Intro To Sports Betting

Sports Betting Guide

Sports betting is the act of risking money to predict the outcome of a sports game, with a win resulting in additional winnings and a loss resulting in the forfeit of your initial bet. With the sheer popularity of. Introduction to Sports Betting. Betting on sports is a common pastime. And when we say famous, we mean it. There are so many people around the world who are investing trillions of dollars on sports betting each year. This is not only a lot of fun but also an opportunity to earn money. Sports Betting and Maintaining Sanity. Gambling of any kind has the potential to become addicting. Before you venture into the world of sports betting, make sure that you’ve got your priorities in order. Make sure that you’ve established clear goals ahead of time about what you’re looking to make happen.

Betting is a type of gambling activity in which people place money on a bet, in which they have to correctly predict the outcome of a sporting or cultural event in order to win money. We would like to explain you the basics of this quite popular activity, teach you how it’s supposed to be done and help you make your first steps in the world of online sports betting.

Short Introduction

You have probably heard a lot about betting on the Internet or from people you know. As we have already mentioned, you can bet on a variety of different events, however, sports betting is the most popular type of betting. Generally, people place bets with the bookmakers, either via betting shops or websites. The amount of money won on a particular bet is calculated by multiplying the amount of money we placed on the wager, known as the stake, by the odds offered by the betting operator. People are engaged in betting are often referred to as punters (UK & Europe) or bettors (USA & Western World).

Essentials of sports betting

The entire bookmaking industry is based on the probability or likelihood of the events occurring, represented by something called odds. Bookmakers are offering these, let’s call them, rates based on a large range of factors that might affect the chances of a particular outcome taking place. Not only these numbers are telling you the implied probability of the event but also how much you can possibly win. Professional punters use the odds along with some simple calculations and analysis to find value. More about value is explained here. When you get more familiar with betting, you will notice that the odds change very rapidly, especially when it comes to livebetting. It is quite common that punters win more on the same bet just because they place their wagers at the right moment. Therefore, the timing is also very important. Betting markets are also another thing you must keep in mind. You have to learn their mechanics to be able to read it properly. Sometimes top online bookmakers are shortening their odds on a particular player or team just because of the volume of bets place on their side. This is done for one simple reason - to limit possible losses & mitigate risks. Such market situations are quite normal and open up a possibility to back the opposite side (whose odds are getting longer instead). These are only few points you need to consider when opting-in for sports betting or betting in general. If you have already made a decision to become a punter, you must first get familiar with a so-called started-pack:

• Proper bankroll management (managing your betting budget)
• Good ethics (positive thinking, focus, cool-head, patience)
• Analytical skills
• Statistics & data
• Proper strategy (an approach that you are going to use through your betting journey)
• Good reflexes

Learn more about how to become a better punter and how to beat your online bookmaker in our sports betting guide section.

Landside or online bookmaker

Back in a day, there used to be the only way to place a bet, and that is via a betting shop. These betting shops were basically traditional bookmakers’ outlets where you could’ve come and place wagers. These shops were a part of the particular betting operator’s network limited to its geographical location. Luckily for all of us, the things took a change with the introduction of the Internet. Nowadays, it is hard to find a bookmaker without a website via which you can place your bets. Moreover, online bookmakers became so popular that the majority of top online bookmakers only exist online nowadays. Despite offline betting still being present, the benefits of betting online are quite obvious and self-explanatory. Betting online provides a far more convenient, flexible and friendly experience.

In the case of online betting, you are not required to be physically present at the betting shop. You can basically bet from any place in the world via your phone, tablet or computer. Another great thing is that you can do it not only anywhere you want but also anytime you want it. Another reason behind the online bookmakers’ superiority is the access to all the necessary information connected with the particular event. Top online bookmakers always provide the up-to-date match statistics, feedbacks and sometimes even their own predictions, along with live streams. Majority of our recommended online betting services also provide various apps and tools that can help you when betting. If that is still not enough for you to register with one of the top online bookmakers, then here you go with the unbeatable reason why you should do it today - livebetting! Yes, livebetting, or in other words, in-play betting. This is the form of betting available exclusively via online betting sites, which allows you to place live wagers on the in-game occurring events.

