Reading Sports Odds – A quick Reminder
4 min read
The 2023-2024 NFL season will hit us gamblers in a hurry this year and that’s a good thing! It seemed like only yesterday that with the onset of early training camps and extended early practice sessions, the NFL season has in our eyes seemed shorter and shorter this season as we all spend way to much time examining who was and who was not playing due to covid-19. As we head into the first full week of NFL Wild Card matchups after week 18 concluded, we wanted to bring you a few friendly betting reminders. For those new to the sports betting game, or for the ones that might need a brush up, check out some of these friendly tips. First and foremost; find a fantastic online bookmaker, one that comes with a stellar reputation for quick and free payouts and sharp lines and odds. Find two or three of them, make them work for you be it NHL,NFL Playoffs,basketball or simply golf.
Money Line Odds: How to read the odds, what the numbers mean.
Many sports bettors like to bet the money line for one reason, there is no point spread to cover. The only requirement to win this bet is for your team to win the game, it’s that simple. Now, we say it’s simple, however, keep one thing in mind; money line bets can be tricky and more difficult to hit then one may think. If you are going to bet the money line, this probably means that you have a very good working knowledge of the team that you are betting on and against. If you do not, then you are already in trouble. Handicapping any game that you are planning or wanting to bet on is mandatory if you want to win. We can’t stress the importance of handicapping enough. Never under any circumstance go into an event “winging it” or betting on a “gut feeling”. Either of these methods are a sure fire way to lose everything very quickly.
Oddsmakers/Linesetters often have a difficult job and that is to beat you! The odds that offshore bookies often place on games will very in an effort to attract business, they need you, they want you and they will move numbers in order to do just that– get your business. Look for an online pay per head bookie service that keeps sharp lines and that has a competitive edge.
Money Line Examples:
Baltimore Colts vs. Buffalo Bills (Ravens +125) (Bills -145). These are real-time odds, the early numbers, so check with the book for any movement. What these numbers are telling us, is the confidence level in the Colts as well as the Redskins. If you like the Ravens and want to bet them, in order to win $225, you will need to wager $100,this gets you +125 plus the original $100. If you like the Bills in this matchup and you decide to bet them, a $145 bet will net you a profit of $245 ($100) plus your investment of $145 in return for a total payback of $245. The oddsmakers are telling us they love the Redskins in this game and they do not give the Colts much of a chance to win.
Betting against the spread:
Just as there are specific reasons that football gamblers love to bet the money line, there are also specific reason that others love to bet the spread. Much like the money line, there are certain risks and certain benefits when it comes to betting the spread. The risk is the ideas that you must cover a point spread when betting on the favorite or you can take the underdog and that is what’s known as “getting points”. The oddsmakers are giving you a certain amount of points that you can lose by and still win the wager. Basically, a spread bet is a money line converted to a point spread, for example—the Ravens are + 125 on the money line, the spread is +3.0. The Bills are -145 on the money line and -3.0. so, in other words, + 125 is worth 3.0 points to the underdog and the offset is .20 cent more for the favorite.
Your job as a gambler is to find value in every bet. You do this by knowing what teams are capable of and what they are probably not capable of. Stay away from the guessing game and stay away from surprises or the unknown.
The key to winning is value. You must find it and you must handicap the games or find a great sportsbook website. Find one that’s free or one that at a minimum, gives a free trial offer, and start betting smart. Turn this season into a huge success and have fun.
