What categories to bet on at the Oscars?

Looking back at the surprising win for Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained as Best Supporting Actor and the tie for Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty in Sound Editing, we can see that the Academy would give us surprises once in a while. Will any wins against the odds happen at the 86th Academy Awards this year? They are possible and placing wise bets on the following categories give the opportunity and excitement to test whether you and the majority of Academy voters think alike.

This article is solely for reference and filmAEO bears no responsibility for any monetary losses. filmAEO advises you gamble wisely and responsibly.

Few weeks ago, I placed a sensible bet on Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club to win in Best Actor before the announcement of nominations. The rate offered was appealing and at that moment I felt that he would win all the major awards, except BAFTA, as he was not nominated. Within these few weeks, my prediction was correct and every expert puts him confidently now at their first place to win. However, betting agencies are offering bets on him that have nearly no high returns at all.

To check on which agency offers the best rate for a certain category, please visit:
http://www.oddschecker.com/awards/oscars/

The categories to bet on...

Best Picture

The Lead

• 12 Years A Slave

The odds / Recommended bets

• Gravity
• American Hustle

Best Supporting Actor

The Lead

• Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club

The odds / Recommended bets

• Michael Fassbender - 12 Years A Slave

Best Supporting Actress

The Lead

• Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years A Slave

The odds / Recommended bets

• Jennifer Lawerence - American Hustle

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Lead

• 12 Years A Slave

The odds / Recommended bets

• Philomena

Best Film Editing

The Lead

• Gravity

The odds / Recommended bets

• 12 Years A Slave
• Captain Phillips

Reasons:

1. If 12 Years A Slave wins Best Picture, historical records show it is almost likely to get Best Film Editing as well.
2. These technical categories can yield surprising wins such as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo winning this category few years ago surprisingly. The same applies to Captain Phillips which is now seen as a 'Black Horse' of the editing race.
3. Captain Phillips won recently at the American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddies Awards, beating 12 Years A Slave and Gravity under the same category for dramatic feature.

Best Original Score

The Lead

• Gravity

The odds / Recommended bets

• Her
• Philomena

Best Production Design

The Lead

• The Great Gatsby

The odds / Recommended bets

• 12 Years A Slave
• Gravity

Oscars Surprising Wins of All Time

• 1957 Best Picture - Around the World in Eighty Days
• 1959 Best Director - Vincente Minnelli (Gigi)
• 1974 Best Actor - Art Carney (Harry and Tonto)
• 1977 Best Picture - Rocky
• 1981 Best Picture - Ordinary People
• 1981 Best Director - Robert Redford (Ordinary People)
• 1987 Best Actress - Cher (Moonstruck)
• 1990 Best Director - Kevin Costner (Dances With Wolves)
• 1992 Best Supporting Actress - Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny)
• 1997 Best Adapted Screenplay - Sling Blade
• 1998 Best Picture - Shakespeare in Love
• 2000 Best Actress - Hilary Swank (Boys Don't Cry)
• 2000 Best Supporting Actress - Marcia Gay Harden (Pollock)
• 2001 Best Supporting Actor - Jim Broadbent (Iris)
• 2001 Best Actress - Halle Berry (Monster's Ball)
• 2002 Best Actor - Adrien Brody (The Pianist)
• 2004 Best Picture - Crash
• 2006 Best Original Song - "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" (Hustle & Flow)
• 2010 Best Director - Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
• 2012 Best Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
• 2012 Best Animated Feature - Brave