Sports gambling can be viewed a very profitable business venture. In the business of sportsbooks there are two types of bettors: Squares and Sharps. If the term Square Bettor does not sound flattering, that is because because online Sportsbooks make most of their money on Squares. A Square bettor is a bettor who usually bets on the favorite and the over the majority of the time. A Sharp Bettors usually bets on the underdog and the under. This is a general trend and does not mean that square bettors will automatically lose their bets. Over the course of a NFL season, Sharp bettors will follow certain guidelines to allow them to make well informed betting decisions just like a professional stock analyst make his stock recommendations versus the retail investor. The following Sports Betting Tips are general guidelines that will assist you into becoming an informed and professional bettor.
Money Management
Sharp Bettors look at the art of online sports betting as a business. The best way to manage a business is to manage your cash flow or money management. The first rule of money management of a business is to create a budget. Do not bet more than you can afford. Many sports bettors will set out a budget for the month or NFL season. When you have established your budget you want to make the same average wage amount. This is called the unit system. An average unit could be $20 to $1000 depending on your bankroll. A unit is usually 1-2% of your bankroll. Using the unit system will allow you to manage your bankroll and get through cold betting streaks. Too often Squares say that the last loss on the point spread was a bull s*** cover and it will not happen again. They end up trying to chase their losses by doubling up on their next bet or on the 2H betting line. This often blows their bankroll with no money management discipline. You may see all these guys claiming LOCKS on a game on inside information in Internet forums. There is no such thing as a lock even from the top handicappers. Money management will allow you to see the trends in the season and profit on the whole season.
Line Shopping
You need to understand the concept of shopping for the best number after you have decided to what team you are going to wager on. Sportsbooks post and adjust their betting line depending on where the action is coming on a certain side. This will lead to them having moving their lines all independently to balance their action. You will see a difference in the betting line odds at different sportsbooks for college sports and the NBA. Most NFL lines will be very similar but you can find a difference in the juice. The betting spread can be several points in some cases and will make a difference in your winning percentage over the betting season. That is why we recommend that you have at least 4 accounts with different online Sportsbooks to get the best line available for your hard earned betting money.
I worked in Sportsbooks and it amazed me the amount of guys who would drink and gamble. When you are under the influence it hard to make a analytical sports betting choice based on the numbers. A few drinks and you will be making rash decisions on emotion that you would not normally make. It usually results in bad money management and 'hailmary' bets where you start seeing sure things and double up on your bets. When drinking stay away from the betting.
Research, Research, Research
The best way to becoming a Sharp bettor is becoming an expert on what you are betting on in a niche field. Sportsbooks offer betting lines on thousands of matches and get their handicapping source often from an outside service. Linemakers will then adjust the opening line to balance the action that is coming in. Many times that opening line can be way off especially in College Football and College Basketball where Bookmakers have limited information. You can become an expert on your local team, for example being a specialist on the ACC Football Conference, NBA 1H betting, NFL 1H betting or Big East College Basketball. With the Internet, you can do your research before hand from several sources to examine the trending. When you have mastered your niche you can use the same techniques on other sports.
Payout Odds
Never assume anything about payout odds. Check the payout odds at different Sportsbooks. They are usually easy to find and will be in a table format. Different sportsbooks will have different odds on parlays and teasers. Many sportsbooks will have parlay specials during the NFL season with higher payout odds. This is a fine line on betting on parlays and teasers because Sportsbooks generally have a higher hold percentage on parlays and teasers. We only recommend betting 2 team parlay or teaser at maximum.
Home Dogs - A Sharp Bettors Best Friend
Betting on underdogs at home is a general guideline in NFL handicapping that Sharp bettors look for when they are scanning the betting lines for value. Slim underdogs win regularly outright when they play inspired team ball. This is usually true for all a sports and can be easily researched on the Internet for your local team's ATS record. Big underdogs at home generally cover because do not give up at home in an embarrassing loss because they know that their home fans have paid good money to see them. Through solid research you can find teams with good ATS home records even though they have lousy W-L records. This is especially true in Basketball and second unit bench play.
There are many factors in beating the Sportsbook and becoming a sharp bettor. It takes a lot of time and energy to invest in researching lines, statistics, historical facts, trends and coaching strategies. Some guys just view sports betting as entertainment and just budget for it an entertainment cost like an annual vacation. Some take their hobby and invest a little more time into it to become a more skilled handicapper. Using the sports betting tips above will increase your skills as a handicapper and set you on the road to becoming a wiseguy.
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