In sports betting, a “pick” is a predetermined wager on the outcome of a game or other sporting event. For instance, if you think that Team X will beat Team Y by a large margin, then you might want to bet on X to receive a payout if your pick is correct. However, if you think that Team Y will beat Team X by a slim margin, then you might want to reverse the pick and wager on Y instead because they have a better chance of winning.
In some cases, a pick can have more than one meaning. For example, in US sports betting, a first down is referred to as a “first pick,” and a touchdown is referred to as a “pick six.” In the NFL, a first down is a “first pick” because it is the first play of the game, and a touchdown is a “pick six” because it is the sixth play of the game. In the NBA, a first down is a “First Pick,” and each subsequent set of downs is a “Second Pick”, “Third Pick”, etc.
What Is the Difference Between a First, Second, Third, and Fourth Down?
In sports betting, the term “down” refers to each successive set of plays in a football or other sport game. In football, for example, the offense may first line up for a series of passes, then move directly into running plays after a couple of downs; a first down is charged to the offense, a second down to the defense, and so on. The series of downs is sometimes referred to as the “pipeline.”
In most sports, a first down is worth two points, a second down is worth one point, a third down is worth six points, and a fourth down is worth three points. So, in the example above, the offense would score three points for the first down, one point for the second down, six points for the third down, and three points for the fourth down. During the gameplay, the score updates instantaneously in real time, so you can follow along.
In the case of a tie, each “down” is worth one point towards the winning team. For example, if Team A scores first on a fake punt attempt, but Team B manages to tie the game up at 24-24 going into overtime, the victors would be determined by the number of points earned per down. In that scenario, Team A would win because they earned 17 points per down (24—24/2).
What Is a Push?
A “push” occurs when one team is consistently out-performing the other team. For example, if Team A is a 13-2 favorite and Team B is an 11-3 underdog, then the line is probably set at 13-2 (bets accepted at these odds are referred to as “take-a-punt” bets). However, if Team B manages to win a series of close games or the overall series, then the line could shift in favor of Team B and result in a push. In that case, you would need to update your bet accordingly and hope that the line moves back in your direction before the end of the game.
In the NFL, a push can be both a winning and losing situation. If Team A is a 12-2 favorite and Team B is a 14-3 underdog, then the line is set at 12-2 and the bet is paid off if Team A wins. However, if Team B manages to win three straight games due to their superior athleticism, then the line will move to 14-3 and the bet will be a losing proposition for the bettor. In that case, you would want to pull your initial bet from the game in order to qualify for your winnings.
How Do I Calculate My Chances Of Winning?
The chances of winning can be calculated using the “Polar” method, developed by the late British mathematician Dr. Alex James. The Dr. James’ method is one of the most popular and effective systems for calculating the probabilities of sports results. The method is easy to use:
- Place all the outcomes on a circle (diamond, hexagon, etc.)
- Add up the totals on the circle (paddles in the middle are worth two, three, etc.)
- The total will be 100% if the amounts on the circle are equal
If you want to calculate the chances of your favorite team winning, simply enter the odds of each team (using either the American odds format or the British odds format), along with the number of rounds (if there are more than two teams playing), and select the “Polar” button. If you want to find the chances of your team losing, then you would enter the opposite odds.
What Is the American Odds Format?
The American odds format is used in the United States and a few other countries and combines the two most popular numbers systems, the American and the English, to create a more convenient and user-friendly format.
The American odds format is simply the odds of each team, separated by the decimal point, followed by the odds of each team in the relevant round (e.g., the 1st round of the NFL draft). For example, if you want to know the odds of the Cincinnati Bengals selecting a particular player in the first round of the NFL draft, then you would enter 1.20 (the first decimal place is omitted because it is equal to the second decimal place) and 0.75 (the second decimal place is omitted because it is equal to the third decimal place). The resulting number, 1.20 x 0.75, is the American odds for choosing that player.
You can also use the American odds format to enter matches involving multiple games. For example, if you want to make a bet on the Red Sox vs. Yankees opening game of the 2016 season, you would enter the odds for the Red Sox first game (1.50), the odds of the Yankees first game (1.40), and the over/under (“over” means the total amount of runs will be greater than the “under” amount; vice versa for the “under”) for the match (2.25). Your result will be an over/under for the total amount of runs (2.25) for the entire season (0.00—Game 163 is a tie).
What Is the British Odds Format?
The British odds format is used in Great Britain (prior to Brexit) and a few other countries and combines the two most popular numbers systems, the British and the American, to create a more convenient and user-friendly format.
The British odds format is simply the odds of each team, separated by the decimal point, followed by the odds of each team in the relevant round (e.g., the first round of the NFL draft). For example, if you want to know the odds of the Cincinnati Bengals selecting a particular player in the first round of the NFL draft, then you would enter 0.75 (the first decimal place is omitted because it is equal to the second decimal place) and 1.20 (the second decimal place is omitted because it is equal to the third decimal place). The resulting number, 0.75 x 1.20, is the British odds for choosing that player.
As with the American odds format, you can also use the British odds format to enter matches involving multiple games. For example, if you want to make a bet on the Red Sox vs. Yankees opening game of the 2016 season, you would enter the odds for the Red Sox first game (1.60), the odds of the Yankees first game (1.50), and the over/under (“over” means the total amount of runs will be greater than the “under” amount; vice versa for the “under”) for the match (2.20). Your result will be an over/under for the total amount of runs (2.20) for the entire season (0.00—Game 163 is a tie).
If you are using an iOS device (iPhone, iPad, or similar), then you can also access the “Betting” app to get the American or British odds for any sporting event you wish. The odds can then be entered manually or by selecting from a list of events using tabulation fields (with radio buttons for each option). When you are finished entering your bet, you can confirm it by clicking the “Confirm” button at the top right of the screen.