The Co-op Canadian Open curling championship starts in Camrose today, giving fans of the sport six days of top-quality action. We preview the competition and bring you our latest free curling betting picks.
- What; 2023 Canadian Co-op Open
- Where; Encana Arena, Camrose, Alberta, Canada
- When; Tuesday, January 10th - Sunday, January 15th, 2023
The Canadian Open is one of the main events on the curling calendar. It is one of the seven curling Grand Slam events and is also classed as one of curling's four majors.
Hello Camrose! Join us this week at Encana Arena for the @CoopCRS Canadian Open.
Full-event, weekend and daily passes plus single-draw tickets now available.
🎟️ https://t.co/DlkNWFbBFa | #GSOC #curling 🥌 pic.twitter.com/HmGNqz9SvB
— Grand Slam of Curling (@grandslamcurl) January 9, 2023
The competition features 16 of the best men's and 16 of the best women's teams from around the world. The top seeds in the men's draw are Sweden's, Team Edin. At the same time, Team Homan from Canada tops the seedings in the women's draw.
The format is a triple knockout. The brief was to explain triple knockout is that a team must win three games before they lose three games. The teams who qualify make it to the playoffs later in the week.
Starting on Tuesday, all 16 teams from women's and men's competitions will play in A Event. Those who win stay in A Event, with those who lose dropping down to B Event. Winners from B Event then stay where they are, with losers dropping down to C Event.
Eventually, two teams in A Event with 3-0 records qualify, three teams from B Event with 3-1 records go through, and three teams from C Event with 3-2 records all make it through to the quarter-finals.
Easy to understand, isn't it….. No, I don't get it, either.
Who is competing in the 2023 Canadian Open?
Qualification for this event was decided by overall ranking and from the team's performances so far this season. Canada is the most heavily represented nation, with eight teams in the men's event and seven in the women's.
The 16 men's teams with seedings are:-
- 1, Team Edin, Sweden; 2, Team Dunstone, Canada; 3, Team Retornaz, Italy; 4, Team Gushue, Canada; 5, Team Schwaller, Switzerland; 6, Team Bottcher, Canada; 7, Team Koe, Canada; 8, Team Mouat, Scotland; 9, Team Ramsfjell, Norway; 10, Team Dropkin, USA; 11, Team Carruthers, Canada; 12, Team Whyte, Scotland; 13, Team Gosgens, Netherlands; 14, Team Epping, Canada; 15, Team Flasch, Canada; 16, Team Horgan, Canada;
Women's teams:-
- 1, Team Homan, Canada; 2, Team Tirinzoni, Switzerland; 3, Team Einarson, Canada; 4, Team Gim, South Korea; 5, Team Jones, Canada; 6, Team Lawes, Canada; 7, Team Fujisawa, Japan; 8, Team Scheidegger, Canada; 9, Team Hasselborg, Sweden; 10, Team Keiser, Switzerland; 11, Team Ladouceur, Canada; 12, Team Wrana, Sweden; 13, Team Constantini, Italy; 14, Team Ackland, Canada; 15, Team Jaeggi, Switzerland; 16, Team Peterson, USA;
Curling match betting explained
As is usually the case with betting markets in North America, there are three betting lines to choose from in curling.
The moneyline is available, although it can be a bit pointless in matchups with overwhelming favorites. This is particularly the case in the earlier triple knockout matches.
There is the handicap market. In curling, the handicap spread market is set similarly to NBA or NFL, which is set to a total that levels up the bet. As opposed to NHL, where it is always set at 1.5.
And finally, there is also the total points (over/under betting) market on the number of points scored in the match.
Women's Betting
In the women's competition, the best online sports betting sites have Team Einarson as the favorite at +200. Einarson (seeded three) and her team lead the way just ahead of fellow Canadians, Team Homan, with the number one seed at +325.
| 2023 Canadian Open Women's Winner Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team Einarson | +200 | +200 | +200 |
| Team Homan | +325 | +325 | +325 |
| Team Trinzoni | +425 | +425 | +425 |
| Team Lawes | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Team Hasselborg | +900 | +900 | +900 |
| Team Gim | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Team Fujisawa | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Team Scheidegger | +2700 | +2700 | +2700 |
Making up the top three in the betting is Team Tirinzoni of Switzerland. The Swiss team is +425 to be victorious. There's then a bit of a gap in the betting before we get to Team Lawes, also of Canada, who are +800.
Men's Betting
In the men's competition, the favorites are Team Gushue of Canada. Seeded fourth, Gushue and his team are +270, just ahead of Team Mouat of Scotland. Mouat's team is ranked eighth in this competition and are +325 second favorites.
| 2023 Canadian Open Men's Winner Betting | | | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team Gushue | +275 | +275 | +275 |
| Team Mouat | +325 | +325 | +300 |
| Team Edin | +640 | +640 | +600 |
| Team Schwaller | +680 | +700 | +700 |
| Team Bottcher | +750 | +750 | +700 |
| Team Retornaz | +800 | +850 | +800 |
| Team Dunstone | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Team Koe | +1700 | +1600 | +1700 |
Behind the two favorites the rest of the betting looks very competitive. Team Edin is third at +640, with Team Schwaller just outside the top 3 at +680 with the best betting sites like Bovada. Please check out our Bovada sportsbook review for more information on this sportsbook.
Canadian Open Betting Picks
I am going for a Canadian win starting in the women's competition. For me, it’s a close call between Team Einarson and Team Homan.
Team Homan is the winner of the HearingLife Tour Challenge. They were also runners-up in the WFG Masters, are seeded one here, and are the better odds at +325. So I’m making Team Homan my pick to win the women’s title.
The men’s competition is a similar scenario between Team Gushue and Team Mouat. The odds are close, but I can’t help feeling that if this were in any country other than Canada, Team Mouat would be the favorites. Therefore I’m sticking with my policy of going with the better odds when it’s a close call and making Team Mouat my pick to win the men’s title.
