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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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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

Luke studied Economics at The University of Exeter before embarking on a career that combines two of his greatest interests, writing and sports betting. Despite a keen interest in soccer, he is open to exploring any sport where value might be present. He particularly enjoys analysing markets from different perspectives to try and find a profitable edge.

Luke Petty

<h3>League structure</h3>
The MLS operates a conference system culminating in playoffs at the end of the season. The league is split into a Western and Eastern conference with the top six teams from each entering a knockout tournament to decide the overall MLS Cup winner. In contrast to European leagues there is no promotion and relegation system.
<h3>Home field advantage in the MLS</h3>
The statistics suggest that home field advantage is stronger in the MLS than the major European leagues.
MLS teams win an average of 0.88 more points per game (PPG) playing at home than they do travelling to matches. In the Premier League this differential is only 0.5 points per game suggesting home advantage has a bigger effect in Major League Soccer than the major European leagues.
<h3>MLS Home vs Away PPG</h3>
<div class="table-holder-article-content">
<div class="table-modal">
<div class="table-modal-head">
<div class="table-modal-head-inner">
<h2>MLS Home vs Away points per game</h2>
</div>
</div>
<div class="table-modal-content">
<div class="article-table-content">
<table class=" article-table">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Season
</td>
<td>
Home PPG
</td>
<td>
Away PPG
</td>
<td>
Differential PPG
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2013
</td>
<td>
1.78
</td>
<td>
0.97
</td>
<td>
0.81
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2014
</td>
<td>
1.72
</td>
<td>
1.00
</td>
<td>
0.72
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2015
</td>
<td>
1.83
</td>
<td>
0.96
</td>
<td>
0.86
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2016
</td>
<td>
1.81
</td>
<td>
0.88
</td>
<td>
0.93
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2017
</td>
<td>
1.91
</td>
<td>
0.85
</td>
<td>
1.06
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Total
</td>
<td>
1.81
</td>
<td>
0.93
</td>
<td>
0.88
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

In fact the proportion of <a href="http://i.imgur.com/sIylqiU.png" target="_blank">MLS home wins to away wins is greater than that found in the Champions League</a>, so an MLS regular season fixture is more comparable to a Champions League tie than a Premier League match.
<h3>Which MLS team has the biggest home field advantage?</h3>
<div class="table-holder-article-content">
<div class="table-modal">
<div class="table-modal-head">
<div class="table-modal-head-inner">
<h2>Greatest home field advantage in the MLS</h2>
</div>
</div>
<div class="table-modal-content">
<div class="article-table-content">
<table class=" article-table">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Team
</td>
<td>
Home PPG
</td>
<td>
Away PPG
</td>
<td>
Points Differential
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
FC Dallas
</td>
<td>
2.13
</td>
<td>
0.98
</td>
<td>
1.15
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
San Jose Earthquakes
</td>
<td>
1.79
</td>
<td>
0.71
</td>
<td>
1.08
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Chicago Fire
</td>
<td>
1.72
</td>
<td>
0.65
</td>
<td>
1.07
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
New York RB
</td>
<td>
2.15
</td>
<td>
1.09
</td>
<td>
1.06
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
New England Revolution
</td>
<td>
1.95
</td>
<td>
0.91
</td>
<td>
1.05
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Houston Dynamo
</td>
<td>
1.79
</td>
<td>
0.75
</td>
<td>
1.04
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Seattle Sounders
</td>
<td>
2.08
</td>
<td>
1.07
</td>
<td>
1.01
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Atlanta United FC
</td>
<td>
2.12
</td>
<td>
1.12
</td>
<td>
1.00
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Real Salt Lake
</td>
<td>
1.91
</td>
<td>
0.96
</td>
<td>
0.94
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Portland Timbers
</td>
<td>
1.96
</td>
<td>
1.05
</td>
<td>
0.92
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Colorado Rapids
</td>
<td>
1.69
</td>
<td>
0.79
</td>
<td>
0.91
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Los Angeles Galaxy
</td>
<td>
1.91
</td>
<td>
1.02
</td>
<td>
0.88
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Impact de Montréal
</td>
<td>
1.67
</td>
<td>
0.82
</td>
<td>
0.85
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
D.C. United
</td>
<td>
1.62
</td>
<td>
0.78
</td>
<td>
0.85
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Minnesota United FC
</td>
<td>
1.47
</td>
<td>
0.65
</td>
<td>
0.82
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Philadelphia Union
</td>
<td>
1.61
</td>
<td>
0.85
</td>
<td>
0.76
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Columbus Crew
</td>
<td>
1.76
</td>
<td>
1.01
</td>
<td>
0.75
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Sporting Kansas City
</td>
<td>
1.86
</td>
<td>
1.13
</td>
<td>
0.73
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Toronto FC
</td>
<td>
1.76
</td>
<td>
1.07
</td>
<td>
0.69
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Vancouver Whitecaps
</td>
<td>
1.75
</td>
<td>
1.08
</td>
<td>
0.67
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Orlando City
</td>
<td>
1.51
</td>
<td>
0.92
</td>
<td>
0.59
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
New York City FC
</td>
<td>
1.71
</td>
<td>
1.20
</td>
<td>
0.51
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

