Sports betting has exploded across America since the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018, with gambling now legal in every state where it’s possible. March Madness brackets and NFL Sundays are now accompanied by countless podcasts dedicated to gambling strategy, and a whole new audience is discovering the fun of betting on sports.
But if you want to win, you’ll need to learn a few important lessons first. Here are a few things that all serious sports bettors know:
A large part of sports betting involves knowing how to read the odds. A moneyline bet pays out a fixed amount of money for each winning bet, but you’ll also lose a certain number of bets. Those losses will take their toll on your overall profit potential, but understanding how the odds work is essential to making smart bets.
The bettor’s job is to assess the likelihood of an outcome and compare it to the sportsbook’s odds. If the odds are lower than your assessment, you’ve found value and should place a bet. This process is known as line shopping, and it’s a big part of being a sharp sports bettor.
Another way to make better bets is to focus on the game’s inherent predictability. Different sports show different patterns of predictability, which can be influenced by a variety of factors, including the structure of a sport and the availability of statistical data. Sports with more structure and fewer variables tend to be more predictable.
A good rule of thumb is to always start with a set amount of money that you’re willing to risk on each wager. This is called your bankroll and should be a small fraction of the total amount of money you have available to gamble. Using a bankroll is one of the best ways to avoid chasing your losses, which can be a major mistake. Chasing your losses can lead to irrational decisions that can cost you more money than you’re willing to risk, such as increasing bet size after a losing streak.
Many newcomers to sports betting are tempted to jump in with both feet and bet huge sums of money on every single game. However, this approach often leads to a lot of frustration and disappointment. In the long run, consistent profits are more valuable than large wins. This is because profitable bets allow you to manage your bankroll more effectively and plan ahead for what to do with your profits.
One final tip to remember is to never bet on a team simply because you like them or dislike their opponent. That’s a recipe for disaster. Whether you’re betting on basketball, football or UFC, always research each game and consider the factors that might impact it. For example, a ballpark’s distance from home plate can influence how easy it is for hitters to reach home runs, while the direction of the wind can affect how easy it is for pitchers to throw a strike.