Choosing the online bookmaker

Whether or not our words were convincing, at some point, you will get fed up with walking back and forth to your local betting shop. Therefore, it is a great time to start checking out your possible options and choose your online bookmaker. Do not go for big names or flashy ads, choosing the online betting operator is a very individual matter. The book that works well for your friend might not fit your need at all, therefore, choose whichever one suits YOU best. There are a couple of things you have to look at when choosing a particular sportsbook. First of all, you must look at the reliability, trustworthiness and swiftness of payouts. These are the main criteria for choosing a decent online bookmaker. Next up, you have to check out the offer and the price competitiveness of the particular company. This is also very important since if you choose the bookmaker that doesn’t have much to offer for your favourite sport, it will simply not have anything to bet on. If you have made past that step, it is the right time to check out what your chosen online bookmaker has to offer in terms of bonuses & promotions. This is another great feature of online bookmakers. These free bonuses play a huge role in the online betting market. A generous welcome bonus or frequently offered occasional promotions quite often play the decisive role when choosing between two or more online bookmakers you would like to register with. If you would like to learn more about the leading online betting operators, please visit our review section and get the objective overview & feedback to help you make the right decision.

Forms of betting

You have to decide which form of betting you are going to use before actually placing your very first bet. The majority of bets placed around the world are fixed-odds. This means you are betting against the odds offered by the online bookmaker, which do not involve any fluctuation at the payout. This helps you to have a clear idea of how much you are going to win. The most popular fixed-odds types of bets are traditional 1X2, outrights and correct score bets.

Before we get too deep into various betting options, let’s talk a bit about the different types of odds. There many of them, however, it is commonly agreed that there are three main types of odds: fractional, decimal and moneyline. Fractional odds are the most traditional odds out there, they are primarily used in the UK up to this day. Decimal ones are the most popular and arguably the simplest to read, they are used by the majority of European countries, as well as all around the world. As for the moneyline, or as they are also referred to as American odds, they are used in the USA and Western World countries. This is pretty much all you need to know about the odds.

Back to the betting options, another popular type of betting is a handicap. Punters need to predict whether a team or a player will cover the offered by the bookmaker handicap (also known as a spread). It is some sort of a theoretical advantage given to the underdog of the event. Another type of bet is offered in the form of a line for the number of goals, points, corners, penalty cards, etc. depending on the sport. Such markets are usually called Over/Under or total points. As its former name suggest, you basically have to predict whether the stats will go over or remain under the offered line.

Types of bets

There is a wide variety of bets for almost every sports discipline. They can be classified by the following categories: singles and multiples. Single bets are the most popular type of bets. Singles include for following betting options like handicaps, point spreads, totals (over/under), outrights (futures) and of course classic 1X2 bets. Multiples, just like the name suggests, include multiple selections at once. However, besides the combination of the aforementioned betting options, accumulators could also have a form of permutation wagers, like Heinz or Lucky 15. As for the other types of bets, you can come across forecasts, conditional bets (any to come), specials (novelty bets) and live bets (in-play).

Read this article if you want to know more about types of bets.

What sports are best for betting

Choosing a sports discipline and especially the event you are going to bet on is very important. The golden rule here is to stick with whatever sports you are the most comfortable with or know the most about. Following this advice will only simplify your entire betting experience. There is no such thing as a sport that is easier to bet on than the other one. It solely depends on you, your preferences and skillset. If you cannot make up your mind about which sport to start betting on, check out one of our sports betting guides, to learn more about the predictability of sports disciplines.

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

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.

Intro To Sports Betting Sites

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.

Intro To Sports Betting Websites

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.

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

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.