When placing a wager on sporting events – be it baseball, football, or any other sport – there is often one word that stands out above all others: and. More often than not, the “and” indicates a requirement. Below we will discuss the various meanings of the “and” in betting and its applications.
Quieter Odds
As the name would suggest, odds that are “quieter” – or more manageable – are typically those that appear on TV and in newspapers. The National Football League has adopted a “silent protest” in opposition to President Donald Trump’s recent ban on fans kneeling during the national anthem. While this may not seem like a big deal to the average person, it’s an important issue to the betting public. The NFL is a largely national organization with a large following around the country. Many individuals see these odds and naturally assume that they are being asked to wade through a forest of lies in order to find an accurate projection of the game’s ending score. With odds that are more manageable, it’s a task that is easier said than done.
Reduced Margins
When placing a wager on a horse race or a sports league, the margins – or the difference between winning and losing – are almost always a relevant factor. If you are placing 10 to 20 dollars on your preferred horse, you don’t want to leave anything to chance. With more people placing larger wagers on the same horse or team, the smaller the betting margins, the more people are at risk of losing their money. For this reason, betting margins are generally lower in exhibition games and during the regular season. If you have a favorite team that you are backing in the NFL, you may want to consider lowering your wager from the “full-spread” option to some of the lower-margin alternatives like the “over/under” or “point-spread”. Similarly, if you are placing a wager on a horse race and it’s an absolute dead heat, you may be better off walking away than risking it all on one random selection. While this might be appealing in a casino setting, with reduced margins you should always assume that you are playing against the house, not against the odds (or the “Man”, as it were).
On the subject of the “Man”, let’s examine his role in sports betting. If you are playing against the Man (or any bookmakers for that matter), then your goal is to beat them. This doesn’t mean that you have to cheat or try to deceive the readers of this blog (we certainly don’t advocate doing so); rather, it means that you are playing against the odds in an effort to beat them. When you are playing against the Man (or any bookmaker), the odds you are usually presented with will be skewed in such a way that favors the house. For example, if you are betting on the New York Yankees and they are facing the Minnesota Twins, the odds will be heavily weighted in favor of the Yankees (and vice versa). If you are wondering, then yes, the Man is generally considered to be a representation of the bookmakers, rather than an actual person.
More Entertainment
In a nutshell, betting is all about entertainment. No, we don’t mean watching professional wrestling or getting drunk with your friends to cheer on your favorite teams, we mean that there is always some element of entertainment when you are betting on any sports-related activity. For this reason, betting can be a bit more fun when done online rather than at a brick-and-mortar casino. The convenience for wagering remotely is another advantage, as is the ability to wager on multiple events simultaneously rather than having to bet on each individual contest that is offered.
More Information
As stated above, one of the beauties of betting is that it is all about entertainment. For this reason, there is usually some element of interest – or at least the appearance of interest – when you are presented with wagering options. Take a look at the betting slip below. Typically, there will be some information about the event (like the betting lines, TV networks, locations, and date), followed by a block of text with the type of wager (like “To win, San Francisco 49ers must cover spread”). Even the wording on the betting slip is often interesting, as it can provide some insight into how the bookmakers intend for you to wager on that event. For example, if you are wondering whether or not the Toronto Blue Jays will cover the spread in the upcoming baseball World Series, you can hover your cursor over the “betting line” and it will tell you that the Blue Jays -2 are favored to win the series.
More Engagement
One of the interesting things about sports betting is that it tends to create more engagement. While playing cards is a widely accepted leisure activity, getting up and pacing around while engrossed in a game of poker or blackjack is relatively commonplace. However, if you sit down at a desk and start entering wagers, then you are likely to startle your friends as you become more animated than usual. The betting experience is often compared to a “Jeopardy!” challenge, as you are usually presented with answers – or, in some cases, partial answers – as to what you should wager on. The appearance of competition adds an extra element of fun to the process.
On the subject of competition, let’s talk strategy. One of the most effective (and often-used) strategies in sports betting – as with most other types of wagering – is to use a “layering” approach. Simply put, layering means putting one bet on top of another bet, with the outer bets serving as insurance in case the middle one loses. For example, let’s say you are aware that the New York Yankees are favored to win the World Series, but you also believe that the Boston Red Sox have a good chance at prevailing. In this case, you could start by laying down a wager on the Yankees, with an additional bet on the Red Sox. In the unlikely event that the Yankees win, you win your first wager (assuming you have the money to cover it). In the event that the Red Sox win, you win your second wager, and so on. In the above example, the layering approach would mean making a wager of $10 on the Yankees, followed by a $20 wager on the Red Sox (this would be done assuming that Boston wins – the layering approach works in reverse as well).
More Predictability
When placing a wager on a horse race or a sports league, there is often one word that stands out above all others: and. When placed next to each other, these two words indicate an inevitability. While this might mean that you are asking for trouble (as certain events will likely follow a certain pattern and logic), it also means that you are giving yourself the best chance at winning. You see, when you are placing a wager on a horse race or a sports league, you are effectively placing a wager on the general outcome of the game or event. To use an example, if you are betting on the Superbowl (one of the most popular horse races of the year), then you are effectively asking “Will the New York Giants or the Buffalo Bills win the Superbowl?” In other words, the question is not “Who will win the Superbowl?”, but rather it is “Will either the Giants or Bills win the Superbowl?”. This type of wager is usually done with a bookmaker or at an online casino, due to the relative ease of making these kinds of wagers (and the fact that they offer more variety than your local neighborhood casino). With more and more people wagering on sporting events every year, the amount of money wagered increased by almost 10% from 2015 to 2016, according to the Nevada Gaming Control.
More Freedom
Last but not least, we want to discuss the importance of having options when betting. Not all bookmakers are created equal, and one of the benefits of using online bookmakers is that you have access to a variety of options, as well as the one you initially choose. Above we discussed how layering allows you to take advantage of several bookmakers’ offerings, but this is only one of the benefits of using an online sportsbook. To give you further freedom of choice, many online sportsbooks offer a “funny money” option, where you can play with virtual money instead of actual dollars. This allows you to play with odds that favor you, and to take advantage of situations where other players are betting against you (for example, if there is a full house and you are all-in, the casino will typically honor your wager and you will earn yourself some revenue, otherwise, you lose your money).