Basics To Sports Betting

If you have ever wondered how sports betting works, then you’re in the right place.

• How To Win Sports Betting
• Basics To Sports Betting For Beginners
• Basics To Sports Betting
• Best Online Betting Sites

1. Betting Against the Public is one of the most popular and simplest methods used by Sports Insights members. The logic is simple: always bet against the public. Whichever team the public is loading up.
2. The first of the basics you will have to learn if you want to be a sports bettor is how to read the lines. The most important lines will be determined by the sport upon which you are betting. For instance, in.

We’ll show you everything you need to know about sports betting basics, odds, and even payouts.

Sports Betting Explained: The Basics. Benefits of Sports Betting. Sports betting is one of the more popular forms of gambling, because it offers a few advantages over many of the alternatives.

Placing wagers might just have started from the first civilization.

Back then, it was called casting lots, and it was more or less a form of gambling.

Who started sports betting?

No one knows.

But you can rest assured that from the very first sporting event, people have been casting lots and placing bets for a long time.

So if you’re curious about it and would like to know how sports betting works, then keep reading.

How Sports Betting Works

Sports Betting Basics: What Is Sports Betting?

If you’re at least in your early teens, then chances are you already know what a bet is, and it is very likely that you’ve already won a few stakes yourself, with the loser doing a few of your chores as a result of you being right.

It’s also very likely that you’ve also had to do a few chores too for getting it wrong yourself.

Now that you have a perfect example of what betting is, it’s time to relate those childhood games you used to play to the big multi-billion dollar business that is sports betting.

In Sports Betting, you place a bet on an event, say the Steelers beating the Ravens (this is just an example you can place bets on different sports), and the Steelers actually wins, then you’ve won some money.

But if the Ravens are victorious, then you lose your bet.

For some, sports betting is a way to make money, and others do it for its fun.

It gives them an added reason to enjoy a particular game.

It gets them more involved in a contest in ways they wouldn’t have if they didn’t have some money riding on the outcome of that particular contest.

The Plus (+) & Minus (-) Signs

In sports betting, especially in America, the plus (+) sign denotes how much a $100 bet will payout.

The minus (-) sign denotes how much you have to use to place a bet to get a payout of $100.

However, the plus and minus signs are also used for more exciting kinds of bets like the point spreads.

The point spreads (Europeans call it Handicap) are one of the most common types of wagers, with the lines of such wagers being displayed with the plus and minus signs.

For most games, there’s usually a favorite and an underdog.

The favorite gives points to the underdog and is displayed with the minus sign, while the rest/underdog who takes points from the favorite is displayed with the plus sign.

Let’s take a look at the example below.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens

Point Spread: Steelers (+3) -110; Ravens (-3) -110.

This is an example of a point spread.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a game at Baltimore against the Ravens (the home team is displayed second).

The Baltimore Ravens, who are favorites, are down 3 points, and placing a wager on the Ravens means they have to win with at least four points to get a payout.

Placing a wager on the Steelers, who have a 3 point advantage, means you get a payout when the Steelers win the game or lose by 1 or 2 points or if the match ends in a tie.

The -110 means you get $100 in profit when you wager $110.

The point spread lines could also come in fractions like the example below.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens

Point Spread: Steelers (+4.5) -110; Ravens (-4.5) -110.

If you placed a wager on the Steelers, you’d need an outright win or a loss by four points or less, while the Ravens have to win by at least 5 points to get a payout when you place a wager on the team.

The Money Lines

With money line bets, you don’t have to worry about points or runs.

You just place your wagers on who you think would win.

It doesn’t matter how many points or runs a team is able to get.

As long as they win, you get a payout.

Money line wagers are also displayed with plus and minus signs, which just signifies the odds.

Odds just tells you how much you can win with a particular wager or how much you need to bet to win the desired amount.

As usual, the favorites are displayed with the minus sign attached to the number, while the underdog has the plus sign attached to its number.

As a newbie, you might find the money lines market a little confusing, but it gets easier once you get the hang of it.

Let’s take a look at this example.

Baltimore Ravens (-200)

The Baltimore Ravens are clearly the favorites with the minus sign. It also means that you would have to wager $200 for a chance to win $100.

Pittsburgh Steelers (+180)

With Pittsburgh Steelers being the underdogs, they have a much larger payout than the Ravens.

The +180 means with a $100 wager, you walk away with an extra $180 in the event that the Steelers beat the Ravens.

Totals or Over & Under Betting

The Totals market deals with the number of points scored in a contest.

There are usually options for both teams as well as each team.

