Texas Calculatem and Poker Office Blog

Only 3 days left, and Bishopsgate is full of chunder from the spate of Christmas parties. Nasty! Being a hardcore drinker, I had a 3 bottles of beer after work and was ready to go to bed. SMT.

This morning I got into the office a bit earlier to clean up on the precdictable fat fingers caused by hungover traders. Nothing was happening so I went to make a nice cup of tea and started chatting with one of the clients. He was very concerned about reports which state that British Intelligence told their US colleagues that a terrorist attack on London would be inevitable over the Christmas holiday. They only have today left if they want to hit the financial district. So if it's not today they'll probably go for a shopping destination such as Oxford Street. I'll be hiding in my flat and keeping away from the crowds!

Alternatively, if you want to make a quick bit of cash this weekend, here are some betting tips from one of my least favourite bookmakers:

Premiership Preview

After beating United last weekend, can Curbishley give all Hammers fans what they really want for Christmas, an away win? With nearly 60 football markets available in-running, why not have a bet that's a bit different at Sporting Index? We've taken a look at some of the weekend prices (see previews below) - new clients can take advantage of our best offer yet:

£200 Football Bet for New Clients**

Open a Sporting Index account*, place only five sports bets and claim a £200 per goal bet on any live Premiership, Championship or Champions League match. Each qualifying bet must be able to win or lose you £20.**

*Credit and suitability checks, **terms and conditions apply. See site for further details about an account with Sporting Index. Sports spread betting involves a high level of risk and you can lose more than your original stake. It is not suitable for everyone so please ensure that you understand the risks involved and only bet with money you can afford to lose.

For full details of these offers, and to apply for your Sporting Index account, click here.

Weekend Premiership Preview

Fulham v West Ham (Saturday 12.45 Sky Sports 2)

Last years meeting was a fiery affair and referee Chris Foy will have to keep a lid on things at the Cottage with Sporting Index predicting 4 bookings in the game. West Ham, still in search of their first away win of the season, travel to Craven Cottage to face a Fulham side who have won their last two home games. With the influential Boa Morte and Diop missing through injury, the Irons will have to keep an eye on McBride. The American has scored in the last two home victories for the Cottagers, including the crucial goal against Middlesbrough on Monday night. New Hammers boss Curbishley will look to continue his side's recent good record against their West London rivals. They haven't lost against Fulham in the Premiership since 2002 and were victorious in both encounters between the sides last season, winning by the odd goal in three on both occasions. Veteran Fulham defender Ian Pearce will be looking to keep a clean sheet against his former side, who still haven't managed a goal away from Upton Park in the league since August. Last weeks victory over league leaders Man Utd may have boosted the Hammers confidence; nevertheless Sporting Index reckon this will end in a stalemate.

Wigan v Chelsea (Saturday 17.15 Prem Plus)

With just one goal in each of the two league meetings between the sides, it is perhaps a little surprising that Sporting Index predict there will be 2 goals at the JJB on Saturday evening. The champions win at Everton last week was there second in a row away from the Bridge, with the outstanding Drogba reaching double figures for the season. The Blues have problems in defence though with influential captain John Terry, who grabbed the winner the last time the two sides met, missing through a back injury. Wigan's magnificent performance at the JJB against the champions last season will give them some heart, but with two defeats in a row at home firmly at the back of their mind and leading scorer Camera missing up front they face a tough task. The Senegalese front man has six so far this season and so the attacking burden will fall to Heskey who hasn't scored in two months. Bookings were at a premium last year in this fixture so it's a bit of a surprise Sporting Index predict that referee Mike Dean will caution 4 players.

Hopefully that's given you something to think about. For all the latest prices and to apply for your personal Sporting Index account, click here.

Sporting Index is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Please note that all prices were correct at the time of writing but are subject to change.

The information contained herein is for your general information and use. In particular, it does not constitute any form of advice or recommendation by Sporting Index Ltd and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making (or refraining to make) any specific decisions.