How To Do Betting
A free, detailed guide on for US horse racing betting online for beginners or pros, including the use of breeding and race statistics. From America's #1 choice. In moneyline betting, all you have to do is pick a winner. However, in some sports where there is a clear mismatch – let’s say a big, established college football program versus a downtrodden small. Here is a short list with the steps you need to complete in order to be able to start betting on cricket online: Choose a Betting Site and Create Betting Account. Choose a Deposit Option (and create an account) Deposit Funds in Your Betting Account. Learn About Betting Odds and Place Cricket Bets. HOW TO BET ON SPORTS. A guide for first-time players who are totally new to the world of online sports betting. Learn everything you need to know to have the best chance to cash out from your. Using the following simple formula: Stake x Decimal Odds = Total Payout. Another way of thinking about these numbers is that they represent how much a winning ticket will be worth if you bet $1. In order to spot the underdog and favorite, just keep in mind that. The lower the number, the more favored.
In the single-game framework, baseball is the most unpredictable of the four American major professional sports. It’s also the most frequently played, with each MLB team playing generally 27 times per month for a six-month period from April to September. For the bettor, high frequency and unpredictability make for a great deal of excitement, whether betting a single-game outcome or season results. Below, we take a look at definitions of key sports betting terms and how odds work in the many ways to get a piece of MLB betting action.
MLB betting: Ways to bet
Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list of today’s sports betting odds and lines.
Single-game betting: Individual games are broken down into a moneyline, run line, or Over/Under. Bettors can back one of two sides of each line.Live betting: Get action while the game is underway with lines adjusting almost constantly based on which team is winning or dominating play. In-game injuries and big early leads can drastically affect the lines and odds.Alternate lines: When looking to bet on a game, it’s always wise to look at all of the available options on the alternate lines. These can offer either a greater profit margin or a higher probability of winning the bet.Futures betting: Place bets in the offseason or at any point within a season by backing a team to win the World Series or the AL/NL pennant or their league, or to win a certain number of games. Player awards such as the league MVP or Cy Young Award are also available as futures. Odds are adjusted throughout the year based on team or player performance.Prop bets: Get single-game action on in-game events, like total runs plus hits plus errors in a given inning, a yes/no on the game going into extra innings, or game firsts (strikeout, hit, home run, etc. …)MLB betting: Key betting terms to know
Favorite: The team the market identifies as the most likely winner. Starting pitchers often play a role, here.Underdog: Conversely, underdogs or dogs, are the team the market tags as most likely to lose.Moneyline: The most common bet type – simply pick one side or the other to win the game. Moneylines typically look for a team to win a game, but five-inning and other lines can be found, each changing the end-point of the wager and the calculus of the odds.Run line: The favorite is tagged with the stipulation of winning by a margin of -1.5 runs. With roughly a third of all MLB games decided by a single run, this wager type changes the odds – sometimes flipping a moneyline favorite to a run line underdog.Total or Over/Under: A line set for how many combined runs will be scored in the game by the two teams. Can be a full game or a five-inning total for a single game or a component of a prop bet (example: Over/Under 17 total strikeouts in a game).Push: A wager not won by either side. MLB games can’t end in a tie, but bets sometimes can (the Over/Under is the most common push in baseball betting).Chalk: Referring to odds on heavy favorites. The odds are generally so low as to not be worth betting as the profit margin is too small to warrant the small risk.Parlay: Combining two or more bet types from the same game or across multiple-game offerings. It increases the total odds, but they’re extremely risky as all plays need to be correct for a bet to win. The more bets included, the higher the payout, but the higher the risk.Teaser: Buy or sell some runs on a run line or a total bet in order to get better odds or increase your chance of winning with lower odds.MLB betting: How do odds work?
Baseball odds on the moneyline generally range from -250 to +250, but one of the lures of MLB betting is the preponderance of plays in the -175 to +175 range. The more even margins typically mean less of a takeout on the sportsbook end. A $10 bet at -150 would return a profit of $6.67 on a win. A $10 bet at +150 would return a profit of $15 on an upset win.
All bets are paid out shortly after a game finishes, with those funds being allowed to be placed on new bets or be withdrawn from the sportsbook.
First-time MLB bettors should note how expected pitchers (starting and otherwise) for a game can drastically change what the normal team-vs.-team odds would be in a vacuum. Recent trends, matchup histories, variable strengths and weaknesses based on pitcher handedness and venue, and injuries all play into how a game is priced. Finding small market inefficiencies can be profitable when plotted against a daily slate of 10 to 15 games each day.
Get some sports betting action by placing a bet with BetMGM today. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
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If you’re new to football betting and keen to get involved
then you’ve just come to exactly the right place. On this page
we will teach you all the basics of betting on football, and
make sure that you are on the right track from the moment you
place your first wager. If you feel like you’re ready to dive right in, here are the top football betting sites we recommend:
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In our opinion this is one of the most useful beginner’s
guides to football betting you’ll find anywhere on the internet.
It covers everything you need to get started, and yet you don’t
need to worry about getting overwhelmed with detail as we keep
our explanations as simple as possible.
