Online Sports Betting Guide & Tips

Sports betting has morphed from being a hidden and illegal activity to one of the biggest activities shaping the sports industry. Betting on sporting events is now fun, and if well-executed, you can make some good money from it. If you are new, you might be intimidated at first, but you will get things done eventually with patience and perseverance.

The moment you log into a betting site, you will be met by some mysterious words and figures that you have no clue what they mean. Everything can be confusing with odds displayed in decimals and mathematical signs, which imply that you need to be conversant with regional bet regulations. With the right betting guide, you can get up-to-date information about betting terms and the latest markets in town.

Here are several terms you need to familiarize yourself with as you acclimatize to the betting environment.

Favorite

In online sports betting, the favorite team is the one expected to win and usually has the smallest odds or has a minus sign before the odd digits. A team must have shown better gameplay in previous matches or have the best players and higher success rates for it to be a favorite. When betting on a choice, you are likely to win less than what you would get if you bet for the underdog.

Underdog

If you are not betting on the favorite, you are betting on an underdog. The underdog team competes against the favorite, and bookmakers usually expect the team to lose. Underdogs have a plus sign before their odds and have higher odds. When you bet for the underdog to win, you will get greater returns when the team wins.

“Pick em”

A pick bet is where there is no favorite or underdog. In online sports betting pick bets, every team has equal chances of winning, and you have to pick the promising one. The one you select should not have any point threshold to beat or odds. The return will be even when you place a moneyline bet on a “pick em”.

Point spread

A point spread evens out two unequal teams by sharing or deducting points from a team. A minus (-) sign will show the favorite team in a point spread indicated by a minus (-) sign, and a certain amount of points will be deducted from the team’s final score. The underdog side will have a plus (+) sign that will add the deducted points to its total score.

If you want to win a spread bet, the favorite team should bypass the number of points awarded to the underdog. If you bet on the underdog and want to win the point spread, the team has to utilize the extra points to surpass the position.

Sometimes, a point spread can change, which is very common in sports. Sportsbooks and oddsmakers have the freedom to change the odds of a particular match before it starts. Various factors can lead to the point spread oddly changing. These factors include injuries, the number of players betting for a specific team, the weather, and many more. To be safe, place your bets early so that the change in odds does not change your overall winning.

Accumulators

Accumulators are bets that include more than two teams and are primarily used for betting on football. This market has grown in popularity owing to the significant returns they promise from a small stake, and each team has to win for the bet to be successful. If any team loses and the others win, your whole bet loses, and you will not get a payout.

Totals (Over/Under)

Totals are the aggregate number of points scored in a match. Sportsbooks and bookmakers will create lines for the overall points scored by both games. Bettors can predict whether the total will be over or under the stated amount. The totals are usually placed against the over/under on each side.

In some sports, players can bet on totals for matches played in an entire season. Season win totals are becoming popular, and an oddsmaker will release an expected number of wins a team will get at the end of a regular season. Bettors will then have to bet on whether the wins will be lower or more than the stated threshold.

In-play betting

This is also known as live betting, allowing bettors to make wagers on a game that has already started. Many online betting tips explain how you can bet on the team to win the remaining match or the total score at the end of the game. The player only wins when their pick is correct regardless of the final score.

Moneyline

Moneyline bets in sports betting mean that players have to pick the team that wins the game. Such bets are the primary wagering options; meanwhile, in basketball and football, the point spread comes first. Moneylines can only be placed by determining two sensible outcomes.

Moneyline bets originated from the US and are now available on almost all betting sites. They are typically known as win bets. If the squad you select wins, you will get a payout depending on the wager requirements.

Know your limits before you bet

If you want to bet responsibly, you should only bet what you can afford to lose. Betting on sports is a risky game, just like investing in stocks, playing poker, and more. If you rely on online betting tips, you need to have proper bankroll management skills, and this only happens if you bet amounts that you are comfortable losing. Everyone has their threshold and adjustable risk limits. You should therefore desist from comparing your betting habits to other people.

“Units” refers to the number of funds you can bet on a game. The unit will be your average bet size for most of your games. From there, you can determine how many units you are willing to risk on a particular bet.

Depending on your confidence in a bet, you are advised to risk from 1-5% of your bankroll on a single bet. The 1% of your bankroll will be one unit of a bet, and you can use this to determine how much your bet will deliver.

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