FC Dallas have the largest home-away point differential. They <a href="https://www.thescore.com/mls/news/1337187-kings-of-summer-how-fc-dallas-houston-dynamo-conquer-the-texas-heat" target="_blank">benefit from extremly high temperatures during the Texas summer</a>, which may partially explain why they perform so much better in Dallas than on the road.
<div class="articleV2 unordered-list">
<ul>
<li>Read: <a style="color: #f50;" id="articleLink" href="https://www.pinnacle.com/en/betting-articles/Soccer/home-team-advantage-in-soccer/RL925RWD8AK9E6V8">Home field advantage in soccer</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
New York City FC have been the best team away from home according to their PPG, but are relatively less successful at Yankee Stadium. This may be caused by the unique nature of their home pitch (a converted baseball field) which could make home wins less likely.
NYCFC have been one of the strongest teams in the MLS since they joined the league in 2015, so the smaller pitch at the Yankee stadium may actually work as an equaliser, making it easier for inferior sides to secure points.
<h3>Extreme conditions in the MLS</h3>
<div class="table-holder-article-content">
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<h2>MLS vs Premier League</h2>
</div>
</div>
<div class="table-modal-content">
<div class="article-table-content">
<table class=" article-table">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
 
</td>
<td>
MLS
</td>
<td>
Premier League
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Altitude
</td>
<td>
1578m (Colorado Rapids)
</td>
<td>
276m (Stoke City)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Coldest match
</td>
<td>
-13°C (Minnesota, 2017)
</td>
<td>
-7°C (Manchester, 2010)*
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Average high temperature (during season)
</td>
<td>
35.8°C (Dallas, August)
</td>
<td>
18.6°C (London, May)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Furthest away game (2018)
</td>
<td>
2618 miles (Orlando to Vancouver)
</td>
<td>
295 miles (Bournemouth to Newcastle)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Largest time zone difference
</td>
<td>
3 hours (Pacific time to Eastern time)
</td>
<td>
0
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
 
<h5>*no official record</h5>
The MLS is certainly a very diverse competition with more variable conditions than the big Western European leagues. Teams need to prepare for extreme temperatures, altitudes and travel distances as well as playing across different time zones.
There are also <a href="https://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/mls-next-cba-negotiations-2020-charter-flights-travel" target="_blank">restrictions on charter flights</a>&nbsp;so star players can travel vast distances in economy class, an issue that does not occur in the richer and more geographically condensed European leagues.
Travel distance seems to have a <a href="https://www.americansocceranalysis.com/home/2015/5/20/zrq8500mrlga9pnts3basp37l2yi7r" target="_blank">negligible impact</a> on home advantage however, so it is just one of many factors that must be considered when assessing how the venue will impact an MLS fixture.
<h3>Does the salary cap have an effect on the league?</h3>
Another factor that makes the MLS unique is it’s franchise system which is structured in a similar way to other North American sports leagues. There is no promotion and relegation whilst a wage cap is implemented in an attempt to secure parity between the sides.
This does not mean all MLS clubs can field sides of equivalent value, but it does limit disparity. According to Transfemrkt, the difference between the 2017 season’s most valuable (LA Galaxy, £31.95 million) and least valuable (Houston Dynamo, £9.5 million) MLS squads was £22.45 million.
There is only a slight correlation of 0.11 between team value and MLS regular season points total, which suggests the salary cap is working effectively to even the competition.
In contrast, the difference in value between the squads of Manchester City (£797.5 million) and Huddersfield (£81.85 million) is much larger. In the Premier League the value of a team’s squad correlates much more strongly with total points. This is another factor that may amplify the strength of home field advantage in the MLS.
In a game of fine margins home advantage is more likely to alter results. The MLS contains teams with similar levels of quality and thus the factors that influence home advantage (such as the home crowd and familiar surroundings) will have a greater effect on the outcome of matches.
For example, when Manchester City play Huddersfield there is such a mismatch in quality between the teams that the venue is less likely to alter the final result. In a standard MLS game the teams are more evenly matched, so home advantage becomes more important.
<h3>Betting on the MLS: What bettors should consider?</h3>
Bettors should be aware of the unique nature of the league when assessing MLS bets. The impact of home advantage and exceptional conditions should be considered in greater detail than the major European leagues.
<div class="articleV2 unordered-list">
<ul>
<li>Read: <a style="color: #f50;" id="articleLink" href="https://www.pinnacle.com/en/betting-articles/Soccer/the-ultimate-soccer-betting-guide/94W2R4CMM4C5UCUZ">How to bet on soccer</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
It is also important to note the motivation of a team ahead of the game. It is common for the worst MLS teams to have nothing to play for towards the end of the season which could affect results, whilst teams who have already secured their place in the playoffs may opt to rest players for more important matches.
All of this makes the MLS an interesting league to bet on, especially with the addition of brand new teams and the occasional midseason signing of a superstar from a European league.
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Why is the MLS different from European soccer leagues?

The MLS is one of the World’s fastest growing and most unique soccer leagues. What makes the MLS different to European soccer leagues? Why is home field advantage so strong? What other factors make the MLS different? Read on to find out.

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The MLS is one of the World’s fastest growing and most unique soccer leagues. What makes the MLS different to European soccer leagues? Why is home field advantage so strong? What other factors make the MLS different? Read on to inform your MLS betting.