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Sports Betting 101 - How to bet on Sports

Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams


by George Monroy - 4/30/2014

The zig-zag theory is composed of a simple idea, bet the team that lost the last game. Sounds brilliant on paper, right? The losing team will probably come back strong the very next game and cover the spread. The theory itself came to prominence during the early 80s and worked wonders on bettor’s bankrolls for quite some time. The general consensus over the last decade, however, has been that the theory is outdated and sportsbooks now adjust their lines because of it.

picture of a calculator.


by George Monroy - 8/2/2013

Middling a sporting event is one of those little tricks of the trade that most advanced and professional sports bettors use to maximize their profit margins. Sports betting, just like any other endeavor, has its share of secrets and expert plays that separate the experienced bettors from the beginners—and the art of middling a game is one of them. If you have ever noticed a line open at a certain number and then move drastically in either direction, then you experienced the first stages of a potential middle opportunity.

money


by George Monroy - 5/23/2013

If you are new to sports betting, opening up an online account and placing a bet can be a daunting task. Figuring out the numbers, odds, and types of bets can feel like a job that requires a dictionary just to get started. Moneylines, vigs, and teasers might as well be a foreign language to someone that has never heard of the terms. However, luckily for the new gambler, sports betting is not as complicated as it might seem (actually picking a winner is another story).

picture of a sportsbook


by George Monroy - 5/9/2013

Sports betting can be just as profitable as any other form of investing, and at the highest levels it should be run like a successful business. Gambling can be a fun and exciting form of entertainment. However, for the serious bettor, wagering on sports is a way to make money. A professional sports bettor is no different than a Wall Street trader or a real estate investor.


by George Monroy - 4/15/2013

The stock market and sports betting may have much more in common than what initially meets the eye. Wagering on sporting events can be similar to other forms of investing as many of the same fundamental concepts are similar. The serious sports bettor will approach his craft with the same knowledge and work ethic that a Wall Street day-trader would. The stock market can be just as much of a gamble as wagering on sports can be. And sports betting, in turn, can be as much of a long-term investment as wagering on the stock market can be.

picture of a calculator.


by George Monroy - 4/12/2013

Major League Baseball is perhaps the most stats-driven game in the American sports landscape. Professional baseball was keeping track of, and using, advanced metrics before most other sports even knew of the concept. For gamblers, handicapping an MLB game can rely heavily on stats and advanced analysis. One of the most important factors for baseball betting, other than pitching, is having a strong knowledge a team’s ATS records.


by George Monroy - 2/15/2013

Expected value is a math term that sounds like something out of your worst high school algebra nightmare. It sounds like a concept most people thought they had escaped from years ago. However — even though the mathematically impaired might not want to hear this — it is also a sports betting concept that every gambler should know and deeply understand.


by George Monroy - 1/8/2013

Sports betting is one of the most popular forms of gambling in America. It provides not only entertainment value, but it also provides the ability for sharp bettors to consistently make money wagering on sporting events. One of the main reasons behind its popularity is that sports betting offers an edge that is rarely found in casino gaming — a sharp sports bettor can consistently make money, and that fact will continue to bring in new players and help the industry continue to grow.

Anderson Silva of UFC.


by George Monroy - 12/27/2012

The UFC is one of the fastest growing sports organizations in the world, and it has taken mixed martial arts from the backrooms and dark corners into the limelight with prominent ESPN coverage and free fights on network television. The UFC stuck a deal with Fox over a year ago, and it has since put on five pay-per-view-caliber shows on free TV. The deal will only bring more exposure to an already growing sport, as it helps build stars and delivers exciting matchups to fans starving for high-profile fights.

picture of a calculator.


by George Monroy - 12/21/2012

Moneylines may be as primordial to sports betting as the games themselves. In order to place a bet, gamblers need to quantify the talent disparity between teams. On a very basic level, even non-sports bettors know that you can’t place an even-money bet on the Super Bowl Champions facing the worst team in the league — there has to be a give and take. In the sports betting world, we use the point spread or the moneyline to place an exact number on that difference in talent.

picture of a calculator.


by George J Monroy - 12/10/2012

The vig or juice — whatever you want to call it — is a sports bettor’s worst enemy (other than losing wagers, of course). If you have ever placed a bet before, then you know exactly what the juice is. It’s the built in edge that sportsbooks use in order to gain a profit on taking bets.

NFL Football


by George J Monroy - 11/29/2012

Basic strategy teasers are an increasingly popular bet that utilizes knowledge of NFL key numbers in order to move certain lines past the strongest key numbers of three and seven. Over the last 30 years, NFL games have been decided by exactly three or seven points 25 percent of the time. And being able to move a spread (using a six-point teaser) past those two numbers can provide excellent value to a wager.

picture of a calculator.


by George J Monroy - 11/19/2012

As sports bettors, we are always searching for a way to beat the spread. Some of us will spend hours on end researching lines and stats in order to make an informed decision, while others will simply rely on luck or superstition. Remember Paul, the sports betting octopus that went eight-for-eight at predicting winners during the 2010 World Cup (I do--I made a killing following his advice!)?

Wilson Football.


by George J Monroy - 10/23/2012

Sports betting, for the serious gambler, often falls into the category of skill rather than luck. We study lines, look at scores, and make every possible effort to come up with the smartest betting decisions possible—and that is probably why many sports bettors stay away from parlays, teasers and random prop bets.

picture of a calculator.


by Aaron Smith - 9/5/2012

The popularity of the National Football League has led to the rise of all sorts of contests where fans can get involved. Fantasy football is still the most popular, but NFL confidence pools are quickly becoming another major player in the contest arena. Confidence pools tap into that fan interest and provide another NFL office pool type of game for fans to get even more involved in the sport.

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria


by David Schwab - 4/4/2012

Major League Baseball kicks off its 2012 regular season this week. And while it may not garner the same level of betting action that the NFL and NBA does, it remains an extremely viable option to supplement your sports wagering endeavors.

picture of a calculator.


by Doc's Sports - 2/28/2012

Are you new to the online gaming world? There’s a big event that might draw your betting interest nearly every month of the year. Perhaps you are looking to put down some action on the Super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Finals. Perhaps one of the Grand Slam events for golf or tennis. Or any of numerous horse races. Or the Olympics! Maybe you just want to be well-versed in sports betting 101 to understand what your significant other, friends or family are talking about while watching sports. Here is everything you need to know with sports betting odds and lines explained.

picture of a sportsbook


by Max Powers - 10/10/2011

Often times in sports betting you hear the word ‘pick’em.’ Most professional or regular gamblers immediately know what the means. But that is not always the case with novice bettors or someone making a first trip to Las Vegas that happens to wander into the sportsbook. The following will describe some key terms in gambling that will help you make an educated wager and avoid an uncomfortable look for the ticket taker. We will answer the question “what does pick’em mean in sports betting?”.

picture of a sportsbook


by David Schwab - 8/24/2011

When it comes to handicapping the NFL, just about everyone uses some kind of system when making their picks. Whether they utilize some kind of sophisticated bank of computers that crunch the numbers or rely on basic observations and gut instinct, statistics will have to play some kind of role in the decision making process.

picture of a calculator.


by Robert Ferringo - 7/8/2011

It is not a stretch to say that no one in baseball likes doubleheaders. The players dislike putting forth that much effort in one day. Managers cringe at the thought of having to burn their bullpens. Umpires loathe having to sit out there for a double-dip, especially the guys that have to work the plate in one game and the field in another. The vendors and ballpark employees essentially pull a double-shift with little to nothing to show for it.

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