The dog days of summer are here, and for the sports gamblers these days are long and boring. You can go out and spend your money on baseball betting and maybe, just maybe, have a winning MLB season, or you can try and handicap the other “fringe” sports on the betting board. I’m not saying that you can’t make money betting on baseball, but I want to point out there are other sports that can make your summer a bit richer.

One of my favorite summer sports to bet on is the WNBA. My WNBA handicapping for Doc Sports has been very successful and I have compiled four straight winning women’s basketball seasons.  The WNBA has been in business for 14 years, and I have tracked all 14 years of stats and trends. One of the key factors in making money in the WNBA is watching for the opening numbers offshore. Numbers usually go up mid-afternoon and you can tell who the ‘sharp guys’ like because opening numbers move quickly and often.

There are teams in the WNBA you must follow, because, like every other sport, you have teams that cash trends over and over. Take the Phoenix Mercury; for example. The Mercury have averaged more than 90 points per game during the last three seasons, so if you can get a Mercury game with a low total, jump on the ‘over’ because this opening number will move 3-5 points by tipoff. When healthy, the Seattle Storm can be covering machines at home as the defending Champs are always a tough team to beat in Seattle. Look for value and “cash on value” is my No. 1 rule in the WNBA.

Another sport to watch and cash in on during the long, hot days of summer is soccer. It seems like every summer there is a tournament going on in the soccer field, and it’s a great idea to follow a sport that most sportsbooks don’t even know the rules of. Last year we had the 2010 Men’s World Cup soccer (winning tournament for us), and this summer we had the Gold Cup, Copa America, and the Women’s World Cup.

Betting soccer around Las Vegas is like a crap shoot because some casinos throw up the three-way lines (with ‘Draw’) and others throw up a point spread. Soccer tournaments have some great trends. Take the Gold Cup, for example. Mexico was a scoring machine and the oddsmakers kept on posting 2 ½- or three-point totals with small juice attached. Mexico scored 20 goals in six games, and five out of their six games easily went ‘over’ the total. And, yes, we had the ‘over’ in all six Mexico games.

We had a great run in the Gold Cup and had a winning tournament.  We are doing the same results in both Women’s World Cup, and the Copa America.  Again, if you study and read the box scores or newspapers you can easily make some money in the other sport called ‘Futbol’. In betting soccer you must shop around if you want to make the serious cash, because betting the three-way prop can kill you in extra time or penalty kicks. Betting soccer is like shopping for a new car, you shop and shop until you get what you really want, not the one the dealership is selling you.

Summer is also the time for Arena Football, and, granted, most casinos in the past two or three years took them off the board, but now in 2011 it seems the casinos forgave them for dropping the season in 2009. We handicapped the AFL season in 2008 and had a good season, but in 2007 we kicked the Vegas books right between the legs. Even though we didn’t handicap the AFL for Doc Sports doesn’t mean we didn’t place wagers for ourselves. Look at the Dallas Vigilantes; this season they are 6-1 ATS at home and we jumped on this trend when they were 2-0 ATS at home. Do the math! Next year we look to finally get back to handicapping the AFL and add easy summer cash.

The summer can be very boring if you are only a football-basketball gambler, but money is money. I tell my clients, friends, and especially my wife, just because I place a bet on a soccer game, WNBA game or even a baseball game, doesn’t mean I have to watch it. Making summer money in these non-popular sports is just making my bankroll bigger. Look for value and “cash on value” is my No. 1 rule no matter what sport I’m betting at the window. Winning is my only option!