For those who are only really interested in wagering for a
bit of fun, you’ll be ready to go as soon as you’ve finished
reading this page. For those of you with ambitions of making
long term profits, we also point you towards a wide range of
additional information and advice that will help you to achieve
such goals. We’re not promising that we’ll make you an instant
expert, but we’ll certainly give you the chance to become one.
If you’re simply just looking to bet on football games right now we have
listed our top recommendations for online betting sites below. These
are sites that we have found to be trustworthy with our money and
offer football bettors true value.
We recommend reading through this whole page from start to
finish, but we’ve listed the various topics we cover below if
you’d prefer to skip straight to something specific.
How to Bet on Football: Page Contents
Different Types of Football Bets
Where to Place Your Bets
Using Online Betting Sites
Essential Advice for Beginners
Improving Your Football Betting Skills
Before You Start: Recommended Reading
If you’re already familiar with how sports betting works, and
know a thing or two about football, then please feel free to
skip this section. If, however, you’re completely new to sports
betting and/or not much of a football fan, then there are a few
things you should learn before you start placing bets on
football games.
Firstly you really need to understand the basics of what
sports betting is all about, and what’s involved with placing
wagers. These basics are relatively straightforward, so
thankfully it doesn’t take long to get up to speed. It’s
definitely advisable to familiarize yourself with them though.
Our beginner’s guide to sports betting is the perfect resource
for this. Here’s a selection of some of the topics it covers.
In addition to knowing the basics of betting, you should also
know at least the basics of football too. It’s likely that most
people reading this are big sports fans, and fully understand
it, but that’s not necessarily the case for all our readers. We
like to cater for everyone, so we’ve written the following two
articles explaining all about the game at both professional and
college level.
About College Football
Different Types of Football Bets
One of the first things you should understand about betting
on football is the fact that there are several different types
of wagers that can be placed. You won’t necessarily use all the
different types, depending on what strategies you employ, but
it’s still advisable to learn at least a little about each one.
Below we look at the two most popular types of wagers, some
of the other commonly used options, and the various options for
wagering on multiple games with a single bet.
The Most Popular Types of Football Bets
There are two types of football bets that are used far more
than any other. Many people who bet on football place only the
following wagers.
- Point Spreads
- Totals
Some readers will already know all about these and how they
work, but we’ll explain a little about them for those that
don’t.
Point Spreads
A point spread is effectively a handicap that’s used to
create a 50/50 wagering proposition. For example, a bookmaker
may offer the following point spread on a football match between
the San Diego Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts.
What this spread means is that, for the purposes of wagering,
the Chargers will have 3.5 points deducted from their final
score. For a bet on them to be successful, they would therefore
have to win by four points or more. The Colts, on the other
hand, will have 3.5 points added to their final score. A bet on
them would be successful if they won the game, or lost by 3
points or less.
You can read more about point spreads on the following page.
Totals
Totals are just as easy to understand. With these, the
bookmaker posts an expected total for the amount of points
scored by both sides. On the previously mentioned match between
the Chargers and the Colts, for example, they might set the
total at 48.50. You then have to decide whether to bet on the
over or the under.
A wager on the over will win if the combined score from the
two teams is 49 or over (e.g. Chargers 29, Colts 24). A wager on
the under will win if the combined score from the two teams is
48 or less (e.g. Chargers 19, Colts 17).
We explain totals in more detail on the following page.
Before we go onto explain some of the other types of wagers
you can place, there’s some very important information that we
need to mention.
The basic principle of point spreads and totals is that you
have roughly a 50% chance of winning, so technically a “fair”
return on these types of wagers should be equal to the amount
staked. However, they are usually priced up by bookmakers at
odds of -110 (1.91 in decimal odds format, 10/11 in fractional
odds format), which means for every $110 staked you stand to win
$100. You don’t have to stake as much as $110 of course, but the
point is that a successful wager will only return 90% of the
amount staked (plus the initial stake of course).
This is because bookmakers are in business to make a profit,
so they effectively charge a commission for taking wagers. This
commission is known as the vig, short for vigorish, and it’s one
of the ways that bookmakers stay profitable. They don’t charge
it just for points spreads and totals either, as it’s built into
the odds for every wager that they offer.
If you have any ambitions of being a
successful bettor, we strongly recommend reading our article
explaining vig and how bookmakers make money.
Other Common Football Bets
In addition to point spreads and totals, there are three
other types of bets that are commonly used for wagering on
football. These are as follows.
- Moneylines
- Props
- Futures
We’ll now provide a brief overview of each of these, and
point you towards some additional information on each one too.
Moneylines
A moneyline wager is very simple. It involves simply backing
a team to win a match, with no point spread involved. The odds
for moneyline wagers are based on each team’s relative chance of
winning. For example, the moneyline on a game between the San
Diego Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts might look like this.
The Chargers are the favorites here, and the odds of -175
mean that a stake of $175 is required to win $100. To put it
another way, every $1.75 staked stands to win $1 if the Chargers
win. Initial stakes are returned too of course.