Here’s an example.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Over 46.5 points -110; Under 46.5 points -110

In this example, you place wagers on whether the total score would be over 46.5 or under 46.5.

If you believe the total score would be more than 46.5, then you should place your wager on the Over 46.5.

But if you strongly believe that the total score would be less than 46.5, then that’s the option you should bet on.

Baltimore Ravens

Over 25.5 points -110; Under 25.5 points -110

While the previous example shows lines for the total points scored by both teams, this example shows lines of the number of points scored by the Ravens in a match against the Steelers.

The same rules still apply; the only difference is the opposing team’s points, which in this case, the Steelers will not be included.

The Total or Over / Under market is an excellent option for a rookie who wants to start sports betting.

But the bookies who determine these betting lines are really smart, and as you go further, you come to realize how much more challenging these lines can be.

The Over and Under betting can be found in Football, Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Soccer, and several other Sports.

Where to Place Bets

When it comes to where to place bets, there are two main places to place your bets. The physical or land-based sports bookies and the online sports betting websites.

The land-based sports bookies are found in casinos and several other places.

While on the online sports betting websites, all you have to do is create an account, fund it and start placing bets on your favorite sports.

For more convenience, betting online is the best option for many.

Conclusion

With this guide on how sports betting works and sports betting basics, you’re sure to take your bets from total novice to a pro.

How To Win Sports Betting

Let us know your thoughts in our comments section below.

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This guide is aimed primarily at people who have never bet on sports before, and know very little about what’s involved. It contains all the information needed to get started, with everything explained in a manner that’s very easy to follow. Even those who already have some experience of betting on sports may find the guide useful, as it’s very comprehensive with a lot of helpful advice.

There are a few different parts to this guide. The first part features a number of articles that are all about the basics of sports betting. These cover topics such as the mechanics of sports betting, how to place wagers, and the roles of probability and odds. The next part contains some advice for when you first start betting, and includes some useful resources for beginners. There’s a glossary of sports betting terms, and an FAQ. Finally, there’s a collection of articles explaining all about the various types of bets and the different forms of betting.

Everything that’s included in this beginner’s guide to sports betting is listed below. If you’re a complete novice then we’d recommend reading through everything in order, but you can skip to anything that is of particular interest if you prefer. Also on this page is some additional information about some other sports betting sections on our website. These are useful if you want to expand your knowledge and improve your betting skills, and there’s some advice for betting online as well.

Sports Betting Explained: The Basics

Benefits of Sports Betting

Sports betting is one of the more popular forms of gambling, because it offers a few advantages over many of the alternatives. In this article we look at its benefits when compared to playing casino games or playing poker, and also some of the other reasons why you might want to try betting on sports.

Mechanics of Sports Betting

Before you should even consider risking your own money, you should really understand the basic mechanics of how sports betting works. This article will teach you exactly what you need to know in order to start betting your money, including the three main components that make up a sports wager.

How to Place Sports Bets

Once you know how sports betting works, you can then think about placing some bets. In this article we explain what’s involved in the process, and the various methods you can use. Telephone betting, bookmaker shops, casino sportsbooks, and online gambling sites are all covered.

Understanding Odds

Odds are an integral part of sports betting, so you really need to understand them. This article does exactly that by explaining what they are and how they work, as well as also looking at their different formats. There is a guide to the math involved in calculating potential payouts when figuring out your returns.

How Bookmakers Make Money

Bookmakers don’t just make money by accident. They use specific techniques to ensure that they (usually at least) make a profit from every betting market that they offer. You need to be aware of these techniques, as they are the reason why bookmakers have the advantage over their customers.

Probability and Value

The concept of value and how it relates to probability is vital knowledge if you are to stand any chance of success when betting on sports. This article explains what you need to know in detail, and will give you a fundamental understanding of what it takes to identify good betting opportunities.

Tips, Advice and Useful Resources

The next two articles contain tips for what to do, and what not to do, when you first start betting. You should follow the advice featured in these articles from the moment you start betting. It will help you get into good habits, and greatly improve your chances of making money in the long run.

Top Tips for Beginners

There is little point in trying to become an expert on sports betting as soon as you start out. It can be hard enough trying to understand how everything works. As a beginner, it’s important to focus primarily on just the basics. There are a few simple tips that are worth following though, and we’ve listed them all in this article.

MORE Mistakes to Avoid

Basics To Sports Betting For Beginners

It’s natural to make mistakes as a beginner to sports betting, and you shouldn’t worry too much if you do. They are part of the learning process. With that being said, there are a few common mistakes that are actually relatively easy to avoid. This article provides some advice on how not to fall into the same traps that so many beginners do.

