These are the keys to successful sports handicapping. If you asked five different professional handicappers what they key to successful sports betting is, there is a good chance they will have five different answers. The reality is that there isn’t any one reason why a sports handicapper is successful. Rather, there are several different factors that combine to make them successful.
The most important thing to remember is that it takes a combination of each of these keys in order to make a profit by betting on sports. Here is a look at five keys to successful sports handicapping.
Find The Best Lines
One of the most overlooked aspects of successful sports betting among casual fans is the fact that different sites offer different lines. The lines at BetNow will differ to BetOnline. A quick YouWager review of their lines will show different numbers than some bitcoin betting sites too.
This means that while one sportsbook might have an underdog listed at +110 odds another site might have them at +130 odds. That means that if you bet $100 on the same line in both places, your payout would differ significantly. At the first spot, you'd get $110 in profit from a $100 bet. At the second spot, you'd get $130. That extra $20 is a significant payout.
It isn’t difficult to find the best lines. Back in the day, you had to walk around from sportsbook to sportsbook in Las Vegas. There were times where you had to call around and see who had the best lines over the phone. Nowadays, all you have to do is click the mouse a few times to compare the odds. Taking the extra time to shop around could really impact your bottom line.
Winning Alone Is Not Enough
Even the most successful sports handicappers in the world wouldn’t be successful if they didn’t know how to manage their money. A sports handicapper could win 60-percent of the time and still not make a profit if they aren’t managing their money properly.
For example, if you bet $100 on 10 favorites at -200 odds and you hit on six of them, your winnings would total $300 while your losses would total $400 for a net of negative $100. See how that math doesn't work out? Picking winners is obviously very important but it doesn’t guarantee a profit.
Follow The Injury News
The injury updates are extremely important to follow because a team that is healthy will almost always have an edge over a team that isn’t healthy. For example, if two teams are pretty evenly matched but one is without its top two players. Te other team should gain an advantage.
Injury news is even more important in individual sports like tennis where they are contested 1-on-1. A key injury could be the difference between a win and a loss so make sure you are paying close attention. Studying up on this has to be a part of your betting strategy.
Bet Against Teams And Players
The majority of casual sports betting fans will bet for a player or team that they think will win. The majority of professional handicappers will bet against a player or team. The reality is that it can be much easier to find weaknesses in teams that can be exploited than it is to rely on strengths to make the differences between wins and losses.
Think about the Cleveland Browns as the perfect example. Anybody that has bet against them straight up for every one of their games this season is 0-7 while at the other end of their division the top team is the Pittsburgh Steelers at 4-3. It makes a lot more sense to bet against terrible teams than it does to bet in favor of a very good team so keep that in mind.
Improve Your Math
Anybody that has never bet on a live event understands how quickly you have to be able to crunch the numbers. It's important to be able to do math on the spot to figure out what makes sense. The best handicappers in the world are able to break down numbers under pressure. They're able to figure out where the best value lies before placing their wager.
Make sure you practice and improve your math before jumping in to the fire because it could give you a significant edge when it matters the most.