The Colts are the underdogs, so backing them means the
potential for higher payouts relative to the amount staked. The
odds of +155 mean that every $1 staked stands to win $1.55 if
the Colts win (i.e. a $100 wager stands to win $155 if the Colts
win). Again, initial stakes are also returned.
For more information on moneylines, and the strategy involved
in placing them, please see the following article.
Props
Props, short for propositions, are wagers on outcomes that
are decided during a football game, but are not necessarily
directly linked to the final result. Some examples include the
following.
- The first team to score.
- The distance of the longest touchdown.
- The total passing yards of a quarterback.
- The number of field goals kicked.
These are just a very small selection of some props. Many
bookmakers offer dozens of different options, particularly on
high profile matches. Props are generally considered a fun type
of bet rather than a way to make money, but it is possible to
make consistent profits from them. We explain more about props
on the following page, where we also offer some strategy advice.
Futures
Futures are wagers on how teams, or individual players, will
fare over the course of an entire season. A wager on a team to
win the Super Bowl, placed at the start of the season, would be
considered a future. So would a wager on a team to be the
National Football Conference champions, or a wager on a player
to win the Most Valuable Player award.
There isn’t a lot more to explain about futures, and there
isn’t really much in the way of specific strategy for them
either. We do go into a bit more detail on them on the following
page though.
Betting on Multiple Football Games
A lot of people like to bet on multiple games at once, as
this can provide the potential for big payouts. It’s not
something we particularly advise beginners to get involved with,
but it doesn’t hurt to understand the options available. The
main ones are as follows.
- Parlays
- Teasers
- Pleasers
Let’s take a quick look at what these are all about.
Parlays
A parlay basically combines several different wagers into
one. For example, a parlay could be made up of five point spread
wagers on five separate games. The payout for such a wager could
be very attractive, but only if ALL the wagers were correct.
Just one wrong pick would mean the whole wager failing. That’s
why these are considered quite risky. They’re a bit more complex
than the previous wagers mentioned, but we won’t go into any
more detail here. We do on the following page though.
Teasers & Pleasers
Teasers and pleasers are essentially types of parlays that
use modified point spreads or totals. With teasers, the spreads
or totals are moved in the bettor’s favor. With pleasers, they
are moved in the bookmaker’s favor. There’s plenty more to
explain about these wagers, which we do on the following pages.
Where to Place Your Football Bets
Now that you know about the different wagers you can place on
football, the next step is actually placing them. The question
you’re probably asking now is “how and where can I do this?”
There are a few options, which we list below, but please be
aware that not all of these are available in all parts of the
world.
- Casino Sportsbooks
- Bookmaking Shops
- Telephone Betting
- Online Sports Betting Sites
Casino Sportsbooks
Many casinos around the world contain a sportsbook. They
usually feature several big screen TVs showing any live sports
action currently taking place, and computerized odds boards
displaying all the latest odds. There are typically cashier
windows where you can place your wagers with a real person, but
some books have interactive machines instead. Either way, these
are great places to place some bets and watch the games at the
same time. The problem for Americans, though, is that they are
only legal in Nevada. There are plenty of sportsbooks in Las
Vegas casinos, but not in other parts of the country.
Bookmaking Shops
Bookmaking shops are mostly like sportsbooks, they’re just
not inside a casino. They also generally have lots of TVs
showing sports, and a counter where wagers are placed. These
shops can be found in many countries around the world, but
they’re not legal in the United States.
Telephone Betting
A lot of bookmakers offer telephone betting services, and
they are usually very straightforward to use. It’s a simple
matter of calling the relevant number, telling the operator you
reach which wagers you want to place, confirming the odds, and
then providing your credit card details. Some bookmakers take
other payment methods too, and some even offer credit lines to
select customers.
Sports Betting Today
This is another option that’s not available to Americans. Not
legally at least, as the Federal Wire Act of 1961 made telephone
betting illegal. You might be getting disheartened by now if you
live in the US, and wondering exactly how you’re ever going to
place any wagers. Don’t worry though, as we have one more option
to tell you about.
Online Sports Betting Sites
Using an online sports betting site is far and away the best
way to bet on football, or any sport for that matter. It’s the
most convenient and accessible option, and there are several
other advantages too. Best of all, it’s legal in the United
States. There are some laws against online gambling in the US,
but these mostly apply to companies and individuals providing
gambling services. There’s no law that states it’s illegal to
use a gambling site of any kind, so Americans are at liberty to
place football bets online if they so choose. We’ve written the
following page explaining things in more detail for those
interested, or you can just keep reading for a quick guide to
getting started online.
Using Online Betting Sites
Using sports betting sites to bet on football online is
relatively straightforward. It’s super easy to open accounts at
most sites, and the majority of them are very user-friendly.
Finding and placing wagers generally takes no time at all, and
can be done from the comfort of your own home with just a
computer and internet access. You can even use most sites from a
smartphone or tablet these days.
Please make sure that you use the right sites though. Most
places are pretty good, but there are some that are best
avoided. It’s vital that you use a safe and trustworthy option,
and you also want to use somewhere that is suitable for
football. We suggest taking a look at the following sites.
How To Do Horse Betting
Our Top Ranked Football Betting Sites: