Sports betting has become a billion-dollar industry, with more and more people looking to wager on their favorite teams and athletes. Whether you’re a seasoned sports bettor or a beginner, there are some rules you need to follow to make sure your sports wagers are worth placing. We’ll discuss a few of the things you need to check before placing a bet, as well as some basic strategies and tips for winning at sports betting.
Betting On A Winning Team
One of the biggest mistakes new sports bettors make is betting on a losing team. Sure, occasionally a team might lose a game after going undefeated for the entire season, but in most cases, this is not what you want to do. Instead of landing yourself in a potentially dangerous situation, it’s better to stay away from games where the spread is very high and the over/under is in the tens of thousands.
For instance, if you were betting on the New York Jets, you might want to consider skipping the Browns game this upcoming season. It’s not that the Browns are bad, but the point spread in their games is usually very high, and you’re much more likely to lose your money than to win money with Browns games. This is how you end up in a situation where you’re either rooting for the underdog or where the spread is so outrageous that it doesn’t seem possible for the favorite to cover.
Making Predictions And Being Flexible
Another common mistake people make is making predictions about the game before it happens. A lot of people will look at the betting lines for a game, assume that the outcome will be what they’re seeing, and then place bets accordingly. This is often wrong, as you may know if you’ve ever watched a football game and seen a bad pitch by a quarterback that was followed by the opposing team scoring a touchdown. In this situation, the betting line would’ve predicted a loss.
You should never, ever make predictions about what will happen in a game. The best thing you can do is to stay flexible and, above all, keep an open mind. You may hear people talk about how certain players are injury-prone or how a team loses every game without scoring a touchdown. Simply put, this is not necessarily true! It’s very easy to predict the outcomes of a game based on the past performance of the teams, but you should never, ever make such assumptions. It’s all about being flexible and having an open mind when you place your wagers.
Watch The Clock
Most sportsbooks will give you an alarmingly long time to make your wagers, sometimes as much as five or six hours. This is outrageous, as you’ll be adding minutes to whatever time you have available to make your wagers. The only way to ensure you get your wagers made in time is to make sure you’re taking into account the time change when you plan your bets. Most sportsbooks will adjust for daylight saving time, so if your local time changes at 1 p.m., then your bets will be adjusted accordingly and put into effect at 2 p.m.
It can be frustrating to have to make wagers so close to the end of the game, but it’s worth it in the long run. You won’t miss a minute of the game if you ensure you’re not late making your wagers, and it would be best to make sure you’re not running behind just to catch up.
Watch The Weather
The weather in your area will have a major impact on the outcome of your games. If it’s raining or if the temperature is below freezing, then your team is going to have a hard time playing in such hostile conditions. The same goes for strong winds too, as they make it much harder for a quarterback to grip the ball and perform a spiral. If the game is being played in an area with harsh weather conditions, then the point spread is probably going to be affected and put in doubt. You’ll want to adjust your wager accordingly.
The key is to watch the weather reports and predictions for your area and decide whether or not to bet based on whether or not they sound optimistic or pessimistic. Sometimes you can get lucky and the weather conditions will be just right for your team to pull off an upset victory in spite of poor field conditions!
Look At More Than One Sport
You might be thinking that since you have a betting window of five hours, you’re going to sit down at the computer and place your wagers based on one sport. This is likely true, but you should look at other sports as well to broaden your betting options. If you follow other sports, then you’ll have an idea of what’s going on in the rest of the world while your team is playing. Sometimes this will lead you to make better decisions and improve your odds of winning. More sports involved means more chances of winning, so it’s always a good idea to go broad or go home.
The same concept goes for watching television or listening to sports radio. You’ll hear opinions from experts who have followed the events closely and can give you an idea of what’s going on with the other sports you’re following. If the game is between two teams who have similar records and stats, then you may want to check out some other sport to get a better feel for what’s happening. You may even find a pattern that leads you to make more informed decisions about who to back and how much money to wager!
Research The Odds And Streaks
One of the best things you can do for yourself as a sports bettor is to research the odds and statistics regarding the games you’ll wager on. You may find that some teams have a much higher winning percentage than others or that a certain player has a good record when playing on a certain day or in certain weather conditions. If you research these things beforehand, then you’ll have a better chance of winning and of keeping your money. The more you know, the more you can predict, the better your chances of winning.
There are various websites that can be accessed from anywhere with an Internet connection that will give you all the odds, as well as the stats you need to know for each game. Simply search for the game or tournament you’re interested in following and read up on the results. Remember, though, that you won’t always be able to find reliable odds, so don’t get upset if you lose a few bucks because the sportsbook had updated their odds after your search, but before the game even started!
The key to winning at sports betting is learning how to minimize your losses and how to maximize your wins. As a beginner, this may be difficult, but with time, you’ll learn how to become a successful sports bettor. You may also want to try betting on all sports instead of just a select few to improve your odds of winning. Simply search for the best odds on all the sports you’re interested in following and then place wagers accordingly!