It is well known that sports betting can be a profitable venture. However, for the inexperienced, it can be difficult to discern the actual odds of an event, especially when betting on large events with small margins of error. The following article will advise you on how to tell whether or not your underdog picks are profitable.
Underdog Successes Are Inevitable
When a team or player you believe in unexpectedly wins, it can be a thrill. Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between. Most underdogs lose, and for those betting on them, it can be difficult to tell whether or not their losses are due to bad luck or if they were actually a fluke.
In reality, it is very rare for an underdog to win without a little help from the odds in their favor. When placing a wager on an underdog, you must remember that they are generally considered to be in a state of defeat before their game even starts. Thus, it is an uphoric rare for an underdog to win a game without the odds favoring them.
For the vast majority of underdogs, their chances of winning are essentially nil. For this reason, it is generally considered foolish to wager on underdogs unless you are willing to lose a substantial portion of your potential winnings.
Underdog Losses Should Be Avoided
While excitement and thrills may be a welcome addition to your betting experience when an underdog wins, the opposite is true when they lose. In almost all cases, an underdog loses because they are actually less able to win than the favorite. When this occurs, it is usually because the odds are against them. Thus, in almost all cases, when you place a bet on an underdog you are in reality setting the odds in their favor in order to win money.
Given that underdogs will usually lose in most cases, it is essential that those betting on them do not get overly excited when this happens. The best policy when you are betting on an underdog is to stay calm and collect your winnings (if any). If you get too excited when an underdog loses, it can make you less able to win when the odds are in your favor and cause you to lose money instead of gaining it. This is why it is always considered best practice to keep your emotions tamped down when betting on underdogs.
Learn To Value Line versus Point Spread Betting
Anyone who is new to sports betting may find it easy to get confused by the arbitrarily applied rules that are used in the absence of a unified set of regulations. One of the most confusing of these rules is whether or not to bet on a line or points in a sports game. Most casual and inexperienced bettors will tell you that you should always bet on the line in a sports game, but this isn’t exactly true. The truth is that it depends on whether or not you know what line or point spread you are being asked to bet on. Most people find it easiest to bet on a line when they are first starting out, but this isn’t necessarily true.
If you are confused about which way to bet, you can simply ask the betting service if they have any suggestions. More often than not they will tell you which way to bet based on analyzing your specific situation and the relevant sports data. For example, if you are playing against a team you think is better than your current record shows (but have no evidence to back up your conjecture) the staff at the betting service may suggest that you bet on the side of the favorite. This is because they know that in your situation there is a tendency for you to get beaten (as you have no record of winning predicably yet).
Once you learn what line or point spread to bet on, it is a matter of personal preference whether you prefer to bet on a line or a point spread. Most people find it easiest to bet on a line, as this gives them the best chance of winning (at least in the long run). However, if you think that a team or player is more likely to score than otherwise (for example, if you are playing against a team with a bad record but you think they will be more confident than usual), you may want to bet on the point spread. This will give you the best hope of winning (in the short run).
Regardless of which way you prefer to bet, most people find it easiest to bet on a line in a single game (most people have a tendency to get more excited about winning than they are about losing, so they find it easier to bet on a line in a single game than it is to bet on a point spread in a single game). However, this can vary from game to game. If you are playing in a NFL season (or a similar big games that use probabilities and divisions to determine the winning side) you may want to get closer to the point spread in the next game (as this is how the odds work in those types of games). While it is generally considered best practice to bet on a line in a sport booking, this can vary from game to game. If you are playing on a line for an hour or two, it is generally considered best practice to bet on the line, as this gives you the best chance of winning, especially if you are betting small stakes.