Sports Betting Tips For All Sports

As sports bettors, we are always looking for that edge or key variable that can give us a leg-up on the house. We want to find that one key component that will give us the advantage and a winning wager. But unless you know about some kind of illegal points shaving going on, the only way to get that edge is to do your homework. With that said, there are certainly some things we can do as bettors to give us a higher probability of profiting from the wagers we place. It's going to take some work, but just like anything else, you get what you put in.

We're here to help you figure out where to start when you're ready to educate yourself about how to make informed betting decisions. We encourage you to put these sports betting tips and advice to good use, but you certainly do not have to. After all, it's your money that will be on the line and the ultimate decision will be yours to make. As the executive, we just want you to be prepared by informing you of all the possible tools so that you may weigh your wagering options from a multitude of angles. Over time, you will find your own sports betting system that pays big for you!

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Sports Wagering Tips & Things To Consider Before Locking In Your Bets

Seemingly everyone has a different tip or trick when it comes to sports betting, but focusing on the strategies that have produced sustainable results over long periods of time is almost always the best bet. Compiled below are some of the most well-regarded betting tips in the industry, that if applied correctly and responsibly may lead to long-term success when sports betting.

Research The Teams/Players You Are Looking To Wager On

When it comes to betting on sports, doing your homework is arguably the most important facet of the entire process. This is where you can separate yourself from other sports bettors around. After all, the ones who are forming the betting lines have done their homework many times over. They are counting on you not to. So why not go against the grain and bust out a stat sheet, or read some articles on recent matchup histories and performances. In the long run, you will certainly see a pay off when you do this.

So, what does research actually look like? It can look like anything from building an algorithm to analyze the teams to watching a lot of the sport to looking at previous betting trends. Generally, the more mathematics you get involved, the better. Making algorithms is no joke, however, and bettors tend to be stingy with the ones that they do have. Sometimes, it just involves knowing when a line is off a bit, or doing some statistical research on a prop, or examining the history of a team or coach in certain situations. Overall, however, research is a top priority.

Be Sure To Check Betting Trends

This falls within the generic category of 'doing one's homework' for sports betting. But we are separating betting trends from other research because it is such a large and important category that needs to be addressed. In fact, if you do nothing else when researching betting lines, we stress that you visit the recent betting trends of the matchup which are based on the results of past wager lines versus each other, and in similar scenarios.

There are plenty of websites around that have done the work for you already, even some sportsbooks, and it's up to you to put these stats in play. These betting trends will tell you how a team or player has performed against their match up over the course of the history. This can go back days, weeks, months, and even years. There are also typically trends which are labeled 'hot' and 'cold', which have hit or missed at least 80 percent of the time. Sometimes knowing what team is cold, can be just as profitable as knowing which team is hot.

Check Your Emotions At The Door

We all have our favorite teams, and our biases. But when it comes to betting on college football or any other sport, we have found that it is best to bet with your head over your heart. That is unless you don't really care about winning and are going to put money on your team regardless. But if your goal is to win some money, it is best to let your head do the thinking, and leave your heart out of it entirely. A sound thought process and well thought out reasoning, will lead to more wins that betting on your emotions, and how you 'feel' the outcome will go.

Bet Within Your Means - Establish A Bankroll / Limit And Stick To It

Look, if you are a $20 a game bettor, be a $20 a game bettor. There is no sense to risk more on a game that you can stand to lose. Betting within your means is very important to stick to. You never want to lose more than you can afford. This is a very important point to address, because we all know it can be a problem. Sure, we want that big win. But if the risk if more than the payout, it's not worth doing. That being said, if you follow our tips about sports betting above, you can turn a lot of small wins into a big one!

Shop The Lines Before Placing Your Wager... Another Book Could Pay More!

This basically means that different sportsbooks will have different payouts. So we recommend that you visit different sportsbooks and shop the line to get the most profitable payout in your favor. This can be seen in a variety of different lines, such as futures wagers, game odds, and props. If you know which side of the betting line you want to take, try to check out another sportsbook and see if you can get an even better payout in your favor. The chances are you will be able to.

Where should you go? Well, that is tricky because you may or may not know that not all bookmakers welcome players from the United States. Below, we've isolated a few of the best ones that have terrific service, bonuses, but best of all, these U.S. friendly sportsbooks have the betting lines you want across all major sports. You can't shop lines if other sportsbooks don't have them, can you?

Look For Betting Websites That Have Friendly Promotions

Searching out different sports betting sites will not only be good for bettors looking for different payouts, but also different promotions. This doesn't mean the deposit bonuses that are offered, this is about sport-specific promotions that bettors can get in on. These can be promotions on the NFL, college football or the NBA for example. The start of new seasons or the days leading up to a championship are often great times to check out promotional offers from online sportsbooks.

Focus On Sustainable Growth

The whole point of sports betting, as it is advertised in the media, is to get that one big win. But how can you get that big win if you don’t have any money left? The key thing to focus on when placing bets is good value, not a good payout. Risk reduction and good value are dramatically more important than actually predicting outcomes. For example, did the Houston Texans win the Super Bowl? No. But, if you got odds during the season that had Texans +100000 to win the Super Bowl, you would have been a fool not to put at least a small amount on it. Sports betting isn’t so much about predicting outcomes as it is about sustainable growth and good value bets.

The betting sites you find throughout the pages here will have some practical examples that you can check out. You can check out our sportsbook reviews page to see some of the best sportsbooks on the internet, and our general thoughts on them. In addition, there are some specific sportsbook reviews that you can find over in the sidebar, or from that page linked right there.

Double Check Your Bets Before Submitting

Everyone makes mistakes... but the worst kind of mistakes are the ones that you knew you could have avoided. Unless you are live betting and the lines are moving rapidly, be sure to take your time and double check your work. While it seems tedious, the extra second of bet verification ensures that you don't place any unwanted action. Sometimes the mistake can lead to a payout, but you never want to be on the opposite side of the line, losing money because of a stupid mistake. Review the line, odds, risk, and payout before clicking that button because once it is in, it's locked in.

Understand Matchups And Context

Understanding how matchup and context play a role in sports betting is vital for all types of bets, whether that is futures, player props, live-betting, and of course when betting the spread and the total. Individual matchups are key for each bet, consider how defensive assignments work in football as an example. Top cornerbacks often match up against the number one receiver in each game, and thus will likely limit that receiver’s production. Darrelle Revis back in the late 2000s was a great example, as he would routinely hold star wide receivers well below their average output, thus making their player props less likely to result in success.

Matchup examples similar to Darrelle Revis exist across nearly every sport, in many different contexts. Tony Allen, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Max Scherzer were all players across different sports who would hold their offensive opposition well below their averages. Shutdown defenders like those players can greatly impact the overall outcome of games as well by limiting points allowed and changing the result of who wins.

Context plays a large role in sports betting as well. Context can mean multiple things, but understanding who each team is playing, what each team is playing for, and who they play in the future can be key for single-game bets, live betting selections, and season-long futures bets. Doing the necessary research to understand the context of a given game is one of the best betting strategies available.