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What Are Blackjack Side Bets?Side bets are bonus bets placed on a round of Blackjack on outcomes beyond whether the player or dealer will win. The majority are staked at the start of the round before the cards have been dealt alongside regular bets and many have fixed odds that usually offer greater payouts than the simple 2:1 rewarded for beating the dealer.Play Blackjack at Pinnacle Casino

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Side bets provide an exciting way to make Blackjack games more interesting whilst offering you a greater number of ways to win. So what are side bets, what side bets are available and are they worth it? Read on to find out.

Blackjack Side Bets Explained

Finding a niche market in betting can often lead to value. This can be anything from specialist knowledge of handball betting to extensive experience in betting on Japanese baseball. Providing you know more than the bookmaker, there is money to be made.  &lt;Bet on soccer at Pinnacle&gt; They also make for interesting and potentially profitable bets, as they can be a little more reliable

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A corner is one of the most inexplicably exciting events in soccer. Only around three per cent of them lead to a goal, but you can guarantee that the attacking team’s fans will roar their approval and encouragement if their team are awarded one. Read on to find out how you can benefit from betting on corners.

Corners betting in soccer: Value in a lesser-known market

Poisson Distribution is a mathematical concept for translating mean averages into a probability for variable outcomes across a distribution. For example, if we know Manchester City average 1.7 goals per game, so by putting the Poisson Distribution formula tells us that this average equates to Manchester City&nbsp;scoring 0 goals 18.3% of the time, 1 goal 31% of the time, 2 goals 26.4% of the time and 3 goals 15% of the time.

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Poisson Distribution: Predict the score in soccer betting

What is Expected Value?The amount a player can expect to win or lose if they were to place a bet on the same odds many times over, calculated through a simple equation multiplying your probability of winning with the amount you could win per bet, and subtracting the probability of losing multiplied by the amount lost per bet.A simple example of Expected Value (EV) put into practice -&nbsp;if you were

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The Expected Value of a bet shows us how much we can expect to win (on average) per bet, and as such is the most valuable calculation a bettor can make when comparing bookmakers' odds. How can you calculate Expected Value in sports betting in order to predict your winnings? Read on to find out.

How to Calculate Expected Value

Scott has been writing about fantasy sports, sports betting and sports analytics for more than 20 years. He played varsity hockey at Wilfrid Laurier University, where he majored in Economics, and he has spilled a lot of digital ink on the National Hockey League over the past two decades. He has attended, hosted and been a panelist at hockey analytics conferences, and has earned a reputation as a data-first analyst, covering not just hockey, but baseball, football and basketball as well.

Scott Cullen

When the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles kick off Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on February 9, it will be a rematch of two seasons ago, when the Chiefs ultimately secured a 38-35 win over the Eagles.

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Can the Kansas City Chiefs become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls?
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The Chiefs are looking to become the first team to ever win three straight Super Bowls, having won by a field goal over the Eagles two years ago and by a field goal in overtime against the San Francisco 49ers last year.

In the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs held on for a 32-29 win against the Buffalo Bills, so there is a trend of the Chiefs emerging on the victorious side in close games.

Over in the NFC, the Eagles obliterated the Washington Commanders, winning by a final score of 55-23, thanks to a 21-point fourth quarter.

Can the Chiefs make history, or will the Eagles pull off the upset?&nbsp;

Here are some best bets to consider on sides and total for Super Bowl LIX:

Bet: <a href="https://www.pinnacle.com/en/football/matchups/">Super Bowl odds</a>

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<h2>NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP BEST BETS</h2>

<h2>MONEY LINE BETTING</h2>

The Chiefs have won 17 of 19 games this season, with one of their two losses coming in Week 18 against Denver when the Chiefs were resting their starters.

They have been the ultimate case study in finding ways to win because the underlying numbers are not indicative of a team that is running roughshod over its opponents.

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While the Kansas City Chiefs have lost just one game this season when they were trying to win, their underlying numbers suggest that they could be vulnerable.
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This is not to suggest that the Chiefs are not a strong team. They ranked eighth in Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA), ninth in Offensive EPA per play and 15th in Defensive EPA per play. Those are numbers that suggest an above-average team, not a team whose run to the championship is simply inevitable.

Of course, the elephant in the room is that the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes, and he is unquestionably the premier quarterback of this era. He has a career record of 17-3 in the playoffs, with two of those losses coming against Tom Brady. Mahomes ranked 10th in Adjusted EPA per play this season, passing for a career-low of 3,928 yards (excluding his rookie season when he started one game), with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while averaging a modest 6.8 yards per pass attempt.

Obviously, the Chiefs found their way to win week after week, but they could face a serious challenge against the Eagles.

Philadelphia ranked third in Defensive EPA per play and third in Dropback EPA per play, allowing league lows of 174.2 passing yards per game and 6.0 yards per pass attempt.&nbsp;

Offensively, the Eagles ranked sixth in EPA per play while quarterback Jalen Hurts ranked 11th in Adjusted EPA per play. Hurts has been battling injuries recently but looked sharp against Washington in the NFC Championship Game, completing 71.4 per cent of his passes for 246 yards and a touchdown while running for three more touchdowns, two of which were of the one yard “tush push” variety.

The Eagles offense is certainly more dangerous when Hurts is in fine form, but the engine that consistently drives them is running back Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 2,005 yards during the regular season and has run for 442 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 6.0 yards per carry in Philadelphia’s three playoff victories.

Can the Chiefs contain Barkley? They ranked 11th in Defensive Rush EPA per play, which is above average, but not enough to suggest that Barkley won’t be able to move the chains.

Ultimately, this should be a close game. The argument for the Chiefs is that the moment will not be too big for them and Mahomes has proven time after time that he can rise to the occasion. But the Eagles’ defense should give them an edge and if Barkley can continue his dominant run through the postseason, a small advantage will rest with Philadelphia.

Best Bet: Eagles ML (+107*)

Bet: <a href="https://www.pinnacle.com/en/football/nfl/matchups/">Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles odds</a>

<h2>HANDICAP BETTING</h2>

The Chiefs have been masters of winning close games this season, with six wins coming by a margin of three points or less, plus another win in overtime. They have played close games and consistently come out on the right side.

It is not like the Eagles have been finding ways to lose. They have just three losses all season, including a one-point loss to Atlanta in Week 2 and a three-point loss to Washington in Week 16.&nbsp;

Since the preference is already to take Philadelphia on the Money Line, the natural conclusion should be to take the points with the underdog Eagles because even if Kansas City wins, it might be a very close call by the end of the game.

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Best Bet: Eagles +1.5 (-108*)

Bet: <a href="https://www.pinnacle.com/en/football/nfl/matchups/">Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles odds</a>
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<h2>TOTAL BETTING</h2>

Both the Chiefs and Eagles have tended towards the Under, with Kansas City going Over in eight of 19 games while Philadelphia went Over in nine of 20 contests.

The number for Super Bowl LIX is 49.5, a lofty total that the Chiefs have exceeded just five times in 19 games, though they did it last week in a 32-29 win against Buffalo.

The Eagles have gone Over a total of 49.5 points seven times in 20 games, but they have done it in back-to-back wins against Washington and the Los Angeles Rams.

Both teams are certainly capable of putting up points, but there are enough questions about their offensive play, combined with Philadelphia’s outstanding defensive play, to like this game to go Under.

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Best Bet: Chiefs-Eagles Under 49.5 (-116*)
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*Subject to change.
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NFL Predictions: Super Bowl LIX Best Bets

Scott Cullen previews the Conference Championships in the NFL, sharing his best bets for main markets and player props, based on Pinnacle's odds.

NFL Betting Analysis and Predictions

Scott Cullen previews the Super Bowl in the NFL, sharing his best bets for main markets and player props, based on Pinnacle's odds.