student. Today much of the research that is done for term papers can be done online. While many courses still require that the student to have at least a couple of traditional sources, much of the research can be done from your own home using the computer and the internet connection.

If your student needs to have letter perfect papers and they will in college, a word processor is one of the most valuable tools that you can offer. In the past, it was necessary to buy the most compatible word processor, however today, you can get one for free off line that is compatible with most word processing tools. In addition, it is able to save in formats that can be opened by those processors.

If your student is going to make a verbal presentation, Power Point is a useful program for illustrating his speech. The presentation can usually be done on the home computer and saved to some form of media for use where the speech will be presented. If there is no computer there, the student may need a laptop computer that can easily be transported from place to place.

Communication is made easier for the student using the computer. In fact, many of today’s courses are presented on line. Students attend lectures at their own convenience on line and participate in on line discussion. Assignments are made and homework is returned to the professor without the student ever entering a classroom. Exams are administered on the computer and term papers are e-mailed to the professor.

The computer can even make communication back home with mom and dad easier. There are several VOIP providers that allow your student to have a phone without the traditional charges for a phone line. Many of these carriers offer calls with no long distance charges. Additionally, the student can use online chat and e-mail to keep in touch.

For today’s student, a computer is a necessity of life. Most of the time a desktop computer is a better value for the student to use as a communication tool or to prepare class work for presentation. Most students also work in a few games to relax during their down times.

Need to know more about computers and computer components? Why not check out the Ebuyer website which lists product descriptions along with reviews from users. For unbiased reviews and information on deals and offers on desktop pc or a laptop or netbook, please visit the Ebuyer.com website.

Sports book futures bets are an increasing popular and potentially profitable way to wager on the outcome of a full season. There’s a few common mistakes that novice players make that can be easily avoided by paying attention to the following:

You gotta shop around: More specifically, you have to ’shop points’ just as you would with a straight bet. This is crucial in all forms of sports betting but particularly key with futures wagers. There are often greater variances in the prices from book to book on future plays than any other type of wagering proposition. The reason for this is simple–most books are less concern with what the ‘other guys’ are doing as they are with keeping their own position ‘in balance’. All in all, the sports betting marketplace just doesn’t react as quickly to changing futures prices as it does to individual game lines.

Don’t try to pick the winner in a competitive marketplace: This may sound sort of counter intuitive since the general idea of betting on futures is to determine the actual winner but it’s really not. Like everything else, its essential to always be mindful of the value you’re getting. In a futures market with several legitimate contenders at the top the price offered is seldom high enough to properly compensate for the risk you’re assuming. Here’s an example: in a hypothetical NCAA hoops tournament Duke is +200 to win the national championship. They’ve certainly got a shot, but at a payback of only 2/1 its hard to justify a wager at this point with the potential for so many interceding events that can make a championship more problematic. Such events as injuries, a tough tournament draw or even just going into a slump at the wrong time can happen to any team but when you bet a higher priced team–a ‘dark horse mid major at 15/1 for example–you’re getting “compensation” for assuming the “risks” of betting on a proposition with so many unknown variables.

To put this in more theoretical terms, the “true odds” of Duke winning the NCAA Championship are almost certainly higher than the price we’re getting. Obviously, determining the “true odds”, or actual probability of a future event is an inexact science but think of it this way: if the NCAA tournament was played 100 times would Duke wind up winning 50 of those? Given the number of other good teams and the propensity for upsets along the way, its doubtful. For the sake of argument, lets say that Duke has a 33% chance to win the tournament. That means that I wouldn’t consider a bet on Duke to be a good value unless I was getting a price that a) accurately reflected the true probability of their winning and b) gave me some compensation for assuming the “risk of the unknown” inherent in taking the position so far in advance. At +500 I might be interested, but at +200 the value just isn’t there.

In a less competitive field, there can be instances where even a big favorite is a good value. For example, lets say a book was to take action on a bikini contest between a Victoria’s Secret supermodel and three members of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The model would essentially be a 100% probability to win the contest, meaning that even a high chalk price would be a good value. Risking a lot of money to win a little is a tough thing to justify, however, even if the math makes sense.

Don’t try to make a huge profit with little risk: Sports betting provides few opportunities to make a ‘big killing’. It may happen occasionally, but even the big payouts when it occurs doesn’t make chasing big longshots a good value. If you’re serious about sports betting it is crucial to maintain your focus on the underlying numbers and look for value at all times. If you want to take a longshot at a huge jackpot, play the lottery but don’t try to do it at a sportsbook.

Wagering value is just as important at the bottom of the barrel as it is at the top. Just because you’re getting a huge potential payback on a big dog doesn’t make it a good value. Make sure that the payback you’re getting presents an overlay situation–even on a huge underdog.

Don’t bet one-sided futures or propositions: Though many of these are not futures per se, a lot of sportsbooks offer silly propositions on nonsport events as a way to get publicity, or just to be funny. Its important to make a distinction between this type of silly bet and more realistic nonsport propositions which frequently present good wagering value. Im talking the really outlandish stuff here. Not too long ago, a sportsbook posted a line on Martians landing on earth and painting the White House red by the end of the year. The “YES” was +2500 or thereabouts, which is far from reflective of the “true odds” of this unlikely event. Even if you’re the type that collects classic Art Bell shows on tape and believes in UFOs you wouldn’t place the probability of this happening at more than a fraction of a percent. The book only offered the “YES” side of the proposition, meaning that you couldn’t lay even a huge price on the more likely outcome. Another book had a futures offering for what would happen first with Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore and Bruce Willis. All of the options were very unlikely–Ashton and Bruce fighting on PPV and my favorite–and the longest odds–Ashton, Bruce and Demi hopping in bed together and releasing a porno video documenting the event. You’d receive a sizable payback if any of the events ever transpired, but I’m not exactly sure how to compute the “true odds” on “when pigs fly.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.