Gambling in sports doesn’t get the same stigma as it did decades ago. You can go as far back and remember certain players who were disgraced like Pete Rose, a shoe-in for Baseball’s Hall of Fame until he was embroiled in controversy due to gambling while he was a player.
Today sports betting has become commonplace among people. E-Sabong was huge until the government had to crack down because of criminal activities that surround the activity. Otherwise online sports gambling has become this billion dollar behemoth.
So if by chance you are getting into a little sports gambling yourself, you might want to know some basic terms before indulging yourself in this.
1. Favorites Vs. Underdogs
You will notice that oddsmakers decide which teams are favored to win by releasing the odds for the teams competing with each other. The plus sign indicates a lower chance of winning while a minus sign is the opposite. This is also taken into account how much the yield would be if any of your choices win.
2. Spread
This is common in high scoring sports like basketball and American football. One could only win based on the points spread won or lost by the team they bet on. So for example the Golden State Warriors are -10 favorites versus the LA Lakers; that means for the person to win the bet the Lakers will have to win or lose by 9 or less.
3. Moneylines
This is generally used for low scoring sports like baseball, soccer and hockey. A hundred dollars is the basis for a bettor’s win. If a team has lower chance to win, say +200 dollars means you can win 200 dollars if the underdog wins but if the team is -200, you will need to bet $200 to win $100.
4. How much to bet
Gamblers can sometimes get carried away, Either they bet too much early or bet too much to cover their loss and it becomes a hole too deep to get out of. The best approach is to bet one to five percent of your bankroll. So if you have 1000 dollars only bet 10-50 dollars each game.
5. Shop for the best line
Go over different sports books as there are differences in the odds they post for the teams. Search for the best ones. There may seem little difference in their posts saying one would have a team at +8 and the other +7.5 but the .5 difference can make a difference in the span of the number games you have bet on.
These are just some of the important terms and tips on sports betting that you might find useful but nothing is more important than getting into gambling with your emotions on the backburner as the difference between winning and going broke is tethered in your ability to control it.
Do check out the community boards for all these sports betting sites and see what’s best for you. Have fun but always stay prudent. Gung-ho is fine if you think you have millions stashed in the bank that you don’t mind losing but if not, stay grounded.
Goodluck and happy betting.
