How many times have you heard someone say sports betting is a game of chance and not skill? If they are right, then what can you do to give yourself the best chance of winning when you place your bet? The answer is sports handicapping.
It’s logical to think that if you know more about the team, their players, their tendencies, and so on, you will be more likely to win. No one knows exactly how many people around the world enjoy wagering money on sporting events. There are entire businesses that exist solely because people like betting on sports events.
How to handicap sports and win big bets
It’s important to note that there is no one way to handicap sports. There are general guidelines to follow and tips to help you get started, but every bettor has to find what works for them. The key is to find the information you need to make an informed decision that gives you the best chance to win. It’s not an easy task and it can take time to see results, but there are some steps you can take to get started.
- First, pick a sport or sports you are interested in betting on and decide if you want to focus on one specific team or multiple teams from one league or sport.
- Next, review as much information as you can about the teams or players you are interested in.
- Websites like IntPicks have tons of information about teams and players, which can help you get started.
Watch Games and Find Patterns
Once you have a general feel for how a team plays and what they are likely to do in a game, start looking for more specific patterns that you can use to your advantage when betting. A common example of sports betting is watching how a team’s defense plays against a certain type of offense. For example, let’s say you’re interested in betting on the Los Angeles Lakers. You’ve been studying statistics and know that the Lakers have a very good record against teams that rank in the bottom half in points scored. You also see that the Lakers play against a team like this in their next game, you might consider betting that the Lakers will win that game. Keep a notebook or write down your thoughts as you watch games to help you remember specific things you want to look for.
Pay Attention to Key Stats
Every sport has numbers that help tell the story of that sport. In baseball, you have the pitcher’s ERA. In basketball, you have shooting percentages. In football, you have rushing yards and passing yards. All of these numbers help tell a story about how the team is doing.
If a baseball pitcher is leading the league in ERA, you can be relatively certain that he is pitching well and has a high probability of keeping his team in the game and winning. If a basketball team is shooting poorly from the field, there’s a good chance they’ll have a tough time winning that game. There are plenty of websites such as IntPicks that break down these numbers for you and will help you look for the ones you need to focus on when betting.