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Anyone can place a sports bet. But to win money often, you need the right strategy in place. Unlike most types of casino gambling, betting on sports is not entirely based on luck. With the right combination of knowhow, you’ll have a better chance of winning more money than the average punter.
Picking the right betting strategy is not an easy task. There are many so-called “betting strategies” out there – some of them are legit while the others are just hokum. The martingale system is the perfect example of a popular betting strategy that can do more harm than good.
Let’s delve into the different sports betting strategies and see which ones are truly worth your while:
Betting on the Home Team
This is a fairly popular betting strategy that does have a somewhat compelling logic. Teams tend to go extra hard when they’re playing in front of a raucous home crowd. Minnows often beat their more popular opponents this way. In sports like football, you can even bet on a safer draw.
The important thing here is not to go in blind with your bets. Power rankings also matter. If the Buccaneers or KC Chiefs in full form play on the road at the Texans or Lions in 2022, you still wouldn’t give the home team much chance! So, it is also important to look at the form table and recent stats before making this bet.
Bet on Teams that Do Well Against the Spread
Many bettors make the common mistake of only looking at the past results of a team. Instead of looking just at how your team fared against opponents on the day, look at how they fared against the general expectations.
Don’t just look at the wins or losses. Check other betting markets and how often the team defied the odds or came up short. If your team is doing well against the bookies spread more than 50% of the time, you could consider it a good bet.
The Line Shopping Strategy
In this day and age, never settle for the first line/odds you get from a betting shop/bookmaker. This is the era of online gambling – there are dozens of online gambling websites, including casinos and sportsbooks. You will find that Headline Casinos is first when it comes to cross-selling sportsbooks that are also online casinos.
Research as many sportsbooks or online casino (offering sports betting) and compare the odds on offer. You’ll soon discover that the business is quite competitive – many bookies end up undercutting the competition for customers. Invest some time searching online, because chances are, you’ll find some amazing offers.
Zig -Zag Theory
This is a refined or more ‘evolved’ version of the home advantage theory, and is a strategy that works best in the post-season – playoff series in the NBA, NFL and the like. In the playoffs, the teams usually play each other in a 2-2-1-1-1 format for home and away games.
The first two games are played at the home ground of the team with the higher seeding. If the series goes into 5th and 7th matches, they get those at home as well. In those matches, the home team’s advantage is quite strong indeed.
But that’s not all – you also have to look at the previous results. Teams in playoffs tend to bounce back strongly after a loss. For the maximum chance of winning your bet, you should place a wager on a team that is returning after a loss and playing at the home base.
Betting Against the Public
In many (but not all!) matches, there’s a favorite and an underdog, based on current form, stats, or just pure economic might and talent. The majority of the public will play a safe game and bet on the top dog, like Manchester City or Real Madrid in football.
The hype around such a team can also influence the bookmakers. Their lines may move in favor of the underdog (to attract more bets and more money). You can take advantage of these points spread by betting against public opinion in some specific instances.
While not without its strengths, betting against the public requires an in-depth knowledge of how betting markets and bookmakers work. You also have to pay close attention to the line movements to learn when to make a bet.
Middling Your Bets
Even in this strategy, the objective is to pay close attention to the movement of the betting lines after you have placed an early wager. Sometimes, the odds can move sharply in another direction in the build-up to a match.
In some instances, you may find odds that pay heavily for the opposite outcome than your original bet. You may even find situations where you have contrasting bets you can win in the same match. Betting in the middle essentially gives you some insurance against losing.
The lost wager is cancelled out by your winning bet for the opposing team. However, there is often one minor flaw- you will still end up poorer than when you started – after all, sportsbooks often charge additional fees for their services!
Final Thoughts
There are no 100% fool-proof strategies to keep winning your sports bets. But you can improve the odds by using the following sensible betting tips:
• Always bet responsibly and quit while you’re ahead
• Never bet under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Educate yourself about the sport, league, and as many teams as possible
• Pay attention to the betting markets for the best odds.
• Keep your betting activities under a strict budget
• Don’t go chasing wins if you lose your money
And who knows, if you combine these common-sense tips with some of the above-explained strategies, you might be very well reap the benefits and be bagging a win!
