Sports betting is not easy and requires a lot of work. But, with the right tips and tricks, you can increase your chances of winning and make a profit on your wagers.
One of the best tips is to fade the public. This involves tracking the initial odds on a team and then betting against them when they are heavily supported.
Trends
Betting trends are a powerful tool that can help bettors win more. These data-driven insights take human bias out of the equation, helping bettors make more sound betting decisions. However, betting trends don’t guarantee wins and they are not foolproof.
It is also important to pay attention to line movement. Sportsbooks want to attract roughly equal action on both sides of a bet, so lines and odds will move depending on the public’s opinion. This is a big factor in the zig zag betting theory, which involves placing bets on both teams in a playoff series.
It is also a good idea to study a team’s past performances against the spread and in terms of over/under bets. These trends can reveal patterns that indicate how a team will perform in certain situations.
Moneyline
Sports betting strategies can increase your winning odds in a number of ways. For example, betting on moneyline odds can be more profitable than placing a point spread bet. This is because the oddsmakers move the lines relative to the amount of action they receive. For example, a team might start as -125 favorites but, as more people place bets on them, the odds will go up and they may become -150 or even higher.
This can be an advantage for smart bettors because it allows them to fade the public and take a look at the odds of a game before making a wager. In addition, they should always shop the lines to find the best value. This can be done by using free resources that show the distribution of action on a particular bet.
Parlay
A parlay is a bet where multiple individual bets are combined into one single bet for a larger payout. Parlays are risky and should not be chased by casual bettors, but they can be a fun way to spice up your sports betting experience and get a shot at some huge payouts.
Parlay bets must win for the bet to pay off, so it’s crucial to choose your picks wisely. You can make a parlay with a combination of money lines, spreads and totals. However, some bet types can’t be parlayed, such as run lines and totals in baseball games.
Parlays can vary in size, and most online sportsbooks offer a variety of options for bettors. A parlay with all favorites will usually pay off with plus odds, which are higher than the odds that would be paid out if a team was a favorite based on their overall record.
Line shopping
In sports betting, every edge is important. Visiting different sportsbooks to compare lines and odds can save you money and time. Moreover, it can also increase your chances of winning bets. For instance, a line move of one point may not seem like much but it can significantly improve your win percentage. That is why it is a key strategy for professional “sharp” bettors.
This is especially true for moneyline betting. While point spreads are more common, moneylines get more action. Consequently, they’re more likely to change. Comparisons can often turn up significant differences in moneyline odds, which can result in more winning bets – or less losing bets – over the course of a season. Fortunately, there are several tools available to make the process easy.