The 2023 Scotties Tournament of Hearts takes place later this month. And with the job of representing Canada at the 2023 World Women’s Curling Championship in Sweden the reward for the winning team, it promises to be an action packed event with high stakes on the line. Can Kerri Einarson make it four wins in a row? She’s the favorite, but Einarson will face tough opposition from the likes of Tracy Fleury and her Ontario team. Here we assess the chances of both Einarson and Fleury, and tell you what the best value bets are in our latest Curling betting picks.
- What; 2023 Scotties Tournament of Hearts
- When; Friday, February 17th - Friday, February 26th
- Where; Sandman Centre, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
In total there will be 18 teams competing at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. All 14 Canadian Curling Associations had playdowns to decide who represents their province or territory.
These 18 teams have been split into two groups of nine, with both groups playing each other once in round-robin format. Five teams from the two groups qualify for the Championship Rounds, with two teams going into the Tiebreaker. The winner of the Tiebreaker joins the remaining five sides. Of those six teams, four then qualify for the playoffs, which determine the overall winner. As ever with Curling, it’s all easy to understand (as long as your name is Einstein!).
But all joking aside, this is a huge event. It’s the Canadian National Championships, and the winner - of this marathon competition - gets to represent Canada at the World Championships, which this year is being held at the Goransson Arena in Sandviken, Sweden. Making it a serious championship to win!
Who are the defending Champions?
The defending champions are Team Einarson who are looking for their fourth win in succession. Team Einarson consists of Skip Kerri Einarson, Val Sweeting, Shannon Birchard and Briane Harris. As the defending champions, they have the right to play as Team Canada in this year’s competition.
Last year they defeated Team Northern Ontario in the final, eventually defeating them 9-6 in the final. They also knocked out New Brunswick, defeating them 8-4 in the semi-final.
Congratulations to @EinarsonTeam on advancing to the final of the 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts! ❤️🤍❤️🤍
Watch Team Canada take on Team Northern Ontario live on @TSNCurling at 7 p.m. ET.#STOH2022 pic.twitter.com/NehclJGoXh
— Curling Canada (@CurlingCanada) February 6, 2022
In total, Team Einarson has won the past three editions of this event. But due to events beyond her control, she has only been able to compete twice at the World Championships. Her best finish at the worlds was winning the bronze medal in 2022. In 2021, they lost 8-3 to Sweden in the Qualification game, failing to reach the last four. And in 2020, the event was canceled.
In order to better her record at the World Championships, Kerri Einarson and her team first needs to win in Kamloops. So what chance of that happening? Let’s take a look at the betting.
Betting to win the 2023 Scotties Tournament of Hearts
Not all the best online betting sites have priced this competition up yet. But of those that have, the favorites are Kerri Einarson’s team. Team Einarson are +125 to win the competition, just ahead of Tracy Fleury’s Ontario team, who are +225. After the two favorites comes the wildcard representation of Kaitlyn Lawes, who are +600.
| 2023 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team Canada | +125 | N/A | N/A |
| Team Ontario | +225 | N/A | N/A |
| Wild Card 1 (Kaitlyn Lawes) | +600 | N/A | N/A |
| Team Manitoba | +900 | N/A | N/A |
| Wild Card 2 (Casey Scheidegger) | +1300 | N/A | N/A |
| Team Novia Scotia | +1900 | N/A | N/A |
Both Kerri Einarson and Tracy Fleury have been kept apart in the round-robin stage. Team Einarson are -125 to win Group A, with Team Fleury at +100 to win Group B.
The top online sports betting sites will add these odds to their sites closer to the start of the competition. For now, why not check out our sportsbooks reviews page to find the best bookmakers to bet with in general with. Our betting bonuses and promotions page good will also point you in the direction of some good offers for new customers.
What is the makeup of the groups?
Group A consists of Kerri Einarson’s Team Canada, and they are joined by Skip’s Kayla Skrlik (Alberta), Clancy Grandy (British Columbia), Christina Black (Nova Scotia), Brigitte MacPhail (Nunavut), Marie Christianson (Prince Edward Island), Laurie St-Georges (Quebec), Robyn Silvernagle (Saskatchewan), and Kaitlyn Lawes (Wildcard).
In Group B, the headline team is Tracy Fleury’s Ontario Team. Joining Fleury is Jennifer Jones (Manitoba), Andrea Kelly (New Brunswick), Stacie Curtis (Newfoundland and Labrador), Krista McCarville (Northern Ontario), Kerry Galusha (Northwest Territories), Casey Scheidegger (Wild Card), Meghan Walter (Wildcard), and Hailey Birnie (Yukon).
Scotties Tournament of Hearts Betting Picks
It’s a tough call to decide who will win the competition and represent Canada at the World Championships later this year. Team Einarson can’t keep on winning the competition. But it’s hard to back against her and her team with their recent record.
In the recent Women’s Canadian Open, Kerri Einarson came close to winning the title. In the end she fell at the final hurdle. Losing 5-3 to Japan’s Satsuki Fujisawa in a closely fought final. That was only just over two weeks ago, so it shows that Team Einarson is in decent form.
Luckily for Einarson, there will be no Fujisawa at Kamloops. So if you add that to Einarson’s track record in this event, there can only really be one pick to win the tournament, and that is Kerri Einarson’s Team Canada.
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