Back in the day, slightly after dinosaurs roamed the earth (sorry dino homies), sports betting was a simple affair: You put money down on who will win or lose and hope for the best. Nowadays, it’s become a much more sophisticated game of odds and strategy. And, thanks to the proliferation of data-driven tools, winning at sports betting is no longer a pipe dream. Here, we’ll dive into transformative strategies that will help you take your betting game to the next level.
Point Spreads
A sportsbook’s odds-based system is what drives most sports betting. A bet on a team or player with higher odds implies a lower probability of winning, but it also carries the promise of a larger payout. The opposite is true for a bet on an underdog: if a team has lower odds, it’s more likely to win and you can expect a smaller payout.
Point spreads allow bettors to level the playing field by placing a wager on how many points one team should win by. This type of bet adds a new dimension to the game, making it more intriguing even when there’s a clear gap in skill between two teams. However, successful bets on point spreads require a deeper understanding of the betting dynamics of the sport and a thorough analysis of all relevant statistics.
Correlated Parlays
Correlated parlays are a powerful way to boost your profits on multiple bets. These bets link two or more individual bets in a single round, and the combined odds of the entire combination must exceed the odds of each individual bet. They’re easy to execute and can be especially lucrative for correlated over/unders and correlated moneyline bets.
Avoiding Common Betting Mistakes
There are many ways to lose money on sports betting, but some of the most common mistakes come down to ignoring value and over-reliance on advanced metrics. In the United States, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 prohibited most states from offering sports betting, but this law was overturned in 2018 and a tidal wave of states has now legalized it. Nonetheless, there are still some important pitfalls to watch out for, including a lack of research and emotional discipline.
Using Odds Comparison Tools
Odds comparison tools like Odds Portal and RebelBetting offer a powerful edge in sports betting by aggregating odds from multiple bookmakers. This allows you to quickly identify the best odds and maximize your potential for profitability. In addition to using these tools, we recommend keeping track of your bets in a spreadsheet and sticking to sports that you’re familiar with from a rules perspective. It’s also important to follow news about players and coaches, as some bookmakers adjust their lines—particularly on props—in response to this information.