We’ve also provided two additional resources which contain very useful information for beginners.

Sports Betting FAQ

There are several questions that we hear all the time from sports betting beginners looking for advice on getting started. We’ve compiled a list of the most common ones, and provided detailed answers to them in our FAQ. The following are some examples of the questions we answer.

• What Is The Best Sport To Bet On?
• What Is A Value Bet?
• How Much Should I Stake?
• Should I Pay For Tips

The answers to these questions, and more, can all be found on the following page.

Sports Betting Glossary

There are times when it can feel like sports betting has its own language, and this can make things very confusing for a beginner. Our comprehensive glossary can clear up any confusion, as it explains all the jargon and technical terms you are likely to encounter when betting on sports.

It’s not necessary to learn all the words and phrases contained in this glossary at this stage, but you might want to bookmark it to refer to any time you come across a term you don’t understand.

Types of Bets and Different Forms of Betting

Types of Bets

The following articles will teach you all about the different wagers you can place on sports events. You probably won’t want to use all of these when you first start betting, but it’s still advisable to understand all the available options and how they work.

The first of these articles contains a brief overview of each type of bet, and you should read this one as a minimum. The rest of the articles explain each bet in more detail, with working examples. You can read them now, or refer to them at a later date when you are ready to start experimenting with different wagers.

Forms of Betting

There are a few alternative forms of sports betting that provide different ways to bet on sports events. We advise familiarizing yourself with these, even if you don’t have any plans to get involved with them right now. It’s always useful to consider other ways of making money from your sports knowledge

Before You Start: Information You Should Know

For some reason, a lot of people seem to think that betting on sports makes watching them less enjoyable. This is perhaps because they are under the impression that it means taking things too seriously, and worrying about things like statistics and form rather than simply relaxing and watching a game.

Let us assure you that this is nonsense. You certainly can choose to take your betting seriously, and it may affect the way that you watch sports events, but it really doesn’t take the fun out of things. It’s quite the opposite in fact. In our view at least, placing wagers on events makes watching them even more enjoyable. It adds to the excitement, as it means there’s always something or someone to cheer for.

It’s not essential to learn all about the strategy involved in sports betting, and indeed the vast majority of people who bet don’t. They simply enjoy putting their sports knowledge to the test, and giving themselves the opportunity to win some money. We do recommend learning at least the basics of what to do, but they are all that’s needed if you just want to have some fun and place the occasional wagers on your favorite sports.

As fun as sports betting can be, it’s important to recognize the fact that it does involve risk. It doesn’t matter how much you know about sports, you’re never going to be able to predict the outcome of events with 100% accuracy. Even if you mostly back big favorites, there’s still going to be the occasional upset where things don’t turn out as expected.

Risk is a part of any form of gambling, so don’t let this put you off betting on sports. It’s just that you need to be prepared for the possibility of losing money. Most people do lose money overall, and there’s a good chance that you will too. This is why you must gamble responsibly. You should set a budget to bet with, and only ever use money that you can afford to lose.

Basics To Sports Betting

Even though most people lose money through sports betting, this doesn’t mean that you have to. The bookmakers do have an advantage because they set the odds, but their advantage is not impossible to overcome. It’s not like playing casino games where there is a house edge that cannot be beaten. There’s still some luck involved of course, but there is no reason at all why you can’t take from the bookmakers if you know what you’re doing.

If you plan on taking your betting seriously, and are aiming to make consistent profits, then you need to go a step or two further than just understanding the basics. Success takes hard work and commitment, and there’s a lot to learn, but with enough knowledge and the right approach you can be a winner. The following two sections of our sports betting guide can help you to achieve your goals.

Sports Betting Online

The information in this beginner’s guide is all relevant regardless of how you actually choose to place your bets. The advice it contains applies regardless of whether you bet over the phone, in a bookmakers shop, or with a casino sportsbook. Seeing as the most popular way to bet these days is over the internet, however, we’ve also produced a section dedicated to betting online. Check out our page that discusses both methods.

This section covers each of the following topics, and also includes a step by step guide to joining a sports betting site and placing wagers.

• Advantages of Betting Online
• Choosing Where to Bet
• Getting Started with Online Sports Betting
• Bonuses & Rewards
• Using Multiple Sites

Best Online Betting Sites

Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, we also recommend the top sports betting sites in several different categories. We’ll help you to find the very best sites that are the most suitable for any personal preferences or requirements you may have. Each one of our recommendations is reliable and trustworthy, so you can be sure of a safe betting experience.