Welcome to another special edition of Euro Roker Riches, timed to align with the semi-final stages of the Euro 2020 competition.
England are still in it, after a convincing 4-0 thumping of The Ukraine last weekend, and they next face Denmark tomorrow evening. Their tie takes place a whole day after Spain and Italy battle it out for the first berth in the Euro Final wall-chart, later this evening.
Can it be the first time England do better than 3rd place (a feat they have only achieved 3 times since 1968)? Will the dreaded penalty shoot out be a factor in the last 2 games before the final? Is it really coming home? We certainly hope so.
The Euro Roker Riches Table 2020/21 - after round 5
Let’s start with a confession - Malc the Roker Riches lead has had a bit of a recount, as some of the betting totals had gone a bit skewiff, as honestly pointed out by the newly re-named Riches punter, “Honest” Paul Fletcher.
This week's table sees Bomber shoot up to second behind the ever-reliable Phil, after a decent win from the England victory.
Malc and “Honest” Paul are mid-table, and have enough to see them to the final if they are frugal. Matthew is getting very close to skint.
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Banker’s Bonus...
Banker’s bonus bets will apply this week, as England won their game 4-0, emphatically meeting and in fact exceeding the Banker’s ask of a win to nil.
This means all punters have an extra tenner bet this evening, or for the England match on Wednesday. In Matthew’s case, it's a good job, as without that he wouldn’t have much to attempt his recovery.
Should England get to the final, Malc has managed to persuade the Riches Banker to allocate a whopping £20 bonus bet to people’s eroding kitties, so even the lowly Matty can have a dabble. Let’s hope that comes in for all the reasons we England fans totally understand.
What bets do our lads have on for this midweek semi-final footy fest? Let's see.
This round’s bets...
Matty Crichton says...
Banker’s Bonus: Ciro Immobile to score anytime in the match and Italy to qualify, I fully recommend using qualify instead of in 90 minutes to avoid losing your bet if the match goes to added time. £7.50 returns £25.50
England vs Denmark Bet Builder (Using Bankers Bonus): I have to go for it to try and overtake Phil, so here goes... England to qualify, Harry Kane to score anytime, Pierre Hojbjerg to be carded, over six corners both teams combined, and Raheem Sterling to have at least one shot on target! £10 returns £150.
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Luke ‘Bomber’ Davies says...
Spain V Italy
Italy’s record against Spain isn’t a great one, however in a game as big as this (and as England proved against the Germans), history doesn’t necessarily have to repeat itself. Defensively, only England have been more impressive and whilst Spain still have some good attacking midfielders, I’d back Chiellini and Bonucci against Morata any day of the week! Italy win and BTTS = No. £10 returns £35.02
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England v Denmark Bet Builder
Sticking with tournament tradition this year and have a three-leg bet builder which I think has a great chance with a decent return. I, along with the nation have this VERY unusual feeling of expectation rather than dread at the prospect of making a major final. I don’t expect it to be easy, far from it. But I do think it will be an England v Italy final. So jump on the bandwagon with me for this; England to win, England most corners, Denmark most cards. £15 (inc Banker’s Bonus) returns £75.
Phil Butler says...
I’ll let my bets do the talking along with the betting table, rather than the padding the item out this week (plus work commitments mean I am putting these bets to Malc in a bit of a hurry).
Bet 1 - England to win both halves. £15 (inc Bankers bonus) returns £75
Bet 2 - Italy to win and BTTS. £15 returns £82.50
Paul Fletcher says...
Italy to win 2-1:
After the slow start to the tournament they had, it’s unbelievable that Spain have made it this far. They’ve been taken to extra time in their last two games and I’m not sure they’ll have enough in the tank to get past a very strong Italian side. I think the Spanish will give it a good go but Italy will some out on top. £5 returns £55
England to Lose on Penalties:
This bet worked perfectly for the first two rounds of the knockout stages and I’m hoping to make it three losing England bets in a row. £5 returns £65
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Banker’s Bonus - Penalty Double:
To have any chance of moving from almost bottom to top of the table, I need to get creative. I’m going for an unlikely (but not impossible) double of Italy to score from the spot tonight and England to score from the spot tomorrow night. Neither team have been awarded a penalty so far in the tournament, so it’s fair to say they’re both due one, especially in the VAR era. £10 returns £357.50
Malc Dugdale says...
Bankers bonus - Italy to win and under 3.5 goals
I have a strong feeling this year will be an Italy England final, and I think Italy will score then defend, given they have done that as well as anyone bar England. This only gives odds of 2-1, so returns £30 for my bankers bonus tenner.
Harry Kane to score in £90 mins
Kane has found his shooting boots after a quiet start to the tournament. I’m backing him to score in normal time against the Danes, which gathers a boosted 3-1 with SkyBet. Fiver returns £20 including stake.
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Toppy uppy for the final
I need something to give me a top up for the final, as my bets may not do that. I’m going for BTTS, 1+ corners each team in each half, and 10+ booking points each team. This attracts decent odds of 4-1 returning £25 for a fiver stake.
Good luck to England as they look to move towards the Wembley Final, hopefully, to bring home the European Championship trophy, and good luck too to all our fellow punters too.
Please remember to gamble responsibly, and enjoy the footy.