In sports betting, there are many different wagers that you can make and many different ways to utilize betting machines to help you out with your wagers. Below, you’re going to learn about some of the most popular bets in sports and how to use betting machines to place them successfully.
Over/Under Bets
One of the most popular bets in sports is the over/under (or under/over) bet. Put simply, with an over/under bet, you predict the total number of goals that a team will score (or allow to score) in a particular game. For example, if you think that the Cleveland Browns will score 10 goals but the Indianapolis Colts will only allow 2 goals, you would place an over/under bet on 10 goals being scored. Should the score be closely matched, your wager will pay out at a very favorable rate.
This kind of bet can be incredibly useful when trying to calculate the winning percentage of a player. For example, if you believe that Roger Federer is going to beat his opponent 6-4, 6-4, you can use this bet to accurately calculate the winning percentage of Federer in that match.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, an under/over bet is also a popular choice among sports bettors because it’s a way to hedge your bets. In other words, if you think that a favorite player is going to lose the match, you can place an under/over bet to reduce your risk. If the favorite player wins, you’ll get your money back (plus some).
You can utilize betting machines to place these kinds of wagers easily. For instance, let’s say that you think that Roger Federer is going to take on his nemesis, Rafael Nadal, in the French Open tennis tournament. You can go to a bookie and place an under/over bet on Federer to win the match 6-4, 6-4. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of figuring out how to bet on tennis matches manually, you can use a betting machine to place this wager automatically as soon as the odds are available.
Oddsmakers Vs. Point Betting
Another popular kind of betting among sports bettors is the point-spread wager. With this wager, you make a prediction regarding the outcome of a game with two teams, and the point spread determines how much you will win or lose on that wager. For example, if you think that the New England Patriots are going to beat the Kansas City Chiefs by 3 points, you would stake 3 points on the Patriots. If the game ends in a tie, you’ll win your bet with a 100% return of your investment (with the house taking the rest).
Oddsmakers are a line of sportsbooks that specialize in taking bets on games that are running late. Let’s say that you’re watching the end of a game and the score is very close. If you think that the game is going to be tied or that there will only be a few seconds remaining, you can use the oddsmakers to get the latest betting odds. As a result, you’ll know exactly what to stake or wager on without having to check the scores of previous games or study statistics regarding the two teams.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, point betting allows you to make large wagers that are more risky. Say that you’re watching a football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. You can place a huge wager on one or both of the teams that is predicated on which quarterback will have the better game. If you think that the 49ers will win the game due to their superior defense and ability to stop the run, you can wager large amounts of money on them.
You can utilize betting machines for both types of wagers, but you have to make sure that you set them up correctly. For example, you can’t use a betting machine for a half point-spread wager unless the stake per wager is exactly that amount. Setting the wagers up incorrectly will result in malfunctioning or errors in the betting machine.
Head To Head
Some sportsbooks and online gambling websites will only allow you to place head to head wagers. A head to head bet is where you make a prediction regarding two teammates competing against each other in a single game. For example, if you think that the Oakland Raiders will beat the Kansas City Chiefs in a football game this year, you can place a head-to-head bet on the game. The outcome will determine whether you win or lose your wager. Should the Raiders lose to the Chiefs, you’ll get your money back (plus some).
This kind of wager is useful in a variety of situations. For example, if you think that two college students are going to have a boxing match in the near future, you can use this bet to determine the winner of the fight. Furthermore, if the winner is unknown, this type of wager allows you to predict the winner (in most cases, the fight will be settled with a knockout).
Head-to-head betting comes with its risks, however. For instance, you have to be very careful not to bet on a team that you are affiliated with or support. In other words, it’s very easy for an administrator at your workplace or a family member to find out that you’re betting on sports and decide to punish you or take advantage of you. In extreme cases, this can result in you being fired or having legal problems. You have to weigh the pros and cons of this type of wager carefully before you make your decision.
You can utilize betting machines for head-to-head bets successfully, but you have to make sure that you only use them for this type of wager. For example, in the last section, we talked about how to use an online betting machine to place under/over bets. It’s easy to set these kinds of wagers up automatically with a hockey, football, or basketball head-to-head betting machine. Simply pick two teams that you think will play against each other soon, set the stake per head-to-head win or loss, and press the wager.