If you’re new to sports betting, it’s essential to understand some key factors that differentiate professional bettors from amateurs. For example, beginners might focus on picking winners or on handicapping (picking winners against the point spread). But while either of these strategies has a place in betting, it’s vital to get a basic understanding of the other strategies that professionals can use. These strategies, as outlined below, can help new bettors gain a winning edge over the house.
- Value Bets and Parlays
Many beginners think that the only way to make money betting on sports is to pick winners. Many professional bettors use a different strategy that minimizes the number of winning picks they need to keep the books honest.
One example of this style is the value bet. Instead of picking winners, value bettors look for undervalued teams (teams that can beat the spread but are priced to do so).
Value bettors also use parlays. These are long-shot, high-percentage bets that involve multiple wagers (i.e., two or more bets).
- Predicting Upsets
Upsets are the most common way for bettors to win money betting on sports. So how can beginners ensure that they’ll win when setting their sports picks? As with any sport, the best predictor of an upset is unconventional betting action. When a team is getting a lot of action, there’s a good chance that the public knows something about the team that you don’t.
- Betting Against the Public
A popular strategy used by professional bettors is betting against the public. By using this strategy, bettors are betting on sports that are traditionally undervalued by the public. Conversely, this betting strategy is most effective when the casinos believe that the public is overvaluing a game.
- Picking Underdogs
Picks against the spread are most effective when you’re betting on teams that are favorites in most sportsbooks. But underdogs are the most profitable, according to professional bettors. This is because underdogs tend to provide a bigger payout for a bettor.
- Reading the News
This strategy is similar to the one used by professional gamblers who track stocks and commodities. In this strategy, beginners pick sports based on information from the news. Sportsbooks and newspapers will often write articles about where games are “in the money” or where bets on certain games are either big or small.
When used as a betting strategy, this information is highly subjective and might lead to disastrous results. Professional bettors use this information to their advantage, but beginners should be aware of the risks of doing so.
Learning how to win continuously requires hard work and dedication
You aren’t going to become a professional sports bettor overnight. However, if you’re a beginner and dedicated to understanding all the key factors that lead to success, you have a good chance of beating the sportsbooks in the long run.
Many of the betting strategies that professional sports bettors use, were only discovered after years of painstaking research and analysis. In this respect, the only way to gain a true advantage over the sportsbooks is to continue your learning process. You can read more about vegas-odds here and educate yourself further.
This doesn’t mean that you have to spend hours watching games and reading newspapers to become a success. It means that you should continue to educate yourself about the intricacies of sports betting.
