5 Tips for
Sports Betting Beginners
Sports
betting beginners all need to start somewhere.
Key Points
- Beginning
bettors should have a solid understanding of what they are getting into in
order to enjoy betting.
- Beginning
bettors have to be disciplined.
With the
rise of sports betting in the US, more and more people are jumping on the
bandwagon and placing bets. The problem is many of them don’t understand the
industry and how it works.
Too often,
novice bettors are simply throwing their money away and, in the end, not
enjoying what should be a fun and exciting betting experience.
Here are
five tips for sports betting beginners to help them enjoy their experience and
continue their betting careers.
NFL FANS
> GETTING
READY FOR THE NFL PLAYOFFS
Don’t Bet
the Rent Sports Betting Beginners
It’s
probably the most important tip for a beginner. If you don’t have the money to
bet with, then don’t. Don’t bet the mortgage payment, the car payment, or your
savings on a sporting event.
Work with a
budget and come up with an amount that you can afford to wager each week or
each month. Whatever that amount is, stick to it.
Understand
Odds/Lines
You have to
become comfortable with betting lingo and how to place bets. With today’s
technology, it’s pretty easy to place a bet at a sportsbook. You do have to
understand lines and odds though.
The big
three bets in most sports are moneyline bets, point spread bets, and totals
bets. Beginning bettors should understand the basics of each.
Pittsburgh
+3 (-110) +180 O
44 (-110)
Baltimore -3
(-110) -155 U
44 (-110)
In the
above example, Baltimore is favored to beat Pittsburgh by 3 points. The Ravens
must win by at least four points to “cover” the spread. If they do and you bet
$110, you win $100. That’s what the (-110) indicates.
You can
also bet on Baltimore simply to win. You would have to wager $155 to win $100
on the moneyline. A totals bet is simply one on the final score of the game. In
this case, you are betting on whether or not the total goes Over or Under 44.
ICYMI: Using
a Sports Pick Service
Bet Size
for Sports Betting Beginners
Depending
upon the size of your betting bankroll and your budget, you should develop a
unit size. This is the amount that you will bet on any event. The unit size
could be a range, but you should always stay within that range.
A betting
budget is step #1 for all sports
betting beginners.
For
example, you might be a $1 to $5 bettor. Keep your unit size to that range.
Don’t go out and wager $20 on a game that you think is a guaranteed lock. You
won’t like it when that so-called lock doesn’t work out.
Don’t
Overreact and Chase Losses
After you
win four or five bets in a row, you will become confident in your betting. Too
often, when one gets confident, they get over-confident and that’s when they
become less disciplined.
Remember
your unit size. Just about the time you think you can wager more than your
standard unit is the time when your winning streak stops.
The same
thing happens on the other end too. Bettors lose three or four in a row and
then try to win it back with one big bet. Don’t overreact. Stick to your plan
and your unit size.
Shop for
Lines & Odds
You
probably get gas from the station with the best price in town. It’s the same
for bets. If you can find a better price somewhere, why not take it? Line
shopping is a winning strategy!
You can
shop at different sportsbooks and you may find a bet you like with an even
better line or better odds. This is one of the best things you can do to
increase your number of wins and the size of your bankroll.
Do you want
to put money directly back into your pocket? Incentives at top online
sportsbooks do just that. Here’s a recent article about gambler’s
insurance.
