Tampa Bay’s Scott Kazmir could have his work cut out for him on tonight as he faces a red-hot Texas offense at 8:05 PM EST. The Rangers have scored 18 runs in their last two games, back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Angels. Hank Blalock hit a two-run home run to give the Rangers a 9-7 win on Wednesday. "We won that game with heart, fight and desire," manager Ron Washington said, "You all had us in the grave, buried and with dirt on us. But we played good baseball tonight. … The character of the clubhouse showed up tonight." SBG Global reports that early Baseball Wagering Odds sees the public taking the Rays on the road as a -137 favorite with a total 10.5 over -115.

The Rangers (42-35) face lefthander Scott Kazmir on Friday. Kazmir was on the disabled list for much of the early part of the season but he came back last weekend and allowed only two runs and four hits to Florida. "I wanted to go out there and prove something," said Kazmir, "I can definitely build off this start and hopefully get on a roll. Kazmir is 4-0 with a 2.09 ERA in seven career starts against Texas.

Tampa Bay (44-36) is coming off a 5-0 loss at Toronto where they got only four hits. The loss snapped the Rays season-high seven-game winning streak. "We had chances, we just didn’t get it done," outfielder Pat Burrell said. The Rays will face Texas starter Tommy Hunter on Friday. Hunter is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA.

Take a look at the Sports Wagering stats for Friday’s game. The Rays are 6-0 in their last 6 games vs. a right-handed starter. The Rays are 4-1 in their last 5 road games. The Rays are 18-6 in Kazmir’s last 24 starts vs. the American League West. The Rays are 7-0 in Kazmir’s last 7 starts vs. the Rangers. The Rangers are 9-3 in their last 12 home games vs. a left-handed starter. The Rangers are 2-5 in the last 7 meetings between the two teams. The Under is 5-0 in the Rays last 5 overall. The Under is 7-1 in the Rays last 8 road games vs. a right-handed starter. The Over is 4-0 in Kazmir’s last 4 road starts. The Under is 5-1 in the Rangers last 6 home games vs. a left-handed starter. The Under is 24-8-1 in the Rangers last 33 home games. The Under is 4-0 in Hunter’s last 4 starts overall. The Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Texas.

What’s July 4^th without a hot dog or two….or 60, as it will be for Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi in the 94^th annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Hey, I grabbed a bacon and cheese dog from a vendor yesterday and loved it, but I couldn’t imagine eating five dozen of them in the next year, let alone in a 10-minute time span. But that’s why we leave it to the professional eaters.

This eating contest has become a tradition in New York, gaining international exposure (thank you ESPN) and impressive spectator numbers (30,000 showed up to watch last year).

And with the popularity, the sports wagering world has taken notice and bettors look forward to having a little fun with it every year as well. Sportsbook.com is offering up the biggest number of prop wagers and wagering options for the event, with some very cool betting offers.

As you might expect, most of the betting focus surrounds the rivalry between the two top contestants (the only two people who have won the competition the past eight years) Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi.

As it stands, Chestnut is listed as the odds-on at -125, Kobayashi is next in line, listed at -105, and the Field is listed at +1000. Sportsbook.com is seeing a little over 60% of the action right now on the reigning champ Chestnut.

There was a time and place when Kobayashi, nicknamed “the Tsunami,” was actually like a force of nature—he won five-consecutive years in a row between 2001 and 2006—but he is currently on a two-contest losing streak, with Chestnut grabbing back to back wins.

With Kobayashi and Chestnut the two big favorites, let’s look at the head-to-head bets you can make:

In matchup betting between the two, Kobayashi is listed at -105 while Chestnut is listed at -125 and there are also “Adjusted Lines” with 1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 dog lines.

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When it comes to propositions:

The Over/Under for the amount of hot dogs the eventual winner will eat is set at 61.5 and the O/U for the margin of victory between the winner and the person in 19^th place is set at 43.5.

Do you think the contest will go into overtime, aka a “Dog-Off?” If there is and you wager, it will pay out at a whopping +1000 and if it doesn’t, which is the most likely scenario, it will pay out at -2500.

Who will eat 15 hot dogs first? Will it be the favorite Chestnut (-135) or will it be Kobayashi (+105)?

Will Chestnut down 30 hot dogs first (-125) or will it by his Japanese counterpart (-105)?

Will the defending champ Chestnut devour 45 hot dogs first (-125) or will Kobayashi (-105) beat him to the punch

There is even a Grand Salami-like Total bet for the contest, the Grand Dogami.

Like its hockey and baseball counterpart, the bet revolves around the total number of hot dogs eaten by all contestants with the Over/Under set at 604.5.

The Fourth of July is fast approaching and with it barbeques, fireworks and picnics comes betting on hot dog eating. You might even want to throw some hot dogs on the grill.

Playing online craps is something that gamblers like to do at times for fun and for profit. There are some things when you play online casino craps that you should know and some tips that will help you.

Remember when playing online casino craps that the Pass Line bet and the place 6 or place 8 are some of the best bets. The online casino advantage is less than 2 percent on these bets. As you play online casino craps remember to always back up your pass line bet with full online casino odds. Understand how much odds you can take by looking at the online casino rules and always bet the maximum amount. You want to understand the minimum and maximum bet amounts.

As you play online casino craps remember to avoid all of the prop bets. The casino advantage is way too high with these bets. Don’t be playing the hard way bets, any 7, or other high payoff bets because the house edge is too high. When you play online casino craps you are best at keeping it simple and just playing a pass line or come bet. You don’t want to have bets all over the table and getting ruined by a bad roll. Keep it simple.

In online casino craps, streaks are everything. You have to ride them out when they occur and maximize your profits. If a streak doesn’t happen don’t force your bets. If, however, you are on a streak don’t be afraid to press the action and bet more. The way many people make money at craps is to ride those streaks for all they are worth.

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When you are playing online casino craps be sure and understand how to play the game. You can practice and play for free at online casino sites. Get comfortable with your play before risking real money. As you begin your play remember to have a proper bankroll, set a loss limit, and practice sound money management.

Online Casino Craps is a game that has a house edge that is reasonable. That house edge can’t be overcome in the long-term but it can be defeated in the short run and when those big streaks come. It is those spots you want to look for and pound them for all they are worth when playing online casino craps.