TRP Eurovision Betting Guide 2009

Like horse racing and baseball, some things are only worth watching if you have a bet on it. As I'm not planning to go out tonight I will no doubt end up catching bits of Eurovision, usually the bit where everyone votes because that's the best bit, isn't it? You only have to listen to one song that way? AND there's no Terry Wogan, so in the words of MJ Hibbett, that's DOUBLE EXTRA MEGA WIN!! According to the bookies at the moment, the likley order of the result is:

1. Norway
2. Greece
3. UK (they have GOT to be joking)
4. Turkey
5. Azerbaijan
6. Bosnia and Herzegovina
7. France
8. Iceland
9. Ukraine
10. Estonia

You may know that Google has been running a Eurovision predictor based on searches that people in the voting countries are making on the finalists from other places and not their own country, which sort of makes sense. They are going for:

1. Turkey
2. Norway
3. Greece
4. Sweden
5. Ukraine
6. France
7. Russia
8. Switzerland
9. UK
10. Azerbaijan

Unofficially I am supporting Iceland because I had a nice holiday there last year and I'm also a fan of those crazy Icelanders such as Hafdis Huld, Eliza Newman and the Sugarcubes, all of whom would make the event worth watching if only they joined in.

So I am trying to make some money by putting my faith in technology by having an each way bet on three of the favourites. I'm not betting on Norway because they are ODDS ON (what's that all about?) but numbers 1, 3 and 4 in the Google list are long enough to almost get your money back if one of them reaches the top 4 and to make a small profit if they win. I found £20 in my Betfair account and £15 in my Paddy Power account, just as luck would have it. So I am blowing the whole 35 quid as follows:

Betfair - to reach the top 4
Turkey - £10 with odds of 2.64
Greece - £5 with odds of 1.82
Sweden - £5 with odds of 14

Paddy Power - to win
Turkey - £5 with odds of 11
Greece - £5 with odds of 6.5
Sweden - £5 with odds of 51

The odds are decimal and include the return of the stake. So 11 is really 10/1 and 51 is 50/1, etc.

I do have form - the last time I had a bet on the winner was in 2006 and Lordi came in at around 20/1 for me. I should point out I haven't listened to ANY of the songs, just like I don't read any of the form when I have my yearly bet on the Grand National. And fingers crossed I won't have to listen to them either ...